Design House 2013 ends this Sunday, May 19th. Please support this fundraiser for the Shelter for Help in Emergency by coming for a visit to view the work of 20 different designers who have donated and displayed their work in different rooms of the house and areas of the gardens.

Located at a beautiful home in Farmington this year, it’s great way to get ideas for your own home or find the designer who suits your style, all while supporting the annual fundraiser for our local shelter for the victims of domestic violence. You can purchase any of the items on display —most of them at a discount from regular retail prices. There are also a few special events left for you to catch.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, May 15, 2013) morning at 10:30 am, I will be sharing my expertise as an Accredited Staging Professional and Seller Representative Specialist. If you have a home to sell anywhere in your future, this session, “Introduction to the Art of Home Staging,” is for you!

There is no additional charge for this or any of the seminars once you make your $20 donation to view the home. I hope to see you there!

The post Design House 2013 Supports Shelter for Help in Emergency appeared first on Nest Report.

The annual EMMA’s event is a great opportunity to connect with our fellow Central Virginia marketers, and we were so impressed by the creativity of all of the entries this year.

In addition to winning in the category of “Overall Marketing Experience,” we’re really excited that the Nest Property Management brand has resonated with so many folks here in the area. And for that, the credit truly goes to the Property Management team here at Nest.

They relish in delighting both property owners and renters…and employ good old fashioned customer service along with the latest technology to do so.

If you haven’t met Nest Property Management yet, we encourage you to get to know us better!

Many thanks to the Central VA AMA for the nod and congrats to all of the local winners!

The post Nest Property Management Launch Honored by American Marketing Association appeared first on Nest Report.

168 Brookwood Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Price:  $298,500

Neighborhood:  Brookwood

This premium brick interior townhome is just a mile from downtown Cville & UVA Hospital in desirable Brookwood. Anderson double paned windows, tankless H2O heater, granite counters, hardwood floors, SS appliances, ceramic tile baths, security sys, structured wiring, dual zone system, extensive trim work & 2 car garage. The unfinished terrace level is plumbed for 1/2 bath-great storage/potential growth! Private back yard that has 2 grassy areas and backs to woods. Quality you don’t want to miss!

Interested in this Brookwood home in Charlottesville, VA? Contact Nest Realty agent Dawn Cromer today.

The post Just Listed by Nest Realty in Brookwood: 168 Brookwood Drive appeared first on Nest Report.

2012 was a big year for local real estate. The Charlottesville MSA (metropolitan statistical area) saw a sales increase of 15% over 2011, and in the first quarter of this year experienced the 7th straight quarter of year-over-year sales increases. Reason to celebrate indeed, as a stabilized housing market is a bedrock foundation for local and national economies. Crozet real estate experienced the best sales numbers since 2006, in fact one of every five sales last year in Albemarle County occurred in Crozet! Sellers had the best chance in years to attract a buyer with a fair price, while buyers continued to enjoy historically low mortgage rates and good inventory. With an unusually active and  strong fourth quarter the indicators were in place for a busy first quarter, the start to the traditionally active spring real estate market. So how did Crozet fare in the first quarter?

The answer actually is just okay, which is a bit of a surprise to market watchers and participants. The fourth quarter ended with 53 total sales, and 76 properties under contingent or pending contract. This latter number has risen to 103 at first quarter’s end, but the number of quarter sales at the end of March totaled only 45. This figure is a slight drop quarter to quarter from 2012, when 47 sales were recorded. No doubt some new construction settlements have been delayed into the second quarter due to wet weather and power outages that slowed construction over the past few months, but the number of total quarter sales is still a head scratcher. A quick drive around town would suggest otherwise as well, with new houses and developments seemingly popping up everywhere. So while quarter sales may not have been as strong as they could have, local activity suggests 2013 should exceed 2012 in total area sales.

Of the 45 total sales in the quarter, 29 were detached properties, 16 being attached. This ratio is pretty consistent quarter to quarter. Among attached properties, the majority were in Old Trail and in Highlands. Coming quarters should see a shift more towards Old Trail, as a whole development block has been dedicated to a local townhome builder, and they seem to be going up at a rapid pace. Haden Place has also broken ground, attached houses there are already under contract to close later in the year. Of the 103 contingent and pending deals, 60 are for new construction which has local builders quite pleased. Among the detached properties there were 3 sales over $1m, the most in any quarter since the second quarter of 2007 (5 sales over $1m.). 9 of the sales were on an acre or more, the balance being for the most part in developments. Old Trail sales represented 25% of these, but new ground breaking for single family houses in Wickham Pond and Grayrock North holds potential for their national builder.

For the most part price numbers have held the line quarter to quarter. This is somewhat surprising given persistent inflation in building material cost and decreasing inventory. Excluding the 3 sales over $1m, total sales figures for price per square foot ($136), average ($324K) and median ($296) prices were all within 2% quarter to quarter. This holds pretty true across detached sales, while attached sales saw a slightly larger 6% increases in price per square foot to $140, and a 10% increase in average price to $275K. The average price of a detached property was $322K. The one unpleasant number that is up quarter to quarter is for distressed sale properties. Lender owned (7) and short sale (1) transactions represented almost 18% of total sales for the quarter, up from just under 11% last year. This is a trend that we hope to see reversed, and should as prices continue to stabilize and banks/lenders work through their inventory. And speaking of inventory, there is currently a bit over 9 months available, down from 11 1/2 months at first quarter’s end last year.

And inventory is important. According to the folks at the KCM Blog, diminishing inventory is one of the reasons that now is a great time to sell a property. Other factors are strong demand and limited new construction inventory. This last factor is interesting, since real estate watchers note that as real estate gains traction, more builders will emerge to take advantage of renewed opportunity. More new home availability could increase supply and over balance demand, favoring the buyer once again. While this doesn’t seem likely anytime soon, and certainly not locally, there are more new home builders in Crozet today than there were this time last year.

But most agree, housing prices should continue to rise through the year. Strong demand and continued low interest rates will result in price increases of 3-7% this year, according to Ivy Zelman of Zelman and Associates. And Fannie Mae supports this view, predicting strong demand pushing the number of homes sales up 10 1/2% this year, and by 6.2% in 2014. But they go on to predict a slow creep in mortgage rates, from a current rate of around 3.5% for a 30 year fixed mortgage, to 4.5% by the end of 2014. Still quite low by historic standards, but that jump of almost 30% will diminish consumer buying power.

For sellers who have been on the sidelines, today represents their best chance in years to sell their property for a fair market price. And buyers continue to enjoy low borrowing costs and reasonable inventory. It would seem there is something for everyone as we head into the second quarter!

The post First Quarter 2013 Crozet Real Estate Market Update appeared first on Nest Report.

View Nest Realty’s 2013 Charlottesville Real Estate Market Report

A few more highlights:

• Total MSA home sales increased slightly (+0.39%) to 516 units (as compared to 514 in Q1 2012).  This marks the 7th straight quarter in which we have seen year-over-year increases in total MSA sales.

• Albemarle County sales fell by 6.78% (220 vs. 236) as compared to Q1 2012

• Charlottesville City sales fell by 26.37% (67 vs. 91) as compared to Q1 2012

• Median prices in the Charlottesville MSA were off by 2.77% 

If you have any further questions, reach out to your favorite Charlottesville real estate agent.

The post Q1 2013 Charlottesville Real Estate Market Report appeared first on Nest Report.

609 Lyons Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22902

Price:  $525,000

Neighborhood:  North Downtown

OPEN Sunday, April 7, 12-4. The epitome of a character rich North Downtown home, walking distance to the Downtown mall w/ all the charm & upgrades you have been waiting for! The kitchen will steal your heart w/ custom cabinetry, soap stone counters, reclaimed hardwood floors & a focal butcher block island. Spacious & stunning main level living w/ exciting room for growth in the upstairs-unfinished attic. 1/2 of basement level features a 2 bdrm apartment…in-law/nanny suite? 2 car garage in the city

Interested in this North Downtown home in Charlottesville, VA? Contact Nest Realty agent Dawn Cromer today.

The post Just listed by Nest Realty: 609 Lyons Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22902 appeared first on Nest Report.

A screen shot of DocuSign, and ESS provider. (http://www.docusign.com)

When it comes to signing contracts and paperwork for real estate transactions, don’t be surprised if your agent asks you to use electronic signature software (ESS). It’s a simple and secure time saver that solves many problems in the real estate industry.

Here’s how it works:  When you have documents to sign, initial, date or otherwise acknowledge, your agent will provide the documents to you, in a scanned form via email.  Typically, when using an ESS for the first time, you ‘ll agree to those pesky terms and conditions (which, like all contracts, you should read), and then ‘pick’ a signature.  You won’t be using a pen or stylus to sign on a screen, you’ll be using an electronic version of your name and initials, and a click of your mouse. Once you pick the style of your name you prefer (and most software lets you change this so you’re not stuck with it), this becomes your signature. Your email address is used as your security feature, meaning that only people (you) who have access to your email account, with your user name and password, can access and sign your documents.

When you open the attachment of docs to sign, prompts, set up by your agent, will show you where to sign. You can’t mess it up. Or forget to sign. Or miss a signature. The agent sets this up for you…just follow on the-screen prompts. When you’re done, the document then automatically routes to other parties, who also need to sign or acknowledge that they received it. Once everyone has signed, you get a copy emailed to you, with all signatures.

Here’s why it’s better than paper: Paper requires, well, paper, which can get lost, damaged, forgotten. Paper means that two people have to either be in the same place physically at the same time (impossible with out-of-state sellers, sellers who are on military leave, out of town for vacation or work). Paper has to be delivered by some method to each each party where loss and delays can occur. Paper means that additional copies are made-not a very green practice these days. Paper can be more easily forged and forgotten.

Here’s why it’s better than scanning and/or faxing:

• No poorly scanned documents that are hard to read;
• Neither party need to have a scanner or a fax machine
• No issues with low toner or fax machines out of paper
• No fax machines in public places showing private documents. No more lost pages. No follow-up calls to see if the fax went through, the pages were all received.  No having to physically pick up faxed copies at a specific location.  Without a way to track who gets which faxed pages, and when, there’s no accountability for the sender or the receiver… (You get the idea!)

Nervous about trying something new? Don’t reject the electronic signature option automatically. In the same way that we expected a paper ticket for airline travel, many of us now use e-tickets. And the advantages of electronic signatures are not just for agent, title companies and lenders, but for buyers and sellers, too.

Have your Nest agent explain how it works for you in detail so you’re comfortable, and get your electronic signature ready!

The post Electronic Signatures: What happened to old fashioned pen and paper? appeared first on Nest Report.

It’s been over 4 years since we launched version 1 of the Nest Realty web site.  Actually, it was January 30, 2009.  I remember the day well.  It was a Friday.  I had literally been planning and brainstorming the Nest web site for about year and had been working with our web team since since mid-summer of 2008.  We had everything ready for the launch…except the site was buggy on Internet Explorer.  After hours of working trough tiny bugs for IE, we decided to launch the site to the world around 7 pm on January 30, 2009.  I posted the launch to Facebook and, amazingly, we had 67 visitors that night.

67.  I couldn’t believe it.

And I really couldn’t believe it when my friends at 1000 Watt Consulting picked up the Nest Realty site about a week later.

Since then, we’ve had over 450,000 visitors and more than 3.6 million page views on the Nest Realty site…coming from all 50 states and over 150 countries.  To take it one step further, visitors have spent 45,000 hours on nestrealty.com since our launch.  That’s well over 5 years of time searching for Charlottesville and New River Valley real estate on the Nest site alone…in just about 4 years of being online.  Wow.  Pretty darn amazing.

Since our initial launch, the Nest site has come a long way.  Our initial home page was, admittedly (in hindsight) kind of ugly and maybe a little clunky.  We’ve done 3 major re-vamps to the site.  In addition, we launched our Nest Realty mobile-optimized site in the September 2012.  The decision to launch the mobile-optimized site came from the fact that mobile traffic to the Nest Realty site increased from 3% in 2009 to almost 10% in 2011.  As we anticipated, Nest Realty experienced approximately 20% of our total web traffic from mobile devices in 2012.  (And we expect that to increase to more than 25% in 2013.)

So, what’s in store for our next round of updates?  A lot. At Nest, we’re always looking to improve.  We look outside the real estate industry and within the real estate industry.  As I mentioned, we launched our Nest mobile-optimized site about 6 months ago…we’re now planning to integrate that with our ‘desktop’ site.  In other words: if you save a property on the Nest desktop site, you’ll be able to access it on the mobile site…and vice-versa.  It sounds simple, but it’s important to us to tie the functionality of the mobile and desktop sites together.

Speaking of functionality, we’re planning to increase the functionality of the Nest site to appeal to 2013 users.  What do we mean?  First off, we’re going to improve our search functionality.  Second off, we’re going to update our property detail pages to get with the times: more information, bigger fonts, and improved layouts.  What else?  We’re improving our portfolio/favorites function based on the feedback we’ve received.  Overall, we’re improving our web experience based on feedback from you.

We’ve got some more tricks up our sleeves, also.  But overall, we’re just trying to get better: better search, better results, and a better overall experience for you, our customers.

I’ll admit that, in the grand scheme of things, we are a small brokerage.  However, at Nest, we are constantly looking to get better: not just from our web site, but from the service that each and every one of our agents provides to our clients.  We’ve made some great progress in the last few years…and it’s only going to get better.

Thanks for your support of Nest Realty over the past 4+ years.  We look forward to continue to provide the absolute best service to you int he years to come.

The post Nest Realty Web Site Updates Coming appeared first on Nest Report.

If you’re into market stats (like we are at Nest) and you love beautiful design (like we do), then you’ll love our 2012 Nest Realty Annual Market Reports.  We’ve just gotten a shipment of thousands upon thousands of these reports for our Charlottesville and New River Valley offices.  The brown, corrugated boxes are everywhere and we need to find something to do with them.

Overall, the Charlottesville real estate market is trending upwards.  Whereas we were in a bit of flux over the past few years, 2012 (and the first part of 2013) brought more stability to the Charlottesville home market.  We’ll admit that we were a bit down on the market since recently, we are starting to feel a little better about the direction that the Charlottesville and Albemarle real estate market is heading.  In reality, the local market has been trending upwards since late-summer of 2012.  But, as we’ve been saying, its taken a bit of hindsight to actually recognize things are trending in a positive direction.

In the New River Valley, demand is strong in the core sub-markets of single family homes in Blacksburg and Christiansburg.  In addition, condo sales have started to pick up and we’re seeing that market moving in a positive direction also.

Do you want a copy of our annual market report?  Then just shoot us a note at info (@) nestrealty.com with your name, mailing address, and the desired market report that you’d like (Charlottesville or New River Valley)….and we’ll be glad to send you a copy of this absolutely, positively beautiful annual report.  We look forward to receiving your requests!

The post Beautiful + Real Estate Market Statistics = Nest appeared first on Nest Report.

Handley Farm Estates is a beautiful new development in Western Albemarle.  Though the overall property is over 120 acres, it’s only 12 total home sites. The home sites range from 2.7 acres to 23 acres.

Handley Farm Estates’ developer has meticulously developed this stunning property with multiple ponds, a meandering road, and has hand selected the perfect home placements on each site.  In order to maintain the natural beauty, he has gone out of his way to cut down as few trees as possible.  And the views are simply awesome.  Surrounded by large, private parcels and property in conservation easement, Handley Farm Estates is a great place to consider if you’re looking for privacy, spectacular views, and a home not-too-far from the services of Crozet and Albemarle County.

Handley Farm Estates homes are a short drive to Western Albemarle schools, Interstate 64, Downtown Crozet, and the ever-popular Blue Mountain Brewery. There is currently one home under construction in Handley.

This new Albemarle County community is marketed by Nest Realty.  But that’s not why we love it.  We love it because its an absolutely breathtaking community that has been kept as natural as possible…and truly offers some amazing scenery.  Please contact us if you’d like a tour or more information.

Contacts: Greg Slater and Jonathan Kauffmann

The post Introducing Handley Farm Estates appeared first on Nest Report.