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Blog on Real
Estate
Kim Chappell is a
graduate from the Realtor Institute and is an
agent with Wintergreen Resort Premier
Properties, the official real estate office of
Wintergreen Resort. Kim also lists and sells
property in beautiful Nelson County. Contact
Kim Chappell at
kim@ExperienceNelsonCounty.com or
434-238-2430. The Free Daily Blog is posted on
both
www.ExperienceNelsonCounty.com and
www.ExperienceWintergreen.com
Nelson County Photo
Tours
Today’s post is actually a
photo tour of Nelson County. Below are links to
two tours. Sit back and watch the tours…
Nelson County Photo Tour:
Click on this link to watch
a photo tour of Nelson County:
http://www.ubuildtours.com/natour.php?id=14DD
Wintergreen Resort Real Estate Tour:
Click on this link to see real estate listed for
sale in Wintergreen Resort:
http://www.ubuildtours.com/tour.php?id=16E2
What’s Happening with Real Estate in 2009?
Lenders are still loaning
money for properties in Nelson County and
Wintergreen Resort. This week, I posted
information from Sun Trust. See the blog post,
“Questions & Answers about the Economy”. That
said, it is true that buyers must have a credit
score in the 700’s and must have money to put
down on the sale. (10-20%)
If you qualify for a loan,
or have cash, this is a great time to find a
value-priced property in Nelson County,
including Wintergreen Resort. Here is a sample
of options in Wintergreen:
Studio Condo for $115,000
One Bedroom Condo in the
$120K’s
Ski Out Condo in the low
$300Ks
A Renovated 3BR home for
less than $315K
Building Lots less than
$100K
Homes in Nelson County have
prices that start in the low $100Ks.
NOW is a great time to find
that value-priced dream home. Interest rates
are still rather low, and there is a nice
selection of lots, homes, condos and townhouses
available.
Wintergreen Resort
Real Estate
I have received many
questions about timeshares in Wintergreen
Resort. Wintergreen Resort, or Nelson County,
does not have timeshares. There are
several neighborhoods within Wintergreen Resort
offering condos, townhomes and houses for sale.
To see current listings, visit my web site at
www.ExperienceNelsonCounty.com The web site
is divided for listings of building lots,
condos, townhomes and detached houses. The site
has both properties within Wintergreen Resort
and also Nelson County.
Be sure to check out the
Photo Tour section on the web site and visit
some Wintergreen Resort homes by Virtual Tour.
Real Estate Today:
Try Before You Buy Rent a
condo or house while you are looking at real
estate in Wintergreen Resort. I have a few
houses and condos that you can rent before you
decide to buy. The private rentals have great
rates for ski season and come with many
amenities.
712 Devil’s Knob Loop:
Great views and 5BRs, 5 ½ Baths, large gourmet
kitchen and hot tub
24 Seasons: Stay in
Wintergreen’s new luxury community. 4BR, 51/2
baths, bonus media room and great location.
202 Timbers: 1BR condo in
the popular Dobie Ski Area. First floor, end
unit with separate bedroom. (not a studio
condo)
Send an email to
kim@ExperienceNelsonCounty.com and I will
put you in touch with the owner for rental
information. Each of these properties are
listed for sale, and this is a great way to “try
before you buy”
The Seasons at
Wintergreen
The Seasons at Wintergreen
will open later this Spring. It is a community
of 24 luxury townhouse in the heart of
Wintergreen Resort. The community was designed
by Glenn German and is being built by Central
Virginia Builders. Each townhouse is 3670
square feet and each has its own private
elevator.
Each townhouse has 4 large
bedrooms plus a first floor media room that can
be a fifth bedroom. There are two master
suites, one on the second floor and one on the
third floor. The guest bedrooms also have their
own private, attached baths. Each home boasts a
lot of storage for all of your outdoor and
indoor gear.
The Seasons is designed to
be perfect for two or more families to share
together. The Wintergreen Property Owners
Association allows up to three families to be on
the same title while purchasing a property.
The top floor will include
a Great Room with dining area, a stacked stone
fireplace and a gourmet kitchen. The top floor
has views that reach for miles.
The community will include
private parking and mountain landscaping. The
community is close to many resort amenities,
including only a short walk to expert skiing.
One of the main resort shuttle stops is just
outside of the community. One can easily take a
shuttle to any amenity in the resort.
Two models will open in
late Spring, each designed by well-known
Virginia designers. Stop by and check out the
most unique community in Wintergreen Resort.
Keep an eye out for Open House signs starting in
early May 2008.
Real Estate Answers
I always like to use this
blog as an avenue to answer questions that I get
via email. In the past week, I have had a few
people request a foreclosure and short-sale list
for Wintergreen Resort. Currently, we do not
have any foreclosures or short sales listed for
sale. (it has actually been over two years
since we have had a foreclosure listed for
sale) That said, we do have some condos and
homes listed for sale with very aggressive
pricing. We also have lenders available who are
processing second home, vacation and investment
home loans. I have had a great real estate Q1,
2008, and we all hope it continues. For more
information on real estate in Wintergreen or
Nelson County, check out my web site,
www.ExperienceNelsonCoiunty.com The
listings on this web site (all properties listed
for sale in Wintergreen and Nelson County) are
updated every morning.
Wintergreen Resort
Rentals
I get questions about
resort rentals a few times a week. Many people
are looking for rentals for Summer vacations in
Wintergreen Resort. All condos and homes within
the resort are privately owned, but many owners
do rent their property.
There are a few rental
companies covering Wintergreen Resort, but the
most popular are the following:
Wintergreen Resort Official
Program:
www.WintergreenResort.com
Vacation Rentals by Owner:
www.VRBO.com
Rentals are available in a
wide range of sizes and shapes…from a studio
condo in The Mountain Inn to 9 bedroom houses
that are large enough to entertain a crowd.
Some real estate agents, including myself, can
help you find a long-term rental if you are
interested in staying in the resort for the
entire summer. All rentals have a kitchen that
ranges in size from a kitchenette to a large
chef’s kitchen. You can plan to cook at home or
dine in any of our local restaurants. Many of
the rentals have large decks or patios to enjoy
the views of Wintergreen. There are also
rentals close to specific resort amenities such
as golf, tennis, hiking and the Wintergarden
Spa. (There are also slope-side rentals for ski
season)
Many condo or home owners
use a rental to program to gain income to
off-set the cost of home ownership. Anyone who
owns a property within the resort may rent their
property through any program for which the
property qualifies. I offer clients a “condo
worksheet” that reviews both possible costs of
ownership and possible rental income. I also
offer home owner references to anyone interested
in purchasing in the resort. Contact me at
kim@ExperienceNelsonCounty.com for the condo
worksheet or additional information about
property ownership or property renovations.
Condos and homes that have
been renovated usually produce a higher rental
income. Renovation projects have become popular
in the resort and include the following
upgrades:
Interior paint and upgraded
flooring
New furniture
Upgraded kitchens and
baths
In the past year, I have
seen a surge of condo renovations in the
resort. These owners have all seen an increase
in their rental income. In the Mountain Inn,
condos that have been recently sold and
renovated included: 184, 186 and 194. All
three of these condos are rated Gold and are
available through
www.WintergreenResort.com These condos
include new furniture and flat panel TVs.
Condos 184 and 186 have a door that can be
unlocked to provide an interior access through
both condos. This is perfect for a family or
group that needs to share space.
A recently renovated
VRBO.com condo is 326 Dobie. You can view that
condo at
www.IIMoose.com. This is an example of an
owner purchasing a condo, renovating it and then
placing it on VRBO as a private rental with its
own web site. This condo has some special
summer rates. Ask the owner about week-long
rentals.
There are several local
companies that can assist in the renovation of
your condo or home. I am a member in the Lowes
Real Estate Program with HGTV, and offer the
program to my clients. This program includes a
renovation discount program.
Rosewood Village at
Wintergreen
Rosewood Village at
Wintergreen is located in the Stoney Creek area
of Wintergreen Resort. This area is in
Nellysford, in the Rockfish Valley of Nelson
County. Rosewood Village is an established 55+
and older community. The community has many
retirement features as well as all of the
popular amenities of Wintergreen Resort.
The communities official
web site can be found at
www.RosewoodVillage.com/wintergreen
Currently, the golf villas
are under construction and listed for sale.
Several have been sold and are already
occupied. Future plans include spacious condos
with assisted living features. The community
will also have its own entertainment center
including a restaurant, salon, business center
and pub.
Owners pay a monthly
association fee that includes exterior
maintenance plus yard care and trash removal.
Other services can be purchased a la carte
including interior cleaning, laundry service and
other assistance.
Residents of Rosewood
Village may also enjoy the amenities of
Wintergreen Resort such as golf, tennis, walking
trails, mountain hiking, pools, the lake and
skiing.
For information on Rosewood
Village, including an information packet, send
an email to
kim@ExperienceNelsonCounty.com
Many Maps of Nelson
County and Wintergreen Resort
Maps can help you find your
way around Nelson County or Wintergreen Resort.
They can also be fun and educational. Here are
some places to find maps of our region:
Wintergreen Resort
Premier Properties: Located in the Mountain
Inn of Wintergreen Resort and the official real
estate office of the resort. This office is
open 10AM-5PM, seven days a week. FREE Maps
available include:
- Wintergreen Resort
driving map including map of all of the
condo neighborhoods
- Wintergreen Resort
hiking map including 30+ miles of marked
hiking trails
- Ski Trail Map
- Map of all of the
dwellings and building lots on Wintergreen
mountain or Stoney Creek
- Map for day trip to
Charlottesville and surrounding areas: Ask
for the Discovery Map/Charlottesville
Maps Available On-Line:
Here is a great web site for maps of Nelson
County:
www.nelsoncountyva.org/#maps . (Look in the
upper left corner of the web site) My favorite
map shows Points of Interest across the
county and it can be found at this web link.
There are also driving maps of Nelson
County that can be printed from this site.
Maps Available at the
Visitor’s Center: Visit the Nelson County
Visitor’s Center in Lovingston to pick up not
only maps but brochures and information about
Nelson County. The Visitor’s Center is located
in the same building as the library. At the
Visitor’s Center yo can also pick up guides to
Nelson County’s wineries and micro brewery.
Appalachian Trail Maps
can be purchased at Blue Ridge Sports in the
Mountain Inn in Wintergreen Resort.
Moving to Nelson
County or Wintergreen Resort
I
often receive questions about living in Nelson
County or Wintergreen Resort full time or
seasonally. My husband and I moved to Nelson
County almost four years ago from the Washington
DC area. It has been a wonderful change of
life. We find the atmosphere, the people and
the pace of life refreshing. Key to the move
was that my husband was able to keep his DC
job. Read below about telecommuting from Nelson
County.
There is a wide selection
of real estate available in Nelson County and
Wintergreen Resort. Nelson County has several
diverse regions, from the mountains to the James
River. Wintergreen Resort has condos, detached
homes, townhouses and building lots. To browse
real estate listings, visit my web site at
www.ExperienceNelsonCounty.com or for
Wintergreen properties,
www.ExperienceWintergreen.com
Not everyone can bring
their jobs with them to Nelson County. If you
need to include a new job with your re-location,
stop by the Nelson County Visitor’s Center,
check out
www.NelsonCounty.com and also
www.WintergreenResort.com. Wintergreen
Resort is a major employer in the county. (look
at the bottom of the web site for the jobs link)
Here’s some information
about telecommuting from Nelson County to a job
in a city or metro area. My husband is
providing this information about his
telecommuting experience.
Bill’s Telecommuting
Experience:
I've been telecommuting
from Nelson County for several years. The area
has some challenges but it can be done. The
challenges that I faced were:
Convincing my company to let me telecommute
Purchasing a BlackBerry handheld.
Internet Connection.
The first was challenge was the greatest one. I
worked in the Washington DC market before I came
here. I asked my company if I could telecommute
and received an immediate and unequivocal "no".
I had to prove that telecommuting from Nelson
County would not impact my job or the company
where I work. It took the company a few months
to realize that not only was I fulfilling all
the needed tasks, but they could save money by
not providing me a workspace in the office. The
company could receive tax credits for promoting
telecommuting. I have now been telecommuting
from Nelson County for three years.
The first step was to purchase a BlackBerry
handheld. I have an Alltel BlackBerry, and it
works well in most regions of Nelson County. I
used the BlackBerry to immediately answer all
emails from my co-workers. Some of my
co-workers didn’t even realize that I wasn’t
sitting in my corporate office.
Once I moved to Nelson County I was faced with
the second problem, finding a high speed
Internet connection. I live in a little old
farmhouse off the beaten path. I called the
phone and cable companies to find when service
would be available. They told me never. I ended
up with WildBlue satellite service and it was
adequate. I understand that CEVA will be
providing service over power lines soon. I've
never tried it but I'm curious to see how good
it is. I've now moved to Alltel wireless
broadband. It works reasonably well.
I also use the free WiFi
spots that are now all over Nelson County. WiFi
spots are everywhere from McDonalds to
Wintergreen Resort. If my Alltel wireless
broadband is not fast enough for some of my
work, I head to a WiFi spot.
Let us know if you have
questions about living in Nelson County full
time.
Changes in Beech
Grove, VA
Where is Beech Grove? Many
of you drive through the community of Beech
Grove on your way to the entrance to Wintergreen
Resort. If you drive by the Ski Barn, with the
bright blue roof, then you drive through Beech
Grove.
I have seen many changes in
Beech Grove, just in the past four years. So, I
asked my Dad about the changes that he has seen
in his lifetime. He told me that my grandfather
was paid 10 cents an hour to do road work in
Beech Grove as one of his first jobs.
Just in the last year, we
have seen the addition of the Sparrow Café. It
is located in the Glen Mary area in the old
Arrington Train Station that was re-located to
Beech Grove. They are open for breakfast,
starting at 7:30AM each morning and lunch until
around 2PM.
The Wintergreen Winery has
been around for several years, but they are
expanding. The winery is adding an events
center that will bring larger gatherings to the
area. Be sure to stop by their winery store for
holiday gifts and ideas. |
