“Crozet” is hard to define – Understanding Crozet is sometimes difficult, particularly when you’re looking to move to Crozet. Some define Crozet as “the 22932 zip code“. Some define it as broad as “past Ivy“.

At Nest, we have been slowly releasing our Live Where you Love video series … we have decidedly not overtly branded these as we intended these videos to be for you rather than explicit marketing for us.

(for my clients, this is how I define it – the Brownsville and Crozet Elementary school districts.”)

Have questions about Crozet? Ask me. I live here.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Looking at some market stats for Crozet (as defined by the Zip Code, 22932). Bullet points first:

- I’m no longer making comparisons beyond three years – the “boom/bubble” years are irrelevant. What matters now is where we are, where we were recently and where we’re going.

- Active Listings: Still too many houses on the market in Crozet. Until some of this inventory is sold, we’re still going to struggle with declining prices, high days on market and short sales and foreclosures.

- New Listings: Declining. This is good. See the remarks for “Active Listings”

- All Pendings (under contract homes): Higher than this time in 2010 and 2009; this is a good thing. More homes under contract will hopefully lead to fewer homes on the market, leading to real estate market stability.

- New Pendings: Up. Good.

- Sold Listings: Up, year over year. This is a good thing. We’re on a slower pace than this time last year, but that’s ok. If we can build stability slowly, we’ll be ok.

Keep in mind that these statistics are top-level analysis for the Crozet real estate market, inclusive of town homes, (as in, the Highlands and the town homes in Old Trail) single family (as in Laurel Hills, Parkside Village) and new construction and resale homes.

All real estate markets are local. There are subtle and stark market differentiations within even Crozet – based on community offerings (the pool in Western Ridge is nice), proximity to downtown Crozet, proximity to the Old Trail town center, etc.

If you’re thinking about selling, do your due diligence. If you’re considering buying, do your due diligence. There’s a lot to learn on both accounts. If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me.

Lastly, this is my state-mandated Disclosure (and it’s the right thing to do): I happen to be a real estate agent who lives in Crozet, works in Crozet, Charlottesville and all the surrounding areas, and think that this information is relevant to the readers of RealCrozetVA.

Click any chart to enlarge

All data is pulled from the Charlottesville MLS and is reasonably accurate.

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I was all set to throw several charts up after the fold, but when I started checking the data in our new beta software, it wasn’t right. Darn it.

So … the Crozet real estate market right now boils down to this:

- New construction in Crozet is doing quite well.

- Existing homes are competing with new construction, buyers can be, and are being choosy and are often choosing new construction.

- If you’re looking to sell our home in Crozet: Price.It. Well. My advice since 2008 remains true:

– Advice for buyers – do your due diligence, be patient, save your money in the meantime.?

– For Sellers – as I said last year – do not attempt to chase the market down. Beat it down. (ask me for advice)

Briefly:

- Homes under contract are about the same as last year at this time.

- New listings coming on the market are down markedly; this is very good – the fewer homes on the market, the better chance for existing inventory to be sold.

- Sold homes are up slightly.

Download reports:

Crozet Real Estate Market Insight (pdf)

Crozet real estate market detailed report (pdf)

* For these reports, “Crozet” is defined as “the 22932 zip code” whereas in the past (and when I’m searching for homes and describing Crozet for clients, I describe “Crozet” as “The Brownsville and Crozet Elementary School districts.

As always, when I write about the Crozet real estate market, I disclose that I am a real estate agent. I live in Crozet. I write these to inform and educate. If you have any questions, please contact me. Heck, if you want to search for homes for sale in Crozet, go here.

** Days on Market and Sold to Original List Price ratio are so easily gamed and manipulated that they are *wrong*. Sold to OLP ratio *demands* individual analysis to account for re-lists, expired and re-lists, etc. Average is probably closer to 80%. Some are 100%, some are $60%.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

I’m thinking we may be seeing a moderation of prices.

For the purposes of this post, “Crozet” is defined as Brownsville and Crozet Elementary Schools.

Note: I’m a real estate agent. I represent buyers and sellers in Crozet (and everywhere else in the Charlottesville MSA)

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Hmmm … can you spot the peak?

I am optimistic that we are witnessing a stabilization of volume; once the market achieves a consistent volume, we should be able to see prices moderate.

Single family home sales -

Note: I’m a real estate agent. I represent buyers and sellers in Crozet (and everywhere else in the Charlottesville MSA)

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Over at my real estate blog, I run a series of “Friday Charts” – graphically looking at the real estate market. I thought it might be interesting to look at the number of real estate transactions in Crozet over the past 10 years. “Crozet” defined by homes in the Brownsville and Crozet Elementary School districts.

If we wipe out that peak, we might find that we’re approaching normalcy. And normalcy might be about 120-140 transactions a year.

More data here. Ignore the list-to-sell ratio. It’s likely junk.

Disclosure: I am a Realtor, who lives in Crozet, who lives and breathes this stuff. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Hmmm … are prices flattening in Crozet?

Time will tell.

Inventory continues to climb …

Search for homes for sale in Crozet.

Sign up to receive and analyze all Crozet real estate market reports yourself.

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Chart overload.

How many homes are on the market? Townhomes versus single family -

.

See a huge version of this chart.

Median Market Action Index – or – how much activity is there?

Median price per square foot for single family homes in Crozet:

Average Days on Market:

Inventory – or, how many single family homes are on the market?

Sign up to receive – spam-free – Crozet real estate market reports. Delivered to your inbox every two weeks.

“Crozet” as defined by “within the 22932 zip code”

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

What’s going on in the Crozet real estate market? For one, Old Trail’s doing well.

(search for homes for sale in Crozet)

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Earning/winning this grant was the result of collaborative work by the County of Albemarle, the Albemarle County School Board, 250 West group, Crozet Community Association, the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation and a few others. Readers of RealCrozetVA know that I have long advocated for walkability and bikeability in Crozet, and practice what I preach.

(Bolding mine.)

From the press release:

Chairman Ann Mallek, School Board member Barbara Massie Mouly, and Crozet school officials and parents. The grant will fund construction of a new sidewalk north of the school connecting to neighborhoods where many students live and a crosswalk with activated flashers and a warning sign to alert approaching motorists. This project will be funded entirely by grant funds.

The project is intended to provide a pedestrian-friendly environment in the area surrounding the school, and will significantly increase the number of students who can safely walk or bike to school. Approximately 177 of 305 students live within two miles of Crozet Elementary School and there are over 200 homes in neighborhood located within one-half mile of the school that will be able to take advantage of the new pedestrian features. In addition, the private Field School located directly across the street from Crozet Elementary will also be linked by the new sidewalk to neighborhoods north of downtown Crozet and will be served by the new crosswalk and warning sign features.

“We appreciate the partnership between the County, the School Division and the Crozet Elementary School community that allowed us to successfully obtain this funding,” said Board Chair Ann Mallek in announcing the grant. “Connecting neighborhoods and schools through safe pedestrian routes helps us achieve the kind of walkable communities we envision in the County, and the use of grant funds is particularly important in the current economic climate.”

The Crozet PTO’s Walk to School program already sponsors monthly walks for children and their parents and supports the Safe Route project as a way to encourage active, healthy lifestyles among students, and the school administration is strongly committed to promoting alternative transportation for their students.

“These improvements are absolutely critical to meet our goal of encouraging more families to walk to school together,” said Crozet Elementary School Principal Karen Marcus. “Our goal is for families to feel comfortable allowing their students to walk or ride their bikes to school, and with the changes funded by this grant, we envision one-third to one-half of our student population now being able to safely walk to school.”

The highlight for me was to be introduced by the infamous Josh Davis, who all of us parents remember from the snowpocalypse of 2010.

A rough approximation of the sidewalk improvements’ location:

View Crozet, Virginia, USA in a larger map

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Via email:

Recently, you may have noticed that it is no longer possible to access Crozet United Methodist Church from Carter Street. This is because the current owner of the property adjacent to ours has unfortunately decided to close that entrance, one they own but have previously allowed us to use for at least the last five decades.

Therefore, it will be necessary for everyone to enter our property for worship, church events, the Farmers’ Market, neighborhood association meetings, our food pantry, county meetings, Scout meetings, etc. via our Crozet Avenue or Jarmans Gap entrances.

Also, please do not park for events held at the church on the Carter Street side of this barrier, as we have learned that this too is prohibited by the landowner next door. Please rest assured that we are working diligently to gain access off our property to Carter Street, and we hope to have this accomplished soon.

Sincerely,

The Trustees of Crozet United Methodist Church

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Home sales in Crozet* in March 2010 were double those of March 2009! (okay, they went from four to nine, but we’ll take whatever good news we can find). I also expect that that “nine” will increase by a few as transactions are closed out over the next few days.

Even more heartening is the fact that properties placed under contract in Crozet are double last year as well.

It seems that 2004 was a boom year. Mind you, the above data are preliminary, but they show an uptick. The real test is going to come in the second half of 2010.As always, if you have any questions about the Crozet real estate market, please contact me. 434-242-7140

To see the spreadsheet with the above data, click here.

If you want to receive real estate market updates for the Crozet area, please sign up here. This is a completely separate subscription than the main RealCrozetVA.com feed.

For these purposes, I am defining Crozet as Brownsville and Crozet Elementary school districts.

Search for homes for sale in Crozet.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

I’m planning on providing brief market updates on the Crozet real estate market, hopefully every Monday … I don’t want to nor do I intend to detract from the focus of RealCrozetVA, which is the Crozet community, but I do get asked a lot of questions about the market and I’d like to answer some of those.

See all the reports on the Crozet real estate market here.

I’m looking forward to seeing how these charts change as we move towards the second quarter of 2010.

Inventory levels for single family homes in Crozet:

If you’re interested in receiving updates specifically about the Crozet real estate market (this is entirely separate from subscribing to updates from RealCrozetVA), sign up below:

Note: I’m a Realtor. If you ever have any questions about the Crozet real estate market, please call or email me anytime (434-242-7140).

Median Price per Square foot for single family homes in Crozet:

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Nearly twice as many homes have gone under contract in Crozet (defined as Crozet and Brownsville Elementary) in the first 38 days of the year compared to the first 38 days of 2009. It’s not a rebound or a recovery, but it’s definitely a good sign.

Sure, we’re talking small numbers:

9 homes – attached and single family – went under contract between 1 January and 8 February 2009

18 homes – attached and single family – went under contract between 1 January and 8 February 2010

Search for homes for sale in Crozet.

But you have to start somewhere.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

I’ve made no secret about how much I like Open Space in Charlottesville. While they are still trying to, in the words of a friend, “trying to find their soul” – seeking their own personality as it were, it’s a fantastic concept, and is a space I use as frequently as possible.

I’m a Realtor, so having a great space to work and meet clients is crucial, but not something I need every day.

My question is this – if there were an Open Space in Crozet – in Old Trail for example – would you use it?

What is Open Space Co-working?

For starters, it is going to be a place where I (others, too, but I’m really looking forward to this space) will be able to rent time to work in an aesthetically pleasing, architecturally designed professional workspace populated by fellow creative professionals, many of whom I suspect will either be fellow entrepreneurs or telecommuters who live in Charlottesville and work in other parts of the country or world.

For years, the Charlottesville area (really Central Virginia) has been a destination location; I think that OpenSpace fills a void.

Or, from the co-working wiki:

Coworking is cafe-like community/collaboration space for developers, writers and independents.

Or, it’s like this: start with a shared office and add cafe culture. Which is the opposite of most modern cafes. ?

Right now, lacking a physical office outside of home, I spend an inordinate amount of time in coffee shops … but coffee shops don’t have quiet spaces to meet with clients as well as talk on the phone or Skype. Take some of the people from coffee shops, provide a cool space with conference rooms, Apple displays, great lighting (and coffee, hopefully) – and the possibilities are pretty exciting.

I’ll have access to all of the above – and more – in OpenSpace.

So there you have it – a beautiful office space, rentable by the hour or in bulk.

I see this as being yet another way that Crozet may becoming self-sufficient.

Take a look at some photos of the Charlottesville Open Space.

What do you think? Would you use it?

Update: the GetOpenSpace blog has an interesting story this morning.

More and more people are choosing to work away from the traditional office. Today’s technology makes this easier by allowing us to stay fully connected almost anywhere we roam.

This new breed of worker has been lingoed: a “nomad”, the “mobile worker”, or “worker in limbo”. The word on the street is that about 23% of the U.S. do their jobs outside of the office and this number is on the rise.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Editor’s Note: Leslie Burns was kind enough to answer my call for someone to write about last week’s Crozet Community Association meeting.

A handful of Crozet Citizens showed up last Thursday to hear what is happening in our town at the Crozet Community Association gathering. Who are these folks? Why, they are your neighbors… hoping to pull together and grow community involvement. You might not have heard about the meeting or paid much attention to the small signs announcing it that were posted around the main intersection of town. But maybe it is time to start showing up at these association meetings…they only meet five times a year. It is not a huge commitment to make. That was one of the issues that came up at the meeting- how to reach out and connect the many neighborhoods and people living out there that have the health of our town in mind.

Here’s the dilemma. No tax revenues = no new funds to support the type of cultural and much needed improvements (think Library, road improvements, sidewalks, etc.) that are at the very heart of the Master Plan of Crozet. So where do the revenue hungry turn when it is time to welcome developers of light industrial business parks? The easiest places to access are usually given the green light for development first and we have a light that we should examine closely before we let it change on us. Some of the locations recently designated by our leaders for ideal growth are a few major intersections of highways with Rte 64.

It was announced tonight at the Crozet Community Association meeting that there is going to be a Master Plan review and meeting on Thursday, January 21st whose purpose (for one) will bring to light an idea that at least one person in our community claims will supply the revenue generating light industrial growth that Crozet (by way of our growth-area designation in the county) is destined to support. Where is this development to occur? The proposed development of land equal to the size of two Fashion Square Malls, sits quietly by the intersection of 250 and 64 at that sleepy little intersection that is the gateway to our homes and schools right now. Imagine a Waynesboro type intersection right next to our lovely pastoral village. Is this what you moved to Crozet to get close to?

If “Intersectionville” is the very name of the town you want to live in you may well get it, unless you show up to exhibit your commitment to an alternative way of life. The vision of retaining the downtown area and building it up to support sustainable and healthy growth alongside the tracks and within walking distance of community services already in place, will become nothing but a memory if the car and semi-truck driven sprawl is allowed to go in where it is proposed.

If you have an opinion to voice please show up on Thursday night on the 21st at the Field School auditorium (Old Crozet School on Crozet Ave.) at 7:00 PM. Meet some new neighbors and bring some neighbors that you already know. Meet some of the planning department representatives that have been actively involved in our master plan-consistently showing up to hear what YOU have to say. Listen to what is proposed to develop around us and become an active part of the small town that you moved here to enjoy. If you let others make your decisions for you- you are going to have to live in a world that someone else created for you and your children. Government is here as a tool of the people. If we do not interact, speak-up and have a hand in the sustainable design of our town here- it will not be a tool in our hands- but in the hands of those that would profit from business-as-usual sprawl. If the vision for Yancy Mills Industrial park and surrounding areas is not of a sprawling build out- let that be shown clearly to us.

Here’s the challenge… People that live in Crozet can affect how and where that revenue-creating light industrial growth is to occur by becoming the community that we claim we came here to be part of.

You want that small town feel? Now is your time to shine on Thursday- January 21st.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

• @tfjtolson @stevebragaw Does our new library need to be 17k sq. feet? #crozet #
• Darn multiple personalities. #
• @stevebragaw @tfjtolson What would a library of 2017 look like? #
• Just getting around to checking out this week’s ValPak coupons. Trailside & Daluca are included. #
• RT @stevebragaw: @realcrozetva we need a new #crozet library!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [Just a thought ] #
• What if we don’t need a Crozet library? http://bit.ly/55gTVF #justathought #
• Who’s going to Steve Landes’ town hall meeting at the Crozet Library today at noon? http://bit.ly/8dJLvX #localpolitics #
• @paulawhite What are the FabLab pages for? Shamelessly, would you be interested in writing about them for RealCrozetVA? in reply to paulawhite #
• Someone came to RealCrozetVA tonight looking for restaurants that deliver in Crozet. Answer: none other than Domino’s http://bit.ly/5cjKos #
• RT @MagnusMusic: Just announced: Burnley Station at Fardowners in Crozet VA Saturday Feb. 6th. #
• RT @haminga: flurries in Crozet [close school! go to the store! buy sterno! ] #
• Love watching the @CrozetGazette stories coming up in my feedreader. Good stuff this month - http://bit.ly/8sZvO7 #
• RT @themuckrakes: New show announced in Crozet, VA at Crozet Music Festival on October 8, 2010 http://lnk.ms/5CzDY #
• RT @gingergermani: @realcrozetva From the emails that I have read, it sounds like “memberships” will be available to non-residents #
• Is it a done deal that the Old Trail poll will be open to everyone this year? (as in, not just Old Trail residents?) #
• @superninjarobot Did you ever make it to Greenwood? in reply to superninjarobot #
• RT @GoodwinCreek: the breadmobile is out with it’s precious cargo, heading to Crozet, dwtn C’ville & Belmont [Great bread!] #
• @gingergermani There’s a line? How long? in reply to gingergermani #
• Crozet Pharmacy’s hours just don’t work for me. As bad as “bankers’ hours” #
• Luckily the Crozet water treatment plant serves only 25 people. http://bit.ly/5c8Phf ACSA Crozet is better http://bit.ly/7rAcxr #
• Took the Christmas tree to Crozet Park for mulching. Does driving it there in my SUV negate the green-ness of recycling of the tree? #
• t #
• RT @Grandale: Enjoying a few days off.Going to see some area wineries Veritas,White Hall…then to lunch at Crozet Pizza,a local institution #

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I got an interesting question the other day – -

How often do homes like this turn over/sell in Crozet? “This” being about 2000 square feet, at least three bedrooms and at least two bathrooms.

Looking at the question through the lens of its expected/possible value:

Looking at it by square footage …

Basically, if you sold your house last year in Crozet* and it fit one of these two criteria, you were pretty lucky.

* When doing analyses or home searches for “Crozet” I use Crozet Elementary and Brownsville Elementary school districts as my geographical limiter. The 22932 Zip Code, while it is the Crozet zip code, is a bit too inaccurate for my purposes.

If you’re thinking about selling your home in Crozet, this is a good place to start.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

From Charlottesville Tomorrow:

The Commonwealth Transportation Board will vote this week on ways to deal with a $851.5 shortfall in VDOT’s Six-Year Plan. Among the cuts is nearly $7 million for Jarmans Gap Road, a key infrastructure project supporting the Crozet Master Plan, adopted in 2004. The project currently has an advertisement date of January 2011, but that is likely to change if the cuts are approved.

Read the whole story and get involved.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Read the whole thing at C-Ville.

There are plenty of contentious issues at stake, but it was nonetheless a calm affair when dozens of Crozet residents turned out to Western Albemarle High School on September 30 to be briefed by Albemarle County staff on the mandatory five-year update to the Crozet Master Plan, adopted in 2004. Folks listened politely as staff described progress on a major downtown streetscape project, the new library and a 28-unit affordable-housing project for seniors called Crozet Meadows.

Also, please read the guest post by Leslie Burns here on RealCrozetVA:

At the town meeting on Sept. 30th, the progress of the Master Plan was reviewed by individuals spearheading each part of the plan that are seeing progress. A brief review showed attention to all of the 7 Guiding Principles. Take a moment to review the principles that you in Crozet set out as a guide from the very beginning of this process:

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I’ll be releasing a Crozet-focused report shortly, but my real estate brokerage, Nest Realty, just published our 3rd Quarter Charlottesville area real estate market report

Download it here.

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