Charlottesville Real Estate Talk

This is a billionaire's Christmas light show.  Absolutely amazing.

Hedge fund mogul Paul Tudor Jones III put on this Christmas light show at his home in Greenich Conn. I would love to see it in person but I'm not sure that I would appreciate having it next door.  What do you think the neighbors in his luxury home neighborhood think?

Read the article in the Wall Srteet Journal.

Google has become my favorite source for home repair advice and all things "how to".

Last night in Charlottesville VA we had heavy rain, wind and a tornado watch.  When I woke up this morning the clocks were blinking and I could tell that the power had been off sometime during the night.  Then horrors, I went to turn on the water and...nothing.  Somewhere back in the recesses of my memory I seemed to remember that after a power outage you might have to reset the pressure tank for the well.

First I checked the breaker box to make sure it wasn't something as simple as flipping the breaker for the pressure tank.  No luck.  Everything was fine there.  Next I walked out to the garage to look at the pressure tank expecting to find an easily visible red button labeled reset that I could push.  Of course it wasn't that easy.  After examining the pressure tank I couldn't figure out what to do.

I walked back into the house totally bummed, envisioning spending my day waiting for a plumber to arrive.  As a last resort, I sat down at the computer and googled "how to reset a pressure tank".  Low and behold, a great "how to" home repair article popped up, complete with pictures.  I went back out to the garage, followed the easy directions and Voila!  Water!

Thanks Google you just saved me a lot of aggravation and probably money too.  So the next time you are starting a do it yourself home repair project, you might want to check Google first.

As the population gets older in Charlottesville VA and all over the country, an increasing number of people are interested in Aging In Place.

Traditionally as people age they downsize to a smaller home with one level living.  However in the current real estate market it may not be a good time for some people to sell their Charlottesville home.  In many cases their home may be worth more than what they owe or it may not sell for enough to buy the next home.  In addition there are many seniors who just don't want to leave the home that they have lived in for so many years and that is filled with memories. 

So what can they do?  Their current home may not possess the features that will allow them to keep living in it as they grow older and face health challenges.  One option is to retrofit the existing home so that it will be more suitable for an aging senior.  The Livable for a Lifetime website provides information for people who are interrested in modifying their existing Charlottesville home.  This site groups the projects from the simple to the complex.  It offers a wealth of information such as plans and how tos for some of the projests and a list of builders who are aging in place specialists for the more complicated.  This website is an excellent resource for anyone in the Charlottesville community who is exploring the idea of aging in place.

The Charlottesville Daily Progress just publlished an article that talks about the development and funding for the Liveable for a Lifetime website.

If you are consider remodeling your home to incorporate Universal Design elements to allow aging in place this website is a good place to start.  On the other hand if you would like to mmove to an Active Adult Community or downsize to one level living, the Central Virginia area has several options, and I would be happy to discuss them with you.

Every now and then I actually follow my own advice and in the case of renovation on my Charlottesville home I have done just that.

Clients often ask me about the impact that a renovation will have on their home's value.  Often people are shocked to learn that renovations do not impact the price of their home dollar for dollar.  You can't renovate your kitchen or add a home office and expect that your home will increase in value by the amount of the renovation. 

The renovation that brings the most cost to value is new siding.  While new vinyl siding will significantly increase the value of your home, adding hardiplank siding will have the best cost to value.  

I am following my own advice and am in the process of installing hardiplank siding on my Charlottesville area home.  At the same time I am having the windows and facia boards wrapped to make my older home as maintenance free as possible.  The siding has now been added on the first side and I am very pleased with the appearance.

One of the best parts of a vacation for me is the opportunity to find new things to photograph.

Thses are enormous glass flowers hanging from the ceiling with a skylight above them .  The effect of walking beneath them was stunning.  This is one of the most unique archtectural details that I have ever seen.

Are you aware that a heavy snowfall can prove more than just a driving hazard?

As Charlottesville slowly digs out from under two feet of snow, we breathe a sigh of releaf when we make it safely home and consider ourselves fortunate to have not lost power.  But are you aware of the hidden danger that this unusually deep snowfall can have brought to your home?

If you have gas/propane hot water heaters you may have a danger in this weather that you do not realize.  These hot water heaters have the exhaust vented to the outdoors, releasing carbon monoxide which is a by product of the process, safely outside.  These venting pipes are usually sited in the foundation wall about 18 inches off the ground.  Most of the time the exhaust is hot enough to melt any snow which may obstruct the pipes.  However the current unusually heavy snowfall coupled with drifting and freezing may have created conditions that prevent such melting to take place.  If the exhaust cannot vent to the outside, there is the risk of carbon monoxide building up inside the residence.  It is a good idea to check the exhaust pipe as long as the snow remains on the ground, particularly if you have snow falling off the roof.

I was recently made aware of this information through the Glenmore Community Association bulletin.  Glenmore is a gated community located just to the east of Charlottesville Virginia.  This is a beautiful neighborhood with homes for sale ranging from the mid four hundreds up to a million and a half.  At the heart of Glenmore is a golf course and country club.

Contact Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES, NHD, REALTOR®, Real Estate III, Charlottesville, Virginia at 434 960-0161 to buy a property in the following areas in Central Virginia: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Keswick, Glenmore, Ivy, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Cismont, Scottsville, Fluvanna County, Palmyra, Lake Monticello, Louisa County, Louisa, Mineral, Spring Creek, Orange County, Gordonsville, Orange, Barboursville, Greene County, Ruckersville.  Email Pam Dent.

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms or visit my other blog Charlottesville Horse Farms and Country Homes for more information on Charlottesville Virginia horse farms, homes, events and real estate. 

Copyright © 2009 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved,  "Heavy Snowfall Can Prove More Than Just A Driving Hazard".