Charlottesville VA real estate has proven stability and rock solid value. The University of Virginia and its world class UVA Medical Center provide the stability. The value rests with its history, picturesque beauty, central location, strong economy as well its past and present property owners, who include among others Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Teddy Roosevelt, Meriwether Lewis, George Rogers Clark, Muhammad Ali, John Kluge, John Grisham, William Faulkner, Jessica Lange, Sam Sheppard, Lee Majors, Kate Jackson, Sissy Spacek, and The Dave Mathews Band.

Charlottesville Real Estate Blog "CharlottesvilleBob's Blog"         To visit blog click here

Albemarle ranked fourth healthiest county in VA Thursday, Apr 5 2012 

Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors and Charlottesville Real Estate and charlottesville va real estate information and charlottesville virginia real estate and Forest Lakes 

Albemarle ranked fourth healthiest county in VA

by C-VILLE Writers, April 4th 10:49am

 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps ranked Albemarle County as the fourth healthiest county in Virginia.

The national county-by-county report uses survey data such as adult smoking and obesity, uninsured, excessive drinking, and number of primary care physicians in order to establish the rankings. Social and economic factors such as graduation rates, violent crime rates and children in poverty were also considered.

Albemarle was recognized for having a low population of people in fair to poor health and for its low number of uninsured residents. 

“One thing that’s important is that we don’t get complacent about these rankings,” County Spokesperson Lee Catlin told NBC29. “Number four is certainly a great number, but it doesn’t mean there are things we don’t need to focus on.”

An estimated 27 percent of county residents are obese. This figure is lower than the state average, but remains higher than the national average of 25 percent. The rate of STDs in the county is also considerably higher than the national average. There are 167 cases of chlamydia per 100,000 county residents compared the national average of 84 cases per 100,000.

Fairfax was deemed the healthiest county in Virginia, followed by Arlington and Loudon. The City of Charlottesville ranked 47.

Click here for the complete rankings and statistics.

The Nightmare of Securing a Mortgage

We all know the rules have changed, but it’s the endless and tedious documentation that has made securing a mortgage painful. Understanding the process and being forewarned may ease the pain.  This just in from Sandra S. Madison, Senior Mortgage Originator SunTrust Mortgage

“securing mortgage approval and satisfying credit underwriting guidelines are not the difficulties plaguing mortgage consumers. It’s in meeting the rigorous documentation requirements that most people fall flat” 

“Mortgage consumers who enter the mortgage approval process ready to battle their chosen mortgage lender will come out with a nightmare story to tell. As the process, requirements, and guidelines are the same for everybody, your mindset is the game-changer. Accepting the redundant documentation necessary for lender approval will make everyone’s life easier.” 

“It all comes down to your proof. If the lender asks for a specific document, give them exactly what they are asking for, not what “should be OK,” – because it won’t be. This is where the approval process tends to go off the rails, when the lender asks for specific documentation and the borrower supplies something else. Here, too, is where both sides get frustrated. “

VAR End of Year Home Sales Report

VAR’s 2011 state-wide report was just released, and it is a different look at the story of home ownership in Virginia. Kudos to VAR for partnering with multiple sources and perspectives; take a peek and download a copy  ! (Note: This document is a large PDF and will take a few minutes to download, depending on your computer and connection speeds.) This post from the CAAR web site.

Albemarle County Property Assessments Down

Posted from NBC29 News

 

Home values have dropped 3 percent in Albemarle County.  The reassessments are going out to property owners this week.

Just because the value of your home has come down, doesn't mean that that next tax bill will be any cheaper.

County leaders say the decline is based off the softening real estate market.  The county is moving forward with equalizing the tax rate.  Right now, it's at 74.2 cents per $100 of assessed value.  The equalized rate could be 76.5 cents.

Albemarle Assistant County Executive Bill Letteri said, "For most homeowners, it means that the tax that they will pay next will approximate the same tax they paid this year, in spite of the decline in the value."

The reassessment does not include new construction, which is valued at about $89 million.  This includes new homes, new buildings and new commercial property, which is not included in the tax rate.

Once completed, those properties will fall onto the county's tax books and that means more revenue for Albemarle.  With more people contributing, the tax rate can eventually be lowered in future years.

County supervisors are still working on putting together the upcoming spending plan.  A public hearing on the budget is set for February 29 at 6 p.m.

Charlottesville Best Places To Retire: Top College Towns       

From The Huffington Post:

For more than a decade, retired Americans that are flocking to the culture and arts scenes and state-of-the-art medical facilities offered by college campuses. More institutions of higher learning are reaching out to retirees, promoting free or reduced-rate college courses, performances and lectures, according to a report last week by the Associated Press. Some have partnered with retirement residences in the area.

“People think seniors today are looking for sun and sand and not much else,” Jill Lillie, director of marketing at The Village at Penn State, a continuing care residence in State College, Pa, told the Associated Press. “But boomers are focused on new challenges. They want to enrich their lives, write a new chapter.”

For those post50s looking for an intellectual adventure and cultural hub, here are 10 ideas for people who want a college town haven. If your top pick isn’t among this list, share it with us in the comments section!

Investors and Wannabes Take Note

How to invest in the coming housing market rebound
February 13, 2012|Dave Carpenter, AP Personal Finance Writer

The housing market recovery hasn’t taken off yet, but a rally in its stocks sure has. The Standard & Poor’s homebuilders index is up 60 percent since October. Given that stock prices tend to anticipate business trends, does that mean a housing market rebound is imminent during the spring home-selling season?

Not necessarily. The biggest sustained rally in homebuilding stocks in years and recent upbeat home sales data, however, have injected some long-absent optimism into the outlook for housing. Sales of previously occupied homes rose for three straight months at the end of last year. The glut of houses on the market is diminishing, down to 2.4 million previously owned homes on the market in December from 3.8 million in June. And buyers are slowly regaining a little bit of confidence. “The housing market enters the spring selling season in absolutely the best shape it’s been since 2005,’’ says analyst Eric Landry, who follows homebuilding stocks for Morningstar. “Sales will still likely be below normal, but inventories are in the best shape they’ve been in years.’’

The government’s landmark $25 billion settlement of foreclosure abuses is the latest dose of good news. Financial analysts see it as helping to clear the way for builders to gear up construction activity.The CEOs of some of the biggest homebuilders said during earnings conference calls this month that the housing market has stabilized. But they were cautious about making any bullish forecasts. Major improvement in the industry won’t take place until next year, according to a forecast by the chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders, David Crowe.

More important for investors, the big run-up in stock prices in the last four months makes a correction likely soon. Homebuilding stocks have a history of declining after rising in the months ahead of spring selling season.

The current rally is seen by some as the opening act in a multi-year recovery for the stocks. Low interest rates, more affordable home prices and pent-up demand should help them rise further. But the stocks are no longer cheap. Most are currently trading at roughly 1.5 times book value — considered the best way to value this group. Book value is the value of a company’s assets if it were to be liquidated. Their current value strongly suggests they are overpriced.

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