Parade of Homes continues this weekend

If you missed last week’s Parade of Homes you have another opportunity this Saturday and Sunday, October 12th and 13th from noon to 5:00 p.m., when once again all the homes will be open. This year’s Parade of Homes is even bigger and better than last year’s.  There are more homes and more builders representing […]

Blue Ridge Home Builders 51st Annual Parade of Homes

Every year Charlottesville’s Blue Ridge Home Builders Association (BRHBA) sponsors the Parade of Homes giving local builders an opportunity to show off the very best in new construction. The 51st Parade is no exception. Consumers who attend will have a chance to view a wide range of home styles, prices and locations.  All the best […]

Louisa County – close in with lots of amenities

Travel a short distance east of Charlottesville and you will be in Louisa County, situated north of Interstate 64 and east of the Albemarle line.  Louisa was once part of Hanover County, splitting off in 1742 when sufficient population justified a courthouse.   The new county was named after Princess Louisa, the youngest daughter of […]

Cville TimeBank members swap time for services

“Charlottesville scores as one of the top places to live, over and over,” declares REALTOR® Kelly Ceppa, an associate broker at Nest Realty. “We are one of the few small cities in the nation that has big-city cultural amenities like art, theater, and education. We also have small-town features like ‘community.’ One fairly new community […]

What is your home worth?

Determining a home’s value is key to a successful listing and sale.  Sellers who insist on over pricing their home will find that when it doesn’t compare favorably with others in the same price range buyers won’t make an offer.  Meanwhile, buyers looking at lower priced homes who may be good prospects won’t see it […]

Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival

Classical music fans in Central Virginia love September. So do some of the finest classical musicians in the world. For fifteen years now, Charlottesville natives Timothy Summers and Raphael Bell have brought the two together for the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, two weeks’ worth of stimulating concerts of classical music for small ensembles. The eight […]

Saving for a down payment

These days it is not unusual for lenders to require a down payment of as 20 percent on the purchase price of a home. This makes a lot of sense from the lender’s point of view for several reasons. First, buyers who can save that 20 percent show they handle their finances well. Second, with […]

Commercial real estate market remains positive

Nationally the commercial market continues to recover, according to Lawrence Yun, the National Association of REALTORS® Chief Economist.  Yun predicts an improving commercial market, with the multi-family sector leading the way based on what he expects will be an expanding GDP, an easing in commercial lending and continued job growth. The Charlottesville Market Hock Hockensmith, […]

Staunton Music Festival: celebrating a living tradition

Staunton hasn’t heard about “the death of classical music.” The little Shenandoah Valley city with the handsome, historic downtown and the rich reputation for the performing arts celebrates a living tradition each summer with the Staunton Music Festival, drawing larger crowds each year for dynamic and innovative chamber music concerts. The 2014 event, August 15-24, […]

Retiring early? Mind the gap!

According to a recent Gallup poll, the average American retires at age 61.1 That’s at least five years away from collecting full Social Security retirement benefits, not to mention pensions, which typically begin at age 65, when available. Collectively, these programs can account for a significant share of retirement income. According to the Social Security […]