Charles McDonald - RE/MAX Realty Group

Our beautiful area, local events and neighborhoods. Fine Charlottesville Real Estate in Albemarle County.

http://www.mycharlottesvilleblog.com

About Charles

Many of my clients know that I moved to Charlottesville just 8 years ago Charles McDonaldfrom the Bay Area. I searched for a place to raise my children in a area that has the values of a small town and the excitement of a big city. In a nutshell, I was searching for the quality of life we all deserve. After extensive research I found Charlottesville.

If you are looking to move and are considering Charlottesville, please give me a call. I would love to share with you the wonderful experience I have had in finding Charlottesville and the various reasons that I decided to live in Charlottesville over all other choices from coast to coast!

Regards from Charlottesville

Charles McDonald

Recent Updates
My Charlottesville BLOG
Charlottesville Real Estate! (what is all the fuss?)


I’ve been RED-FLAGGED by Active Rain…
    If you are on Active Rain you know there is a point system (I say this because my blog is also located outside of Active Rain).   Well today when I was on my blog I see that I have been RED-FLAGGED. I am not sure what this means?   Usually a RED-FLAG is not a good thing, but in this [...]

Sidewalks of History….
When you are walking down a sidewalk do you ever wonder who else has walked there? Below is a photo of a sidewalk I took at the University of Virginia. These walkways were designed by Thomas Jefferson and built by his architects. There have been literally millions of feet on these walkways and many famous people. Jefferson [...]

why have you DISAPPEARED….?
When someone joins Active Rain there can be many reasons….   To gain knowledge- I personally have found AR to be a fabulous resource of information. I have taken surveys’ of agents across the country and used the information at our MLS and Tech meetings.  What a great resource! To make new friends - We could go on and on [...]

Zillow - WOW!
I got a message from a client today regarding zillow. The message was a concern that their home has dropped in value 40% since Oct…. Yes I typed that in correctly 40% since Oct 2008…. When I asked how they know that, they responded that “zillow” says so….   WOW!!! was my first reaction! After I though about it a minute [...]

Today’s photo
  photo: taken with my Blackberry

Why RE/MAX?… a year later…
Below is a post I did a year ago after joining RE/MAX (WOW, a year went by quick!) After a year with RE/MAX Assured Properties I am happy to say that I am staying with them. I always like to give something new a little time to see if it will work for me and working with [...]

Charlottesville today…
It is another fine day in Charlottesville (a little cold) and I get to do my favorite thing! I am out today showing Charlottesville Real Estate.  When I started Real Estate I did not realize how much I would love this job. I meet great people and get to see some wonderful homes…. oh and New Construction, [...]

and the winner is…..
It was a really tough match but Neal Bloom came up with the right answer - “AMTRAK” I was picking up my brother at the Amtrak station in Charlottesville Virginia a month or so ago and saw these embedded in the waiting platform where the train stops. I took a few photos with my Blackberry and decided [...]

Photo Guess - 2nd clue….
Yesterday I posted Can you guess where I took this photo? Well there were some great guesses (check them out)… However no winner yet! So I decided we need another clue Here is the 2nd Clue… I also took this photo at the same place: And remember that the Winner gets “Full Bragging Rights!” Best of Luck from Charlottesville, the greatest [...]

Can you guess where I took this photo?
Sure let’s call it a contest! Can you guess where I took this photo? The answer is not “Charlottesville Virginia” you have to be a little more accurate than that… A quick clue is that you most likely have these in your town too… The first one with the right answer is the Winner! And the Winner gets “Full Bragging Rights!” Best [...]

Twitter - I do not get it, but I’ll take it….
Twitter - I do not get it, but I’ll take it…. I know this sounds confusing but ever since I first saw twitter, I was not sure if it had value for business. Seeing people do 140 character snippets “tweets” about “What they are doing?” made little sense to me…. I do understand the social aspect of [...]

34 Cypress Circle Video (Charlottesville Real Estate near NGIC)
Are you working at NGIC or Charlottesville? Then do not miss this home! The owners had this home enlarged on both levels from the original builder design. The large Kitchen is open to the Family Room with a Stone Fireplace with a Gas-insert. Not to mention the Formal Dining and Living Rooms. Upstairs are 4 extra Large [...]

Happy New Year - the day after…
I hope that everyone had a safe New Years Party last night? A good friend and client sent me the photo below of someone who just over did things a little. Always good to start the new year off with a little humor! DISCLAIMER:  This character does not portray any of my associates in the Charlottesville Real Estate [...]

34 Cypress Circle - Charlottesville Real Estate near NGIC
34 Cypress Circle, (Charlottesville Real Estate near NGIC) 34 Cypress Circle, Barboursville, VA 22923 View Map Are you working at NGIC or Charlottesville? Then do not miss this home! The owners had this home enlarged on both levels from the original builder design. The large Kitchen is open to the Family Room with a Stone Fireplace with [...]

Happy New Year 2009!!! (Charlottesville Virginia)
  Happy New Year 2009! I just wanted to wish all my friends and family a Happy New Year! May the joys of the coming year be ten-times your expectations! Many have had a hard time during 2008 and the good thing about 2008 is that is is behind us. We can now look forward to a wonderful and prosperous 2009. As always [...]

What does “Just Listed” mean?
Being a bit of a computer geek I often look on the web at others sites and see things that are not accurate (actually sometimes mis-leading). Today I was looking at a local agents site and the listing said “Just Listed” as the status. Well I have seen this home on the market awhile so I [...]

Marketing a New Listing-It Doesn’t Happen Overnight
My good friend in Northern Virginia, Cindy Jones wrote this great post about how long it takes to Market a new listing (see below) I find that getting the home ready is the largest obstacle. Via Cindy Jones-Northern Virginia Real Estate & Military Relocation Services (RE/MAX Allegiance #1 RE/MAX Company in the World): How fast can you [...]

34 Cypress Circle - NGIC Real Estate
35 Cypress Circle, Barboursville, Virginia Sorry no showing until Dec 31st! But take a look at this information: priced at almost 100 a sf and built in 2001 on 1.24 acres! Are you looking for the perfect home near NGIC? The owners had this home enlarged on both levels from the original builder design. The large Kitchen is open [...]

Clients (online vs offline)
I recently recieved an email inviting me to yet another networking site…. Real Estate Open Networkers Seems I get an invite to join a new network every week. I have a couple questions….. How Much is too much? Are agents spending more time on Blog and Networking sites (to try to generate business) and not getting in the public? I just [...]

The Christmas Real Estate Rush?
We have all seen it! The “Christmas Rush”! Well when it comes to Real Estate in Charlottesville, usually things slow down during Christmas! This year is a little different! The Charlottesville Real Estate Group has been very busy the last couple of weeks. We are not sure exactly what is bringing out the buyers. Is it interest rates?   The prices [...]

Yes I was young once… Merry Christmas!
This is one of the few photos that I have of me as a child. It sits on my piano next to pictures of my children. It is hard to believe that I was once this young. Time is so fast when you are not thinking about it. I hope that you all enjoy your time together [...]

Looks like Santa was seen leaving Virginia this morning…
NEWS FLASH!!!    It appears that Santa was last seen leaving Charlottesville early this morning. He was traveling though the small town of Ivy Virginia and was rumored to be heading NORTH toward Maryland…   Calls are coming in from all over…from the County of Albemarle to Arlington, he is even rumored to have been seen as far East as [...]

MY Real Estate PET-PEEVE
My friend Toula took my original post and made it soooo much better! I appreciate her expanded explanation regarding the issue on lockbox vs “key at the office”….. comments welcome! Via Toula Rosebrock - Broker (Diane Turton, Realtors): LOCKBOXES, or should I say, the lack of using one! THE PET-PEEVE:  If I can name one thing that bugs me [...]

Charlottesville Jobs
The Daily Progress reported on Dec 20th job losses in Charlottesville. I am glass half-full on this issue…. They said “the Charlottesville area’s unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.4 percent. Out of the nation’s 369 metropolitan areas, Charlottesville has the 17th best jobless rate.” IMO - That’s not bad! to read the entire report - click here

How to make a Home for the Holidays…
Every year my wife works on a fun project with the kids at our local school. She creates little gingerbread houses for them to decorate… What she does is start with a milk carton and “hot glue” graham crackers to the sides. Then she adds a ice cream cone (upside down) for a Christmas Tree….   We put these [...]