Many of you just recently learned about my Toys for Tots fund raiser in conjunction with the VAR Blog Brawl 
contest. If you didn’t have a chance to vote for my Charlottesville real estate blog before the voting ended last night at 11:59 PM, please stay tuned as we hope to make it to round 3 and continue raising money for those in need this holiday season!
Round #2 voting results should be announced soon, so stay tuned!
Brian
In my previous post, I resorted to “bribes” to advance to round #2 of the Virginia Blog Brawl hosted by the Virginia Association of Realtors. The good news is that it worked. We made it to round #2! So I want to say thanks to all for casting your vote for my Charlottesville Real Estate Blog! But the fun isn’t over. In fact, yesterday we started to brainstorm our next strategy. I thought to myself, it’s amazing how lucky I am that one of my biggest concerns is how to make it to the next round of this blog contest. With the holiday’s right around the corner, many families are not so lucky. Their concerns center around having enough money for Thanksgiving dinner or being able to buy a toy for their little one this holiday season. Suddenly, it hit me. Why not use this blog contest as a way to give back.
Like last round, I still intend to “bribe” you for your votes. No longer will I dangle bogus free stays at posh penthouses or complimentary haircuts and guitar lessons. The stakes have been raised. Instead, I plan to donate $1 to Toys for Tots for each vote that I receive. Simply vote using the form below and then leave a comment on this blog to let me know you voted. Your vote for this blog campaign will help those less fortunate enjoy a brighter holiday season.
Make your VAR Blog Brawl vote truly count! Cast your vote for the Charlottesville Real Estate Blog today! For your convenience we have included the VAR Buzz Blog vote form below. Feel free to help spread the word and let others know that they can participate and help make a difference with a few simple clicks. Remember, Every vote gives the Toys for Tots organization another dollar (up to a maximum of $200).
Thanks for your help!
Note: The form below requires that you place a vote for each “zone.” So be sure to vote for Charlottesville Real Estate Blog (Brian Chase) in ZONE 2, and your other favorite blogs in the other zones.
Okay, So I’m not looking to actually pick a fight with other real estate bloggers but, I have entered my 
Charlottesville Real Estate Blog in the Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl 2.0 sponsored by Virginia Association of REALTORS and the VAR Buzz Blog.
Accepting the VAR Buzz challenge, we are taking off the gloves and jumping into the fray! After all, the first rule of the Blog Brawl is that there are no rules. Will we resort to blatant bribery for votes? Of course we will!
We have asked David Letterman of CBS Late Night fame to offer our Top Ten Bribes for the Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl 2.0. Dave take it away….
10. For all the “cat bloggers” (AKA Linda Davis-self proclaimed cat blogger), a year’s supply of Kitty Litter so you can continue to write your post about your %#*@ cat!
9. Calling all fans of the Phoenix Real Estate Guy! Vote for my blog and receive a FREE Phoenix Real Estate Guy T-Shirt!
8. Benn Rosales of Agent Genius has agree to allow you to take home his Inman Innovator Award for a day…. ala The Stanley Cup. Just don’t do the things those nasty hockey players have done to the coveted Stanley Cup!
7. Compliments of Dustin Luther – a free ride on a Segway. Helmet not included. Added bonus, Social Media Guru – Rudy Bachteray with Trulia has agreed to provide his video production services to capture the event! Let’s hope Dustin can actually stay on the Segway this time.
6. Free night in the $22Million Apogee Penthouse on SOFI compliments Mr. South Beach AKA Kevin Tomlinson. Can you say saweet!
5. St. Paul real estate blogger T. Boardman has offered to give personal photo lessons for a vote for this blog! Say cheese!
4. Complimentary night on the Queen Mary provided by Laurie Manny Long Beach real estate queen! If Laurie is not available, The Long Beach Red Wagon Team Guy Jay Valento will take care of you.
3. Brad Andersohn of Active Rain has agreed to provide a year’s supply of free guitar lessons for your vote! Special note, as an added bonus, Brad will also throw in a Home Shopping Network gift card for a classic acoustic guitar made by Esteban!
2. A year of Free haircuts provided by Jeff Turner of the Real Estate Shows. Note to Jeff, when you cut my friend’s hair, please don’t scalp them!
1. Nik-Nik of MyTechOpinion.com fame will pose in front of your ride in similar fashion to her RE Blog World cameo appearance!
Thanks to the guys at Dakno for helping me find all this dirt on the various bloggers of RE.net.
Disclaimer: The bribery gifts mentioned above are subject to terms and conditions. In other words, first we have to get the people mentioned above to actually agree to these items. All gifts, prizes and bribes are purely speculative. I know – minor detail. But in the mean time, please vote for the Charlottesville real estate blog!
Last time I gave you a bit of the history of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Now I’m going to tell you how we celebrate Thanksgiving in historic Charlottesville.
Thanksgiving is a traditional North American holiday that has been attributed to the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation who celebrated immediately after their first harvest in 1621.
The Federal Reserve dropped the Federal Funds Rate (the rate charged by banks for overnight loans) by 50 basis points (1/2%) on Wednesday to 1%. This might seem like good news to would-be home buyers of Charlottesville real estate, but buyers I work with are surprised when I tell them the opposite is true. I’m often met with a look of disbelief and a refrain that goes something like, “I just heard about a big interest rate cut in the news – how can rates be that high?”
If you could turn back the clock on Charlottesville real estate prices and buy today for the same price or less than buyers were paying in 2004, wouldn’t that be amazing? If you think it sounds too good to be true, it’s not, but the more incredible thing about current conditions and current sentiment is that we are actually debating whether or not this represents excellent value.
As a Charlottesville Realtor, I find the comments and statements of outsiders visiting the Charlottesville area 
fascinating. By now many of you may have already read what NY Times Travel Blogger Joshua Kurlantzic wrote in his post about his “36 Hours in Charlottesville, VA” on 10-26-08. If you haven’t, I believe it to be an even-handed view of Charlottesville. In it he calls to his readers attention those local Charlottesville landmarks, attractions, and outstanding local eateries we all tend to take for granted. When you live in the shadows of such natural beauty and history, one tends to loose sight of its significance and grandeur.
Does anyone know where the bottom is in the Charlottesville real estate market? How about the national 
real estate market? If I had a crystal ball, I would feel better about picking out the exact day of the bottom, but since I don’t, let’s review a few facts. I know there are thousands of would-be buyers of Charlottesville homes who have been window shoppers over the course of the past 3 years and who have yet to make a purchase. I’m also guessing that some are feeling a little sheepish about waiting so long if they have significant assets positioned in the stock market; indeed, recent stock market activity is making real estate look like a really safe and dependable investment!
Did you know that our 5th President lived right behind Thomas Jefferson in Albemarle County? President
James Monroe owned an estate property known as Highland, which today is called Ash Lawn – Highland. As our 5th President of the United States and a friend and compatriot of Thomas Jefferson (TJ as Cvillians refer to him), Monroe was originally from Westmoreland County, which runs along the Potomac River.