http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/feeds/blog Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:00 GMT Blog for the Woodlands http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/9/Summer+Activites+Going+on+in+Charlottesville This time of year, there's so much to do and see around town. Charlottesville's "The Hook" outlines some great hot-spots around town to check out. "Monticello- Numero uno Charlottesville's history site. Home of Thomas Jefferson, this house is depicted on the reverse side of the nickel. Draws about half a million visitors a year. Even if you've already seen the house, the new Visitors' Center is a fun interactive museum unto itself. Entrance fee: $20 adults ($15 Nov-Feb); $8 children 6-11; children under 6 free. Tours conducted every day of the year except Christmas Day, 9am-5pm. Tips: Arrive when it's not crowded or get a "line-release" pass. Summer is the busiest time; September and spring are sublime. 984-9822 HookTip If you're a local resident, and you bring a friend from out of town, you get in free! Lovers of all things Thomas Jefferson should see Rob Coles at least once. Complete with bright red hair and stirring words, his famous Jefferson reenactments make you feel like you're in the presence of Charlottesville's favorite son. What's Coles' secret? He's a blood relative of the third President. UVA Grounds- Widely considered the most beautiful college campus in the world. Free tours depart from the Rotunda basement by UVA's famous Lawn. Designed by Thomas Jefferson as the heart of his so-called "Academical Village," the Lawn's centerpiece is the Rotunda.The man himself lived to see it open in the summer of 1825. Seventy years later, the Rotunda burned to its brick shell, then was "restored" by architect Stanford White, and restored again to Jefferson's essential design in time for the American Bicentennial in 1976. Free guided tours of the Rotunda and Lawn include a peek at Edgar Allan Poe's room, #13 of course. Tours meet daily (except during the winter when students are on vacation) at 10 and 11am, and 2, 3, and 4pm at the Rotunda entrance facing the Lawn. 982-3200 / 924-0311 Parking around UVA- Enjoying UVA is easy once you've found a map and a place to park. That used to be easier said than done with parking decks are at 14th Street, on Emmet Street, under the UVA Bookstore by Memorial Gym, and at the UVA hospital. However, if you happen to be going to Grounds in the evening or on the weekend, the multi-deck parking garage at the Culbreth Theater, near Beta Bridge, is free to visitors after 5pm, and all weekend long. If nothing's available in any of the lots, the best bet is to check the open lots in and around the Corner, or look for street parking. The Corner- At this enclave of shops, bars, and restaurants surrounding the university, parking is tighter than anywhere else in town, but the streetscapes are lively, and the shops are eclectic. -->>See our special section on UVA. Downtown Mall- One of the few pedestrian malls in America that actually works, it's the commercial and artistic hub of the city. An eight- or nine-block stretch of bricks with about 50 restaurants and lots of shopping, it's the place to see and be seen. The new Charlottesville Pavilion (245-4910) at the Mall's East End plays host to all sorts of musical entertainment, from B.B. King, to Willie Nelson, to Wilco, to David Byrne, to the Flaming Lips, to Fridays After 5. The business group that seems to run the Mall is the Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville. 295-9073 Walking tours of downtown are offered at 10am Saturdays from April to October by the Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society at 200 Second St. NE. $5 suggested donation. 296-1492 Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society has a small museum in its foyer at 200 Second St. NE (the marble-columned building facing Lee Park). Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 10am-1pm (office closed). 296-1492 -->>See our special section on Shopping. Main visitors center- It's operated by the Charlottesville/ Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau, and it's located at the east end of the Downtown Mall (293-6789), in the new Transit Center near the Pavilion, largely a brochure-distribution spot. Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 11-3. Ditto for UVA's visitors center on Ivy Road. 924-0311. >>See Kid Stuff section for more. >>See Art Galleries section for more. Montpelier- Located just north of town in Orange County, James Madison's home just re-opened in 2008, after a five-year effort to restore James Madison's home to its original 19th Century conditions. To learn more about this Fourth President and "Father of the Constitution," there are mansion tours offered between 9:30 and 5:30 (or until 4:30 between November and March) every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christma. Adults $14, kids 6-14 $7, kids under 6 are free. Ash Lawn-Highland- Located anywhere else in the country, the home of President James Monroe would be the town's biggest claim to fame. Standing here in the shadow of Monticello (and Montpelier), it's often omitted from the big tours. But as fans of foreign relations doctrines can attest, this "Era of Good Feelings" president was an important one. Tours 9am-6pm Apr-Oct, 11am-5pm Nov-Mar. $10 adults, $5 kids ages 6-11. Locals get in for $5, or free with full-paying nonresident visitors. 293-9539 Michie Tavern- An actual old tavern that dates from the 1700s, this building was moved 17 miles from Earlysville at about the time Monticello re-opened in the 1920s and offers a traditional Southern fried chicken lunch served by staff in Colonial garb. Open 9am-5pm daily with free tours for locals (lunch served 11:30am-3pm). Located just this side of Monticello on Rt. 53. 977-1234 Environment- It may not be in the heart of the Rockies, but Charlottesville has more than its fair share of outdoor and environmental opportunities. The Rivanna Trails Foundation, as part of its campaign to build a footpath around the city, sponsors all sorts of hikes and work days (923-9022), as do the folks at the Ivy Creek Foundation (973-7772). If you're looking for a little more action and adventure, the Outdoor Adventure Social Club of Greater Charlottesville sponsors outdoorsy trips all over the Blue Ridge and beyond. 760-HIKE The Miller Center- Studies and informs the national and international policies of the United States with a special focus on the American Presidency. Offers frequent 11am free weekday forums with leading scholars and policymakers such as former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-7236 Revolutionary War- British General Banastre Tarleton camped here for a while after almost capturing Jefferson, but a speedy 27-year-old horseman named Jack Jouett heard about the plan at Cuckoo Tavern in Louisa and hustled to Charlottesville to warn the Governor. Jefferson, after waiting for his horse to be shod, sped to safety at Blenheim (estate of Champe Carter adjoining Monroe's home, Highland). There was no southern Longfellow to give Jouett the Paul Revere treatment, so except for Monticello and a few houses here and there, there's not much to see locally except a plaque honoring Jouett in Court Square and a middle school named after him. Civil War- Charlottesville had just one little skirmish in the "recent unpleasentness," at Rio Hill (now a shopping center), when George Custer burned down a bridge over the Rivanna River. Charlottesville does have a few monuments, including equestrian statues of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee in the middle of their namesake parks downtown-- not to mention the obligatory pair of cannons at the County Courthouse." Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/9/Summer+Activites+Going+on+in+Charlottesville The Woodlands <info@woodlandsofcharlottesville.com> http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/8/Charlottesville+Housing+Market+Continues+to+Improve There's no better time to invest in a new home at The Woodlands of Charlottesville. The housing market is finally starting to improve and The Woodlands offers a luxurious condo community which overlooks some of Charlottesville’s most beautiful vistas. The article below highlights the recent changes in the housing market. *Virginia housing market is improving, Realtors say* By Carol Hazard, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Housing is mending as the economy continues to improve and people gain enough confidence to buy houses, according to a first-quarter home-sales report released yesterday by the Virginia Association of Realtors. Realtors from eight regions across the state were almost giddy in their assessment of the industry in a conference call about the report yesterday, shortly after the Commerce Department announced that the U.S. gross domestic product rose 3.2 percent in the first quarter. "What a difference a year makes," said Jeff Gaffney, a Realtor from Charlottesville. "Last year it felt like the dawn of the dead." Realtors cited incidents of multiple offers and a flurry of activity, even as foreclosures and short sales continue to drag down the industry. Some of their optimism may show up more in second-quarter results as buyers scurried in the past few weeks to meet yesterday's deadline to qualify for federal home-purchase tax credits. In the Richmond metropolitan area, the median price of a house, with half selling for more and half for less, was $190,067 in the first quarter, down 4.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the report. Sales in the region rose 9.1 percent to 1,643. "The most positive thing is the median sales price [in some localities] is finally going back up -- not in great leaps, but not the real drop-off that we saw in the last two years," said Jack Torza with Long & Foster in Mechanicsville. Statewide, the median price rose 7.2 percent to $236,877 in the first three months of the year from the same period a year ago. While the number of sales fell 1.1 percent from a year ago, it dropped 34 percent from the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter had an unusually high number of transactions, probably because of the homebuyer tax credit that was set to expire on Nov. 30 but was extended to yesterday, Realtors said. A separate report yesterday showed that the U.S. GDP measure of the overall economy rose 3.2 percent in the first quarter, confirming the end of the recession and boding well for continued improvement in housing. "The 3.2 percent growth in the GDP was about what was expected, but what wasn't expected was the increase in consumer spending and consumer confidence," John McClain, a senior fellow at George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis, said during the media call. "People are beginning to feel better about the economy," he said. The numbers show positive glimmers, he said. The housing market has a long way to go before it recovers from a three-year slump that led the country into the steepest recession since the Great Depression, industry experts say. But prices seem to have stabilized and sales numbers are rising in some areas. Torza said the federal tax credits -- as much as $8,000 for first-time homebuyers and $6,500 for move-up buyers -- have been a boon for the Richmond region. Realtors from other regions said their lobbies and conference rooms were full yesterday as people tried to get contracts signed by the midnight deadline for the credits. "We're hoping we don't drop off a cliff because the credit is coming to an end," Torza said. He said sales are picking up in the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck regions, prime second-home markets. If housing continues to improve in Northern Virginia, where the median price rose 12.6 percent to $366,407 in the first quarter from a year ago, it should spur demand for second homes on the river, Torza said. Rosemary deButts, an economic and housing consultant, said Northern Virginia was the first region to suffer from an onslaught of foreclosures, but foreclosures are abating there, which could be a predictor for the rest of the state. "Happy days are here again," said Barry Bridges, a Realtor from the Roanoke region. "We're happy, and we haven't been so happy for awhile." Fri, 21 May 2010 04:00:00 GMT http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/8/Charlottesville+Housing+Market+Continues+to+Improve The Woodlands <info@woodlandsofcharlottesville.com> http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/7/Charlottesville%3A+One+of+the+10+Best+Places+to+Live The Woodlands of Charlottesville is ideally located in one of Ten Best Places to Live in America, according to AskAboutRealEstate.net. Below is an excerpt taken from the list about Charlottesville. h4. The Ten Best Places to Live These ten places are each special in their own way. The only downside may be that it's hard to keep a secret, so most of them have seen considerable increases in home prices over the last couple of years. Charlottesville, VA Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, most areas of this idyllic city are accessible by foot or bicycle. Charlottesville enjoys clean air and water, and pleasant weather year-round, highlighted by especially beautiful fall foliage. Nearby Shenandoah National Park offers a wealth of recreation opportunities. Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia, which strengthens the area's healthy economy by providing steady jobs and a wealth of amenities and entertainment. Homes are not cheap (median home price $225,000), but the cost of living is manageable. The city's low unemployment rate and significant recent job growth promise continued prosperity. As more and more people learn about this year's best city, Charlottesville may find staying affordable and sprawl-free is its greatest challenge! Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/7/Charlottesville%3A+One+of+the+10+Best+Places+to+Live The Woodlands <info@woodlandsofcharlottesville.com> http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/6/Charlottesville%27s+Rising+Economy The Woodlands is excited that Charlottesville's condo and real estate market has been able to prosper during the country's economic slump. Charlottesville's real estate has not been hit as hard as many other towns, and in fact has down well. See the article below. By Brian McNeill Published: November 23, 2008 Thanks in large part to the area’s fairly stable mega-employers — such as the University of Virginia, Martha Jefferson Hospital, the National Ground Intelligence Center and the Defense Intelligence Agency — the local labor market has fared moderately well. The unemployment rate in the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area — which includes Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna and Nelson — was 3.4 percent in September. While the jobless rate was higher than it was a year ago, the Charlottesville area has a lower rate than Roanoke, Richmond, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Winchester and the state and nation as a whole. With the Charlottesville region’s steady work force and high quality of life, the local housing market has not been as devastated as elsewhere in Virginia. The local real estate market has undoubtedly taken a hit, but the Virginia Association of Realtors reported on Oct. 22 that sales were down across the state during the third quarter of 2008. Some localities saw huge drops in sales: 81.4 percent for Danville; 43.4 percent for Williamsburg; and 26.4 percent in Roanoke. The Charlottesville region’s sales fell by 21.7 percent in the third quarter to its lowest point in seven years, compared with the third quarter of 2007, according to a market report by the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. Yet real estate industry professionals see some signs for optimism. Jeff Gaffney, chairman of the new homes division of Real Estate III, said the Charlottesville region’s glut of housing is beginning to be whittled away and the average number of days it takes to sell a home has decreased. The number of homes listed for sale has dropped from 3,530 last month to 3,427 on Thursday. The average number of days on market fell from 128 in October to 113 last week, according to CAAR. “We’ve had a decline of inventory of housing for the last four months straight,” Gaffney said. “It’s still certainly a buyer’s market, but it’s headed toward balance. Maybe we’re turning a corner.” Two bright spots of the area’s economy are the tourism and restaurant industries. The latest lodging reports show Charlottesville-area hotel rooms are being booked at roughly the same rate as in 2007, bringing a steady number of business and leisure travelers to the region. “We’re about where we were last year, which is pretty phenomenal in this economy,” said Allie Baer, interim executive director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Tougher days are probably ahead of us, but we’re about as good as good gets right now.” Restaurants in Charlottesville and Albemarle County have continued to do brisk business, despite an overall decline of discretionary spending, according to a database of sales tax receipts compiled by The Daily Progress. The restaurants enjoyed roughly $180 million in sales between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, marking a 6.5 percent jump over the previous year-to-date total. Most Charlottesville-area businesses are being cautious during the downturn, but some start-up firms are beginning to emerge, said Susan Stimart, business development coordinator for Albemarle County. Stimart has been conducting interviews with CEOs and managers of existing companies, which have reported anecdotally that some longtime employees have left longtime firms such as Sperry Marine to form their own businesses. “We’re seeing growth in our economy due to the talent and skill of our work force,” she said. “We’re growing our own, basically.” Fuel prices are another happy sector of the Charlottesville region’s economy. Gas prices have plummeted locally and elsewhere over the past month, bringing the area’s average price to $1.97 per gallon on Thursday — down from $2.99 a month earlier and $3.07 a year ago, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/6/Charlottesville%27s+Rising+Economy The Woodlands <info@woodlandsofcharlottesville.com> http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/5/A+Turn+in+the+Housing+Market Now is the time to invest in a new home at The Woodlands of Charlottesville. The housing market is beginning to turn and The Woodlands offers the finest in luxury living. The article below highlights the recent changes in the housing market. h1. A Turn in the Housing Market? By Dennis Byrne Is it possible that the housing market has turned? Blamed for just about everything bad that has happened recently to the economy, housing sales, I dare say, are showing signs of picking up. At the risk of being considered a lunatic, I say this for reasons of systematically gathered data, personal experience and common sense. First the data, which hasn't and won't get as much attention they deserve, considering the fact that everyone has been blaming the dismal housing market for as far back as recent memory can take us. The good news is that the National Association of Realtors said sales of existing-home sales-including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops-for September jumped 5.5 percent higher over the previous month. They are 1.4 percent higher than September 2007. That's the first time that sales have risen compared to a year earlier since November 2005. Could this be a turnaround? Let's look at another NAR measure: its "pending sales of existing homes" index most forward-looking barometer of residential sales because it records a sale when a contract is signed, rather than at closing, which can be months later. In August, the latest month available, it rose 7.4 percent over July. More significantly, that's 8.8 percent higher over August 2007. These are the kinds of numbers that should be on the front page over every newspaper in the country--but they weren't. The second reason for my optimism is personal experience: My wife, Barbara, sells residential real estate in Chicago's northern suburbs, and she is having the best second half of a year in sales in a long time. That follows a first half of 2008 when there were nearly no sales. The closings are coming as fast as they ever have been, and the number of active buyers and sellers are impressive, even though inventories remain high. She first noticed increased activity this spring when she told me her phone began ringing. How to explain this when other indicators are so gloomy? She isn't sure; I'd say it's her superlative sales skills and networking. Or perhaps it's the peculiarities of market she works in. (Realtors constantly remind everyone that the real estate "market" isn't a single phenomenon, but a combination of regional, demographic and other factors that are masked by average sale figures.) Whatever the explanation, her market is picking up impressively. (Here I'll acknowledge my personal interest in looking on the bright side, but it occurs to me that the bright side could use a few friends.) Third, it only makes sense. This flies in the face of most "experts," whose boots aren't on the ground and who predict no turnaround until possibly late next year. Credit markets won't loosen up until then, they explain; no one can get a loan, even the creditworthy. It's not true. The credit logjam already is easing. True, your credit has to be good, but loans are available. And the loans are cheaper. Freddie Mac says the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.04 percent in September from 6.48 percent in August; the rate was 6.38 percent in September 2007. Yes, home prices continue their decline (and you can bet that's what the media will focus on), but that will only fuel a turnaround. Lower prices and lower interest; what more can the prospective homebuyer want? A residential real estate market turn-up has to come some time, and, guardedly I say the signs gradually are starting to look positive. "What we are seeing," said Lawrence Yun, the Realtors' association chief economist, "is the momentum of people taking advantage of low home prices, with pending home sales up strongly in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Rhode Island and the Washington, D.C. region. It's unclear how much contract activity may be impacted by the credit disruptions on Wall Street, but we're hopeful most of the increase will translate into close existing-home sales." "Homebuyers in July were hampered by overly stringent lending criteria in the months before the government takeover of Fannie and Freddie," he said in a statement. "August shows some unleashing of pent-up demand before the credit crisis accelerated in September." Yeah but, the pessimists will say, the increase is probably the result of the higher number of foreclosures, so it's not really good news at all. They point out that while one index shows that California home sales rose 65 percent in September, the biggest year-over-year increase in at least two decades, it's the result of buyers grabbing up foreclosed homes at discounted prices. Yes, and so? This is what has to happen before the housing market can recover substantially. Home prices already have been driven down--bad news for homeowners, but good news for buyers. Just as high quality stocks are a bargain in a depressed market, so is a quality home in a depressed housing market. A large inventory of available homes also is good for prospective buyers. So is continuing affordable interest rates. Also, the dramatic slide in energy costs will help boost consumer confidence, an essential ingredients of a housing and economic recovery. My instincts, tell me that pent-up demand is waiting for just the right moment, the right positive development, to spring loose. That will happen if we get more good news like the strong jump in pending and actual home sales. That won't happen as long as leading media outlets continue to bury the good news, as the New York Times did in its virtual non-reporting of the strong increase in pending sales. Unfortunately, there's a political component to the lack of media interest in the good news, so it doesn't appear that we'll be treated to any reinforcing good news. Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/5/A+Turn+in+the+Housing+Market The Woodlands <info@woodlandsofcharlottesville.com> http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/1/Artful+Lodger+finishes Recently, interior designer Katie Gaffoglio met with Caroline Minsky of Artful Lodger (Interiors Store in Downtown Charlottesville) to outfit a few of the homes at The Woodlands. Picture are available in the media gallery. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.woodlandsofcharlottesville.com/blog/1/Artful+Lodger+finishes The Woodlands <info@woodlandsofcharlottesville.com>