There are 33 transactions listed in this review of property transactions in the City of Charlottesville in September 2023. I am hoping to follow behind soon with whatever happened in October, as the work to go through these sales manually grounds me as I continue to write about land use reform. City Council will have a public hearing on the Development Code coming up on December 5 and this is the first of several newsletters I’m trying to get out in advance.
I make no attempt to identify trends and there is no analysis present. I welcome the views of others in the comments and in correspondence. I only identify parties if they are an LLC, and these summaries are not the result of exhaustive investigations. The goal is to educate the public and myself. If you spot an error, please let me know.
Each entry has a parenthetical stating the designation under the future zoning map with the designation coming from this map. Some of the properties may be within the Core Residential Neighborhood A district, which has fewer development rights than Residential-A. These are listed with an asterix.
The full version of this goes to paid subscribers first, but I will post this to Information Charlottesville on Tuesday. This is one of the perks of being a paid subscriber, and please consider doing so so I can keep doing this work! If you think you are a paid subscriber but cannot view the full edition, please contact me so I can sort it out. It’s just me doing the writing as well as the user management and I’ll keep an eye on my email.
September 1, 2023
- A three bedroom house on St. James Circle in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $300,000. That’s 19.18 percent below the 2023 assessment of $371,200. (Residential-A, 0.224 acres)
- A three bedroom house in the 700 block of Locust Avenue in North Downtown sold for $836,000. That’s 9.75 percent above the 2023 assessment of $761,700. (Residential-A, 0.162 acres)
- A four bedroom house on Hilltop Road in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $600,000. That’s 40.29 percent below the 2023 assessment of just over $1 million. The property sold to the people who live next door which leads me to suspect this will be considered an invalid sale and thus won’t be used to calculate fair market value. (Residential-B, 0.862 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Slate Place in the Willoughby neighborhood sold for $330,000. That’s 5.33 percent above the 2022 assessment of $313,300 and 1.29 percent below the 2023 assessment of $334,300. We’ll see a nearby unit later in the month. (Residential-A, 0.3 acres)
September 5, 2023
- Tiny Torch LLC is the new owner of 705 Druid Avenue which contains a two-story house built in 1947. The company paid $425,000 for the 0.162 acre property which is 171.05 percent above the 2023 assessment of $156,800. Why so much? The property is adjacent to Belmont Park, the current zoning is B-2, and the future zoning is Corridor Mixed-Use 3. Tiny Torch LLC has applied for a demolition permit. The listing on Realtor.com indicates the seller marketed its potential. “Currently zoned B-2 and can go 45 feet by right, under proposed new zoning – 75 feet by right.” (Corridor Mixed Use 3, 0.162 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Kenwood Lane in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $505,000. That’s almost right at the 2023 assessment of $502,600 but 14.38 percent above the 2022 assessment of $441,500. (Residential-A, 0.354 acres)
September 7, 2023
- One half of a duplex in the 700 block of Orangedale Avenue sold for $275,000. That’s 48.01 percent above the 2023 assessment of $185,800. The sales price is 96.57 percent above the 2021 assessment of $139,900. This may or may not be within the Core Residential Neighborhood A, but is definitely designated as “Sensitive Communities” in the Future Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan. The structure was built in 1978. (Residential-A *, 0.083 acres)
- A two bedroom single family attached structure built this year on Rialto Street sold for $450,000. That’s just 1.15 percent above the 2023 assessment of $444,900. This was built as part of a Planned Unit Development. (Residential-A, 0.046 acres)
September 8, 2023
- A four bedroom house built in 1952 on Mulberry Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $450,000. That’s 12.53 percent above the 2023 assessment of $399,900. (Residential-A, 0.172 acres)
September 11, 2023
- The Law Offices of Marlon Valladares PLLC has purchased 104 Westwood Circle for $150,000. This appears to be a sale within a family and will likely not be valid and not applicable when it comes to 2024 assessments. This is a three bedroom house built in 1987. The acreage listed here does not appear to be correct. (Residential-A, 0.81 acres)
- A four bedroom house in the 2200 block of Brandywine Drive constructed in 1968 sold for $300,000. That’s 48.61 percent below the 2023 assessment of $583,800. (Residential-A, 0.37 acres)
- A three bedroom house at 918 Rougemont Street sold for $15,000. The purchaser is GW1 Properties LLC and Michelle Williams and this is likely not a valid sale. The 2023 assessment is $347,300. (Residential-A, 0.13 acres)
September 12, 2023
- A three bedroom house built in 1960 in the 2300 block of Greenbrier Drive sold for $260,400. That’s exactly half the 2023 assessment of $520,800. This is a sale within a family and will likely not be considered a valid sale. (Commercial Mixed Use 5, 0.485 acres)
- A five bedroom house built in 2007 on Village Road in the Johnson Village neighborhood sold for $930,000. That’s 27.78 percent over the 2023 assessment. (Residential-A, 0.159 acres)
- One half of a duplex on Rock Creek Road in the Orangedale section of the Fifeville neighborhood sold for $275,000. That’s 52.10 percent over the 2023 assessment of $180,800. The seller is Aspiring Developments LLC who purchased the three-bedroom unit on May 31 for $170,000. (Residential-A *, 0.11 acres)
September 13, 2023
- A four bedroom house built in 1910 in the 1000 block of Locust Avenue sold for $2.6 million. That’s 32.52 percent over the 2023 assessment of $1,962,000. The previous owner had bought the property in July 2000 for $260,000 and made significant investments over the years including an addition in 2018 and an elevator in 2019. (Residential-B, 0.744 acres)
September 14, 2023
- A two bedroom house in the 700 block of Elliott Avenue sold for $650,000. The seller is an LLC with the exact address that purchased the property in June 2022 for $165,000. That sale was 39.93 percent below the 2022 assessment of $274,700. A search of the city’s building permits shows extensive renovations this year which increased the 2023 assessment to $573,800. This new purchase price is 13.28 percent over that figure. (Residential-C, 0.139 acres)
September 15, 2023
- A three bedroom house in the 200 block of 9th Street NW in the 10th & Page neighborhood sold for $460,000. That’s 6.24 percent over the 2023 assessment of $433,000. The property previously sold in September 2020 for $360,000. (Residential-A *, 0.148 acres)
September 18, 2023
- A 1,313 square foot office space in the Queen Charlotte building on East High Street sold for $470,000. That’s 19.9 percent over the 2022 assessment of $392,000 and 2.81 percent below the 2023 assessment of $483,600. The purchaser is 218 East High Street LLC. (Corridor Mixed Use 8, N/A)
- A company called High Street Holdings has purchased 105, 107, and 109 East High Street for $1.7 million. The combined 2023 assessment for the two parcels is $1,804,200 making this transaction 5.78 percent below the 2023 assessment. (Corridor Mixed Use 3, 0.23 acres)
September 19, 2023
- A three bedroom house built in 1956 in the 1000 block of St. Clair Avenue sold for $415,000. That’s 11.98 percent over the 2023 assessment of $370,600. (Residential-A, 0.17 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Slate Place in the Charlottesville portion of the Willoughby neighborhood sold for $285,000. That’s 18.22 percent below the 2023 assessment of $348,500. The last owner was the Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB who acquired the property in May 2023 for $222,075. (Residential-A, 0.3 acres)
- A 1,044 square foot apartment with two bedrooms in the Arlington Court complex on Arlington Boulevard sold for $240,000. That’s 7.19 percent over the 2023 assessment of $223,900. (Node Mixed Use 10, N/A)
September 20, 2023
- A four bedroom house in the 1400 block of Oxford Road built in 1952 sold for $965,000. That’s 36.28 percent over the 2023 assessment of $708,100. Interior renovations were made in 2009. (Residential-B, 0.27 acres)
- A 1,725 square foot condominium in the Waterhouse building on West Water Street sold for $1,358,000. That’s 29.44 percent over the 2023 assessment of $1,049,100. (Downtown, N/A)
- A two bedroom house on 15th Street SW in the Venable neighborhood sold for $425,000. That’s 37.14 percent over the 2023 assessment of $309,900. (Residential Mixed Use 5, 0.11 acres)
September 21, 2023
- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville built a pair of homes on Coleman Street in the Locust Grove neighborhood. One of them sold for $349,900, which is 18.99 percent below the 2023 assessment of $431,900. (Residential-A, 0.4 acres)
- The one next door also sold for $349,900 but the assessment is $437,900. Why the extra $6,000? Is it because the land is slightly bigger? A no-prize to the first person to tell me the percentage! (Residential-A, 0.447 acres)
September 25, 2023
- A two bedroom house in the 1200 block of Cherry Avenue sold for $395,000. That’s nine percent over the 2023 assessment of $362,400. The last time the property sold was in June 2019 when it traded for $286,000. (Residential-B, 0.191 acres)
- A six bedroom house on Monte Vista Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $330,000 to an entity called Milo and Petey LLC. That’s 12.95 percent below the 2023 assessment of $379,100. (Residential-A, 0.149 acres)
September 26, 2023
- One half of a duplex built in 2005 on Vine Street in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $250,000. That’s 25.04 percent below the 2023 assessment of $333,500. (Residential-A, 0.086 acres)
September 27, 2023
- A four bedroom house built in 1971 on Michael Place in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $737,000. That’s 48.65 percent over the 2023 assessment of $495,800. A search of building permits lists several items of construction such as a detached garage, a porch addition, and a solar system. (Residential-A, 0.34 acres)
September 28, 2023
- A six bedroom house in the 500 block of Valley Road built in 1937 sold for $868,000 to an entity called AVP 528 Valley LLC. That’s 26.6 percent over the 2023 assessment. (Residential-B, 0.47 acres)
