The ultimate appeal of real estate is that it is unique. And while in theory it is true, in reality, many lots differ little from one another. That said, spend some time not only in lot selection, but in understanding what the lot offers. Invest some time looking at the lot that you considering and try to find the characteristics that help make it unique. Sometimes a unique … [Read more...]
Saving Trees
"Saving the trees on your lot when you clear feels great, but when the lot is cleared, the tree's profile changes quickly and not always for the better." Saving trees makes us feel good. Unfortunately, the shape and scope of a lone tree change quickly and dramatically when it is given space to grow. I have seen more people have to remove trees after just a few years of … [Read more...]
The Need for Flexible Neighborhoods
Pretend someone invented a camera that could take a picture of your life. If you took a picture of your life for 5 years in a row, do you think the images would change a little? Not at all? A whole lot? I think we all know the answer. Our lives change rapidly and constantly. Children getting older. Parents getting older. Spouses getting older (notice a theme?) as well as … [Read more...]
Lot Pricing in the Metro
For anyone who is an investor or Realtor, 2008 to 2010 has been hard. Property values have plummeted. The buying marketplace was somewhere between skittish and petrified. Lenders panicked. Every deal was difficult. But I have more than one time thanked my lucky stars that I was not a home builder. From the period of 2001 to 2008, the US built somewhere between 1.3M and … [Read more...]
Oak Park, the New Ginter Park
Designed by lead developer John Dempsey for GreyCo development, Oak Park was created as his homage to the Ginter Park neighborhood in Richmond's Northside. Ginter Park is a turn of the century neighborhood located at the north end of the Boulevard and bisected by both Brook Road and Chamberlayne Avenue. It is sometimes referred to as the Queen of the Suburbs as it was … [Read more...]
