Charlottesville, Virginia Accolades and Awards

The Charlottesville real estate market boasts a wonderful track record for quality of living.   From city living to farms and estates, Charlottesville is a buyer’s dream come true.  Besides the wide range of housing choices, Charlottesville also offers  a tremendous amount of educational, entertainment and cultural possibilities.   The awards Charlottesville, VA has received speaks volumes about this fantastic community.

Cities Ranked & Rated 2004: Ranks Charlottesville as #1 Best City to live in USA & Canada (Today Show/USA Today)

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• 18th Safest Mid-Sized Cities in the Country (populations between 150,000 and 500,000), Farmers Insurance|
• AARP, Top 10 Healthiest Places to Retire, 2008
• Best Places to Retire, Black Enterprise Magazine, 2nd in 2008
• Best City for Living and Launching a Business by Fortune and Money Magazines - 18th Place in 2008.
• Best Small Market for Business by Forbes Magazine - 9th Place in 2008.
• 2008 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award, Gold and Flag Award in the Environmental Program (Government) category
• USGBC LEED Gold Certification, Downtown Transit Center, 2008, 1st LEED Gold municipal designation in the state.
• Fire Chief of the Year, Fire Chief magazine, 2008
• Top Ten Digital City, Center for Digital Government, 3rd 2005, 4th 2006, 6th 2007
• National Trust for Historic Preservation, Distinctive Destination, 2007
• 2008 Bicycle Friendly Community at the Bronze Level from the League of American Bicyclists
• Southern Business & Development Magazine: #1 on the list of 10 “Really Cool Small Southern Markets”
• Life magazine: Charlottesville region “The Best New Place to Drink Wine.”  Charlottesville area - one of 10 superlative locales cited in Life’s write-up of “10 Perfect Weekend Escapes.”
2007 Businesses for the Bay Environmental Excellence Award ”Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention, Local Government”
• 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Digital Cities Survey Award: Rated Charlottesville’s Web site #5 in US cities with populations of 30,000 - 75,000
• Money Magazine: Best Places to Live
• Outside Magazine: One of the Best Places to be Found 1995 & 1999, also one of Seven Dream Towns That Have it All, Best Town to Live 2006, 2008
• Kiplinger’s Personal Finance: #2 Healthiest Place to Live in America
• Men’s Journal: #3 Healthiest Small City to Live in America
• Reader’s Digest: Top Ten Places in the Country to Raise a Family (#7 out of 50)
• American Health: Top Ten Healthiest Cities for Women (#6)
• Golf Digest: Best Retirement City for Golfers (#1)
• Tennis Magazine: Best Tennis Town (#1)
• Arts and Entertainment Television: One of the Best Places to Live in America (#6)
• E-Podunk.com: Best Small College Town (#1)
• Modern Maturity Magazine: Most Alive Places to Live (#2 College Town)
• Forbes/Milken Institute: Best Small Places for Business and Career 2001 (#12)
• Travel 50 & Beyond: Top Ten Great Places to Retire 1999
• Best Trail Running, Outside Magazine 2006
• Cottage Living Magazine, Great Place to Live
• GFOA CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING
• for fiscal year 2008 for the 29th consecutive year.
• AAA Bond Rating by Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s 2008, Moody’s has ranked City AAA since 1973, S & P since 1964
• Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Awards, Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention, 2007
• Treasurer of the Year by the Virginia Treasurer’s Association, 2006
• City Website was voted Best City Website by the City County Communications and Marketing Association – Savvy Award, 2006
• City Website was voted Best City Website by the National Association of Government Webcasters
• Top Five Green Cities, Blue Ridge Magazine, 2006
• City Website received Sponsors Award by the National Association of Government Webcasters
• City Parks and Recreation Department accepted as Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
• City Parks and Recreation Department accepted Tree City USA
• Best Place to Relocate, Relocate America, 2006
• Fire Department - ISO Class 2 Fire Department (1 being the best on a score of 10)
• Internationally Accredited Fire Department
• Fire Department - Governor’s Award for Excellence in Fire Service Management
• Dozen Distinctive Destinations – Charlottesville – National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2007
• Best Workplace for Commuters, US Department of Transportation, 2006
• Department of Social Services, USDA recognition for outstanding customer service, 2005
• City Ranked the Top “Really Cool Small Southern Market”
• By Southern Business and Development Magazine, (April 2005)
• Money Magazine 100 Best Places to Live – August 2004
• Forbes Magazine – Best Small Places to Do Business – Rank 22
• Business Journals – Best Places to Work – June 2005
• Charlottesville Officially Awarded First Tee Chapter, by the World Golf Foundation.

Charlottesville Real Estate Auctions vs. Traditional Sales? .1

This is a great topic for home sellers as they do not really understand the auction method of sale as it pertains to real estate. So, is selling your home at auction a better way to go rather then listing it with a traditional real estate agent?

The answer is an emphatic yes.
The auction method of sale gives consumers many more options when it comes to selling their home. But before I speak to the advantages let’s clear up some of the misconceptions. The word auction does not always mean foreclosure or short-sale. The auction method of sale is absolutely not always for distressed situations. This method of sale and the psychology behind it generates a tremendous amount of curiosity and interest for home buyers. Just seeing the word Auction on a real estate sign or in the MLS get buyer’s energized. If the auction is marketed correctly and administered ethically by an Auctioneer, the community will recognize this means of sale as a positive and not a negative. Buyers will always want to preview auction properties before traditional real estate listings.

The auction buzz
So now you have the energy and a buzz around your property that is being sold at auction. What are the advantages? The first advantage is flexibility. If you list your home with an auction firm, make sure they are also licensed to carry out traditional real estate sales, too. If the home does not sell at auction then it can immediately come on the market in the traditional sense. This will give you a competitive advantage with respect to a sales strategy. Yes a sales strategy, more tools that can bring an actual signed sales contract in less than 30 days. By coupling the auction method to traditional real estate sales you have created the perfect situation to sell your home.

PART 2 - CLICK HERE

Real Estate Auctions vs. Traditional Sales? .2

Is it a sales plan or marketing plan?

The typical sales plan for a Realtor is to market the property on the MLS and wait for offers. Ok to be fair, I am a Realtor as well, we do run ads in the print media but typically most buyers find homes online via the MLS sharing it’s listing data with major, consumer real estate websites or from Realtors sending clients MLs listing data directly. In a sense the MLS markets the property. As a Realtor this is automatic. As soon as I input your home in the MLS it is marketed on the major real estate [Read more]