Great Historic Home in Amherst County Virginia

Circa 1870 -19th century home with turn of the century addition sitting on a hill in bucolic setting. Home has been lovingly restored to its former glory. Including 3.8 acres and is surrounded by large farms. Located in western Amherst.

Look at this fabulous historic Charlottesville real estate

Historic Albemarle estate c.1847 listed on the National Register of Historic places and a Virginia Historic Landmark. Colonial Revival restored and enlarged in 2001 with gardens and landscape designed by Rachel M. Lilly. A Colonial compound at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains with numerous nineteenth-century structures,the property offers complete privacy with outstanding mountain views.Features a 2,870sq.ft. pool house with vanishing-edge pool,four tenant houses,studio,gym,stables&vineyard.

The Property is subject to an "Open space" easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. 75 additional open acres of rolling pasture available, suitable for livestock or vineyard expansion. Property features a 2870 sq.ft. two story pool house with home theater and conference room in the basement, vanishing edge pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen with eating pavilion, four two story tenant houses, office, studio, gym, smoke house, four stall stable,equipment building, carriage house, greenhouse, octagonal ice house, gazebo, reflecting pond with waterfall, two ponds and vineyard.

Three drilled wells. Land is mostly open and suitable for horses or other livestock. Long frontage on two state roads with three entrances. The farm is located only 15 miles west of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. Property adjoins conservation easement property on both sides. Truely an Albemarle County Treasure.....Listed by Stevens and Company

Albemarle County Investigates A Community Land Trust

A Community Land Trust may be one strategy in the ongoing effort to provide affordable housing in a tight market.

Of course, it ought not be the only one.

Some Albemarle County residents have been investigating the possibility of starting a land trust here.

Only 200 such programs exist elsewhere - none in Virginia.

Under this concept, the trust - operating as a non-profit corporation - would sell housing at an affordable price to those who qualify.

Financial qualification, according to current thinking would be a family income of $39,900 to $53,200.

The trust would have a perpetual lease on the land.

Homeowners could resell their houses, but would have to sell back to the trust or to a private buyer at an affordable price.

The arrangement seeks to keep its housing at low cost by tackling a basic problem in markets such as Albemarle-Charlottesville’s.

By perpetually owning the land on which a home sits and pulling it from the housing market, the trust would ensure that the land would never be subject to rising prices based on scarcity and speculation.

Land for homebuilding is increasingly hard to come by. Scarcity alone drives up prices; but an added element is speculation, in which buyers with ready money enter the market with the intent to sell at a handsome profit in the future.

Such buyers can easily snap up real estate, while residents with lower incomes never have enough to get into the game.

The land trust mechanism would prevent buyers from making a maximum profit when they sell, but foregoing that future income might be an acceptable trade-off for them.

Many supports must be in place before the idea can work here.

Actually getting the trust up and running could take a while.

Meanwhile, existing affordable housing programs continue to deserve support.

Several non-profits already have carved out their niche here.

Alleviating the affordable housing shortage will continue to require a variety of strategies, of which the land trust would be only one.

One of Albemarle County’s strategies is to persuade developers to build affordable housing as part of their projects.

But at around $190,000, the general price of those units is still considered unaffordable by some.

Plus, the program has been criticized by many because the units need not remain at the “affordable” level but may jump to market prices on subsequent sales.

The ultimate affordable housing strategy would be for Albemarle - and to an extent Charlottesville - to make land more affordable and development less restrictive.

Especially in the county, government policies are considered by many as too limiting, and the red tape for development approval as too burdensome.

Land policies add to the cost of the land, and development restrictions add to the cost of building: The result, naturally, is higher housing costs.

A many-sided solution for affordable housing is clearly needed. That may include non-profits trusts - but it definitely demands wise government

Hunter Craig Buys More On The Corner...

Hunter just purchased the Chancellor Building, home to Corner landmarks including The White Spot, Freeman-Victorius frame shop and the Corner Market.

He already owns the Eljo's and former Jaberwoke ( now called Three) which he purchased in 2006.

What's going to happen to this area of UVA'S HISTORY?

Well, I have total faith in what he'll do. He's got a lot of UVA grads money behind him who only want the best for this area of Charlottesville.

I hope he cleans it up and brings in some fun new, hip stores like in Georgetown DC.

Right now the Corner is bloody boring!

Star Hill is going to reve up the music so let's hope Hunter does it right.

Hell, he's got so much on his plate with Biscut Run/ Fox Ridge I hope the rich old boy doesn't have a heart attack.

Charlottesville Homes Turn Green

As dwindling natural resources get more expensive and harder to find, builders of Charlottesville new homes are getting very GREEN!

One notable new product is a combination of thin steel and styrofoam know as " Thermasteel."

The energy savings in Thermasteel is amazing.

The house is like a styrofoam cooler.

When it snows, the snow doesn't even melt on your roof. That's because there's such little heat escaping.

90% of American homes are stick built.

We need to have structurally sound homes that are light on natural resources and heavy on energy savings, says Charlottesville realtor, Toby Beavers.

Only a few new Charlottesville homes offer this.

One new Charlottesville development, Belvedere, will be totally green.

New Bars In Belmont In Charlottesville

The great Mexican chef,Chef Alex Monteil of Cocina del Sol, has opened Brasserie Montiel & Cofee House. Adam Frazier is opening a new bar in Belmont called ? It's located at 824 Hinton Ave and joins these fabulous Belmont hangouts: Mas, Saxx, La Taza & Belmont BBQ. Who knows what it'll be... Here's a new video we made of Belmont in Charlottesville

Fabulous new Charlottesville real estate

One of the most unique tracts of land in Albemarle county adjoining Farmington Country Club to the East & Ivy Creek to the West.

The property is truly a wildlife sanctuary with outstanding Blue Ridge Mountain views only five minutes from Charlottesville and the University of Virginia.

Road/trail system and extensive frontage on Ivy Creek.

The location says it all! Small compound with cottage, guest cottage with attached office/Studio. Live there while you build a Manor Home. Good pasture.

Additional acerage available.

Property subject to Conservation Easement with The Nature Conservancy.