Can You Lower Your Property Taxes by real estate expert Fulton Gaylord In our society today, we are all looking for ways to cut our expenses. If you own any property in the Charlottesville real estate market, then one of these expenses are your property taxes. In our discussion today, we are going to look at ways to possibly cut your propertytaxes. Tip #1 – Make a trip to the assessment office. This office contains a wealth of knowledge that we don’t take enough advantage of. Get as much information about your property in the Charlottesville real estate market as you can. Make sure that everything that is recorded in that office is true to the best of your knowledge. If it is not, then you definitely want to rectify that. Whatever is not correct, you want to be able to show proof via pi... 12/30/2012

CLICK PHOTO A beautiful morning in Charlottesville and my wife and I had coffee early. Today we are preparing for a closing tomorrow and I am off to show homes to a couple from New York. This is the daughter of one of my favorite clients and friends who moved here a few years ago. We are just starting the search, but this is the fun part! Remember, showing Charlottesville Real Estate , one of my favorite things to do with clients so if you see me driving around the Charlottesville or Crozet area, give me a wave or honk! Call or email me if you need anything, Charles A few neighborhoods to consider:   Old Trail  Forest LakesDunlora Glenmore 07/05/2011

ThomaBy Charles McDonald When you visit Charlottesville Virginia you are really missing out if you do not see the tour at Monticello. They have several tours now (house, Gardens and Plantation) and the house tour is the most popular and my personal favorite. When you are on the front porch at Monticello and you look out over Charlottesville you get a feel for the greatness of Jefferson.  You can see the University of Virginia from his grounds just as he did when it was being built. The moment you enter you see several of his accomplishments and his inventions. I will not spoil the tour by giving away the details but you will be very surprised at all the things he did! You know of course he sent Lewis and Clark out west from here… On the Monticello website there is a great on-line room ... 02/25/2011

There are several ways to get to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and one of my favorite ways is by foot... Please preview the video above for a sample of the trail. I hope that you enjoy it half as much as we did taking the hike! Our family is seeing more and more places of interest around Charlottesville. Sometimes it is good to explore your own backyard! Inspired by a conversation with a client over dinner 09/12/2009

When you visit Charlottesville you will want to get a feel for the history and feel of Jefferson's Virginia.   What better way that to visit and eat at Michie Tavern (A Virginia Historic Landmark)  Originally built in Western Albemarle, this 1784 home was moved with-in minutes of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  You can enjoy a delicious southern meal meal, tour the original Tavern and on a cold day warm by the fire! There is a lot to see and you can even learn 18th-century dances on your tour. There is a General Store and everyone wears traditional clothing.   The Meadow Run Grist Mill (ca. 1797) is a site to see. This is where the general store is offering an old mercantile atmosphere.   The Tavern Gift Shop offers a wide selection of historic reproductions and is fun for kids and adul... 06/07/2009

A few years ago, I went on a reading binge on the Colonial period and all of the founding fathers and mothers.  And the player who fascinated me the most was Thomas Jefferson.  So this Memorial Day weekend, my sweetie and I hopped into his really cute convertible and headed for Charlottesville, Virginia to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation.  The ride down was gorgeous, with a detour down Skyline Drive, with it's amazing views of the Shenandoah Valley.  We had the top down, and while the skies were pretty blue over the Shenandoah, on the other side of the mountain, the sky was black with scary looking clouds.  Still, it didn't really rain on us! When we got to Monticello, the tour started with a film about Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence.  But I was more ... 05/27/2009

There are several ways to get to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and one of my favorite ways is by foot... Please preview the video above for a sample of the trail. I hope that you enjoy it half as much as we did taking the hike! Our family is seeing more and more places of interest around Charlottesville. Sometimes it is good to explore your own backyard! 11/20/2008

When you visit Charlottesville and are looking at Real Estate you will want to get a feel for the history and feel of Jefferson's Virginia. What better way that to visit and eat at Michie Tavern (A Virginia Historic Landmark)   Orginally built in Western Albemarle, this 1784 home was moved wilth-in minutes of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. You can enjoy a delicious southern meal meal, tour the original Tavern and on a cold day warm by the fire! There is a lot to see and you can even learn 18th-century dances on your tour. There is a General Store and everyone wears traditional clothing. The Meadow Run Grist Mill (ca. 1797) is a site to see. This is where the general store is offering an old mercantile atmosphere. The Tavern Gift Shop offers a wide selection of historic reproductions and... 10/12/2008

You can walk up Carters Mountain to visit Monticello! Sure it is about 2 miles (each way) but my family and I did it this weekend and it was wonderful! This well built trail has wide gravel and many areas are winding boardwalks! My son and I even raced a couple of times during our outing. There are several places to stop along the way and just enjoy the view! What a great way to spend the day in Charlottesville! Sure it was 300 feet up (from start to finish) but what fun we had together!   This is truely a grand entrance to Jeffersons Home.   This will be enjoyed for many years to come!     07/07/2008

There will be free tickets to Monticello's July 4th annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony! This year President Bush will participate in the ceremony! Tickets are on a first come first serve basis so plan ahead. There will be appox 1000 tickets available. You can read more about this event at : www.Monticello.org Detailed on this link: Click Here I do not care if you are a Democrat or Republican, this event is for everyone. seeing others become citizens is something we can all be proud of! Hope to see you there!!! regards Charles McDonald 07/01/2008

 Charlottesville City Market is open every Saturday from 7am until noon.  Starting in April (through October) this is the place to find fresh produce, herbs, plants, grass feed meats, crafts and baked goods.  Get up early and come join the fun any Saturday! Located on the corner of Water and South Street parking lot. Come early and enjoy the day in the heart of Charlottesville.    Sponsored by the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation. There is so much to do and see in Charlottesville, you owe it to yourself to visit!  04/23/2008

I am going to spread a little rumor here...Our Downtown Walking Mall in Charlottesville is expanding and part of this expansion is a 100-room boutique hotel. They actually broke ground on this last week. Well Rumor has it that many fine chains have been inquiring about our little gem of an area and one such store is Apple. Is our downtown about to get a growing spurt? I think it is and I am not sure it is what Charlottesville really wants to happen.There is always a lot going on behind the scenes and this expansion is one of those things.What are your thoughts on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall expanding? 03/23/2008

Home Sellers , If you have never met him before, this is Downtown Hound. Happy Hounds Make the World Go Round! Sometimes the simplest things can be taught to us by our furry friends. I was down on the floor with Downtown Hound, doing the belly rub (his of course, not mine) and that's when I saw it. An ugly X painted on the underside of the kitchen cabinets. Now granted, who's going to see it other than children or visitors under 4feet tall..........and of course Downtown Hound. Oh...wait a minute, if I were a seller trying to sell my home, and a couple had small children, they would see that ugly X. It's just a little reminder that all people look at things from a different view. Your buyer who's very tall is going to see all that dust collecting on the top of the cabinets. Not to menti... 03/10/2008

Recycling in the Charlottesville area is made downright simple by our city. Each home is given a plastic bin to put on the curb weekly on your normal trash day.  There is no additional cost to have your bin picked up.  We are surrounded by Albemarle county which also offers us additional recycling opportunities with numerous locations that you can drop off your products.  They also offer leaf collection at certain times during the year and Christmas tree pick-up in January. Even a local business has become involved, offering to take our E-waste.  Of course there are many items that you can use to make compost in your yards.  Clothing items can be donated to our local clothing donation centers.They also offer ways to dispose of hazardous household chemicals on the following web-site: htt... 02/16/2008

When you visit Charlottesville you will want to get a feel for the history and feel of Jefferson's Virginia.  What better way that to visit and eat at Michie Tavern (A Virginia Historic Landmark)  Orginally built in Western Albemarle, this 1784 home was moved wilth-in minutes of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  You can enjoy a delicious southern meal meal, tour the original Tavern and on a cold day warm by the fire! There is a lot to see and you can even learn 18th-century dances on your tour. There is a General Store and everyone wears traditional clothing. The Meadow Run Grist Mill (ca. 1797) is a site to see. This is where the general store is offering an old mercantile atmosphere.  The Tavern Gift Shop offers a wide selection of historic reproductions and is fun for kids and adults t... 02/16/2008

  Ash Lawn-Highland is the Home of our 5th President James Monroe. Located on the mountain directly behind Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. When you visit Monticello you really need to visit Ash Lawn-Highland!2 Presidents homes within 10 minutes of each other!  During a ceremony, hosted by Acting Deputy Director of the United States Mint, Dan Shaver, on Feb 13th a new coin will be presented.  THIS IS THE FIRST PLACE IN THE NATION THAT THIS COIN WILL BE AVAILABLE! This is history being made right in our own backyard.  If you live in Charlottesville, you know that we are the home of 3 presidents (watch my blog for more on #3).  If you are visiting our area, there is so much history here you will be amazed!Another amazing fact is that the home of our 5th Presiden... 02/08/2008

When you visit Charlottesville Virginia you are really missing out if you do not see the tour at Monticello. They have several tours now (house, Gardens and Plantation) and the house tour is the most popular and my personal favorite. When you are on the front porch at Monticello and you look out over Charlottesville you get a feel for the greatness of Jefferson.   You can see the University of Virginia from his grounds just as he did when it was being built. The moment you enter you see several of his accomplishments and his inventions. I will not spoil the tour by giving away the details but you will be very surprised at all the things he did! You know of course he sent Lewis and Clark out west from here... On the Monticello website there is a great on-line room by room tour with Panor... 02/07/2008

 First of all I want to tell you I am not a lender. However I want to pass on some news to all buyers!I was just informed from one of my favorite lenders that they currently have the following loans:Conventional Loans with a LTV (Loan to Value) of 80%LOANS $417,000 and below30 Day Close!RATE: 5.50% with zero points!If you are on the fence and waiting for the right time, this is your signal!!! Buyers have the best of all worlds, Large inventories, room to negotiate and great rates!________________________________________________________________________________________________If you are looking at homes, land or an estate in the Charlottesville area your first step is to visit my Charlottesville Real Estate website (where all listed properties are available). For detailed information cont... 01/22/2008

There are a lot of statistics out there to look at. The Real Estate market is unique for every area. This is why I have created a page on my website dedicated just for charts and trends regarding Charlottesville Real Estate. Please check out this link:   Trends in Charlottesville Real EstateThis page is updated frequently and the cycles in our market can give you an edge in knowing how to negotiate a sale or purchase of your home.CharlesIf you are looking at homes, land or an estate in the Charlottesville area your first step is to visit my Charlottesville Real Estate website (where all listed properties are available). For detailed information contact Charles McDonald at 434-981-1585 or email at Charles@MyCharlottesvilleAGENT.com  I look forward to our tour! 01/19/2008

The Charlottesville and the Monticello areas of Virginia are great places to live.  Beyond all the wonderful history, shopping, nature that we enjoy here, is the fact that this is a wonderful dog friendly area.  You will meet lots of people walking with man's best friend.The American Kennel Club has the current list of Americans current top dog picks:10.Bulldog9. Shih Tuz8. Poodle7. Dachshund6. Boxer5. Beagle4. Golden Retriever3. German Shepherd2. Yorkshire Terrier1. Labrador RetrieverNo matter what kind of dog you have, this is a great area to play with your friend.  Take him to the dog park. If you don't have a dog yet, just visit our local SPCA.The perfect pal is just waiting for you!  01/19/2008