Cherry trees, winter jasmine and daffodils are already dotting the Charlottesville streets with color as we look at the last days of February and peek into March.
Daylight Savings time starts at 2 am on Sunday, March 11, and Spring officially begins this year on March 20.
Residents and visitors alike know what’s coming – Charlottesville is beyond compare in the Springtime with streets awash in colors from azaleas, redbuds and dogwoods to tulips, forsythia and Japonica bushes.
You can already see people puttering around in their gardens, happy to see shoots coming up and hoping the frost will stay away,
The Downtown Mall has seen an increase in visitors on the recent sunnier days – although they have been mixed with cold, wet and rainy ones as well. Outdoor seating arrangements are out and there is a buzz of anticipation in the air.
Things to do
After a mild winter, many wineries are getting ready for the spring season and are already booking music and events.
Jefferson Vineyards, just 10 minutes from Charlottesville, is located in the heart of America’s most historic winemaking region, neighboring Monticello, President Thomas Jefferson’s residence and Highland, the home of President James Monroe.
Until March 31 – embark on a wine and cider journey with the Winter Wonderland Passport. This $25 passport gets you a tasting at each of 5 participating wineries and cideries (Jefferson Vineyards, First Colony Winery, Michael Shaps, Keswick Vineyards and Castle Hill Cidery).Tastings do not include souvenir glasses.
King Family Vineyards offers their Wine Wednesdays where they stay open until 8 pm and have wonderful food and music on hand.
Grace Estate Winery hosts the “Friday Evening in the Vineyard” every Friday, with local musicians and food vendors from 6 – 9 pm. Tastings are not offered during this time, but select Grace Estate wines are discounted by the glass and bottle.
Glass House Winery offers musical weekends that take advantage of its tropical namesake – Chamomile and Whiskey with Moe’s Original BBQ food truck will be there this Friday, Mar 2 from 6 – 9 pm, and on Sunday, March 4, it will be Berto Sales and Miles Pearce – Latin Guitar Duo – from 2 – 5 pm.
The New Brews in Town
We have also seen many new breweries opening their doors – check out Three Notch’d Brewing Company’s newest location at the Ix Park, Random Row Brewing at 608 Preston Ave, near the well established Kardinal Hall, and Reason Beer – a 30-barrel production brewery and tasting room that just opened in 2017 and is located in the business park just off Greenbrier Drive and across from CloSure Title – 1180 Seminole Trail Suite 290.
Some old favorites are Champion Brewing – at 324 6th St SE – which features great outdoor seating and food trucks in season, and South Street Brewery, which seems to be thriving under its new management.
What does Spring mean to the Real Estate Market?
Many agents around town have commented that it appears the Spring market began in a hurry on January 2 this year. We have seen listings coming on and then going under contract in less than a day.
If we do get one more snow storm before spring officially begins then that might delay things a little bit, but as UVA Hospital’s Match Day 2018 is coming up on Friday, March 16, we have seen many sellers getting their homes ready in anticipation.
At Solutions, we have recently talked about the latest increase in rates and that might slow things down as we get into summer and fall, but if you are ready to buy now then we highly recommend talking with a lender first, getting a pre-approval letter and then being ready to jump as soon as you see the house you want. Your Solutions agents are here to help!
