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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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, […]
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 […]
Each summer we highlight the many outstanding private schools in our seven-county readership area. We are pleased to enable these schools to shine a light on their extraordinary accomplishments, helping readers to get a flavor of the type of private school opportunities available to their children throughout central Virginia. Here are the schools that replied […]
Energy-saving upgrades such as weather stripping compact fluorescent light bulbs, low-flow faucets and showerheads, and lifetime air conditioning filters can save you up to 25 percent annually on your utility bills. Here are some energy-saving tips you can apply to your home. And these don’t cost a lot of money, either. Immediate insulation A good […]