Development
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New developments in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County |
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 A gentleman from New Jersey stopped by our office today asking about the area, and trying to get a sense of where the main growth areas of the city and county are located. I explained to him, as I have explained to many people lately, that most of the growth in the County is focused just south and east of Harrisonburg in an area bound by Route 33, Port Republic Road, Boyers Road and Cross Keys Road. It's a diamond shape area (seen above), and within that are you will find many of the subdivisions that have been developed over the last 10-15 years. Click on any subdivision in the map above to jump to active listings in that neighborhood. | |
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How will Urban Exchange impact Harrisonburg? |
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Listen in as Barry Kelley, one of the developers of Urban Exchange, talks about the impact that Urban Exchange will have on Harrisonburg. | |
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Urban Exchange Construction Update |
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 Despite some rainy days in December (see above), construction is flying along at Urban Exchange --- framing for the fourth floor is being finished on the East Tower (apartments for rent), and the first floor is being framed on the West Tower (condos for sale). Click here to see the latest construction photos of this exciting project in Downtown Harrisonburg, the future home of 196 condos, and 12,000 s.f. of retail space. | |
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Buying at Preston Lake? |
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Are you considering buying at Preston Lake? Some of my clients are exploring the possibility of building a single family home at Preston Lake, and it's been an interesting process . . .  Access to the developer We have been pleasantly surprised to have the opportunity to work directly with the developer, Richard Hine. Rich is very invested in the Preston Lake project, is very knowledgeable about the building process, and has been immensely helpful as my clients have explored the possibility of building at Preston Lake. A flexible design process While Preston Lake offers a variety of standard floor plans (for rowhouses and single family homes), they are also willing to make almost any modifications you might desire. We have now been through several different renditions of the floor plans for the "Cape Cod" style home, each time bringing the design a bit closer to what my clients' desires. Organized communication The building team at Preston Lake uses an online project management system to organize the design/build process, and to streamline communication. Even only in these early stages of the process, the use of this tool has been extremely helpful. Final Pricing, Building Process, Final Product Still yet to discover --- will the pricing work for my clients, will the building process be as pleasant as the design process, and will the finished home be exactly what my clients envisioned. Overall, the building process at Preston Lake (or the complemplation thereof) has been a relatively enjoyable and efficient process. If you are considering buying at Preston Lake, and if you have any questions, please call (540-578-0102) or e-mail (scott@cbfunkhouser.com) me. Otherwise, stay tuned, and I'll keep you informed on the continuation of this process. | |
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What is Smart Growth? |
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From Wikipedia: "Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, mixed-use development with a range of housing choices. Smart growth values long-range, regional considerations of sustainability over a short-term focus. Its goals are to achieve a unique sense of community and place; expand the range of transportation, employment, and housing choices; equitably distribute the costs and benefits of development; preserve and enhance natural and cultural resources; and promote public health." To summarize, Smart Growth is building in the right place:
Additional Smart Growth resources:
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23 Guiding Values for the Revitalization of Downtown Harrisonburg |
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Below are 23 concepts for current (or future) property owners in downtown Harrisonburg to consider as they restore or revitalize downtown properties.  These values are from the vision book entitled "urban values & vision for downtown harrisonburg" produced by Eugene Stoltzfus Architects for the City of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance.
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New Urban Exchange renderings available! |
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"Time To Get Control Of Area Development" |
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Today's Dailly News Record (09-19-2008) has a very interesting editorial from Jonathan Kiser, a Harrisonburg resident that begins as follows... "LIVING IN HARRISONBURG and Rockingham County during the past decade I, like many others, have observed an unhealthy trend. Rapid growth has occurred without any apparent consideration for area history, heritage or natural beauty." I don't necessarily agree with everything Jonathan says, for example,"Hide all big box developments with a green buffer that will also help to off-set their carbon footprint;" This seems unlikely given the visibility that big box developments covet. But Jonathan provides lots of:
Definitely worth a read...click here! | |
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Is Harrisonburg turning into Northern Virginia? |
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A letter to the editor in the Daily News Record this week suggests that we are. I concede that Harrisonburg and Rockingham County need to continue to focus on their infrastructure to support any growth that does occur. But...to suggest that we're turning into Northern Virginia?? That seems to be a bit of a stretch to me --- here are two Google Map views to help you make up your mind. Harrisonburg, Virginia . . . Vienna, Virginia . . . Of note --- almost all of Harrisonburg is viewable within the map above, however you can zoom out of the Vienna map and move it all around, and you will continue to see dense development for miles around. Despite the growth in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, it still seems to me to be a bit different from Northern Virginia. What about to you? | |
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Rockingham County single family home building activity slows |
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This is probably no surprise, but the number of single family homes being built each year has diminished for the past few years. The graph below shows the number of single family home building permits that have been issued for each of the past few years.  The 2008 figure is extrapolated from the January 2008 - June 2008 data showing 208 permits. This is likely a good thing for our market, as some price ranges still have a significant excess of housing supply. For example, 27 months of inventory exist in the $400k+ price range for the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Perhaps this gradual decrease in the number of new single family homes being built is what has allowed our market to continue to see (slow and steady) increases in price --- median sales prices are up 3.5% over last year. | |
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Selling Building Lots via Auction |
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Stone Spring Manor is a newly developed subdivision in the City of Harrisonburg featuring 19 building lots. Prior to July 2008, seven of these building lots had sold, several of them having homes built on them. The lot sales included sales prices between $58,000 and $79,800. The home sales included sales prices between $262,000 and $292,000. Yesterday (7/16/08), the remaining 12 building lots were to be sold at auction. The auction generated a quite a bit of interest, with close to 30 or 35 people present. Much of the draw was likely a curiosity of the price at which these lots would sell. So, how did it go down?  The plat above and the chart below show the order in which the six lots sold at auction, and their prices. Lot Sale #1 Lot 14 $46,000 Lot Sale #2 Lot 15 $38,000 Lot Sale #3 Lot 16 $39,000 Lot Sale #4 Lot 3 $34,000 Lot Sale #5 Lot 11 $33,000 Lot Sale #6 Lot 9 $38,000 The remaining lots are for sale with asking prices between $46,500 and $64,400. | |
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What are the SIZES of new construction single family homes being sold in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County? |
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Over the past 18 months (January 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008) 138 single family homes have been built and sold in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, as reflected in the HRAR MLS. The sizes of new construction homes that are selling might be of interest to home buyers, home sellers, builders and developers...  Click on the graph above for a printable PDF. | |
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What are the PRICES of new construction single family homes being sold in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County? |
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Over the past 18 months (January 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008) 138 single family homes have been built and sold in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, as reflected in the HRAR MLS. | |
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Urban Exchange - Done Digging, Now Building UP! |
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After MANY weeks of digging down (down, down, down), the foundation for Urban Exchange is finally coming up out of the ground!  For those of you who are not familiar with the project, Urban Exchange is a new construction project in downtown Harrisonburg to feature condos, apartments and retail space. Check out more photos of the construction process here! | |
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What Is The Big Economic News in Page County?? |
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I received this letter today. Does anyone have any insight into Thursday's announcement? | |
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Is Growth Good Or Evil? |
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 Well, perhaps we don't have to narrow it down with such extreme labels, but there has been some interesting debate over the subject over at hburgnews.com, all of which began with the issue of funding disappearing for the expansion of Port Republic Road. Here are some of my thoughts, though I would love to hear other perspectives on the subject: WHY GROWTH OCCURS: Desirable area -> people want to live here -> they need a place to live -> many want to buy -> more homes are needed -> land is rezoned -> lots are developed -> houses are built. While growth stems from a positive situation (an area being desirable), it is also true that:
But what is the alternative? To halt growth? To do so, a locality would need to either:
Taking either of these steps would (in my opinion) have some rather negative consequences:
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Calling All Harrisonburg Residential Developers |
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The City of Harrisonburg is accepting bids on the two parcels of R-2 land labeled below. The first parcel (labeled "1" below) contains 3.119 acres. The second parcel (labeled "2" below) contains 5.018 acres.  This land, zoned R-2, provides for a great residential development opportunity --- a convenient location close to Route 11, Route 42, Port Republic Road, Keister Elementary, and more. Bids will be accepted until 9:00AM on April 8, 2008, and the bids will be opened at the City Council meeting at 7:00PM on April 8, 2008. View Larger Map | |
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Digging Deep --- Harrisonburg's Downtown Condos |
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I am delighted to be a part of marketing and selling the Urban Exchange project --- an exciting new construction project in downtown Harrisonburg featuring retail space on the first floor and almost 200 apartments and condos. The photo below shows the excavation progress (these aren't just really deep footers, there will be two levels of underground covered parking). See more photos of the progress by clicking here.  | |
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Harrisonburg Planning Commission -- Public Hearing |
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Don't miss the Harrisonburg Planning Commission public hearing meeting on Wednesday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 409 South Main Street. As usual, it's not easy to tell what some of the proposals actually mean --- but I have included a summary and explanation of the ones that I can decipher, and I welcome anyone else's insight. Again, the information below is what I can piece together about the proposals from various sources. Attend the meeting to find out more about the proposals, or to voice your support or concerns.
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One Year Builder's Warranty on New Construction |
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 As you consider buying a newly constructed home, it is important to be aware of what is often referred to as a one-year builder warranty. Technically, what we are referring to are "Implied warranties on new homes" per Virginia statute 55-70.1. What is covered by the warranty? The builder warrants that the "dwelling with all its fixtures is, to the best of the actual knowledge of the vendor or his agents, sufficiently (i) free from structural defects, so as to pass without objection in the trade, and (ii) constructed in a workmanlike manner, so as to pass without objection in the trade." Essentially, no structural defects, and workmanlike construction. When does the one year start? The earlier of when the title is transferred, or when the buyer takes possession of the property. I bought a house three months ago and have discovered structural defects. The builder is telling me a warranty doesn't exist, because "as is" was written into the contract. Is this possible? It is possible to modify or exclude the Virginia statute based implied warranty. However --- it is likely that the builder did not follow the statute when selling the property to you as is. To sell a new property "as is" and exclude the implied home warranty, the fact that the house is being sold "as is" must be written on the face of the contract, in capital letters, in a font size at least two points larger than the other type in the contract. This doesn't happen too often. I have a structural issue, what do I do? The statute specifies that you have a cause of action against the builder, but that you must first notify the builder of the defect and allow them a reasonable period of time (no longer than six months) to cure the defect. What about the foundation? The foundation is warrantied for five years (instead of just one) --- though if a foundation issue exists, it must be reported to the builder within two years of when it is discovered. The Virginia statute keeps referring to a "structural defect" --- what is that? Per the code, "a defect or defects that reduce the stability or safety of the structure below accepted standards or that restrict the normal use thereof." Yes, that is about as vague as you can get. My builder is asking me to sign a warranty document at closing --- why? And should I sign it? First, take time to read the document. In most cases, such a document includes verbiage that limits the (vague) rights you would have had under the broad Virginia statute. Builders ask buyers to sign these documents to narrow the scope of buyer's possible warranty requests --- and this desire often comes from past buyers who have been unreasonable in asking the builder to address cosmetic (or other non-structural) issues within the first year. If the document only includes language that restricts or eliminates your rights under the broad Virginia statute, kindly refuse to sign the document. Unless all parties agreed in the sales contract that a warranty document would be signed at closing, the builder can not require you to sign the document --- it is imposing a new contract term on the buyer, when that was not included in the original negotiations. One caveat --- sometimes the document serves both the builder and the buyer --- it can do so by specifically stating items that the builder will indeed repair that might otherwise be in a gray area given the vague nature of the Virginia statute. | |
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Scott Rogers
Funkhouser Real
Estate Group
540-578-0102
scott@funkhousergroup.com
Licensed in the
Commonwealth of Virginia
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