real estate Archives

Central Virginia Counties

There are several counties that make up the Central Virginia region: Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa, Greene, Orange, Nelson and Buckingham. Below are links to each county’s online information.

Albemarle County is located in the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The county has a rich historical legacy featuring Ash Lawn-Highland the home of James Monroe and Monticello the home of Thomas Jefferson among others. There are many cultural and outdoor activities to choose from.

Charlottesville is an independent city surrounded by Albemarle County. The University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson is located there and is the largest employer. The city has been rated by many publications as one of the best places to live in the United States. The heart of downtown is the pedestrian mall which is the site of specialty shops and many restaurants, art galleries and outdoor cafes.

Fluvanna County located to the east of Albemarle is an area that is seeing rapid growth while keeping a rural feel. It includes the gated community of Lake Monticello which includes a large lake and golf course. The main town is historic Palmyra.

Louisa County is a largely rural, agricultural area with only 10% of its land currently developed. The Green Springs area sports scenic vistas of rolling hills in a historic preservation district. The town of Louisa, located 35 miles from Charlottesville and Mineral are the county’s two incorporated towns.

Greene County located to the north of Albemarle is still mostly agricultural, but has been seeing a lot of growth recently. The towns of Ruckersville and Standardsville are included.

Orange County is an area of farms and rolling countryside. Montpelier, the home of James Madison is a historic destination. The towns of Gordonsville and Orange are located in the county.

Nelson County which is bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains contains part of the George Washington Forest and parts of the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway. The Wintergreen Resort, containg ski slopes and a golf course is located in the county and is a prime destination.

Buckingham County which is just across the James River from Albemarle is a rural area that is increasingly becoming known in the region by homebuyers looking for affordable property. The incorporated town of Dillwyn is located in the county.

If you are looking for real estate in Central Virginia, you have a lot of areas to choose from. There is sure to be a home in one that suits
your lifestyle.

Albemarle County is Going Green

The government of Albemarle County is going green, and hopes to save money and reduce the county’s carbon footprint at the same time. Albemarle County is located in Central Virginia surrounding the town of Charlottesville.

All new county buildings to be constructed will meet stricter energy standards, beginning with the new Crozet Library. In addition since 2003, the county has bought new hybrid vehicles.

Albemarle County has set a goal of reducing internal energy use by 30% by 2012, and has pledged to reduce greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050.

Will Incentives Entice A Buyer to Purchase Your Home

Due to the large inventory of homes on the market sellers are looking for anything that will make their home sell faster. According to the Daily Progress as of Friday there were 3,753 homes actively listed in Central Virginia; this is up from 1,708 in May of 2005. Consequently sellers have been getting creative with incentives designed to entice buyers. These incentives may range from a simple price decrease, to the seller paying the buyers closing costs, a car or a vacation. Another popular incentive is the seller’s purchasing a home warranty for the buyer. However, it is important to remember that it is still vital to make sure that the home is properly priced. No amount of incentives will persuade someone to buy an overpriced home.

For a discussion of this topic as reported in Sunday’s paper click here.

Pam Dent
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, Virginia
434 960-0161
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
http://activerain.com/blogs/pamdent

Should You Remodel To Raise The Value Of Your Home

Updating and remodeling projects can make your home more desirable and therefore can have an impact on its time on the market. In today’s real estate market with such a large inventory, anything that can reduce the days that a home spends on the market can result in more money in the seller’s pocket. If a home sells quickly, it may mean several months less of mortgage payments. However, a remodeling project may not necessarily result in a proportunately higher sale price.

For the 5 remodeling projects that provide the best return on your investment click here.

To view the bottom 5 projects click here.

Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, Virginia
434 960-0161
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
http://activerain.com/blogs/pamdent
www.Charlottesville.virginiablogpage.com

Tax Credit For Home Buyers

The National Association of Realtors believes that a temporary tax credit would motivate wary buyers to purchase a home. NAR is urging congress to act quickly to pass this bill and help "jump start" the stagnant housing market. To read more click here.

Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, Virginia
434 960-0161
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
http://activerain.com/blogs/pamdent

Making your move easier by organizing

In the middle of all the stresses of moving it is easy to missplace things. Then you arrive at your new home, look at the piles of boxes and even though you thought you did a good job of labeling the boxes there is always something that you can’t put your hands on until that last box is unpacked. There are many documents and pieces of information that it is essential to have at your fingertips the first day in your new house. A good solution is to create a moving file containing all the information that you need to get settled in your new life. For more tips on what to be sure to include in this file click here.

Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, Virginia
434 960-0161
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
http://activerain.com/blogs/pamdent

Albemarle County Land Preservation

Albemarle County Land Preservation. Albemarle County in Central Virginia is known for its rolling hills, pastoral views, and scenic landscape. This rural countryside has become Virginia’s brand. Albemarle County horse farms are some of the most beautiful in the United States.

At the same time the Charlottesville Virginia area has repeatedly gained national acclaim as one of the best places to live in the United States. As a result we have seen an influx of people eager to share the Virginia country lifestyle. The big problem is how to allow reasonable growth while keeping the rural character of the region that makes it so special.

As the population of rural landowners continues to age, we will see an increase in land transfer problems. There is a major difference in residential versus farm land values which can lead to increased development. After all the land is the farmer’s “401K” and it is necessary for to be able to preserve these Albemarle County farms. Additionally many of these Albemarle horse farms have been in the same family for generations, and the landowners are concerned with stewardship of the land for generations to come.

Some of the solutions, either implemented or studied, include agricultural use tax breaks, mandatory clustering, down zoning to reduce density, tax driven conservation easements, and the purchase and transfer of development rights. As you can imagine, each of these approaches would have an ecconomic impact. In addition, they tend to pit farmers, environmentalists and real estate developers against each other.

One of the continuing challenges for the community over the next few years will be to come up with policies which will satisfy these disparate factions and safeguard the rural beauty of Albemarle County.

Albemarle County land preservation is an issue that impacts all of us. We need to be actively involved in order to keep the balance between necessary growth and keeping the vistas of Albemarle County farms that we enjoy so much.

Albemarle County Earns An A For Preservation

Crozet Farm Earns Conservation Funding

Piedmont Environmental Council Preserves Albemarle’s Rural Heritage

Contact

Pam Dent

, e-PRO, SRES, NHD, REALTOR®, Real Estate
III, Charlottesville, Virginia at 434
960-0161 to buy a property in the following areas in Central Virginia: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Keswick, Glenmore,
Ivy, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Cismont, Scottsville, Fluvanna County,
Troy, Palmyra, Lake Monticello, Louisa County, Louisa, Mineral, Spring Creek,
Orange County, Gordonsville, Orange, Barboursville, Greene County,
Ruckersville.

If you’re interested in purchasing a horse farm, please check out the Horse Farm Buyer’s Checklist!

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia
homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms
or visit my other blog Charlottesville Real
Estate Talk for more information on

Charlottesville

Virginia

horse farms, homes, events and real estate.

Market update – Albemarle County Horse Farms

In the current Albemarle County real estate market there are 29 properties listed for sale that are categorized as horse properties. Some have horse facilities already on them and some are listed as suitable for horses. These equestrian properties range from a house and fenced pasture on 2.12 acres listed for $189,900 to Old Keswick Farm, an established breeding facility on 547.4 acres offered at $13,500,000.

As far as horse suitable properties that have sold or gone under contract this year to date, there are currently two contingent homes, one listed for $399,900 with 7 acres and one at $695,000 with 19 acres. There is one farm that is currently pending consisting of a 4999 sq. ft. home and 68.69 acres which is listed for $2,350,000. So far in 2008, 6 horse farms have sold ranging from a 2 bedroom, 8 acre cottage which sold for $285,000 to a 4,000 sq. ft. home on 5 acres which sold for $929,000.

As you can see we have a wide range of property types and price ranges for the horse lover to choose from. So jump into greener pastures and enjoy the equestrian lifestyle of Central Virginia, and Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Pam Dent, e-Pro, SRES(R)
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, Virginia
                              www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
                              www.activerain.com/blogs/pamdent
                              www.Charlottesville.virginiablogpage.com