Category: Real Estate

This spring’s Foxfield Races are slated for Saturday, April 26^th, continuing an outstanding tradition that has been highly popular in Charlottesville for more than 30 years. The beautiful and challenging Foxfield course attracts Thoroughbred owners, trainers, and jockeys from several states to a full day of racing near the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Foxfield Races also focus attention on the increasing demand for horse properties in Central Virginia.

REALTOR® Donna Patton of Better Homes & Gardens Realty III, a rider since she was five years old, notes that people travel a considerable distance to race their horses or simply to enjoy a day of racing. “They come from other areas and the races may spark an interest in living here,” she declares. “A lot of people go to the races, so it’s always a good time to reconnect with people and see the horses—magnificent animals!”

The site of today’s Foxfield racecourse was once Charlottesville’s local airport and the hangar is still there. For the past three decades, however, this has been home to steeplechase and is recognized by the National Steeplechase Association for maintaining an excellent equine course. The term “steeplechase” dates back about 200 years to the days when riders racing cross-country navigated from town to town by sighting on church steeples.

Patton observes that some people like to get close to the starting point for a good look at the horses, while others prefer to watch from later in the course. “Then, “ she says, “you see them just flying past.” There are both steeplechases and flat races.

“Lots of people tailgate,” she adds. “Some pay extra to be on the rail in a special section where there’s a contest for the best tailgate set-up. Some people bring a picnic basket and there are also caterers. The whole day is just a lot of fun.”

Central Virginia is Horse Country

“Our area in Central Virginia is probably one of the top five horse regions in the country,” observes John Ince, President of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors, an Associate Broker at Nest Realty, and President of Charlottesville Country Properties. Ince, a long-time “horse person” and Foxfield fan, lives on his own small horse farm near Barboursville. He spent ten years of training, breeding and showing Arabian horses before embarking on his real estate career.

“There are Olympic quality trainers and breeders, excellent farriers, and many purveyors of feed and tack,” he says. “There are a great number of equine vets and you couldn’t ask for better. They make middle-of-the-night house calls like old country doctors.”

“The area around Charlottesville has a history of horse keeping and breeding back to the seventeenth century,” chimes in Janet Matthews, founder of Charlottesville Town and Country Homes. Matthews has ridden all her life and bred and raised thoroughbreds and A-show ponies. “We have a mild climate, we’ve got a central location between New York and Florida, and many equine disciplines are practiced in the area.”

There are hundreds of different horse shows in the area, she continues, from “A” shows to back yard shows. “No matter what your specific equine interest is you can find it in our region,” she says, listing polo, fox hunting, eventing, hunter/jumpers and a number of top Western trainers.

“The region has everything from hobby farms perfect for people that want to have their horses at home to large estates with full facilities including indoor arenas and cross-country courses run by professionals,” she explains. “Olympic medalists live and train here and you will find trainers of all levels in your discipline to suit your level.”

Central Virginia is also fox-hunting country, including the Keswick Hunt, the Farmington Hunt, and hunts in Madison and Nelson Counties. In fact, most rural areas of the Commonwealth have hunts. They make a point to be sensitive to their neighbors and always have landowners’ permission to be on their properties.

Patton, a Foxfield fan, is one of many enthusiastic trail riders in the region. “There are many wonderful trails in the area, both public and private.” she says. “There’s Preddy Creek Trail Park with ten miles of trails in Albemarle County,” she says. “Fluvanna County has 1000 acres with horse trails and in Louisa, there are horse trails at Lake Anna.  You can even ride from Crozet all the way to the Blue Ridge.”

Mild Virginia summers prompt some horse owners from deep southern states to bring their animals here during the summer’s heat and humidity. Since there are so many hunts in our area, some owners even purchase a second property in this area to pasture their horses during the hunt season.

All these activities make a very positive contribution to Virginia’s economy. A major study, completed several years ago by UVa’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, showed that Virginia’s horse industry has an economic impact of well over one billion dollars annually.

Finding a Horse Property

Is it difficult to locate a great horse property? Fortunately, there are a number of REALTORS® in the area in and around Charlottesville who are themselves “horse people.” They end up specializing in farms and horse properties because they understand exactly what potential buyers of horse properties are looking for. For example, CAAR president Ince, who has his own small horse farm, knows what just is needed to keep horses.

“There are always ‘turn-key’ listings in Albemarle and the six surrounding counties where you could move your horses today,” he says. He adds that the closer to Charlottesville a property is, the more expensive it is likely to be. “The important thing is how comfortable your animals will be.”

Requirements generally include a minimum of two acres per horse and it’s good to have enough land to rotate stock among pastures to maintain healthy grass. Other necessities are secure fencing, provision for water, and sufficient weather protection for animals such as a barn or at least a run-in shed. Beyond the basics, some people might want a riding ring, tack room, level land, easy access to riding trails, or even a specific school district.

Ince recommends purchasing an established property. “It’s better value-wise to find a property with existing fences and horse shelters,” he says, “because ‘horse’ improvements depreciate more rapidly than houses.” An added bonus when moving into an established property is that you don’t have to board your animals while improvements are made with their almost inevitable delays.

On the other hand, many people buy something suitable for turning into a horse farm because they love the property and are willing to undertake the necessary improvements.  Fencing and shelter are immediate needs, but other improvements can be made over a period of time.

Of course, buying any horse property is considerably more complicated than simply buying a house, points out Matthews of Charlottesville Town and Country Homes. Different jurisdictions often have different requirements for keeping horses and those requirements can change from one year to the next. In addition, there may be restrictions or easements on an individual property.

“When looking at horse properties be sure to keep in mind the expense of any deferred maintenance which can be quite costly,” she cautions. Fencing, water lines, painting, and pasture maintenance all fall in to this category. “The acreage of your property will determine how many horses you can keep. The average rule of thumb is two acres per horse, but ideally you will have adequate fencing to rotate your pastures so they can recover after grazing. Running water in the pastures is always a bonus. Creeks are ideal, while ponds are not.”

It’s interesting to note that potential buyers often ask to see the facilities for horses before they even look at the house. “Shelter for the animals can range from a run-in to a center-aisle barn with dozens of stalls,” observes Matthews. “As you inspect properties, decide if you want room for expansion and choose something that accommodates that. Conversely, if you are downsizing, be sure you are comfortable with existing facilities for your planned move.”

Some developments in the region are specifically designed as equine properties, continues Matthews. “Glenmore—once a famed horse farm—is now home to an on-site equestrian center with a boarding barn, training arena, and professional show ring,” she says. “The Farms of Turkey Run is also a development well-suited to horses,” she says. In addition, a number of properties in Keswick have direct access to community riding trails and lots up to 12 acres.

Finally, “horse” properties can also be home to ponies, llamas or even alpacas.  So whatever a home buyer’s motivation—whether seeking a property just large enough for a child’s pony or a professional operation with stables, rings and spacious pastures, Central Virginia is prime horse country.

“The variety of available properties in our area is significant,” concludes Matthews, “but finding something on the market at the time you need to buy might be a challenge. Be patient and be willing to compromise.”

Marilyn Pribus, an active volunteer at the Paramount Theater, is delighted to know the Paramount will be the recipient of some of the proceeds of this spring’s Foxfield Races.

We are pleased and honored that parents consider Greene County Public Schools as an educational option for their students.  We are proud of our entire school community and the high quality services, staff, and educational experience that we provide.  Not only are our facilities, programs, and staff top notch, but the Greene County community is an incredible place to work, live and raise a family. 

We are passionately focused on providing individualized education programs for our students. We believe that, as a result of our dedicated teaching staff and quality our curriculum and programs, Greene County Public School students are well prepared to succeed in the world of work.  Our character education programs are designed to build a foundation for students to succeed in a diverse world while holding true to core virtues and principles.

We do our very best to communicate with parents and families to nurture a strong school/home partnership.  We value our school and broad community, therefore we work to keep the community informed of district initiatives and events.  

Greene County Public Schools (GCPS) educates 2,925 children in grades PreK through 12 in one primary school, two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and one technical school.  Greene County Public Schools has five Nationally Board Certified Teachers; 84 percent of the division’s professional staff has a masters or doctoral degree, while 98.87 percent of its professional teaching staff are considered “highly qualified.”

GCPS has a lot to be proud of: 

• The class of 2013 had 36 Commonwealth Scholars & 53 Early College Scholars.
• Eighty-four percent of the class of 2013 will continue their formal education after high school.
• The class of 2013 collectively earned over 1,086 college credits through PVCC and Advanced Placement classes prior to graduating from high school.
• The class of 2013 earned an impressive $851,752 in scholarships.
• Mary Cave and Becky Spencer were recognized as2012-2013 Educators of the Year for the 2012-2013 school year.
• William Monroe Middle School has dominated National History Day competition at the state level.
• William Monroe Academy, a project based application program continues to demonstrate strong student engagement and achievement. GCPS will offer courses in 7^th-10^th grade for the 2014-2015 school year. Students in this program learn skills as well as core content through different learning experiences, field trips, service learning, etc.
• National Merit Finalist at William Monroe High School.
• William Monroe Dragons baseball team has won the state championship.
• Fifty-eight percent of the class of 2013 earned advanced study diplomas. Thirty percent were Honor Graduates.
• The on-site Governor’s School program at William Monroe graduated 13 students in 2013.
• New Athletics and Performing Arts facilities.
• Rachel’s Challenge and PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) implemented to promote kindness and respect.
• 137 students earned Industry Certification at the Greene County Technical Center/William Monroe High School.
• Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) History Teacher of the Year at William Monroe Middle School.

 Partnership with Piedmont Virginia Community College

• Through a comprehensive curriculum at William Monroe High School and PVCC, students have the opportunity to graduate with an Associate of Science Degree at the same time they graduate from high school.
• WMHS students take courses at the high school, technical center, online or at the Eugene Giuseppe Center (PVCC) in Stanardsville.
• Students begin taking college courses in the 10^th grade. A flexible schedule and close proximity to the Giuseppe Center allow for many academic courses during the school day.

GCPS Community Outreach

• 500 letters & 35 care packages to troops in Afghanistan
• 250 books to the Toy Lift
• $1,404 to UVA Children’s Hospital
• $4,456 to Jump Rope for Heart
• $393 to Ronald McDonald House
• 1,000 food items collected for Thanksgiving food baskets
• Partnership with Neighbors-4-Neighbors and Feinstein Foundation. The first school division to include all their schools and central office in their food drive.
• $1,400 to Bayhead Elementary School for Hurricane Sandy relief
• $100 to Sandy Elementary School
• 100 clothing items donated to Skyline Cap Thrift Store

By Dr. Seth Muraskin, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction

Real Estate News

Jodi Mills Joins Roy Wheeler

Jodi Dean Mills has joined Roy Wheeler Realty Company. She brings over 20 years of experience in Sales, Management, Marketing and Training to Roy Wheeler Realty, 17 of these exclusively in Real Estate. She has extensive experience working with first time homebuyers, relocation buyers, move-up buyers, and investors looking for the right property. Jodi is passionate about helping people find the perfect home and truly listens to the needs of the client.

What’s Happening Around Town?

PCA Launches Create Charlottesville/Albemarle Tumblr

Piedmont Council for the Arts (PCA) is excited to announce the launch of the Create Charlottesville/Albemarle Tumblr to document community projects that respond to cultural plan goals. This resource is located at http://www.culturalplan.tumblr.com.

Launched in January 2014, Create Charlottesville/Albemarle is a cultural plan that represents a community vision for the future of the local arts and culture sector. The planning process was truly a collective endeavor: Coordinated by PCA and led by a 28-member Steering Committee, it incorporated the feedback of more than 1,000 area residents involved through Task Forces, focus groups, interviews and a community-wide survey.

Now that the plan has launched, PCA encourages residents, businesses, and nonprofits to take an active role in its implementation and to share images and anecdotes about their efforts through this site. The cultural plan is a strategic vision for our entire community, so be sure to read it over and think about how you can be a part of its actualization!

This spring PCA will also produce a salon series on its Arts Blog around cultural plan implementation, in conversation with local arts and culture leaders and community members.

The public is invited to visit the site and to submit images and project descriptions to be considered for inclusion to info@charlottesvillearts.org.

Public Information Session Helps Immigrants Prepare to Become American Citizens

The International Rescue Committee in Charlottesville (IRC) will sponsor a Citizenship Information Session on Monday, April 28 from 6:00 -8:00 p.m. at the Northside Library, 300 Albemarle Square, Charlottesville, VA 22901. This session is free and open to the public.

The event will provide area immigrants with detailed information on how to successfully prepare for the process of naturalizing as a U.S. citizen as well as familiarize them with the application procedures.  In addition to a presentation by Nada Aladhami from IRC’s immigration services, Ms. Gloria Williams-Brevard, Community Relations Officer at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) regional office will address the group on the importance of becoming an American citizen.  Both presenters will be available to answer questions from attendees following the program.

Since October 2010, the IRC in Charlottesville’s immigration services program has helped 172 legal permanent residents to naturalize as U.S. citizens.  This includes not only refugees from countries as varied as Afghanistan, Burma, and Liberia but immigrants from the community originating from countries such as El Salvador, France, and Canada as well.

The IRC provides low-cost, accredited immigration services to legal residents of the community including assistance with applications for legal permanent residence (“green card”), applications for citizenship, and family reunification petitions, among others.

For more information, please contact Harriet Kuhr, office: 434 979 7772 x 105 or email: Harriet.Kuhr@Rescue.org.

SPCA Offers Free Spay/Neuter for Cats in Charlottesville/Albemarle through Mother’s Day

Spring is in the air and you know what that means. The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is here to tell you that your cat doesn’t want to be a momma. To help curb unwanted kitten births, now through Mother’s Day the SPCA is offering the “I Don’t Wanna Be a Momma” Spay/Neuter Special which will allow Charlottesville/Albemarle residents to have cats fixed for free through Mother’s Day 2014. This special is for both male and female cats. The surgery includes a free rabies vaccine and pain medication. Appointments will fill up quick; residents are encouraged to apply now at caspca.org or by calling (434) 964-3333. Free trapping assistance is also available for feral and free roaming cats.

The SPCA reminds citizens that the warmer weather brings on breeding season for cats and that adolescent felines can give birth as young as five months. Typically, more than 1,100 homeless kittens arrive at the SPCA every year in need of care; most of these are the offspring of unfixed street and farm cats.

“Fixing free roaming cats, especially with the SPCA’s free cat fix price, is much less expensive than caring for a litter of unwanted kittens,” reminds Lisa Lane, Director of Marketing and Development at the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA. “We are thankful to have funding from PetSmart Charities to provide this important community service to prevent unwanted cat motherhood.”

The mission of the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the lost, abandoned, and homeless animals of the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle and to increase the number of these animals being placed in appropriate, loving, and permanent homes through adoptions, foster care, and outreach, and to set a standard of excellence and leadership in shelter animal care, humane education, and progressive animal welfare programs.

For more information about the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA call 434-973-5959 or visit our website at www.caspca.org. The SPCA’s main adoption center is located at 3355 Berkmar Drive in Charlottesville and is open seven days a week from noon to 6:00 p.m.

“Little Red Riding Hood & the Wily Wolf ” – 10th Anniversary Spring Dance Gala

What do you get when you mix Little Red Riding Hood and a Wily Wolf with ballet dancers and actors? A comedic story ballet! Albemarle Ballet Theatre (ABT) and Studio for The Performing Arts (SFTPA) presents their 10th spring dance gala featuring “Little Red Riding Hood” on PVCC’s Main Stage, Saturday May 17th at 6:30pm.

Little Red’s forest friends include a feathery yellow duck and a black cat who vie for Red’s attention. On their journey through the magic forest to grandma’s house, they meet dancing bluebirds, butterflies, fairies, fireflies, flowers and toads.

The Wily Wolf attempts to fool Little Red’s friends with comical disguises, but he can’t fool Red’s brothers and sister who expose the ravenous loser. You’ll howl when the wolf dresses and dances to “Hey There Little Red Riding Hood.” What will Little Red do when the Wolf tries wooing her to dance with him?

The Woodsman also vies for Red’s affection, only to be discouraged by mom and dad who run him off. Were mom and dad mistaken to send the Woodsman packing? Can the Woodsman save grandma and Red from the Wolf ’s final plot?

Albemarle Ballet Theatre dancers, professional actors and dancers perform Nicky Hart Coelho’s and Veronica Hart’s witty interpretation of this favorite fairy tale. Guest artists include, Zach Bush, Ashley Geisler, Veronica Hart, Barbara Roberts, and Richard Jones. Restaging by Ashley Geisler, Dinah Gray, Veronica Hart and Sally Hart.

“polloGENS” created by Veronica Hart features ABT’s advanced jazz dancers. Similarities in the shapes found in Jackson Pollock’s #14 and the Ebola virus inspired Hart’s choreography.

Sisters Nicky Coelho of James Sewell Ballet and Veronica Hart of concorDance contemporary perform “Shady Grove.” They created their duet to reflect their childhood spent playing in the countryside of Western Albemarle County.

ABT celebrates their 10th anniversary by giving back to the community.

10 lucky dancers will win free classes this summer at ABT. Current and former ABT students not eligible.

At $12 for adults and $9 for children, students and seniors, seats for this live family show will not last. Tickets are available at www.aballet.org/Tickets, ABT in Crozet, PVCC on the day of the show, or call 434.823.8888.

The Albemarle Ballet Theatre provides ballet, jazz, and modern dance instruction for recreational students and aspiring professionals of all skill levels from ages 3 to adult. Many of their dancers study at summer programs such as American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet. ABT’s professional staff works under the direction of Sally Hart, a former Joffrey Ballet dancer who has been teaching locally since 1992.

The Studio for the Performing Arts is a non-profit 501(C)3 organization whose missions are to provide need-based scholarships and produce family-oriented dance productions. With the help of local businesses and community members, they have provided over $70K in scholarships since 2005.

For more information, contact Gary S. Hart, 434.823.8888, gary@aballet.org, www.aballet.org.

UVa Chamber Singers Concert

The UVa Chamber Singers led by Michael Slon, presents a free concert on Friday, April 25th, at 8:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St. in Charlottesville.  The UVa ensemble’s spring 2014 program, given jointly as part of the church’s Music on Park Street concert series, is entitled “Modern Mystics” – an exploration of the music of Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Morten Lauridsen, and John Tavener.  Works include Pårt’s sublime and transporting Magnificat and The Beatitudes, Tavener’s The Lamb, Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, and works sung by the Chamber Singers during Philip Glass’s recent UVa residency.  The chorus will be joined by several guest artists, including First Presbyterian organist and music director Jeremy Thompson.

Ample parking is available adjacent to the church.  For more information call 434.924.3052 or visit www.music.virginia.edu/chamber-singers

Symphony Orchestra Concludes Season

The Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra concludes its 39th season on April 26th, at 8:00 p.m.in Old Cabell Hall on the U.Va Grounds, and Sunday, April 27th  at 4:00 p.m., at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center at Charlottesville High School. The orchestra’s 39th season ends on a
high note as it welcomes world-renowned pianist Anne-Marie McDermott for two performances of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25. The orchestra will also perform Mussorgsky’s rousing Triumphal March from Mlada, and Shostakovich’s epic Fifth Symphony.  For tickets or more information visit www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu or call.

Oh to be in Charlottesville, now that spring is here – and now that it’s Historic Garden Week! We might not realize it as we tour elaborate gardens of grand estates in all their April glory, but we have generations of garden club members to thank for their preservation. “I’d always tended to think of garden clubs as an excuse for idle well-to-do women to socialize,” says one local garden lover who read about the movement while waiting for spring. “But I was wrong. Members were serious hands-on gardeners, and believed deeply in the importance of gardens to society in the new post-agrarian United States.”

That’s a great description of the women of the Albemarle Garden Club, who banded together in 1914. In 1920 they helped found the Garden Club of Virginia. In 1927 they hosted a flower festival at Monticello that raised $7,000 to restore trees planted at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson. In 1929 they dreamed up a bigger idea.

“Our hundred year-old club was right there at the forefront of Historic Garden Week,” says longtime club historian Mary Pollock. “At a Garden Club of Virginia luncheon on May 18, 1928, our club members and others at the head table came up with the idea of instituting Historic Garden Week as the means to pay for their first restoration, Kenmore in Fredericksburg. Historic Garden Week funds are still used today partly to fund the extraordinary work done by the Garden Club of Virginia in the preservation and restoration of historic and beautiful Virginia homes and gardens.”

Today the Garden Club of Virginia has 47 member clubs and 3,400 volunteers and is undertaking restoration projects at 41 properties including Mount Vernon, the Pavilion Gardens at the University of Virginia, and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library.

Gardeners young and old, united and unaffiliated, will celebrate Historic Garden Week for the 81st time Saturday, April 26 through Saturday, May 3. More than 250 gardens, homes and historic landmarks and over 2,000 flower arrangements created by Garden Club of Virginia members will be on display across the commonwealth, in what the club proudly calls “America’s Largest Open House.” For its part, the Albemarle Garden Club will host open homes and gardens Saturday, April 26 through Tuesday, April 29.

Every Historic Garden Week features a different assortment of properties. Of special interest in Central Virginia this year are several spots listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Bellair Farm, Redlands, Esmont, and Christ Episcopal Church Glendower. Historic Garden Week perennials opening as always include Morven and the gardens at Monticello, plus the University of Virginia’s Carr’s Hill, West Lawn Pavilion homes and gardens, and Morea Garden and Arboretum.

“From a historical perspective, the properties selected reflect the Jefferson era in the styles of the homes and their landscapes,” says club spokeswoman Christina Teague. “Agricultural heritage is highlighted at Bellair Farm, which has been continuously farmed for over two centuries. Here the focus is their Community Supported Agriculture program and their strategies for sustainability that preserve the land and provide food for the community.”

Bellair
The 853-acre Bellair farm eleven miles south of downtown Charlottesville was important to the early history of Albemarle County. Construction on the main house was begun in 1794 by the Reverend Charles Wingfield, Jr., who served as Magistrate and Sheriff of Albemarle County and, at Thomas Jefferson’s personal request, officiated at Jefferson’s sister’s funeral. In 1817 Wingfield sold the farm to another leading local citizen, Martin Dawson, who helped found the Albemarle Educational Commission, supported the establishment of the University of Virginia and three academies in Nelson and Albemarle counties, and in his will gave the University of Virginia what was then its largest private bequest.

The two-story main house, which overlooks the Hardware River and the Green Mountains in the distance, is in Federal architectural style, with 1930s and 1960s Colonial Revival style additions. The grounds include a mid-nineteenth century guest cottage, a 1930s guesthouse, a mid-nineteenth-century pyramidal-roofed smokehouse, and an early-twentieth-century overseer’s house.

Redlands
The estate at Redlands near Covesville in Albemarle County is still owned by the same family that patented the land in 1730. The elegant two-story, five-bay brick home Redlands home, started in 1789 by Edward Carter of Blenheim, and completed by his son Robert Carter in 1798, features fine woodwork and the furnishings of successive generations. The Georgian entrance façade was reproduced from Tidewater models, while the Federal interior reflects the influence of Thomas Jefferson. Redlands was last opened for Historic Garden Week in 2002. Visitors this year will see a newly established mixed meadow along one side of the entrance drive, and newly planted trees in the field below. “The house has such an incredible view of the countryside,” Pollock says, “that it is almost nutritious!”

Esmont
Erected circa 1816 and recently restored, Esmont retains many of its original features, including its ornamental plasterwork and herringbone parquet floor. The Flemish bond brickwork is credited to William B. Phillips, a brick mason who helped build numerous University of Virginia structures for Thomas Jefferson, including the Rotunda, the cisterns and serpentine garden walls, and Pavilions I, IX, and X. Jefferson called Phillips’ work at the University “the best work done” at the university.

Esmont’s twin parlors, now used as the living and dining rooms, boast Philadelphia marble mantels. European antiques and art are on display throughout the house. The grounds include an octagonal chapel built partly of reclaimed materials, a dairy now serving as a garden shed, and a smokehouse. Esmont was last opened for Historic Garden Week in 1999. Light refreshments will be served.

Bellair, Redlands and Esmont will be open Sunday, April 27, noon to 5:00 p.m. and Monday, April 28, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets for these three estates – the Southern Historic Albemarle portion of the tour – are $35 in advance, and $40 on the day of the tours.

Glendower
The construction of Christ Episcopal Church, Glendower in Albemarle County was financed by 62 subscribers, including the Carters of Redlands and the Cockes of Esmont. A temple-form structure built by brick mason Phillips and carpenters James Walker and James Widderfield, who also worked for Thomas Jefferson on the University of Virginia, the church was consecrated in 1832 and remains in use in St. Anne’s Parish today. The church interior and cemetery will be open Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Morven
One historic property that has benefitted from the Albemarle Garden Club’s conservation and restoration efforts is the club’s original meeting place, Morven, just up the road from Monticello and Ash-Lawn. Thomas Jefferson, who once owned the 7379-acre estate, referred to it as “Indian Camp” for its proximity to a Native American settlement. In 1813 Jefferson deeded the land to David Higginbotham, a local merchant, who engaged regional architect Martin Thacker to design and build a three-story brick manor house in the late-Georgian/Federal Style.

Samuel and Josephine Marshall bought Morven in 1906 and expanded the Main House with a two-story addition by Baltimore architect Howard Sill. It was at Morven in 1914 that Josephine Marshall and eight other women formed the Albemarle Garden Club for “the study and culture of flowers.”

Landscape architect Annette Hoyt Flanders restored its formal and cutting gardens in 1930, adding entrance gates, brick detailing, and slate seats, and making designs to plant shrubs, perennials, and annuals in a palette of purple, blue, pink, white, and yellow. The late John Kluge donated Morven to the University of Virginia Foundation in 2001. Kluge expanded the gardens, which today include tulips, pansies, phlox, lilacs, viburnum and deutzia, a dove tree, a pair of Osage orange trees, and a Chinese chestnut.

Morven will be open to visitors on Saturday, April 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except in the case of rain or wet conditions. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 the day of the tour. The house is handicapped accessible, but the gardens are not.

Monticello
At Monticello, architectural historian Gardiner Hallock will speak on “Restoring Monticello’s Kitchen Road,” Monday, April 28, at 10:00 a.m. The talk is free but registration is required. Gabriele Rausse, Director of Gardens and Grounds, will speak on Thomas Jefferson’s fruit and vegetable gardens at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29. A walking tour of the gardens will follow. The event is free but registration is required.

Monticello’s Curator of Plants, Peggy Cornett, will talk about Jefferson’s flower gardens and the plants that define our horticultural heritage Tuesday, April 29, at 2:00 p.m. The talk is free but advance registration is required. A tour of the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants nursery at Tufton Farm will follow. Ticketholders will receive 10% off all purchases.

University of Virginia
The University of Virginia’s beautiful grounds attract visitors year ‘round. The Garden Club of Virginia began using Historic Garden Week monies to restore the Pavilion gardens and their distinctive serpentine walls in 1947. Work continues today. The club will conduct tours of the gardens at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 April 26 through April 29, departing from the Rotunda steps.

Carr’s Hill on the hill above the corner of Rugby Road and University Avenue serves as home to University of Virginia presidents. Designed by the New York architecture firm McKim, Mead and White, and finished in 1909, Carr’s Hill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It will be open from noon to 4 p.m., April 26 through April 29.

Floral arrangements will be on display in Pavilion homes I, III, V, VII and IX on the West Lawn. The Edgar Allan Poe Room will be open.
Named after the mulberries cultivated for experiments with silkworms, Morea Garden on Sprigg Lane surrounds a historic Federal-period home built by John Patten Emmet, one of the first professors chosen by Thomas Jefferson for the University. Albemarle Garden Club started the landscaped botanical collection in 1964. The tour is limited to the gardens.

A Gardening Heritage
In its own 101-year history, Snow’s Garden Center in Charlottesville has landscaped Historic Garden Week properties, advised their owners, and even served as an official event sponsor. Again this year, Snow’s will offer every ticketholder a $5 gift certificate.

“One of the reasons that so many people like the Charlottesville area is that we’re far enough south that you get a good transition of four full seasons,” says Snow’s co-owner Scott Price. “Spring is always welcomed in by Garden Week, and the gardens show so much diversity. You’ll see a naturalized garden, you’ll see a Japanese garden, and you’ll see a formal garden.”

“Participating in Historic Garden Week is rewarding, especially knowing that the proceeds go for restorations of historic homes and gardens in our beautiful state,” says native Virginian and third generation Albemarle Garden Club member Wendy Winkler, head hostess this year at Morven. “I love the camaraderie. Morven holds a special place in my heart since it is the place where our garden club started. It is also where my mother recruited me to serve as a hostess the first year I became a member.”

Winkler’s grandmother, Hazlehurst Bolton Perkins, teamed up with Jefferson scholar Professor Edwin Morris Betts to write the classic handbook Thomas Jefferson’s Flower Garden at Monticello on the Garden Club of Virginia’s 1941 restoration of Monticello’s grounds “exactly as Jefferson planned and laid them out.”

“Being a member has opened my eyes to a wealth of knowledge in horticulture and conservation,” Winkler says. “I have so many fond memories.”

By Ken Wilson

When anticipating the purchase of their first home, buyers may feel a bit apprehensive and overwhelmed as they balance the excitement of finally making this commitment with the risks and benefits of such a major undertaking. However, while it is a major decision, buying a home doesn’t need to be a scary experience, but rather a fun and exciting time full of good memories.

There are many resources available to first time buyers to help them through the process. To start, a wealth of information exists online and new buyers are often more knowledgeable about what to expect than their parents were when they made their first home purchase.

When it comes time to actually look at homes and make a purchase offer, buyers can rely on their professional real estate agents and lenders. These individuals will guide them, educate them on the process and help to facilitate every step of the way from the first showing, through all of the negotiations to that magical time when they finally receive a copy of their deed and their first set of keys.

Find the Right Real Estate Professionals
While a real estate transaction involves many different professionals, the two most critical ones are your agent and your lender. These are the people who will see you through the process from start to finish, and they are also the ones you will need to choose first.

There are over a thousand agents in our area and that means there are a lot of options to choose from, explained Inessa Telefus with Loring Woodriff Real Estate Associates. She added that “it is important to find one you like and trust.” Word of mouth is a good way to locate someone you like and Telefus suggests talking to family and friends to find out who they worked with and what they liked about that person.

Visiting open houses or calling on ads are two other ways to meet and talk to agents, as well as get an idea of the homes available for sale. However, in both of these instances you will be talking to the listing agent who represents the seller. If you have a genuine interest in one of those homes, it makes sense to get your own agent. Given the number of agents in our area, Telefus said, there is “no reason not to have someone working directly for you.”

You will also work closely with your lender, which means again finding someone you like and trust. Most agents have a list of lenders they can refer, however you can also “get advice from family and friends,” said Lee McAllister with Fulton Mortgage.

McAllister also suggests that once you decide whom to work with, it is important to rely on their advice as the home buying process proceeds. Most family and friends, while well meaning, don’t have the breadth of experience working in real estate as do your agent and lender, and are not likely to be up to date with what is current in this rapidly changing field.

Talk to Your Lender Before You Look at Homes
Before you start looking at homes, it is critical to talk to your lender to learn how much house you can afford. Your lender can also educate you about additional monthly costs such as taxes, insurance or home owners association and road maintenance fees.

“I always refer buyers to several lenders,” said Nikki Lewis with Roy Wheeler Realty Co. “Not only do we need to know what they can afford, but if they fall in love with a house, they will be heartbroken if they find out later they can’t afford it.”

“It’s important to talk to your lender face to face,” McAllister said. She added that you can do some of the preliminary work by phone and email, but a conversation in the office to discuss all of the pros and cons of available financing options is essential. Especially with first time buyers, she likes to cover what she calls “What if” scenarios, asking questions such as, “What if you buy a town home, or move into a neighborhood with a home owners association? What if you put five percent down instead of three percent? What if you live further out and need to budget extra money for gas? What if you buy a home that requires payments that are the maximum you qualify for? Can you live with that payment or would it be prudent to find a home with a lower one?” Answers to these kinds of questions help determine the type of financing that is most appropriate.

Buyers can get an idea about what to expect in the way of a monthly payment using mortgage calculators available online. However, McAllister explained that more often than not these estimates are not realistic. When buyers come in for a meeting and discuss real options, they are often “totally surprised about the payment.”

First timers also can access assistance at Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA), explained Karen Reifenberger, Deputy Director.  PHA offers counseling, homeowner education, funds for down payment and closing cost assistance and discounted mortgage financing.  Until June 30, 2014 there is a special program of low-cost mortgage money for qualified buyers who complete the first time homebuyer class. Ask your lender to help you apply for these funds available through VHDA.

After you meet with your lender, they will generate a pre-qualification or pre-approval letter that your agent will use to demonstrate that you are a genuine buyer when you make an offer on a house. Pre-approval typically means the lender has run a credit report, McAllister said, and is crucial to the process. Not only does it help avoid surprises, but if something unexpected or negative turns up, your lender can advise you as to whether it can be fixed and what steps to take to make it right.

Work Closely with Your Agent
“The key role of the real estate agent is to keep first time buyers informed and educated,” said John Updike with Roy Wheeler Realty Co. “Often first time buyers are well educated,” he said, but “we can’t make any assumptions, so it’s like teaching an intro course, Real Estate 101.” He explained the importance of buyers understanding the teamwork between all of the professionals involved in the process especially their agent, their lender and the attorney or title company. His goal is to keep first time buyers in their comfort zone and help rid them of misconceptions.
A common misconception is that agents show homes and facilitate a purchase contract, and then wait for closing. The reality is that a big part of their work begins with the signing of the contract. A crucial part of the process is the home inspection. Lewis often warns her buyers, especially first timers, not to fall in love with the house before the inspection. She reminds them that it is a material possession and they need to be ready to walk away from it if there are big repairs that the seller is unwilling to fix.

Updike counsels his buyers to look at the inspection as another negotiation. He advises them to go into it with the understanding that they may not get all that they ask for, but he reminds buyers not to get “nit picky” about it. Instead he prepares them to ask for help with the bigger items, such as problems with the heat pump or the plumbing.

Agents also help first time buyers with other kinds of misconceptions about the home buying process. A common one is the fear that they can’t actually qualify for a mortgage, Updike said. He described a client from a few years ago when first time buyers could benefit from a special tax credit. The client told him it was the credit that gave him the confidence to seek out a lender and move forward with buying a home after he learned he could indeed qualify.

The tax credit is now history, but the Virginia General Assembly just passed legislation that permits first time buyers to put money into a special savings account (state income tax free) to accumulate funds for down payment and closing costs. “This is another attempt to keep first time buyers in the market,” Updike said, and of course, this may also help give them the confidence they need to move forward.

First time buyers may also not have a clear picture of the kind of house their money will buy. Telefus described a young couple she worked with recently who looked at a home and were not interested. She showed them several others in their price range and then suggested that the first one actually was a good match on location and price. They took another look and decided it was the right house after all and bought it. Telefus explained that agents have to be patient when working with first timers as they learn about what are realistic options for them.

Housing Market
Today, although the inventory is shrinking, there are still homes available in the under $200,000 range that are suitable for first time buyers.
Lewis said that most of her first time clients buy single family homes, although she estimated that about 25 percent buy town homes or condos. While condo financing is sometimes challenging, she has sold several recently finding sources of funds for two first time buyers.

Some recent clients of Updike purchased a town home in Pavilions of Pantops. He counsels town home buyers like them to plan on living there long enough to develop some equity, and then move on to a single family detached home. One of the benefits of getting into the market, he said, is that it gives young buyers a “vision for the future.”

A home purchase also makes sense financially for buyers with good credit. “Today’s interest rates are so low,” Updike said, “that it often makes more sense to buy than to rent, especially with lower price range homes. Often these buyers can buy a home for a monthly payment that is equivalent to what they pay in rent, and sometimes it is even less,” he continued.

HUD homes and foreclosures are other options that may appeal to first time buyers, Lewis explained. The buyers have to do their inspections with care and be willing to do repairs themselves as the HUD homes come “as is,” she explained. Also buyers pay closing costs like termite inspections which are normally paid by the seller. On the other hand, the price may be 20 to 25 percent less than market which means first timers can “walk into their home and already have equity,” she continued. She recently assisted a couple to buy just such a home in Lake Monticello.

It’s a Great Time to be a First Time Buyer
If you are a first time buyer with good credit and want to buy a home, don’t wait. There is still inventory available and interest rates are low, but this could change, especially as we get into this year’s spring market. Contact your REALTOR® and talk to your lender about pre-qualification. They will help assure that you have a fun and smooth transition into home ownership.

Celeste Smucker is a writer, blogger and author. She lives near Charlottesville.

Spring has finally sprung in central Virginia, and we’re excited to move on after the last few snowy months. But, a prolonged school year isn’t our only headache from our the winter-that-wouldn’t-quit. Many folks will be dealing with the hangover of high energy bills for months to come, which makes this the perfect time to put “fix energy issues” atop your home improvement list. 

Plenty of people dabble with an occasional energy efficient upgrade – they install new energy efficient light bulbs when the old ones burn out, and when comfort issues get bad enough they occasionally replace a window or caulk a door. While there’s nothing wrong with an incremental approach to energy efficiency, many people dream of a complete “home energy makeover.”

Regardless of which approach is right for you, most homeowners just need a little help figuring out how to get started. There is a common misconception that solving comfort and high energy bill problems is pretty simple – just replace some windows or lay down some additional insulation in the attic, right? Unfortunately, homeowners who undertake their quest for savings and comfort without a map often fail to achieve optimal results.

For Dominion Virginia Power customers, a great place to start is with a Home Energy Check-up available through a rate-payer funded program. From this low-cost, 90-minute visit, you get a sense of your trouble spots and which fixes should be tackled first. When you’re ready to get to work, LEAP recommends that you enroll your home in the Department of Energy’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) program for the peace of mind and certification it provides.

While every home is different, these are some of the steps commonly recommended whenever LEAP’s Energy Coaches visit a home:

• Air seal the home 
Almost always the first step and quickest ROI
• Insulate the attic, crawl space 
and walls 
This is extremely popular in both old and new homes. It’s also a measure with immediate results. Said one client: “The first night we had the foam insulation, the house felt better. My wife said, ‘it’s like someone put a blanket on our house.’”
• Air seal and insulate duct work
• Switch incandescent lights to CFLs or LEDs
Incandescents long ago passed their prime, and the CFLs and LEDs on the market today use at least 75% less energy
• Upgrade to high efficiency HVAC units (i.e. heat pumps, furnace or boiler, air conditioner)
• Upgrade to ENERGY STAR 
appliances
Home appliances like dishwater, refrigerators and laundry machine account for about 15% of a household’s energy use, and ENERGY STAR versions are 20% more efficient.
• Upgrade to a high efficiency water heater
• Replace or install bath fans to improve ventilation
• Replace windows
• Weather strip windows and doors
• Condition crawl spaces
• Condition attics with foam and fireproof covering
• Replace or reconfigure ductwork
• Insulate pipes and add controls 
to boilers
• Install programmable 
thermostats
• Address health and safety issues
• Fix moisture issues inside and out

Most homeowners are concerned that a Home Energy Makeover is unaffordable. In many cases, rebates, local incentives, and/or PowerSaver loans available through UVA Community Credit Union can help. Regardless of how you proceed, rest assured – an energy efficient home is worth it.

Lower energy bills are worth it. Homeowners in the HPwES program typically see energy savings of 20% or more.

A healthier, more comfortable home is worth it. After their home energy makeovers, clients rave about being able to enjoy a sunroom in the winter or not suffocating upstairs in the summer. And they are surprised by the health and safety benefits. We’ve heard things like “We got fans and vents in our bathroom and kitchen and new windows. These measures greatly reduced condensation and mold in our home – a big plus, especially since our daughter has asthma and we are always trying to reduce her symptoms” and “they also found two safety issues related to our old gas furnace that we would not have known about!”

A higher home value is worth it. Increasingly, homeowners are seeing their home value jump after certified home energy improvements — like HPwES. Indeed, according to a study by the National Association of Home Builders, 90% of people believe that energy efficiency is important when buying or selling a home. The same study found that 72% say that energy efficient features would sway their decision to purchase a home, and 61% would be willing to pay $5,000 up front in order to save on utility costs later.

LEAP has new services to help sellers get fair market value for high performing, energy efficient homes, including the Appraisal Institute’s Green and Energy Efficient Appraisal Addendum and a Home Performance Certificate.

Whether you’re in the market to buy or sell or if you’ve already found your forever home, as you thaw out this spring think about a home energy makeover to get more health, comfort, savings and value out of your home.

Tim Leroux, Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP)
LEAP is a Charlottesville-based nonprofit that since 2010 has helped more than 1,500 homeowners with their home energy makeovers. www.leap-va.org

What’s Happening Around Town?

EarthCraft Virginia Announces Winners of the 5th Annual Sustainable Leadership Awards
Regional leaders in the advancement of sustainable design and construction were honored on Tuesday as winners of EarthCraft Virginia’s Annual Sustainable Leadership Awards. Winners were announced at the organization’s 5th annual awards ceremony on April 1st at The SunTrust Building in downtown Richmond. The event drew over 100 individuals representing home builders, non-profit and for-profit housing providers and developers, program sponsors, affordable housing advocates and those interested in creating green housing opportunities in Virginia.
Each year, EarthCraft Virginia presents awards in a variety of categories to builders, developers and other stakeholders throughout the region who demonstrate superior dedication to the advancement of sustainable housing.

Winners are honored in a variety of categories to cover new construction, renovation, single family, multifamily and more. Winners were awarded based on projects completed in 2013. This year’s award winners from the Charlottesville area include Southern Development Homes as Single Family Builder of the Year; and Piedmont Housing Alliance for Multifamily Renovation of the Year—Scottsville School Apartments (see separate news item below on this achievement).

“The 5th Annual Sustainable Leadership Awards recognize the best initiatives in sustainable housing in Virginia over the past year,” says EarthCraft Virginia Executive Director, K.C. Bleile. “In the five years that we have hosted this awards ceremony, we have been amazed by the dedication and growth of the individuals that we have been privileged to work with. This year’s nominees and winners are no exception, all of whom having gone above and beyond standard building expectations to become the leaders in transforming Virginia’s home building market with high performance, sustainable homes.”

Dennis Creech, Executive Director of Southface Energy Institute, founding organization of the EarthCraft program fifteen years ago, joined us from Atlanta, Georgia to deliver the keynote address. Creech shared his perspective on the future of the green building industry, trends and potential challenges within the market, and the value of EarthCraft Virginia’s achievements over the last seven years.

Event sponsors included: Virginia Housing Development Authority, Superior Walls of Central Virginia, American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, Habitat for Humanity Virginia, and Velux Skylights. Additional information about the Sustainable Leadership Awards can be found on the event website.

Literacy Volunteers Participate in “World Book Night”
On April 23, 2014, 25,000 volunteers from Kodiak to Key West will give away half a million free books in more than 6,000 towns and cities across America. Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville Albemarle (LVCA) will be part of the movement to spread a love of reading to non-readers by giving away books at Vinegar Hill Café on April 23 from 4:00-5:00pm.

“We are thrilled to be part of this wonderful event. Many of our students are learning to read for very practical reasons—to get better jobs, help their children with homework, and understand official forms and documents. But we hope along the way our students also gain a love of reading and this event emphasizes just that,” said Executive Director Ellen Osborne.

World Book Night (WBN) involves volunteer book lovers promoting reading by going into their communities and handing out free copies of books selected by WBN to appeal to light or non-habitual readers. WBN takes place on Shakespeare’s birthday and is in its third year in the U.S., after launching in the United Kingdom in 2011. The WBN book picks are by a wide array of award-winning and bestselling adult and YA authors, as well as classics, books in Spanish, and books in Large Print.

“We hope community members can join us in this celebration of the written word,” said Osborne. “It should be a relaxing event where avid readers can introduce new readers to wonderful books.” LVCA staff and volunteers will be giving away copies of When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago and/or The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell, depending on which books WBN can provide.

LVCA is an independent, non-profit organization that offers free, confidential, individualized basic literacy and English as a second language instruction to adults. For more information about LVCA, please visit www.literacyforall.org.

Piedmont Housing Alliance’s Scottsville School Apartments Named Multifamily Renovation Project of the Year
Piedmont Housing Alliance (“PHA”) has won the “Multifamily Renovation Project of the Year” award as part of EarthCraft Virginia’s 5th Annual Sustainable Leadership Awards, the organization’s yearly awards presentation that recognizes Virginia leaders in the adoption of green, sustainable housing.

PHA’s Scottsville School Apartments project was honored on Tuesday evening at a ceremony in downtown Richmond that brought together more than 100 individuals representing home builders, non-profit and for-profit housing providers and developers, affordable housing advocates and those interested in creating green housing opportunities in Virginia.

The Scottsville School Apartments project renovated a 34 unit apartment building for the elderly in Scottsville, VA (Albemarle County). The project was funded through the Historic Tax Credit and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs, and received weatherization funding through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Scottsville School is the third EarthCraft-certified multifamily project completed by PHA in the last five years. PHA incorporates energy efficiency and sustainable design into all its housing developments.

3rd Annual Tom Tom Founders Festival
Tom Tom Founders Festival returns in 2014 as a gathering for inventors, creatives, and entrepreneurs across the Mid-Atlantic. Five days of free concerts, art, talks, and competitions over April 9 – 13 will transform the city’s historic Downtown Mall into a hub for new ideas.
Culture:
• MUSIC: Hundreds of artists from Nashville to New York will play over 60 free concerts in multiple venues across Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. Highlights include the McGuffey Block Party, Picnic Day in Lee Park, a crowd chosen Songwriting Competition, an Indie Rock Showcase, and the Belmont Bash. Line-up.
• ART: Charlottesville becomes a creative canvas for artists, residents, and visitors with graffiti installations, poetry in trolleys, open air craft markets, and sculpture in parking spaces. Design panels, a silent auction, documentary screenings on immigration, exoneration, and DIY culture, and workshops on comics, zines, and screenprinting all express an art that is fun and relevant.
• FOOD: Branding the Piedmont’s Food Identity The farms, vineyards, and breweries of the Blue Ridge Valley are second to none on the East Coast. Tom Tom explores this farm to table ecosystem through a summit with statewide leaders, featuring talks, panels, open air markets, chef demos, craft beer, and prix fixe menus at C&O, Brookville, and The Ivy Inn.
Ideas:
• ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The Culture and the Financing of Founding The CEOs, CTOs, and Founders of RKG, SNL Financial, Red Light Management, WillowTree, and other national brands located in Charlottesville talk about why they have started and stayed in a small town. Angel investors who have collectively raised, invested, and mentored $100Ms of capital in Charlottesville discuss what they look for in deals. The Crowdfunded Pitch Night and $250k Galant Challenge present opportunities for students and locals to launch new businesses.
• TECHNOLOGY: The Future of the Cloud IBM’s Cloud Evangelist and all time leading patent holder Rick Hamilton joins Tumblr and local tech all-stars to look at how cloud computing impacts the daily lives of corporations and consumers, changing the nature of work, communication, and privacy.
• ENERGY: The New Energy Ethic Sandy Reisky, developer of over $1 billion in renewables, joins Jan Van Dokkum, partner for greentech at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield, & Byers in examining the new energy ethic emerging around sustainable fuel, driven in part by Virginia entrepreneurs.
• HEALTH: Healthcare Beyond the Hospital The future of medicine lies beyond hospital walls, with noninvasive therapies, mobile health technology, and better outpatient and preventive care. Researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors discuss strategies for reaching telehealth frontiers.
• EDUCATION: The Maker Revolution Eric Siegel, Director of the New York Hall of Science, joins dozens of student entrepreneurs in exploring The Maker Revolution, an ethos of design and self-sufficiency, and its impact in school systems across the country.
• LAW: Exoneration as Innovation CNN Films’ Death Row Stories examines the human stories of wrongful conviction, followed by a panel on whether Virginia needs a justice commission. Speakers include Chip Harding, Albemarle County Sheriff, and John Whitehead, Founder of The Rutherford Institute, and U.Va. Law faculty.
• TOM TALKS: Local Innovators. Global Impacts. A talk series on Saturday 4/12 with Charlottesville’s leading lights: personalized medicine, revolutionary advances in cancer treatment, the future of America’s community college system, the encore career, and jazz’s contribution to American art.
For full information on Tom Tom’s 110+ speakers and 60+ concerts, visit www.tomtomfest.com. For full speaker and band list, contact carolyn@tomtomfest.com.

Buy a Waterfront Property for a Year Round Vacation

What draws us to the water?  For some it is a reminder of childhood when they lived near a lake or enjoyed vacationing at the beach.  For others it is a source of fun, whether that means boating, water skiing, swimming or just relaxing on a long pier.  Still others like the feeling of tranquility they experience when looking out on a lake, a river or a pond.

Whatever your reasons, if you are looking for waterfront property in our area, you have many options.  The gated community of Lake Monticello is nearby and offers a range of different property styles and prices, some on the water, the rest with easy water access.  A little further away are Lake Louisa, surrounded by the gated community of Blue Ridge Shores, and Lake Anna, a popular spot for weekenders, but growing in popularity among people looking for a community where they can live year around.

River property has its own special appeal and may be for those wanting a more rustic location, away from subdivisions.  It is more difficult to find, but there are options in our area for those who seek this type of waterfront.

The demand for water property is strong, and agents who specialize in this area enjoyed a good year last year and anticipate more of the same this year.  If you are in the market for waterfront property now is the time to look while interest rates are still low, and prices still reasonable.

Why People Like Water

One of many reasons people choose to live on or near water is that at the end of the day, it offers an escape from the stress of work.  Vicki Wilson, Principal Broker/Owner of Monticello Country Realtors, summarizes this with one of her company’s favorite sayings about waterfront life:  “Vacation at home year round.”

Like a lot of people who seek water front property, Wilson grew up on a lake in the Midwest.  It was cold there in the winter, cold enough to ice skate on the lake, not an experience that is available at Lake Monticello where she lives today and has her business.

Rick Walden, with Virginia Estates, Inc., grew up in a subdivision that was walking distance from a swamp and a bird sanctuary.  As a result he learned to love water early on and describes it as “soothing.” He lives today surrounded by ponds that he put in himself after he moved and discovered how much he missed being near water.

Of course people are also drawn to water because they like activities like boating, swimming, fishing or water skiing.

The Waterfront Market

Waterfront and water access properties are doing well.  Wilson described the inventory at Lake Monticello as “very low.”  Of the homes on the market in her area, quite a few are under $200,000 which makes them good options for first time buyers and people looking for a second home, she explained.

Walden specializes in rural properties, many of which front rivers and streams. Regarding the market he said, “I have sold more this winter than the last two years combined.”   He currently has a 2,000-acre listing on the Rappahannock River, which is also a highly productive farm.  A number of environmental groups have expressed interest in this property with the intent of putting it into a conservation easement.  Part of its appeal is its uniqueness.  “There are not many properties that size on the water,” Walden said.  The farm comes complete with a sense of history exemplified by the manager who lives on site and whose family has managed this acreage for four generations.

Lake Anna is another very popular waterfront community for people seeking either a second home or a permanent place to live year round.  The market there improved greatly last year, according to Barbara Robison with Lake Anna Realty who added that it “continues to improve.”  She has just written three contracts on Lake Anna homes helped along, she said, by the continuing low interest rates.

Libby Sandridge with Dockside Realty agrees, saying that the market is “definitely picking up.”   She explained that 2013 was better than 2012 and she already has had a great first quarter in 2014.  “The market finally leveled out,” she said and “the only way to go is up.” She has several Lake Anna lots under contract.

Sandridge also works at the smaller Lake Louisa, surrounded by the gated community of Blue Ridge Shores.  There “homes are moving,” she said, “even the ones that are off water.  We’re seeing lots of buyers and sellers in the market now,” she continued.

Toni McQuair with Long and Foster Realtors, a Lake Anna specialist, agrees stating that “last year was a terrific market.”  She experienced a bit of a slow down this year due to the winter weather but now its “full speed ahead.“  She added that she is “looking forward to another good year in 2014.”

Who is Moving to the Water?

Lots of people who buy water properties are second homebuyers, McQuair said.  Many are from Northern Virginia and Maryland, “but we also get a few from Richmond.”  Some of the buyers are retirees or people close to retirement who are purchasing a second home where they intend to settle permanently later.  For the most part they are people who can drive there in less than two hours, making it easy to get away for the weekend.

“There has been a real demographic shift in the last ten years,” McQuair said, explaining that today there are many more permanent residents in the area than there once were.  It helps that there are now essential services nearby such as a Food Lion, a Dollar General, several new restaurants, a veterinarian, an attorney and a liquor store.  These commercial services make it easier for people who want to settle there full time.

Robison estimates that about 50 percent of Lake Anna residents are full time today, the rest are weekenders.  She just sold a property to some clients from Illinois who moved nearby for jobs and wanted a place to de-stress at the end of the work week.

Others prefer to make the lake their full time residence. Robison has noticed that people who move there while they are still in the labor force often choose lake access properties rather than water front.  When they are ready to retire they sell that home and purchase a waterfront property in the same community.  People like the protections of living in a subdivision, she said, but appreciate that Lake Anna is still “not as strict” as some others giving it what she called “a rural feeling” in an area which is just 90 minutes from DC.

Many people who settle in Virginia waterfront properties are from up north and like to experience four seasons, but still want to escape the harsh winters, Sandridge explained.  She has worked with a variety of different buyers from nearby areas, but also from New York and New Jersey.  While some are retirees, “we’re seeing more people with young children buying homes in Lake Anna,” she said.

Lake Anna has two sections, a public side with all of the commercial enterprises such as restaurants and marinas, and a private side which is all residential.  Most buyers have a strong preference for one or the other, Sandridge said.

Sandridge has sold property at both Lake Anna and Blue Ridge Shores.  The latter is much smaller and quieter.  It is also much closer to Charlottesville for people who want to commute there to work.  “Often people move there because it is familiar, or because they know some of the other residents or grew up knowing someone there,” Sandridge said.  It is a small family community where boating is allowed, but where jet skis are prohibited.

Of the three lakes, Lake Monticello is the closest to Charlottesville.  It also attracts a lot of second home buyers and people intending to retire and live there permanently eventually.  There are many “programs and amenities for retirees,” Wilson said, including clubs and volunteer opportunities.  Families also like Lake Monticello, which has beaches, boating and water skiing, and there is a new high school in the area that was ranked in the top 10 percent of all public high schools in the US and DC in 2013.

Investors also like waterfront property because of its popularity, which gives it great resale value.  Sandridge, who has investment property at both Lake Anna and Lake Louisa, believes that the former may have more potential for appreciation.

Walden also mentioned the investment value of waterfront property saying,  “When people call, inevitably 80 to 90 percent want privacy, mountain views and water. When waterfront property is available people are willing to pay more for it.”  One of his investors lives overseas and is not intending to relocate any time soon.  However he contacted Walden because he wants to purchase waterfront property now before it is all gone.

Waterfront is also a good investment for those who want to get into the rental business.  Consult your REALTOR® for advice on the best places to buy investment properties and for professional assistance with finding good renters.  For example, McQuair said Long and Foster has a rental office to handle the large volume of customers, most of who rent by the week.

The Riverfront Lifestyle

If you are someone who wants a more rural setting, a riverfront property may have more appeal than one on the lakes where everything is more developed.

Walden has seen a lot of interest in his rural properties lately.  He recently sold three of five parcels that are part of a 300-acre plot in Nelson County on two miles of riverfront.  The buyers (who were looking for both views and water) included someone from the local area and a professional now living in Virginia Beach.

If you like the idea of riverfront, consult a REALTOR® who is knowledgeable about this kind of property.  For example, Peter Lee with Roy Wheeler Realty Co., explained that people looking at property on the north side of the James River would find they have to cross a railroad track to get to the water.  In early days there was a towpath on this side of the river used to help move barges carrying goods down to Richmond. Eventually a track was built on the same tow path.

Riverfront property may also come with flat or bottom land where building is prohibited due to flooding potential.  Lee described one such listing he had which eventually sold to horse lovers who liked the flat area for riding.  However someone with dreams of a home right on the riverfront would have been disappointed to learn they had to move back a ways to get a building permit.

Celeste Smucker is a writer, blogger and author.  She lives near Charlottesville

The Blue Ridge Home Builders Association’s (BRHBA) 41st Home & Garden Festival, April 4-6, makes the Main Street Arena on the Downtown Mall the place to dream and plan and plot, to chat with local home and garden professionals, pick up a few ideas, and figure out how to make them happen.

With 80 booths featuring everything from flooring to roofing options, plus food and drink tastings, door prizes and children’s activities, the festival is a gaze and graze event for homeowners, handymen, gardeners and fix-it-up chappies – for anyone eager to channel springtime energy into a renovated kitchen or retiled bathroom.

Landscapers, floor and window specialists, interior and exterior designers and other experts will be on hand for this annual event, the largest and only trade show of its kind in Central Virginia. Blue Ridge Homebuilder’s Association Executive Vice-President Kristin O’Connell Sorokti estimates that about a 1,000 people attended last year’s show.

“We want to double that this year,” Sorokti says, “because we have a brand new venue, the Main Street Arena. We are really excited about this opportunity to partner with the Downtown Business Association and the Arena. We believe that the Festival will draw a big crowd because it’s coinciding with the City Market. This is a great opportunity to reach people who are out in April, when the community is ready to start thinking about home improvement.”

BRHBA was founded in 1964 to “advocate for the homebuilding industry in this area,” Sorokti says. “We are a membership association that provides educational opportunities for our members, networking opportunities, and other opportunities to help them grow their businesses.”

“A lot of the vendors may have new technology and new innovations that we haven’t seen yet,” she continued, “especially in the areas of green building and sustainability. A lot of our seminars will be catered toward green building and energy efficiency. They will offer the community a lot of new idea and get them in touch with local businesses.”

A festival going on its 41st year is a festival the community loves and supports. Corbin Snow, co-owner of Snow’s Garden Center on Avon Street Extended, remembers attending as a child, back when it was held at the Cage, a University of Virginia facility next to U-Hall on Emmett Street. The festival highlight for five-year old Corbin? Playing in the hot tub one vendor had on display.

Snow’s has been a festival participant “since the inception of the show” says co-owner Scott Price. He remembers the Cage era too. “Back in those days, we’d have to shovel snow just to get in the front doors,” he says. “That was a challenging situation to have a home and garden show in. The Cage was basically a big warehouse with no heat. Now it’s a really wonderful event in a great location, on the Downtown Mall.”

Whether what’s needed is a handsome new roof, patio, garden or kitchen, or just a plain vanilla repair job, Central Virginia residents have many fine handymen, craftsmen, and artisans to choose from. “I’ve been going for the last 20 years off and on,” says Kevin Blair of The Blair Company, a local remodeling and maintenance company. “I like to go and see the latest and greatest building techniques and materials and methods. It’s kind of interesting to see what’s on the cutting edge, and also I get creative ideas from what other vendors have done with mockups and displays and things.”

For Blair and other building and landscape pros, the festival is a place to meet old friends, colleagues, and clients. “I run into a lot of fellow business owners and people I’ve known and dealt with over the years,” he says, “so it’s kind of a social event, too.”
Jerry Bledsoe is a third generation owner of Robert Bledsoe Building Company, his grandfather founded it in 1944. “We decided this is a good opportunity to give the individual homeowner our products and services.

This will be the 14th festival in a row for Darren Giacalone, owner of Charlottesville’s Roof Top Services. “Being a local business, I think it’s important to be there to meet existing and future customers,” Giacalone says. “We’ll show probably ten different types of roofs that are out there for the homeowner to consider.”

Virginia natives Trevor Payton and Chad Hommel use their horticultural skills and artistic vision in landscaping, ornamental gardening, stonework, and turf management. The two men founded Charlottesville’s Zenscapes, they say, to “take landscaping to the next level.”

That was just a couple of years ago. “Since we’re a young company, the festival is a very good opportunity to put our face in front of the community,” Hommel says. “We plan on having a simple ornamental garden on display and some literature outlining what we do.”

Archeologists in Israel found a hearth full of ash and charred bone in a cave in Israel this January, evidence that humans may have built cooking fires as early as 300,000 years ago. The hearth and grill shop Wooden Sun, which opened in 2010 in the IX Building on 2nd Street SE in Charlottesville, adapts this innovative Stone Age survival technique for a rather more sophisticated, 21st century clientele.

“My partner’s been in this business for 30+ years; we formed a partnership in 2009,” says company co-owner Jonathan Schnyer. “We sell fireplaces and stoves – wood, gas, electric and pellet, and the parts and accessories you need to keep safe and cozy. In the winter, we specialize in fireplace projects. In the summertime, we’ve been getting into outdoor kitchens and high end grill business.” Wooden Sun installs and maintains them all.

Batteries Plus on Emmett Street at Albemarle Square specializes in light bulbs as well as batteries, and with incandescent bulbs disappearing from store shelves and LED bulbs taking their place, lighting is a topic of conversation these days. Batteries Plus salesman Alfred Wanderlingh will lead a seminar on green energy lighting solutions for the home. With incandescent bulbs harder and harder to find, people are interested in saving money on their electric bills, Wanderlingh says, but “they want information.” Wanderlingh’s talk is intended “to make it easy for people to make the switch” to LED lighting, even if they’re nervous about how it might change the look of their home.

“I want to discuss how putting in energy-efficient lighting applications right off the bat can benefit the homeowner,” Wanderlingh says. “It allows them to try out the bulbs before they put them all throughout their house. A lightbulb that’s on more than ten hours a day is a good place to start with an energy efficient lightbulb if you’re not sure about switching.”

The University of Virginia Credit Union will offer two workshops, one on heat pumps, and another on using one’s home as equity. The second session will address “mortgage, refinance, home equity and Power Saver loans,” the Credit Union’s Rebecca Cardwell says, delving into various ways to use home equity to finance improvements that increase the home’s value.

While grown-ups search and study, kids will be able to play. “We’re trying to create more of a family-friendly atmosphere,” Sorokti says. “We’re going to have an entire kids zone in the annex of the Main Street Arena, with a Bounce House inside, popcorn, face-painting, and balloon animals. Lowe’s has been kind enough to donate a bunch of kits for kids’ activities.”

For the first time, the festival will sell food and feature beer and wine tastings. Carpe Donut will sell coffee, along with their signature organic donuts and other goodies. Charlottesville’s Three Notch’d Brewery and Standardsville’s Kilaurwen Winery will offer tastings.

The Festival will be open to the public on Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:oo p.m. Tickets are $5. Children 12 and under are free. Downtown garages will validate parking for two hours. The festival will donate forty percent of its proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

Ken Wilson