Thomas Jefferson, the surveyor.

“From the chestnut stump at the bend in Wolf Run, four chains, to the hemlock growing by the stone pile.” Such colorful descriptions were typical in 19^th century surveys but those chestnut stumps are long gone now and Wolf Run has changed course dozens of times.

If you are looking at land you’ll need to know its boundaries and that is accomplished with a survey by a licensed surveyor. Sometimes surveys are straight forward with a well documented property that has been surveyed several times in the recent past. Often, however, they are more complicated, especially when dealing with a piece of land that has not changed hands in many years.

When surveyors are tasked with surveying a Country Property, they start with a title search, which may reveal neighboring properties that have recently changed hands with new surveys. They’ll also take note of cemeteries and any other historic and utility easements including VDOT right of ways that might exist. Usually, they’ll find an old survey for reference which hopefully refers to existing monuments like irons and pins. Often, the survey will refer to fence lines and stream courses that might easily have changed over the years. It can be a complicated puzzle, piecing together the bits and pieces to make the whole.

When you find a country property or piece of land you wish to purchase, ask your Realtor about the survey. You will need one that is acceptable for title insurance and thus to a lender if you are using one. It may already exist but it is important to know that in the standard Virginia Association of Realtors sales agreement, survey costs are the responsibility of the Purchaser. A new survey of a large tract of land can be very expensive so be aware of those costs when negotiating your offer.

Surveyors are a wonderful resource for questions about land planning and land use. They are also a treasure trove of stories gleaned from a life outdoors enmeshed in all the changes that occur to our landscape throughout history. Give your local Realtor a ring and they can connect you with the best surveyors in the Central Virginia region.

The post The Survey’s Role in Purchasing a Country Property appeared first on Nest Report.

More and more often I’m hearing from clients who want to have the ability to provide a homesite for each of their children should they ever want or need to be close again. It’s a beautiful idea as a plan or just a possibility but there are some important things to keep in mind as you browse through listings.

In most counties, a division right is required in order to build more than one single family home on a property. Counties differ widely in how they allocate division rights. Even when division rights are available, there are additional criteria imposed by VDOT concerning access and by the health department regarding septic suitability. Beyond that there may be covenants and restrictions prohibiting further division or easements upon the land that are more restrictive than county ordinances. Most counties are more lenient with family sub-divisions than with commercial projects, but it’s important to know what rights convey if you are thinking of sharing your land with family or friends.

As Realtors, these are the kinds of questions we get from time to time, and it’s where we really can help as you narrow down the properties to look at. We’re a lot more than a data portal. We really know this ground and can keep you from wasting your time. So, ask your country property expert about division rights, soil suitability and land planning. If you don’t have one, I’ll be happy to help.

The post Creating a Family Compound appeared first on Nest Report.

For many people there is a primal pull back to nature, back to the land. Perhaps it’s where true safety abides. All our carefully laid sticks and stones are so easily swept away yet the land remains with the ability to provide food and shelter for our basic survival. Perhaps it’s a subliminal contingency plan. Survivalists aside, there is a feeling that’s hard to describe as one stands upon the land and feels apart from the civilized world yet connected to a larger world that exists, even thrives without us. Perhaps that’s what “grounded” really means and why the Realtors Preamble begins, “Under all is the land.”

Think about it. Fifty, a hundred acres, farm land, woodland, mountain land, a getaway where you and yours re-connect, work and play. You don’t have to go all in, few do. Most of these beautiful farms are run by farmers who have lived here forever and make a living by leasing farms, maintaining them for you while they reap what they sow. The woodlands take care of themselves too, growing more valuable each year and qualifying for low forestal use taxes. Now that land is appreciating once again, it may fit nicely into an investment plan, a gift for future generations that has no equal.

When a challenging day in the office leaves you with a few more gray hairs and a perfect day in the suburbs begins to feel mundane, imagine a world where things grow because the sun shines and your day is governed by the weather and the sunset, where work makes your muscles sore and you can see what you’ve accomplished at the end of the day, where your nosy neighbors are replaced by lowing cows and your outdoors speakers are crickets and tree frogs.  Virginia’s Piedmont has a wealth of fabulous farms available to suit every land use and every budget. If you are interested in learning more, call your country property specialist or contact me to out how you can get back to the land.

If you aren’t following John Ince’s blogs already, be sure to subscribe to The Nest Report’s RSS Feed.

The post Why Would Anyone Want a Farm in Virginia? appeared first on Nest Report.

Five siblings had gathered to interview me. We stood in the bare kitchen of the 1920’s farmhouse. It’s a small farmhouse, four bedrooms and one bath in a little over 1600 square feet. I stood along one wall while all five of them stood along the opposite wall. This was the very kitchen where they all grew up and ate every meal. The youngest was now more than 50. The wood fired cook stove was still hooked up to the flue and there were stacks of short stove wood on the back porch even though mother had passed away more than a year ago.

“She made the best biscuits in that stove, biscuits every morning. She made gravy every day too, never had a meal without gravy. Guess nobody would want that old stove now, would they?”

The four brothers had shared one room upstairs. They all had their own jobs and projects. One took care of the chickens, one took care of the hogs and they all took care of the vegetable garden, which was over an acre. They weren’t talking about it nostalgically but as if they had just been doing it all yesterday.  I asked why the linoleum floor in the kitchen was rubbed black in a couple of places.

“That’s where Mama stood by the stove and that’s where Daddy’s chair always was. We always sat in the same place around the table you know.” You could see where the kitchen table had stood. It wasn’t a big table for seven.

We talked about the hollow a little, how you could get anything you wanted. Moonshine?  Smiles all around. The property had been in the same family for generations. I expected to see some regrets but found none on their faces. None had continued the farming life. All were on an acre or two but all had moved out of the hollow and become successful in different professions around Charlottesville. I gave them my spiel and they listened carefully, asked important questions, then all five signed the listing agreement. It’s a beautiful property and some retiring couple will likely buy it and build a fine home on one of the high knolls with views all the way down the Piedmont Valley. They might chuckle as they describe the hollow to their friends in Alexandria but hopefully, over time, they’ll embrace the lifestyle as they learn it, as the trucks that drive by become familiar and the waves more sincere.

It’s a chance to understand an important and rich part of Americana where self reliant folk know they can rely on each other, where you know you could survive off the land if you needed to. You might just find a part of yourself that remembers.

The post Bacon Hollow appeared first on Nest Report.

Financing your dream of country living requires a different approach than when purchasing a more traditional home.

A buyer looking at a lovely home on 75 acres near Charlottesville may be thinking that the timing is perfect. Prices have fallen over the last few years making properties like this much more affordable. Inventories are flush so there is a lot to choose from and ready, willing and able buyers are treated like royalty. To top it off, interest rates are at an all time low. How about a 30 year fixed at 3.5%? The first three points are all straight forward, but the fourth, the best financing in history, takes a little more research and preparation to fully understand.

Country property, farms, estates and raw land do not fit the standard criteria on the application for a home loan. Whenever the ratio of land value to improvements value exceeds 30% it becomes a non-conforming loan and will not fit neatly into the packaging of loans for resale to the secondary market. Unfortunately, few lenders will explain the non-conformity issue at the pre-qualification stage so buyers who believe they are ready, willing and able don’t realize that the property they seek may not be.

The nation’s largest lender for rural properties is Farm Credit. Farm Credit has been around for about 90 years and was originated to assist farmers with reliable financing in good times and bad. Today, they still are in business to assist farmers but also make loans to rural land owners, country home owners and agribusinesses. Traditional lenders also participate in country property financing but usually need to be creative. They may originate two loans, one for the residence and another for the surrounding land which may carry a higher interest rate. Personal bankers who can keep a loan in house may choose to finance country properties for clients whose assets are known and respected and seller financing is more prevalent in country property brokerage than in the traditional residential market.

The best strategy for financing country property is to be prepared. Make sure you explain to your lender that you are interested in purchasing a property with some acreage and make sure they understand the nuances. We will be happy to refer you to some excellent lenders who know how to work with country property. It is indeed a perfect time to consider a purchase of country property and we’d love to help.

The post Financing Country Property appeared first on Nest Report.

With five active hunts, Olympic caliber trainers, some of the best equine vets in the country and all the assets any breeder, trainer or hobbyist could ask for, this is natural horse country. It’s no wonder that the Charlottesville countryside is well known throughout the world as one of the finest places to raise horses.  The fertile fields and healthy climate have been home to generations of fat ponies and Derby winners. That said, all land is not equal when it comes to keeping horses.

It is possible to find land in the Charlottesville area that is absolutely perfect for horses. It would consist of a nice deep soil with few if any rocks. It would be gently rolling and well drained and it would already be in good grass, your horse’s favorite food. This is horse country and a horse can thrive here and live entirely off the land for most of the year. It’s not all horse country, though, so you need to do your homework.

Up close to the mountains the pasture will be rockier and harder on your horse’s feet. That beautiful flat bottomland along the creek looks great when dry but will often be a wet soil that can be unhealthy for hooves. Clearing woodland to make pasture can be done but it takes years to build up the grass to compare with established pasture.

If you want to breed horses you’ll want to look at the type of grass growing in your fields. The fescue grass found in much of this area needs to managed if broodmares are grazing on it.

As a Central Virginia country property expert, and a horse owner for many years, I have found that selecting a place that is already fenced and has existing stabling is usually the best buy. Fnding a place that allows riding off the property can be a huge benefit in how you can enjoy your horses without trailering.

Feel free to contact me directly with additional questions, and look forward to next week when we talk location!

The post Whoa there! Country property considerations when owning a horse appeared first on Nest Report.

When it comes to country property, knowing what's under that crop is key!

You’ve been living the urban life for thirty years and dreaming of retiring to the country someday. Every weekend you drive down country roads and imagine that it’s you on that tractor, riding that horse, tilling that garden. Now it’s time to make it happen and you jot down your priorities. They have mostly to do with peace and quiet, character and charm, reaping what you sow.

Here’s the first in a series of posts that will highlight a couple of details I’ve noticed over the years that are often overlooked when making the decision to buy a country property.

Soil:

It’s easy to be impressed with bright green grass jumping up from freshly raked soil or golden grasses swaying in the summer breeze. It could be that green grass, however, is just winter rye enjoying a heavy dose of fertilizer and that golden grass may well be broom sage indicating acidic soil.

If you are planning on using the land in some specific way, planting grapes perhaps, raising livestock, growing Christmas trees, the soil underneath it all is a critical component. Grapes need well drained soils and elevation, livestock need good pasture and water, Christmas trees can thrive on marginal soils found in the mountains.

It’s pretty safe to assume that if you are in an area where horse and cattle farms are common that the soils are suitable, but it makes sense to do a little research and confirm what lies under all that grass.

There are excellent resources available to help you understand the soils best suited to your requirements. There are detailed soil maps available through your local extension service office and Virginia Tech has volumes of information on agricultural suitability.  Here are a couple of links that can help:

• http://www.soiltest.vt.edu/
• http://www.ext.vt.edu/

Have more questions? Feel free to contact me to discuss your country property needs.

Stay tuned next week for a look at what to consider when purchasing country property if you have (or hope to have) horses!

The post Details, Details, Details: What to consider when buying country property appeared first on Nest Report.

Lake Monticello is a large private lake in Fluvanna County and is well developed with lake- front and interior lots.  It also has a private, gated community with an 18 hole golf course and swim and tennis facilities. In addition, it has a good marina and is the closest lake to Charlottesville that is large enough for power boats and water skiing. Lake Monticello is quite affordable considering all its amenities with single family homes beginning in the mid 100’s and lake- front homes from around $400,000. Lake Monticello is only thirty minutes from Charlottesville and is a popular location for retirees and families working in Charlottesville.

Lake Anna is the second largest lake in Virginia with over two hundred miles of shoreline. It is in Louisa and Spotsylvania County and is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the mid Atlantic known for exceptional boating and fishing. Much of the lakefront is private with some truly spectacular homes which usually include boat houses and docks. There is also public access at several marinas, and a very nice state park with camping and boat launching.

Larger properties, land, farms and estates often have water features including farm ponds or lakes or frontage on one of the many rivers that flow through the Piedmont on their way to the Chesapeake Bay. Rivers and streams with their moving water add an interesting dynamic to a property with their ever-changing moods and act as a magnet to wildlife in the area.

With the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic ocean just two hours away, our abundant lakes, reservoirs rivers and streams, Virginia offers endless opportunities for waterfront living and recreation. Take a look at our search results below to see all the waterfront opportunities that await you in the Charlottesville area.

About the Author: John Ince has been specializing in Charlottesville Real Estate brokerage for nearly 30 years. Following a ten year career training, breeding and showing Arabian horses, he joined Charlottesville’s leading farm and estate firm in 1983 and developed his niche around Charlottesville horse farms and the beautiful farms and estates in the seven counties surrounding Charlottesville. John founded Charlottesville Country Properties Ltd. in 1998 and joined the team at Nest Realty as a country property expert in 2012.

The post Waterfront Real Estate In and Around Charlottesville appeared first on Nest Report.

A thousand acres and still not enough. Two hundred in corn, two hundred in soybeans, two hundred in hay and the rest in pasture and timber. They have been farming it all their lives and know every hill and dale, every spring head, every tree. They’ve had good years and bad years. Their equipment barn has a big old Allis Chalmers for the combine, a couple of older John Deeres and Fords for bush-hogging, spreading, driving posts, moving gravel and pulling the fertilizer spreader. There are implements that make you wonder. The F-350 has a ball in the bed and not a single quarter panel without a dent. Two tenant houses have families in them. The husbands help work the farm, the wives work n town. The old homeplace needs paint. It ain’t pristine.

These two scenarios can come together as one of the purest win-win situations imaginable. You have land that requires a great deal of effort to maintain properly and he needs more land to squeeze just a little more profit from squeaky tight margins. Leasing your farmland to a local farmer is an ideal solution for property owners who enjoy living a rural life but are past the point of taking on a new, full time occupation and aren’t inclined to spend another $100,000+ on farm equipment. Ten acres are plenty to keep you busy with board fencing and a barn for a couple of horses and manageable grounds around your home. If you happen to have more, and it’s good productive ground you’ll have no trouble finding a farmer who will be happy to work it for you. In return you can expect the farmer to lime and fertilize on schedule, bush-hog (mow) the pastures, share in fencing cost and maintenance and perhaps even pay a small amount per acre though this should not be the determining factor. Finding a farmer with whom you can have a comfortable, symbiotic relationship will be the most beneficial situation for you. You can enjoy looking over the rolling hills dotted with fat black cows without a care and live vicariously through your neighbor with the combine as he harvests the corn, chops the silage or makes the hay that comes off your land. You’ll gain a great respect for these farmers and learn more each season about your land while helping to maintain the lifestyle and land use that made this area so attractive to you in the first place.

Don’t shy away from property because it’s daunting in size. Owning a farm in Virginia’s Piedmont can be vastly rewarding and conservation programs including Open Space Easements, Watershed Protection and low impact farming are more apt to be put in place by well informed buyers like you. Leasing land to local farmers can help them survive in a world where land prices have no relationship with farm value and allow the property owner to enjoy land use tax benefits which dramatically decrease property taxes. There are many winners when the right match is made.

About the Author: John Ince has been specializing in Charlottesville Real Estate brokerage for nearly 30 years. Following a ten year career training, breeding and showing Arabian horses, he joined Charlottesville’s leading farm and estate firm in 1983 and developed his niche around Charlottesville horse farms and the beautiful farms and estates in the seven counties surrounding Charlottesville. John founded Charlottesville Country Properties Ltd. in 1998 and joined the team at Nest Realty as a country property expert in 2012.

The post Do You Want To Own a Charlottesville Farm? appeared first on Nest Report.

I moved to the Charlottesville area in 1982 from northern California where fall and winter meant steelhead and salmon runs up the Russian River. Trout were the native species in the watershed and ling cod, red snapper, and halibut could be found in the cold ocean from jetties and boats. It was big fish fishing and I knew I would miss it.

There are a couple of things you have to get used to here. First, we tend to call almost every body of moving water, a river. It may look like a small stream to you but it’s a river here. They earn their reputation in spades after a couple of days of rain when they turn into whitewater monsters and kayaks sprout like mushrooms on car tops around town. While there are some stocked reservoirs around which provide our drinking water, it is the rivers that provide fishermen like me the most enjoyment. The rivers here begin in the mountains and the fresh cold headwaters and spring creeks are home to native brook trout. Fly fishing for these brilliant fish has become my favorite past time, my Zen place, my place to commune with what I consider the real world. There are several access points to these wild streams and each begins the same way; the asphalt turns to gravel, the gravel to dirt, the dirt to ruts and suddenly there is rushing water beside you, cascading down the mountain with waterfalls, pools and riffles. Casting is tricky with a very narrow tunnel of clear air between the overhanging trees and brush on each side. I have discovered however that if you lose your last fly you can nearly always find another on any hard to reach branch overhanging a good pool. The dry fly fishing can be excellent with brookies and browns up to fourteen inches but usually much smaller. The wonder is in the place, mossy boulders, fern covered banks, huge timber and not a soul do you see, all just thirty minutes from my office in Charlottesville.

Once the terrain softens and mountain rivers like the Moormans, Conway, Roach and Middle combine to become the Rivanna, The Rapidan, the James and the Shenandoah, the rivers become floatable by canoe or kayak and the fishing centers more on our prize game fish, the smallmouth bass. Fly fisherman can be very productive with poppers and wooly buggers but so can kids with spinning rods and lures or bait like live minnows and mad toms (catfish fry). The smallmouth are finicky and present more of challenge than their beefier brethren, the largemouth bass which frequent nearly every farm pond and reservoir. They are also known to fight much harder and love to leap into the air time and again to throw the hook.

As these waters that drain the Piedmont and flow to the Chesapeake Bay reach the Tidewater, the salt water fish that spawn in the fresh water provide an excellent fishery. Striped bass, also known as Rockfish come up the James River all the way to Richmond as do several species of shad. Recently several dams that have prevented shad from reaching Charlottesville have been breached to allow this historic fishery to return and last year saw the first hickory shad and American shad caught in the Rivanna River.

The beaches along the Atlantic are legendary for surf fishing, something entirely unknown to west coast fisherman. Fabulous and delicious salt water fish migrate up and down the coast with the seasons all within easy casting distance of the shore. Make sure you have a good stout 11 foot rod that can cast four ounces of lead for you might well hook into a fifteen pound striper, a ten pound bluefish or a 30 pound red drum. More than likely you’ll be catching dozens of little spot, croaker or pinfish…but you never know. That’s the fun of it.

About the Author: John Ince has been specializing in Charlottesville Real Estate brokerage for nearly 30 years. Following a ten year career training, breeding and showing Arabian horses, he joined Charlottesville’s leading farm and estate firm in 1983 and developed his niche around Charlottesville horse farms and the beautiful farms and estates in the seven counties surrounding Charlottesville. John founded Charlottesville Country Properties Ltd. in 1998 and joined the team at Nest Realty as a country property expert in 2012.

The post Fishing Around Charlottesville and Albemarle County appeared first on Nest Report.