Charlottesville Expert: General Insights Blog
This page serves as an archive for posts related to general insights on real estate in Charlottesville, VA. These posts are based on decades of experience both in real estate and living in our beautiful neck of the woods. Be sure to check back often for new content!
Curb appeal
The first carriage to pull into the circle drive in front of Frascati in 1823 was very likely bringing James Barbour and his wife, Lucy, to the just completed home of his brother, Phillip Barbour. Certainly the carriage would have slowed, the lathered horses catching...
Is Charlottesville, Virginia a good place to retire?
I wrote this article about my parents in 2014. They are both gone now but I find myself in those same happy shoes these days, enjoying the fruits of our labor and feeling blessed to have wound up in such an extraordinary place. I would love to help you find your last,...
Is land expensive in Charlottesville, Virginia?
Land close in to Charlottesville can be quite expensive with demand for nice building sites being in very high demand. A good building lot up to five acres for a single family home with can be anywhere from $65,000 to $500,000 depending on location, amenities and the...
Frascati and Orange County, Virginia
Orange County was established in 1734 and was the largest county that has ever existed in America, "The states of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia were once part of Orange County. Over time, its boundaries have contracted to an elongated county of...
Charlottesville Real Estate
Charlottesville Real Estate covers a lot of ground. From a four story condo with panoramic Blue Ridge views, to an historic plantation with roots to Thomas Jefferson, it’s all here. We are situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains, Virginia’s Piedmont, and home...
New kid in town?
When you’re 29 there are still a lot of new things that might be coming your way. The years were longer then and the end was not in sight. My 29th year with my birthday just a week away in May, 1982 found me driving through the night in my camper topped 68 Dodge step...
Now you need a tractor!
When I first looked at Firefly Farm in 1985 its 13 acres were overgrown with broom sage, vicious blackberries, and two foot tall cedars. I had walked it, carefully avoiding rusty barb wire fencing, truck parts, rows of abandoned dog houses and a three sided barn that...
How to Buy Country Property
You’ve been living the urban life for thirty years and dreaming of retiring to the country someday. Every weekend you drive down country roads and imagine that it’s you on that tractor, riding that horse, tilling that garden. Now it’s time to make it happen and you...
Rising Interest Rates: What Does This Mean For You?
Little more than a year ago my clients were getting a 30 year fixed rate mortgage at 3%, a 15 year fixed at 2.5%. Sellers were getting stacks of offers and the most challenging job for a listing Realtor was determining which offer was truly the best for their client,...
Financing Country Property: The Best Strategy
Financing country property can certainly be a maze to navigate. A buyer looking at a lovely home on 75 acres near Charlottesville may be thinking that the timing is perfect. Prices have finally leveled off and inventory is coming back. Rates have bumped up lately but...