Charlottesville Real Estate Blog

Charlottesville Home Inventory Heading in the Right Direction

Inventory of homes for sale in Charlottesville generally increase in the first half of every year, with many homes coming on the market for the Spring selling season. The good news is that in 2009, we’ve seen the inventory of homes shrink – not enough to bring the market into balance, but it is heading in the right direction.  Excess inventory is causing most of our local housing market problems. Until we are able to reduce the number of homes for sale, we will continue to be in a strong buyer’s market. That’s good for today’s buyers but isn’t any better for the long-term than the strong seller’s market of 2005.

Buyers Finding Incredible Value

In our market aggregate, there are 3,602 homes for sale compared to 3,761 at this time last year. This small year-over-year decrease is a positive sign, but we have a long way to go before we see more sustainable inventory levels. The most telling statistic related to homes currently on the market is that the average price per square foot is $203 compared to $143 for homes that sold in the first six months of 2009.  This is a strong indicator that buyers who purchased a Charlottesville home in the first half of 2009 walked away with some incredible values. 

If you need help finding your next Charlottesville home – give your local Chase Team real estate agent a call.

Until my next post.

Brian

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Because the media said so, that’s why.  Again it all started back with the Pilgrims in 1621 and some guy by the name of William Bradford wrote “History of Plymouth Plantation” and said that turkey was served.  By the way, he wrote that piece 22 or so years after the fact.

Well, of course, turkey was on the menu, along with duck, fish, deer, oyster and whatever else was handy at the time.  But turkey was not the indispensable part of Thanksgiving that it is today.

National Bird!!

Ben Franklin wanted the national bird of the US to be the North American Turkey instead of the Bald Eagle.  The wild North American Turkey being a rather noble looking bird after all, not at all like the white ones we raise for the table today.  They are smart too!  They do have to survive in the wild after all.

Actually the turkey is native to Northern Mexico and the Eastern United States.  The bird was domesticated in Mexico and taken to Europe in the early 16th century.  In Europe, the goose was the selected bird for feasts.  In the colonies, turkeys were a lot more plentiful than geese, so they took its place.

While you’re thinking turkey . . .

If you want to give yourself a break from all those leftovers, there are a couple of really nice restaurants and inns in the Charlottesville Albemarle area that offer a fine dining experience!

The Inn at Sugar Hollow
Boar’s Head Inn
The Ivy Inn
Silver Thatch Inn
Michie Tavern
Keswick Hall
Double Tree
Omni
While we thoroughly enjoy helping you find (and understand) a great meal, we also thoroughly enjoy helping you find the perfect Charlottesville home.  If you need help, contact The Chase Team anytime.

With Thanksgiving now behind us for another year (except for the leftovers!), The Chase Team wishes you and yours a joyful holiday season full of good food and good friends.

Lauri

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We’re Moving on to Round #3!

The results of round #2 competition of the VAR Buzz Blog Brawl 2 were announced today and I have terrific news. We are moving on to round #3! For everyone who voted for my Charlottesville Real Estate Blog and more importantly, cast a vote for the Charlottesville children and Toys for Tots, I offer my heart felt THANKS!

A Rewarding Experience!

This experience has been so rewarding! You have already made such a big difference with your vote helping propel my C’Ville blog to the next round (and $1 donation per vote). Your votes cast in round 2 will help make this upcoming holiday season a little brighter for those less fortunate children in the Charlottesville area. I am happy to report that we reached the cap and a donation in the amount of $200 has been made to Toys for Tots.

The Giving Continues!

My  friends and real estate marketing partner at Dakno were so moved by my Toys for Tots outreach in Round 2 of the VAR Blog Brawl 2 that they now want in on the goodwill.  So, for Round 3, every vote cast for my Charlottesville Real Estate Blog in the contest will mean another $1 will be donated to Toys for Tots by Dakno (up to a maximum of $200).

In the Spirit of Good Clean Competition

I recommend my competitors implement a similar strategy and match our $200 contribution. That way others will benefit from this competition too!

Remember, you need to cast your vote before 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 25! So cast your vote for Toys for Tots and the C’Ville Real Estate Blog on the form below.

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Many of you just recently learned about my Toys for Tots fund raiser in conjunction with the VAR Blog Brawl contest.  If you didn’t have a chance to vote for my Charlottesville real estate blog before the voting ended last night at 11:59 PM, please stay tuned as we hope to make it to round 3 and continue raising money for those in need this holiday season!

Stay Tuned!

Round #2 voting results should be announced soon, so stay tuned!

Brian

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In my previous post, I resorted to “bribes” to advance to round #2 of the Virginia Blog Brawl hosted by the Virginia Association of Realtors. The good news is that it worked. We made it to round #2! So I want to say thanks to all for casting your vote for my Charlottesville Real Estate Blog! But the fun isn’t over. In fact, yesterday we started to brainstorm our next strategy. I thought to myself, it’s amazing how lucky I am that one of my biggest concerns is how to make it to the next round of this blog contest. With the holiday’s right around the corner, many families are not so lucky. Their concerns center around having enough money for Thanksgiving dinner or being able to buy a toy for their little one this holiday season. Suddenly, it hit me. Why not use this blog contest as a way to give back.

Voting for Kids

Like last round, I still intend to “bribe” you for your votes. No longer will I dangle bogus free stays at posh penthouses or complimentary haircuts and guitar lessons. The stakes have been raised. Instead, I plan to donate $1 to Toys for Tots for each vote that I receive. Simply vote using the form below and then leave a comment on this blog to let me know you voted. Your vote for this blog campaign will help those less fortunate enjoy a brighter holiday season.

Time is Running Out!

Make your VAR Blog Brawl vote truly count! Cast your vote for the Charlottesville Real Estate Blog today! For your convenience we have included the VAR Buzz Blog vote form below. Feel free to help spread the word and let others know that they can participate and help make a difference with a few simple clicks. Remember, Every vote gives the Toys for Tots organization another dollar (up to a maximum of $200).
Thanks for your help!

Note: The form below requires that you place a vote for each “zone.” So be sure to vote for Charlottesville Real Estate Blog (Brian Chase) in ZONE 2, and your other favorite blogs in the other zones.

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Okay, So I’m not looking to actually pick a fight with other real estate bloggers but, I have entered my Charlottesville Real Estate Blog in the Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl 2.0 sponsored by Virginia Association of REALTORS and the VAR Buzz Blog.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!!!!

Accepting the VAR Buzz challenge, we are taking off the gloves and jumping into the fray! After all, the first rule of the Blog Brawl is that there are no rules. Will we resort to blatant bribery for votes? Of course we will!

So What Enticing Swag Will We Use to Bribe You?

We have asked David Letterman of CBS Late Night fame to offer our Top Ten Bribes for the Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl 2.0. Dave take it away….

10. For all the “cat bloggers” (AKA Linda Davis-self proclaimed cat blogger), a year’s supply of Kitty Litter so you can continue to write your post about your %#*@ cat!

9. Calling all fans of the Phoenix Real Estate Guy! Vote for my blog and receive a FREE Phoenix Real Estate Guy T-Shirt!

8. Benn Rosales of Agent Genius has agree to allow you to take home his Inman Innovator Award for a day…. ala The Stanley Cup. Just don’t do the things those nasty hockey players have done to the coveted Stanley Cup!

7. Compliments of Dustin Luther – a free ride on a Segway. Helmet not included. Added bonus, Social Media Guru – Rudy Bachteray with Trulia has agreed to provide his video production services to capture the event! Let’s hope Dustin can actually stay on the Segway this time.

6. Free night in the $22Million Apogee Penthouse on SOFI compliments Mr. South Beach AKA Kevin Tomlinson. Can you say saweet!

5. St. Paul real estate blogger T. Boardman has offered to give personal photo lessons for a vote for this blog! Say cheese!

4. Complimentary night on the Queen Mary provided by Laurie Manny Long Beach real estate queen! If Laurie is not available, The Long Beach Red Wagon Team Guy Jay Valento will take care of you.

3. Brad Andersohn of Active Rain has agreed to provide a year’s supply of free guitar lessons for your vote! Special note, as an added bonus, Brad will also throw in a Home Shopping Network gift card for a classic acoustic guitar made by Esteban!

2. A year of Free haircuts provided by Jeff Turner of the Real Estate Shows. Note to Jeff, when you cut my friend’s hair, please don’t scalp them!

1. Nik-Nik of MyTechOpinion.com fame will pose in front of your ride in similar fashion to her RE Blog World cameo appearance!

Thanks to the guys at Dakno for helping me find all this dirt on the various bloggers of RE.net.

Disclaimer: The bribery gifts mentioned above are subject to terms and conditions. In other words, first we have to get the people mentioned above to actually agree to these items. All gifts, prizes and bribes are purely speculative. I know – minor detail. But in the mean time, please vote for the Charlottesville real estate blog!

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Last time I gave you a bit of the history of the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Now I’m going to tell you how we celebrate Thanksgiving in historic Charlottesville.

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Thanksgiving is a traditional North American holiday that has been attributed to the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation who celebrated  immediately after their first harvest in 1621.

St. Augustine, Florida – can’t be …

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The Federal Reserve dropped the Federal Funds Rate (the rate charged by banks for overnight loans) by 50 basis points (1/2%) on Wednesday to 1%.  This might seem like good news to would-be home buyers of Charlottesville real estate, but buyers I work with are surprised when I tell them the opposite is true.  I’m often met with a look of disbelief and a refrain that goes something like, “I just heard about a big interest rate cut in the news – how can rates be that high?”

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If you could turn back the clock on Charlottesville real estate prices and buy today for the same price or less than buyers were paying in 2004, wouldn’t that be amazing?  If you think it sounds too good to be true, it’s not, but the more incredible thing about current conditions and current sentiment is that we are actually debating whether or not this represents excellent value.

Another Shoe Drops

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