Considering a Move to Charlottesville?

Charlottesville is a great place to live, in a geographically beautiful part of the country, has a stable, vibrant economy, is home to a prestigious public university and is an attractive location for retirement. As a result, we talk to folks all the time who are contemplating a move to our part of the country for one reason or another, but not quite in a position to commit. If that describes you, you’ve come to the right place!

We’ve assembled a list of resources below that will help you get to know the area, familiarize you with housing and lifestyle options, and give you some of the answers you need in order to determine whether or not Charlottesville is right for you and your family.  As you move forward with your decision on a relocation and we’ll help you get the information and support required to coordinate the logistics of your move.

Start here:

Learn about Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the Surrounding Area.

If you have a visit pencilled into your calendar, be sure to read

Enjoying 36 Hours in Charlottesville
Charlottesville, a Foodies Paradise
Arts, Attractions and Events
Charlottesville Outdoors

Here is a post about our local papers and media outlets.

For another perspective, check out the Area Guides on the Nest Realty website.

Let us be your guides!

We know that you don’t know yet if you will end up moving here, but we are happy to connect and help you explore options. Please know,  you are not wasting our time. This is what we do. We’re well attuned to the needs and considerations involved in a possible relocation, and we’re here to help. Here is what we can offer you:

A conversation (or three):
If your investigations are very preliminary and/or you’re inquiring from afar, let’s set up a time for a telephone conversation, FaceTime or Zoom. We can answer any questions you have, make suggestions about what you can look into further and start to help you make sense of this area.

Help planning a “self guided” look around:
If you’ll be in the area for a visit or interview and have a limited amount of time, or if you just prefer to explore on your own, we’ll share ideas about where to wander and what to see, including neighborhoods and residential options that might fit your bill.  We will give you a list of locations to “map” and off you go!

The Charlottesville 101 Tour:
If your plans are firming up and/or you want to get an insider’s take on the community, let us give you the Charlottesville 101 tour. We’ll do the driving, showing you around “the City” and the parts of the surrounding area that might appeal or suit your needs, based on your input.  There is nothing like seeing it in person to really catch the vibe of a community.  We love living here and we’d love to share our enthusiasm with you.

What is the housing market like?

Peruse housing on our Charlottesville Home Search (with or without registering to save listings) or use this link to download Nest Realty’s proprietary home search app or give one of us a phone call to chat and we can start sending you listings through our Client Collaboration system, setting specific criteria to capture the listing that meet your needs.

You may find the housing options feel familiar, or not.  It probably depends on where you are coming from.  If you have questions, give us a shout and we’re happy to speak about the housing prices and stock, new constructions options, market trends and forecast, housing issues specific to Virginia or our climate, etc…

How do we get started on the home buying process?

We’re a team of experienced, expert Realtors, each of us with 20+ years in the business, and we would be glad to help you with your purchase process, as well as coordinate with your listing agent if you’re selling a home where you live now.  If you have never bought a home in Virginia, you can rely on our advice about the nuances of Virginia contracts and the purchase process in the Commonwealth, what it means to purchase in a “buyer beware” state, and how to make sure you do your due diligence as regards the property you purchase.  If this is your first time buying anywhere, rest easy: we work with many first time home buyers and can guide you from A to Z!

Here is the buying section of this website with comprehensive information on
– the home purchase process
– financing/mortgages and
– homes/homeownership.  (If you ever have wanted to learn a lot about septic systems, we’ve got you covered).

A few specific posts of interest may  be
Home Buying Step by Step
Buyer Closing Costs
The Buyer Broker Agreement
and here is a brief on Realtor Fees for Buyers.

Here is a page about our Services and, if you have questions or want to learn more, feel free to reach out!

We know you may need to rent first…

Depending on your timeline and various other factors, we know you might need or want to rent before you consider buying a home here.  We are residential purchase and sales agents and do not specialize in rentals, but we can offer some guidance to help facilitate the process.  We’re happy to chat about this and, in the meantime, here is our best advice on looking for a rental:

Zillow’s rental search: many individual property owners with rental units list here.

Here is a new website that has just been launched by the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership for finding affordable housing.

Another great resource  for rentals is the Blue Ridge Apartment Council. Although the name suggests just “apartments” they do include other rental property types.

We do NOT recommend Craig’s List unless you are very careful and adept at spotting scammers.  It is peppered with fraudulent listings, so if you do search there, beware. Do not engage with anyone who says that they are the owner but who cannot meet you at the property with the key and let you in!  If the rent seems too good to be true… well, it probably isn’t true.  Never send money to someone out of town who says they will then mail you the key:  this is a scam.
Some other resources are local property management websites:
BlueSky Property Management
Godfrey Property Management
Braden Property Management
Real Property Inc

You can also look at the websites of specific rental or apartment complexes. Here are a few:
5th Street Place
City Walk Apartments
Stone Creek Village
Lakeside Apartments
The Reserve at Belvedere

You can also use the search function on the public side of our Charlottesville MLS to search for rental options in Charlottesville or the surrounding counties.  On the Search page, under “Filters” look for “Category” and be sure to choose “Rental”. (Choosing “Residential” would search properties for sale, not lease.)

Whatever Else…

Is there something else you’re wondering about?  Public transportation, the distinction between “the City” and “the County”, the school system(s), the availability of good Thai food or bagels here (yes, great, both)… or more importantly, good medical care.   Whatever is on your mind and feeds into your decision making, just let us know.  We won’t always know the answer, but we will likely know where you can find it!