Earlier this month, we highlighted the five least expensive homes sold in Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford in the fourth quarter of 2011.  Not surprisingly, they were fixers, and most needed a lot of work.  But there were five others that sold during the same time frame that were quite the opposite.  While the prices of the most expensive homes sold weren’t quite as high as in quarters passed, these are still five very nice homes.

• 3475 Evergreen Trail, Blacksburg – there’s a builder in our area, Tom Triplett, who builds homes that are all similar in their design.  Typically one level (with a basement), they feature things like wood trim, wood vaulted ceilings, and open spaces.  I describe them (and probably inaccurately so) as California ranches, and they’re usually very nice.  This home, with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths, on almost three acres, was a Triplett home.  It was listed for $449000, and sold for $425000.
• 1225 Brockton Street, Blacksburg - the usual adage is “a lot of square footage for the money”, but in this case it could be switched to “a lot of money for the square footage”.  With a total of 2850 square feet, this new construction was built in Blacksburg’s Cedar Orchard neighborhood.  It has a basement that’s listed as having 1350 unfinished square feet so it could be a much larger house, however.  Listed for $479950, it sold for $481500 (I assume with some upgrades).
• 535 Wood Haven Court, Blacksburg - located in the Deercroft neighborhood, this home (like so many in that neighborhood) had nice views of Ellett Valley.  A two-story brick home, the 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, spread out over 4100 square feet and 1.24 acres.  Listed for $525000, it sold in just 81 days, for $485000.
• 2611 Woodland Hills Drive, Blacksburg - and speaking of views … I never took the opportunity to go see this home, for some reason, but always meant to.  With unobstructed views of Ellett Valley from many different angles, it looked to be absolutely stunning.  And the setting – an older contemporary home on 5+ acres, looked very cool.  Listed for $549000, it sold for $498000.
• 2231 Peakland Way, Christiansburg - while 1225 Brockton Street checked in at 2850 square feet, and 535 Wood Haven at 4100 square feet, 2231 Peakland Way blew them all away with a massive 5237 square feet.  Built in 2009, this 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home in Christiansburg’s Heritage Place neighborhood included upgrades everywhere, including a 2400 square foot lower level and – somewhat rare for our area – a geothermal HVAC system.  Listed for $595500, it sold for $560000.

There’s plenty of inventory throughout the New River Valley, for every kind of taste and budget.  Search the whole New River Valley real estate market here …

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This video was done a couple of years ago, but I stumbled across it recently doing a search and it still applies.  Appraisals can be a tricky beast,  and it’s important to know what factors play into them.  Leslie explains …

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Community Housing Partners, a New River Valley nonprofit, is offering free homebuyer courses through June to help people with the process of buying their first home.  From WSLS:

A local non-profit group is helping make a difference for low income families buying their first home.

You may best know Community Housing Partners for helping with home weatherization and neighborhood renovation projects that we’ve previously reported on in the New River Valley.

However, the group also helps soon to be home owners through a special class that untangles the complicated process.

A little white house with the yellow door on Long Shop Road in Blacksburg has a “for sale” sign out front, but the Saladino family is slated to move in at the end of the month.

After more than ten years renting, Anthony Saladino is expected to close on the home on January 20th.

“My wife and I were talking about it and I think we moved six times in five years, so we’re ready, ready to be in one place,” Saladino explained.

However, getting to one place has been a long road, one that included a stop in Community Housing Partners’ first time home buyers class.

Saladino says he and his wife tried to buy two other houses before the one on Long Shop and before he took CHP’s class, they both fell through and he says he’s grateful that they did.

“One of the reasons why CHP has played such a huge role in our process is that they’ve really helped us see and talk through what we can afford, so I think there’s a different aspect of going out there looking for a house to get into a house and call it your own versus what can we really work with and what will be financially comfortable with,” he explained.         

Ryan Stenger, CHP’s home ownership specialist says, the non-profit isn’t just making a difference for families, but the community as well.

“The reason why we’re here is it helps our community, it helps individuals build wealth over time and it’s something really, I think, is a bed rock and something that’s important for our community,” Stenger explained.

Home ownership is a milestone, one that wouldn’t have been possible for Saladino without the help and guidance of CHP.

“We’re stepping into this thing in a couple of weeks and there’s no fear.”

If you would like to take CHP’s home ownership class, below is information from a media release.

Free to the public, CHP’s homebuyer education classes are held at 448 Depot Street, Christiansburg, Virginia on the following dates:

• Jan 24 and 26, 5:30pm – 8:30pm
• Feb 21 and 23, 5:30pm – 8:30pm
• Mar 20 and 22, 5:30pm – 8:30pm
• Apr 17 and 19, 5:30pm to 8:30pm
• May 22 and 24, 5:30pm to 8:30pm
• June 19 and 2, 5:30pm to 8:30pm

To register for a class or to find out more, contact Ryan Stenger at rstenger@chpc2.org or 540.382.2002, ext. 3307.

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The Christmas lights – yes, around here we say Christmas – have been put away, the tree has been taken to the curb, and the final sales figures for the fourth quarter of 2011 are rolling in.  We’ll get to the most expensive sales in the New River Valley soon, but first, let’s look at the least expensive real estate sales for the fourth quarter.  Everyone wants a deal, right?

• 124 Monroe Street, Radford - built in 1945, this handyman – or handylady – special was sold AS-IS, no repairs. The listing should have said “bring cash and a sledgehammer”, as it doesn’t appear that the house would have been eligible for any kind of loan.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however, as the house sold in six days.  Listed for $30000, it sold for $24000.
• 1175 Murray Street, Christiansburg - Another handyman special, this 1100 square foot foreclosure in Christiansburg needed a lot of work.  Situated on a corner lot, the location was very nice, but every square foot needed work.  Originally listed for $52900, it sold for $30100.
• 1354 Snapdragon Lane, Christiansburg - I love listing descriptions sometimes.  This one was honest … “no wiring … no heat source … no drywall … no electricity …”  This looks like it might have been a good deal, however, as it sat on nearly 10 acres of land in Montgomery County.  Listed for $32500, it sold in 11 days for full price.
• 2239 Gingerbread Lane, Christiansburg - 1657 square feet of blissful enjoyment.  No, not really, I just wanted tos ay “blissful enjoyment”.  Listed for $72900, this 1950′s ranch on 1.71 acres in Christiansburg had three bedrooms, one bath, and sold for $40000.
• 1602 Wadsworth Street, Radford - this was a cute little home in Radford, on a corner lot.  With four bedrooms and a bath, this was a nice home in need of some updating and basement work, but all things considered was livable from day one.  Listed for $84900, it sold for $42000, and someone got a nice little home.

Coming up, the five most expensive homes sold in Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Want to search for other homes in the New River Valley?  There’s a link for that.

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Christmas is over, the holidays are wrapping up soon, and that Christmas tree you put up in the Living Room is starting to shed all over the floor.

Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford all provide curbside Christmas tree recycling (shameless plug forthcoming – and this company provides it for your household recyclables), and have posted information on their websites.

In Blacksburg, tree collection begins January 3rd, and continues through the first two weeks of January.  Have them out to your curb by 7am, and all trees and greenery must be free of decorations and wire.  Collected trees will be chipped, and used as an alternate fuel source. See more on their website.

In Christiansburg, collection begins December 27th through January 13th.  Again, all trees must be free of decorations and wire. More information is on their website, as well.

In Radford, City officials tell me that they’ll be collecting trees as you put them out, so go ahead and start dragging them to the curb on your trash day, and City crews will dispose of them.  No information is on their website, yet.

Until next year …

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First & Main, in Blacksburg, continues to struggle.

The Roanoke Times wrote about it today, there’s been plenty written about it here (and here), and there’s been a great conversation about it on TwoBurgs blog.

I like the project.  It’s a nice addition to retail on the outskirts of downtown Blacksburg, easily accessible from all points in Town, as well as Christiansburg and 460, and it’s an opportunity to bring in locally-grown businesses that provide a wide-range of products and services not found in the downtown core.  There have been mistakes, sure, and lots of finger pointing.  But who cares?

Instead, we’ll watch a half-empty development continue to waste away.  It’s not for a lack of trying on the part of some, but far too few.

Do yourself – and the shop owners at First & Main – a favor and stop by in the next couple of weeks.  See what they have to offer.

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As I write this, officers from God knows how many law enforcement agencies are searching for an individual (or individuals) who’ve committed an awful crime on Virginia Tech’s campus.

This does not define how I view my community; the New River Valley is a wonderful place to live and work.  I know that for many people, it will define how they view my community, however, and that’s a shame.

Today, however, I won’t try and convince you otherwise.  I’d just ask that you pray – for the families of those killed today, for those protecting and serving, as well as the family of the individual who’s done this.

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As mentioned before, Natalie and I are selling our house and moving downtown.  We want to try living downtown for a bit, and so we’ll be downsizing and renting an apartment.  I asked Eric Johnsen, of State Farm Insurance in Christiansburg, what we needed to do in regards to renters insurance, and what our homeowners policy on our current home would cover.  Our apartment will be ready in just a few days, and we’ll begin moving things into the apartment – I wanted to know when our renters policy needed in order to protect us.  His answer is below.

If I understand correctly, you’ll be moving items from the house into the apartment, and then selling the house in a few weeks.  The truth is, as long as you are still homeowners, that hazard insurance policy will provide coverage for your personal property wherever it is located.  Typically a homeowners policy will extend coverage to personal property that’s in transition for up to 30 days beyond the sale of the home, until a new homeowners policy – or rental policy – needs to be in place.  Once you’re no longer a homeowner, you’ll need to convert that hazard policy into a renters policy. 

The big difference between the two types of policies is that a homeowners policy covers not only your personal property, but also liability for damages done to others, or property.  A renters policy doesn’t provide coverage for the building, just your “stuff” inside the building.  Don’t let people rent without renters insurance! 

You heard the man.  If you need renters insurance on your current lease, contact Eric at his office, by email, or on Twitter.  Great service, and fantastic staff to walk you through the process.

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