Protesters gathered May 14th in response to tiki torch-carrying white nationalists assembling in Lee Park the day before.
Photo Eze Amos
A group led by UVA grad Richard Spencer, head of the white nationalist National Policy Institute, converged on Charlottesville Saturday and held a tiki-torch procession that evening that sparked a candlelit counter protest Sunday, along with denunciations from Mayor Mike Signer, Delegate David Toscano and the local Republican party chair.
White nationalists gather by tiki-torch light under the statue of General Robert E. Lee. Photo PeterHedlund_@phedlund
The event thrust Charlottesville into the national spotlight again over a controversial vote by City Council to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee. And it resulted in another arrest for local blogger Jason Kessler, who was charged with disorderly conduct following the Sunday demonstration after police ordered everyone to leave Lee Park at 10pm.
The Spencer-led alt-right group, clad in white polo shirts and khakis, a response to “antifas” in black, according to Kessler on his blog, met at McGuffey Art Center and marched to Jackson Park at Court Square, passing a Festival of Cultures being held in Lee Park.
“I’m here to say no to the city of Charlottesville,” said Spencer in an NBC29 interview. “You are not going to tear down this statue and you’re not going to replace us.”
It’s not clear who organized the event and from where the attendees hailed, but many appeared to be from out of town, including Nathan Damigo, who allegedly punched a woman at a Berkeley demonstration and is the founder of white nationalist group Identity Evropa, and Atlanta attorney Sam Dickson, who has represented Spencer and who calls himself a “racial communitarian activist” on his website. Spencer did not respond to an email inquiring about the white rights gathering.
The Jackson Park event was mostly peaceful until the end, when members of Showing Up for Racial Justice and others began shouting at the white nationalists as they left Jackson Park and followed them down Jefferson Street.
At the 9pm event, which Kessler called a “funeral procession for the dead,” but which Mayor Signer compared to a KKK rally, the group chanted “we will not be replaced,” “blood and soil” and “Russia is our friend,” the latter, explains Kessler, is because “Russian people are a white people.”
Police estimated that crowd at around 100 to 150, according to the Daily Progress, while Kessler put it at over 200. The first officer to arrive found a single male yelling “leave my town” to the white supremacists, and the demonstration broke up when police ordered everyone to disperse.
“We reject this intimidation,” tweeted Signer. “We are a Welcoming City, but such intolerance is not welcome here.” Signer has since been the target of anti-Semitic trolls on Twitter.
House Minority Leader Toscano joined in on Twitter: “Outrageous protests in Charlottesville this evening by apparent white supremacists. Unacceptable!”
And Charlottesville native/gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello tweeted, “Get your white supremacist hate out of my hometown.”
“We won, you lost, little Tommy,” replied Spencer.
“Actually, you lost,” Perriello said. “In 1865. 150 years later, you’re still not over it.”
Charlottesville GOP chair Erich Reimer was quick to denounce the alt-righters. “Whoever these people were, the intolerance and hatred they seek to promote is utterly disgusting and disturbing beyond words,” he says in a statement.
Hundreds showed up to “take back Lee Park” in a counter demonstration at 9pm Sunday organized by SURJ, Black Lives Matter and others, according to the Progress.
The statue of Lee was draped with a banner that read, “Black Lives Matter. Fuck White Supremacy,” which was later torn off the statue by a bullhorn-carrying Kessler.
Emerson Stern, who was photographed with Spencer Saturday afternoon at Jackson Park, live streamed the Sunday event, and was surrounded by people demanding to know why he was filming. He said he was assaulted by a woman, and his phone was knocked from his hands several times.
He calls the reaction to his documenting the event ironic. “I’m black and I was threatened and assaulted by white liberal demonstrators,” he says. Stern says he agrees with Spencer on the monument issue. “I believe that the Lee statue should not be removed,” he says.
Stern has footage of counter protesters locking arms and blocking Kessler, while shouting, “Black lives matter.”
After police announced the park closed at 10pm and participants were leaving, Kessler, 33, was arrested for not obeying officers’ commands to leave and for inciting others with his bullhorn, as was Charles William Best, 21, for assaulting law enforcement, a felony, and Jordan McNeish, 28, for disorderly conduct for spitting on Kessler, according to police.
On Monday, Perriello held a press conference at Lee Park, where at least a dozen police officers were stationed around the park. He called for a state commission on racial healing and transformation, and the elimination of the Lee-Jackson state holiday as “something that’s dividing us.” Said Perriello, “We believe these are the last gasps of a dying racist ideology.”
MORE PHOTOS FROM SUNDAY’S COUNTERPROTEST:
Emerson Stern live streamed the Sunday event, and had his phone knocked out of his hand several times. Photo Eze AmosVice-Mayor Wes Bellamy, left, who called for the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue last year, says he’s been threatened with lynching and his family has been harassed. Photo Eze AmosCounter demonstration by candlelight at Lee Park Sunday night. Photo Eze AmosJason Kessler before he ripped the “Black Lives Matter” banner off the Lee statue. Photo Eze AmosJason Kessler was one of three people arrested Sunday night. Photo Eze AmosDon Gathers, who chaired the city’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces, speaks up at the Lee Park counter demonstration. Photo Eze Amos
Frayser White IV. Photo courtesy of the Albemarle County Police Department
The man involved in the first fatal traffic crash of 2016 in Albemarle County was scheduled to appear in court May 12 for a pre-trial motions hearing. He and his attorneys were not there and, for the third time since a January 30 hearing, the motions were continued.
The prosecution maintains that on March 15, 2016, Frayser White IV crossed double solid yellow lines on Ivy Road and collided head-on with 81-year-old Carolyn Wayne, who died at the scene.
White’s trial, originally set for Halloween of last year, was also continued. His attorney, Rhonda Quagliana, says the motions hearing has been rescheduled for June 21, but would not comment on the reason for the holdup. He is also represented by John Zwerling.
White was initially charged with his second DUI in five years, but the prosecution dropped that after finding no evidence he’d been drinking. He is charged with two felony counts for possession of heroin and cocaine, and two misdemeanors for reckless driving and possession of alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax.
J. Brian McCrory has been an Uber driver and runs a personal taxi service, but he says driving the Bella’s Ice Cream truck is more fun because of the kids’ excitement when they spot him. Photo by Amy Jackson
Ethan Lipscomb tore the shirt from his thin frame and tossed it through the artificial fog and colored lights off the stage in the basement of the Jefferson Theater. The crowd erupted and the drummer punctuated the landing of the shirt with the hit of a cymbal. Lipscomb launched into the next song with his band, Just Sex.
The next morning, with ID-check bracelets still fastened around the wrists of many sleeping concert-goers, Lipscomb reported to work as a barista at Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters. Next week he could be doing construction again. Welcome to Charlottesville’s gig economy, where unsalaried millennials and Gen-Xers patch together a living from whatever work they can find, often while making art or music.
“My job is I work at a coffee shop and I pick up side jobs,” says Lipscomb, who has also acted at Live Arts. “Whether that be construction or music or event planning. …I’ve been a pool and spa technician. That paid a ton of money, actually. Roofing.”
Ethan Lipscomb works as a barista at Shenandoah Joe during the day, and fronts the synthesizer-led band Just Sex at gigs around town. Photo by Jackson Smith
Coffee shops in Charlottesville have changed in tone and layout during the last 20 years. In 1997, Mudhouse on the Downtown Mall featured a living room-like layout with black leather couches. Large scrapbooks sat on the coffee tables and regulars would fill them with doodles, poems and stories. Evenings featured poetry readings and acoustic music performances. It was a place where people came to talk to strangers.
Today, the couches and scrapbooks are gone. In their place are rows of open laptops and coffee-sipping freelancers with earbuds guarding them against the overtures of their fellow workers.
A generation ago, cobbling together a living was almost unthinkable. Since the end of World War II, the trend had veered toward higher standards of living and more stable lives for most Americans. But for many people born during the 1970s onward, the white-picket-fence lifestyle has only been something they’ve seen on television. They pass from college through their 20s and 30s and beyond, waiting to start families and buy houses. Waiting for salaried jobs with benefits that are harder to come by.
The music business—both locally and nationally—is particularly tough. Music sales have dropped to almost nothing as services like Spotify and YouTube distribute artists’ intellectual property while paying them literally pennies for tens of thousands of streams. And local owners of live venues have different ways of paying bands.
“Some venues will say to you, ‘We’re going to take [all of the money] up until 100 people,’” Lipscomb says. “After you have 100 people who came in the door and paid $10 a ticket, then you can start making money. And then you have some venues that will say, ‘We’ll just cut you a percentage at the door.’”
Even if the bands get to keep all of the cover charge, the math still doesn’t work out very well. Lipscomb says that a common scenario might be that three bands play a show together, with 70 people paying the $10 cover charge; $150 would pay for promotion, fliers and the sound guy. That leaves $550 to split between the three bands. The two opening acts each get 30 percent and the headliner keeps 40 percent. If that headlining band has three members, they are only paid about $73 each. And managers of music venues often require that a band not play anywhere else in Charlottesville up to a month ahead of the booked date.
This is why so many musical acts in Charlottesville are now one- or two-piece bands, according to Lipscomb. Adequately paying two guitarists, a bassist, drummer and singer has become close to impossible. Just Sex includes Lipscomb singing and playing a synthesizer, plus a live drummer. Occasionally they are joined by a bass player.
“If I could have a full band, I definitely would,” Lipscomb says. “I would have a four- or five-piece. I’m in two bands…it comes down to a financial thing. We would love to scrape by and make money to survive—none of us are trying to get rich. We’re trying to do what we love. We’re gonna do that, but that requires us to eat and have a room to practice in.”
The drive to succeed
J. Brian McCrory also dabbles in art and music. He is one of many locals who have driven for Uber but is now skeptical about the company.
McCrory started driving for Uber about a year ago. “That was my first foray into gigging,” he says. “First it made a lot of sense to make cash quickly. But as I went on it was clear that Uber drivers really don’t make very much at all. Keeping the costs of the car and keeping it drivable and on the road, the AC working, it’s a tough gig for sure. The whole dichotomy of Uber probably needs a second look from its higher-ups.
“When I started out I could make between $80 and a $100 in a regular 10-hour day or $150 if I worked on weekends, but I’d be working till 3 in the morning,” McCrory says.
Because of changes in Uber’s rates, that income dropped to about $50 a day. The drop in income came on top of McCrory’s realization that neither Uber nor his personal auto insurance policy covers the liability of driving his car for hire. He has scaled back his time driving for Uber, doing so only when other gigs have fallen through or failed to pay.
“I do everything,” McCrory says. “People are always asking, ‘What are you doing now?’ At the moment I am driving an ice cream truck. I [also] drive a personal taxi service, I am helping to record an album for a budding artist, and I teach classes in batik and drawing. There’s plenty of other little things thrown in from time to time as well.”
The ice cream truck gig is fun, at least. McCrory drives for Bella’s Ice Cream, a local company with two trucks. He says he likes it better than Uber, although there still isn’t a lot of money in it.
“What makes [driving the ice cream truck] a good day is that you’re out making people feel nostalgic—the kids love it and do dances to the songs,” McCrory says. “The kids all help each other out. They’re always pooling their money to help a kid who doesn’t have anything. It gives you faith in humanity.”
Working as a personal taxi service (he’ll take people to Washington, D.C., or Baltimore, for instance) outside of Uber, McCrory finds customers occasionally by word of mouth. It pays better without Uber taking a cut.
Like many people in the gig economy, McCrory does not have health insurance.
“I haven’t had [health insurance] for a really long time,” McCrory says. “Even with a decent job it was a difficult thing to secure. It’s been rough, I have a lot of back problems…my partner does have insurance, very good insurance, but spousal benefits are almost impossible. They’re like half of his paycheck every pay period.”
McCrory has a bachelor’s of fine arts in illustration and design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He says that if he could find a full-time, salaried job as an art teacher then he would like to make the transition, but he hasn’t had any luck. Meanwhile, he says there’s an upside to staying in the gig economy.
“I have done a lot of soul searching and figured out that I am more of an ambivert than an introvert or an extrovert so I love mixing up my job from day to day so that I don’t have to talk to people some days and get to talk to people other days,” McCrory says. “It keeps it fresh. It keeps it flowing and happy for me. I definitely have less money but it’s better for my soul, I think.”
McCrory and his partner would like to adopt children, but the lack of financial stability has been a factor in holding off.
“We talked about kids. I absolutely love kids,” McCrory says. “I think it’s completely impractical [to have kids in the gig economy]. I think you have to be in a pretty good situation to consider having children in this day and age. There are so many issues with just keeping a regular 9-5 job. …I definitely don’t think I would consider it unless I had something that I knew was going to support me for a long time.”
Settling in
Jay Taylor’s elderly mother and a son in high school keep him tied to Charlottesville in spite of a résumé that would land him a good job in many other places.
“I had a full-time gig here where I managed the [Martin Luther King Jr.] Performing Arts Center,” Taylor says while sitting on a bench in McGuffey Park on a Saturday afternoon. “It was more than 40 hours a week. It was like 60, sometimes 80 hours a week. I lived, ate, drank, breathed, slept that job and I had no time left for myself or my family and I kind of regret that actually.”
When Taylor’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he needed to spend more time with her than his job allowed. So he quit the Performing Arts Center and moved into the gig economy. Now he makes stuff, fixes stuff and moves stuff.
“I own a box truck so I move things and I make things,” Taylor says. “But I mostly fix things. I also work in the film and theater world and do lighting and sound and sets.”
Jay Taylor quit his 60-hour-a-week job to spend more time with his family, and has since become a member of the gig economy by working as a carpenter, handyman, set designer and mover. Photo by Ron Paris
Skilled in carpentry, wiring, mechanics, plumbing and decorative arts, Taylor’s jobs come via word of mouth, and he can do anything from trimming out a bathroom to building a film set. Taylor, who’s married and is decades older than the average gig economy worker, would like to focus on work in the film industry but film jobs are sparse in Charlottesville.
“I work for a local promoter doing music videos from time to time,” Taylor says. “I do props and sets and design, making their vision of what the thing should be come to life. Art meaning set, background, the visualization of whatever the mood is that they are trying to go for.”
Hiring a mover with experience in the arts and set design appeals to some of Charlottesville’s affluent residents, which is what keeps Taylor in business, he says. Most professional moving companies won’t show up to move just one or two pieces of furniture.
“I guarantee you that you’ll be able to get it cheaper,” says Taylor. “But that’s not why you’re hiring me. It’s more than just moving the sofa. I’m gonna do it with a smile, I’m gonna do it carefully, I’m going to do it intelligently.”
Taylor had health insurance but recently lost it due to a sudden premium increase.
Taylor and Thomas both grew up in Charlottesville. Thomas attended Tandem Friends School and went on to study film at the New York Film Academy.
“I’m trying to put back into production my documentary on local jazz music,” Thomas says. “It’s about when it is appropriate to clap at a jazz performance. And I do all the things I have to do to keep the rent money moving.”
Thomas has also done construction work and general handyman duties. “I’ve done mechanical work, car repair for friends, I can do brake jobs and whatnot,” he says. “My other main gig is I do draft system installations. Install beer systems. We redid the taps here at Miller’s, I did the taps at Smoked [Kitchen and Tap] in Crozet. We’re getting ready to do a full brewery install…so that should be fun, installing all the big tanks and pipes.”
But Thomas has had just about enough of the rising rent and lack of opportunity in Charlottesville. Also, he has not had health insurance since 1998 and has not visited a doctor in six years.
“I am trying to go somewhere else,” he says. “Just trying to figure out the right place. I have to move out of my current abode in the fall. I don’t want to get stuck into a lease here in Charlottesville again. The rent is so high and the pay is so marginal that it makes it difficult. I’d like to be somewhere bigger with better public transportation. Thinking of like Seattle, Portland, maybe Charleston if I want to stay closer. They have more opportunity, bigger markets. I’m much more likely to find better pay.”
Sean Thomas has done restaurant work, in addition to construction work and general handyman duties. “I’ve done mechanical work, car repair for friends, I can do brake jobs and whatnot,” he says. Photo by Ron Paris
Meanwhile, Thomas isn’t bitter about being in the gig economy. Several weeks after being interviewed in person, he reached out by email to clarify that he’s okay with his career choice.
“I have come to enjoy gig work,” Thomas says. “It allows me to take on as much work as I want, or to take off time for family or travel. It does mean I have to pack in more work when the season is good then schedule other activities in the down times. I would like to make an official career out of gigging.”
The right balance
Jessica Glendinning seems to have found a smoother spot in the gig economy than anyone else interviewed for this article. She is a yoga teacher and a freelance editor and writer specializing in corporate communications. Sitting around her dining table beside a wall of books, with the sound of unseen dogs behind a closed bedroom door, she seems content and comfortable.
“Anyone who is a full-time yoga teacher in Charlottesville can tell you that it is almost impossible to make a living teaching yoga,” Glendinning says. “If you were to teach for three or four different studios and teach five classes a day, you could possibly make it happen. Right now it’s a form of supplemental income.”
Yoga studios have popped up around town even faster than breweries. Competition for students is fierce. And alternatives like Pure Barre, Zumba and Pilates add to the squeeze on local yoga teachers.
“I’ve had this conversation with folks in Charlottesville that we’re at a point of maximum saturation with yoga,” Glendinning says.
Jessica Glendinning works as a part-time yoga teacher while most of her income comes from freelance writing and editing. She says she’s seen a shift in the economy since she started gigging, in that new companies are bringing in more people on a contract basis. Photo by Amy Jackson
Writing and editing is Glendinning’s main gig, while the yoga classes wax and wane as freelance writing contracts come and go.
“I’ve been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. It was always just fun. Back in 2007 I started doing the National Novel Writing Month…that was the first time I started taking it seriously,” Glendinning says.
She started writing professionally when a company that she was working for full-time needed an employee to ghost write for its CEO. Later she moved on to writing corporate blogs and newsletters as an independent contractor.
“As of two weeks ago I had an ongoing contract that was supposed to be 15 to 20 hours a week that turned into two to five hours a month. So it’s a period of transition now.”
Glendinning’s niche in corporate communications gives her periods of greater stability than most freelance writers enjoy [full disclosure: The writer of this article is a freelance journalist living in the gig economy]. Instead of trying to sell one article at a time, she secures contracts that include a planned schedule of blog entries, newsletters and other materials.
In spite of the yo-yoing income, Glendinning is happy with her situation.
“I’m not built for a cubicle,” she says. “For a long time when I first started freelancing I was also supporting myself with part-time work. I look at it now and think about it…oh man, having a paying job with a steady paycheck and health insurance. And then you’re like, ‘I realize how much that sucks.’ I almost feel like I’m unemployable. As a freelancer, what does your résumé look like? I’ve gone back and forth. Do I want to give this up? No…I am so much more productive here with dogs on my feet.”
Glendinning has health insurance through her partner. “It would be really difficult” to make this work if she were single, Glendinning says. “I squeezed by for a few years, but it’s a lot nicer now knowing that if a contract dried up that feast or famine is balanced out by having someone else in the household with an income.
“Since I started doing this, the general economy has changed,” she says. “Not as many people were doing this. But it has shifted and now a lot of newer companies are just bringing people in on a contract basis and not having to pay for things like health insurance.”
A 2016 survey commissioned by Freelancers Union indicated that 35 percent of the total American workforce are freelancers. That’s 55 million freelancers, up from 53 million in 2014.
“If you interact with someone within the gig economy, even if it’s just an Uber driver, I know that Uber doesn’t require people to tip, but Uber drivers make less than any other ride service by far. They definitely would appreciate a tip,” says McCrory, the former Uber driver. “Also know that if someone’s working a job that you think is a little job a lot of time it’s to support a dream of theirs. So just being extra nice and kicking in a little extra if you think they did a good job is really helpful.”
*This article was updated at 12:07pm May 12 to reflect the correct spelling of J. Brian McCrory’s name.
Old Salt Union performs Wednesday, May 10, at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall.
Old Salt Union’s hipster looks and laid-back attitude pair well with its love of high-energy, foot-stomping Americana music. But the band does all it can to buck tradition with unique arrangements and an original newgrass sound that recently earned the group Best Bluegrass Band and Best Country Band titles in the Riverfront Times’ Best of St. Louis edition. Harrisonburg’s Strong Water and Koda Kerl open.
Wednesday, May 10. $10, 8pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. 977-5590.
Grant Gordy and Ross Martin perform Saturday, May 13, at C'ville Coffee.
Billed as two of acoustic music’s most forward-thinking virtuoso guitarists, Grant Gordy and Ross Martin pick out bluegrass, jazz and American traditionals in flawless two-part guitar creations that have critics elated about the duo’s 2016 album, Year of the Dog. Bluegrass Today says, “The way Ross and Grant make jazz guitar work on acoustics is among the record’s most impressive features, done in a way that fans of more traditional folk guitar styles will surely appreciate.”
Saturday, May 13. $13-15, 6:30pm. C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris St. 817-2633.
Mountain views, gorgeous lakes, andyear-round vacation lifestyles all draw people to our area whether for jobs, retirement, or justget away from urban life.Some pass through on their way elsewhere, others come for specific events like the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival or the Montpelier Races.
Still others come to sample local wines or enjoy the growing number of breweries, cideries and distilleries or they arrive after they read about how high our area ranks on different measures of lifestyle quality. The list is long and appeals to people on the lookout for the best of the best, including second home buyers who want a nice place to enjoy weekends andvacations.
Nationally the sale of vacation homes was down in 2016,but agents report that is not the case here. Investors are also active in our area including a growing number of vacation buyers with plans to offset their mortgage payments by renting their propertyon a short term basis when they aren’t able to enjoy it themselves.
If youwant to enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside after a stressful week or need a beautiful place to spend the warmer months before returning toFlorida when cold weather arrives, you can find it here whether it is a rustic cabin in the woods, rural acreage, a condo in the mountains or a waterfront home with its own dock.
While inventories of most local properties are down, price increases, for the most part, have been modest, which means there are still many good deals available for buyers who act quickly.This, plus continuing low interest rates, meanssecond homebuyers can find the perfect getaway and still enjoy low monthly payments.
Year Around Attractions Draw Mountaintop Buyers If you love spectacular views and look forward to outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, snowboarding, tennis and golf, you’ll find all of that and more at local mountaintop resort communities.
“Wintergreen is booming the last six months,” said Francesca San Giorgio, Broker with Four Seasons Realty in Nelson County.In spite of this there is still plenty of inventory and it’s a good time to be a buyer.San Giorgio has been very busy since January working with several buyers a day, many of whom are second home buyers.
“There have been sixty homes sold and closed on the mountain at Wintergreen in the last six months,” said Brian Chase with Wintergreen Resort Premier Properties.The median price was $189,000 and the price range huge, from $40,000 to the mid-$600,000s.Since 85 percent of Wintergreen property owners are second home buyers, this activity is a good indication of the popularity of vacation homes.
Chase described Wintergreen as “amazing, one of the most special places on the east coast” that attracts buyers from nearby population centers within a four hour drive including the Carolinas, Northern Virginia and Maryland and Southwest Virginia.
In addition to being a gorgeous place with spectacular views, Wintergreen offers activities for all age groups from 5 and older and attracts families who can “share in the joy” of living and/or vacationing there.
San Giorgio described Wintergreen buyers as mostly forty and older, often young families with kids.While they start out being second home buyers, it is not uncommon for them to fall in love with the area and make this their primary home, she added.Often these are people who love the view and whose job allows them to work from home.
Amenity rich mountaintop living is also available at Massanutten in Rockingham County near Harrisonburg.Dave Cureton with Massanutten Realty was once someone who lived in northern Virginia and bought a home in the mountains to get away from it all on weekends and during vacations. Then 13 years ago, after falling in love with the area, he realized weekends and an occasional vacation visit weren’t enough and became a permanent resident.
Today as a full time REALTOR® with Massanutten Realty he is “busier than ever. March was good last year,” he continued, “but this year is even better.”He added that like many markets in our area there is a shortage of inventory.As of mid-April there had been 19 home sales and 17 under contract with just 29 active listings compared to 40 at the same time last year. Prices range from $121,900 to $399,900in housing styles from contemporary to an old style log cabin.
Massanutten has a higher proportion of full time residents than does Wintergreen, but attracts a lot of second home buyers as well, including some that buy with the intent to make the property a full time rental.For vacation buyers, the Home Owners Association rules allow them to do short term rentals of their properties to other vacationers so long as they follow common-sense guidelines such as no noise after 10 p.m.
One source of vacation buyers is timeshares that Cureton explained bring “a steady stream of buyers to Massanutten.”He joked that timeshare people come year after year and then suddenly wake up and realize“oh, there are houses here.”That’s when they decide to become a property owner.
Waterfront Also Popular Vacation buyers who love the water have options from large communities like Lake Anna to the east and Smith Mountain Lake to the west, to smaller, gated communities like Lake Monticello and Lake Louisa,east of Charlottesville.
Our area is a top pick for vacation buyers from Northern Virginia and DC expecting to retire in the next two to five years.Part of our popularity is the location just a few easily drivable hours from where they live.And of course they can enjoy golf, swimming, boating and fishing during the summer and skiing and snowboarding at Wintergreen or Massanutten when snow falls.
“At one time people looking for a vacation property wanted a small place in the country that was just adequate for weekend visits,” explainedTom Morace with Century 21 Monticello Properties. Today, though, many vacation buyers want higher end properties such as on Lake Monticello’s waterfront where they can live comfortably when they retire but retain the option of selling for a profit if they change their mind and decide to move.
Lake Anna is another popular spot for vacation buyers from Northern Virginia and Maryland as well as locations such as Richmond and Charlottesville and business is good.
“Currently the sales of homes at Lake Anna are exceeding those for the same time last year,” said Libby Sandridge with Dockside Realty.She added that “With interest rates rising many are deciding to get off the fence and purchase before they go much higher.”She described the Lake Anna market as “unbelievably exciting” with 44 homes sold since the beginning of 2017 and 39 currently under contract.
While Lake Anna is growing in popularity with telecommuters and those finding full time work in the area, it continues to be primarily a second home community.“Vacation rentals are booming, andvacationers are finding it harder and harder to find a rental,” she added.This popular lake community overlaps three counties increasing the complexity of real estate transactions there and Sandridge advises “it is important to receive advice from a local, experienced Lake Anna agent,” whether you are buying a primary residence or a vacation home.
For vacation home buyers who like waterfront but want the peace and quiet of a small, private lake plus the security of a gate, Blue Ridge Shores in Louisa County is a good choice.Sharon Duke with William A. Cooke, LLCdescribed it as a place with lots of second homes, many of which have been purchased and remodeled to better suit the needs of current owners.
Second home buyers often choose to offset their mortgage payments by renting their properties on a short term basis.To protect their property they hire a local property manager to handle the paperwork, cleaning, and other complications of short term rentals such as setting the right price and finding qualified renters.
A good example is RSI Rentals, Inc at Smith Mountain Lake.Tammy Schiemann, RSI’s owner/broker, explained that their clients include people who purchased their home for vacations or in some cases as part of retirement planning.Some eventually do retire there, but in other cases “life happens” and they move one, she continued.Meanwhile, though, keeping the property rented when they are awayhelps pay the mortgage, and using a company like RSI helps assure the property is well cared for in the owner’s absence.
Schiemann’s clients are mostly from out of the area from as close as Northern Virginia, to as far away as Ohio and Florida.One customer comes all the way from Wyoming to enjoy vacationing in Virginia, renting to others the rest of the year.
Rural AcreageStill Popular It’s not unusual to get calls from second home buyers who want a country retreat that comes with the privacy of 2 to 10 acres explained James Dickerson with Charlottesville Solutions.Thesebuyers also recognize the long term investment value of rural acreage that is growing in popularity as inventory shortages of resale homesincrease the demand for land for home building.
Christiane Gathright with the Amherst office of Montague Miller and Co. relocated from Madison to Buckingham County after her recent marriage.She is definitely seeing a demand for rural properties from people who want a place they can get to in less than a half a day’s drive.
Some want to live near the James River while others want a place where they can hunt and fish on their own land.This could be something rustic, such as a wooded property witha pond that she recently sold to a government employee with plans to retire there.Others come from Tidewater, Richmond and Maryland, including a recent transaction to a couple who wanted a place to relax and enjoy their ATV on their own property.
Second Home Finance Mortgage money is available for second home buyers who qualify explained Julia Morris with Fulton Mortgage. She added that the same guidelines apply to vacation home buyers as are used for those purchasing their primary home.Short term vacation rentals are allowed under these guidelines, so long as the buyer meets certain IRS requirements, which are different if they fall into the category ofinvestor.Consult your lender or accountant for more details
Morris has helped a variety of second home buyers recently including some who live in Charlottesville and purchase their getaway place as close by as Afton or Stanardsville.
If you have been dreaming about having your own weekend getaway, now is a great time to buy it before prices and interest rates rise and put it out of reach. Fortunately, one of our local agents and lenders can help you sort through the choices and find the home and the financing that is best for you.
Celeste Smucker is a writer, blogger and author who lives near Charlottesville
Antoine Scott has shared the stage with such comedic notables as Kevin Hart and “30 Rock”’s Tracy Morgan, and has appeared on Showtime and TV One. Publicity photo
Antoine Scott has shared the stage with such comedic notables as Kevin Hart and “30 Rock”’s Tracy Morgan, and has appeared on Showtime and TV One. Scott’s manic energy takes audiences along on a wild comedy ride with a special Mother’s Day show presented by the United Nations of Comedy that includes Anthony DeVito and Funnyman Skiba.
Saturday, May 13. $20, 7:30pm. Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 233 Fourth St., NW. 260-8720.
What’s the best thing about Habitat for Humanity? “My children have a place,” declares Sheron Sinclair, a Habitat homeowner for more than two years.
Habitat for Humanity® of Greater Charlottesville is all about having a place. In more than 25 years of homebuilding, this remarkable effort has constructed more than 170 dwellings in our area, living up to Habitat’s stated vision of eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and making adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action.
Habitat’s vision: Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
“I was taking my daughter to kindergarten at Clark [Elementary School],” recalls Sinclair. “I started talking with a lady about how she was getting ready to move into their Habitat house.” Sinclair hadn’t heard about Habitat and it sounded good to her.
People interested in applying for Habitat housing must go through an application process to learn about the home ownership program. Selection is based on three primary factors: need, willingness to partner, and ability to pay.
“I filled out an application and was turned down because I was doing too well,” Sinclair says. She was living in a decent apartment and she had a job. “Then I was in a car accident and that took me out of my job and apartment. I had to move in with friends in Lovingston, but a bad thing turned out to be a good thing.”
When she reapplied, she was accepted as a Partner Family.
How Does Habitat Work? Habitat sells homes to qualified Partner Families at no profit with a zero-interest mortgage. In turn, mortgage payments go to the Fund for Humanity to build more homes. Potential partners must attend classes for training in critical areas such as financial planning and home maintenance. They must also donate many hours of “sweat equity” that can be working in the Habitat office, the Habitat Store, or actually building homes.
Finally, Habitat must know the family can afford the mortgage on top of other bills. Applicants must provide copies of tax returns and income documents. If there are existing debts, there must be a plan to pay them off. (Habitat’s credit counselling program works with families with poor credit.)
Strong Volunteer Force “We all want a cozy nest to call home,” points out Habitat volunteer Judy Johnson. “We put on a hard hat to work with others helping to put a roof over a house which becomes a home for someone and their family.”
Workers do what they know how to do or learn how to hammer, work with sheetrock, and perform other tasks with the support of the staff. Beyond that, says Johnson, it’s a wonderful experience. “When you share a day of working, you also share stories, laugh, maybe cry. You are empowered and so is the family and all the other volunteers.
“We’re often building for a single mama like Sheron,” Johnson continues. “We’re giving support to affordable housing for others who provide the sweat equity in building and carry on by being responsible for the mortgage. It’s just another way the personal is political.”
Benefit to Community “Charlottesville REALTORS® are all about housing,” declares CAAR President Anthony McGhee of Assist2Sell First Rate Realty. “We do anything we can to help with affordable housing, even if it doesn’t mean a paycheck for us. Our overarching wish is that everyone has a home. It’s just part of our belief system.”
In fact, McGhee says, increasing affordable housing and enabling ownership benefits our entire area so local real estate agencies support Habitat with substantial donations. In addition,many members don a hard hat and pick up a hammer or paint brush to help with home construction.
Habitat has developed a New Paradigm for Affordable Housing—a forward-looking approach allowing construction of more homes to a higher standard on less land.
A shining example is Southwood where plans are well under way to develop the 120-acre mobile home park now home to nearly 350 trailers and 1,500 residents. These residents won’t be displaced during the construction phase and when completed, Southwood will be a thriving, mixed-income, mixed-use community and a national model for trailer park conversion.
Habitat’s Bottom Line “For me,” says volunteer Johnson “Habitat is social justice in action where everyone is equal and committed to a common cause.”
For homeowner Sinclair, now working at Wegman’s, it’s even more. “I’ve done a lot of speaking about Habitat. My daughter, myself, and a few other Habitat Partner Families were on stage for a fund-raiser at The Paramount with [notable Charlottesville musician] Terri Allard and her band to sing the ‘National Habitat’ song she wrote.”
Above all, she loves having a home for her children. “The sweat equity was 300 hours required,” she says, “but I made a bet with myself to give 1,000 hours and I did!I was on construction sites with a nail gun and different saws.”
“The whole entire Habitat experience is beyond words,” she continues. “I encourage everyone and anyone to go swing a hammer or help in the office or store. I guarantee that if you put your heart into it—whether you’re building your own home or just being an awesome volunteer—you will never be the same.”
She emphasizes that it’s empowering. “I worked on ten houses and then mine,” she concludes. “When it’s your own, there’s really no words for that one. It’s a you-made-it kind of thing. You can start dreaming.”
Marilyn Pribus and her husband live in Albemarle County near Charlottesville.
Former UVA Corner Parking Lot attendant James McNew’s solo side project Dump often features guest appearances by members of McNew’s main band, a Jersey outfit by the name of Yo La Tengo. Why bother with the offshoot? As a subplot to YLT, Dump is where we get an ear-peek into McNew’s contributed value, closer to the lo-fi sausage-making, lovingly crafted on his 4-track in the early days before smoothing things out in studio on his later blasts of catchy, fuzzy pop.
Saturday, May 13. $10-12, 9pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. 977-5590.
This 14th annual event includes music, dance, song, storytelling, cultural activities and exhibits, food and more. Free, 10am-4pm. Lee Park, 201 Second St. NE. festivalofcultures.org
NONPROFIT
Charity golf tournament Tuesday, May 16
The Virginia Institute of Autism is the beneficiary of funds raised at this second annual golf tournament. $250-$3,000 team sponsorship packages, 10:30am. Spring Creek Golf Club, 109 Clubhouse Way, Gordonsville.viaschool.org
FOOD & DRINK
Know Good Beer…and Bourbon Saturday, May 13
Enjoy unlimited 2- to 4-ounce samples of several craft beers and cidersas well as 1/4- to 1/2-ounce samples of about 20 different bourbons. $20-75, IX Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. knowgoodbeer.com
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Crozet Running Trail 5K Saturday, May 13
The fourth annual Crozet Running Trail 5K is a challenging course that winds up and down Bucks Elbow and Little Yellow mountains. Proceeds benefit Crozet Trails Crew. $5, 8am. Mint Springs Valley Park, 6659 Mint Springs Park Rd., Crozet. crozetrunning.com/trail5k
