Happy 2023, my friends!
I wanted to take a minute here at the start of this new year to make sure you are aware of a great home energy-saving program that Dominion Energy is offering. Dominion has hired the electrical contractor Puffin Mechanical to do free home-energy assessments, which includes replacing up to 70 of your home’s light bulbs with brand-new energy-efficient LED bulbs — at NO CHARGE.
Sounds amazing, right? It is!
I signed up and Puffin’s technician recently installed 58 LEDs throughout and even outside of our house – including in the ceiling fan of our two-story great room. Monday, I had Puffin come and replace dozens of bulbs in my mother’s house nearby.
We did all of our high can lights, outdoor flood lights and chandeliers, and lamps that had not been converted. If you require more than 70 bulbs and want Puffin to replace them, they will charge you only the cost of the bulbs – $7 for regular or candle bulbs or $12 for flood lights.
Within one or two weeks, Puffin then follows up with an email report of the work done and includes energy-saving tips for all parts of your home.
It’s a fantastic program that I hope you can take advantage of yourself soon. To reach Puffin Mechanical to sign up or get more information about the home-energy assessments, call 757.230.4681 or visit puffinmechanical.com.
Be well, my friends – and Happy New Year!
Category: Good to Know!
Ford’s Colony “Artists and Artisans Expo” is planned
Make a calendar note!
The Ford’s Colony Activities Committee is sponsoring an “Artists & Artisans Expo” on Feb. 25-26, 2023 to showcase the creative talents of Ford’s Colony residents.
The free event plans to feature homemade paintings, sculpture, woodwork, quilting, jewelry and photography, as well as art produced by the youth of Ford’s Colony.
The committee seeks monetary donations of any amount to ensure this exciting expo is a success. All donors will be highlighted at the event and featured in marketing materials for the expo. Sponsors will also be invited to a “Meet the Artists” reception to be held Sat., Feb. 25.
Checks can be written to the Ford’s Colony HOA — note “Art Expo” in the memo — and be dropped off at the community services building. Event co-chairs Ellen Swan (Ellen.M.Swan@gmail.com) and Ginger Kroncke (BillGinger71@gmail.com) also are available to pick up donations and to answer any questions regarding the expo.
WJCC schools release reopening options
Williamsburg-James City County schools division has released a comprehensive plan of options regarding the reopening of schools called Return to Learn: Forward WJCC Schools. It can be accessed here.
This multi-tiered plan details remote, blended and on-site avenues by which the school division is considering reopening. All options have been developed under guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health department and the Virginia Department of Education.
The school division says it has yet to decide which path it will take to reopen. That decision is due by Aug. 5.
Regardless of which option is chosen to start the school year — the division says plans are subject to change based on current circumstances — one option will allow students to choose 100-percent virtual learning for the entire year.
Parents who wish to take advantage of this option must notify the school division by July 24 and complete this registration form.
Families are asked to check the Return to Learn website often for posted updates.
Murdoch’s patio reopens
Murdoch’s bistro at Ford’s Colony Country Club will re-open its outside dining patio Friday, May 15, with a few expected conditions.
Capacity will initially be limited to 50 percent of normal occupancy, and tables — limited to no more than four patrons — will be situated six feet apart. Also, reservations will be required for service.
Lunch and dinner menus will be available. Additionally, Murdoch’s popular curbside pick-up remains available from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Based on current social distancing requirements, this video about Murdoch’s is, amazingly, a little dated. But still, it’s good and fun to have a chance to finally get out and enjoy some spring weather on Murdoch’s patio.
2020 First Quarter sales stats
The 2020 first quarter sales numbers are in!
Following are statistics for first quarter of 2020 for Ford’s Colony:
Jan-Mar 2020 closed home sales – 32
Average months supply of inventory – 6.3
Average sold price – $516,244
Average sold price to original list price – 94.7%
Average price per square foot — $161
Average days on market for under-contract homes – 94.5
Active listings as of March 31, 2020 – 76
For more information about Ford’s Colony, click here.
And for further expert information on Ford’s Colony — or any others in the Williamsburg area — Deelyn is happy to help. Email her at deelyn@lizmoore.com.
Restaurant updates — who’s open?
I noticed Aroma’s coffee house open today on Prince George St. and was compelled to duck in for quick to-go cup. (They had a table selling coffee and snacks outside as well for customers who didn’t want to walk inside.) While taking all suggested health precautions, supporting struggling local businesses that have been suddenly racked by the virus shutdown feels like the right thing to do.
The Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association is pitching in by updating the status of dozens of local restaurants multiple times a day. Some have closed for now, some are offering delivery and curb-side pickup only, and others have kept their dining rooms open, but with limited seating.
The urge to help is strong, and the situation is so fluid that the timely updates are appreciated.
Williamsburg’s restaurant scene is so vibrant and getting even better. It’s a big part of what makes living here so enjoyable. The sincere hope is that all will come back strong when a sense of normalcy finally breaks through this terribly uncertain time.
Why not check out the WARA list and think about placing an order to feed your family and support your hard-working restaurant neighbors? It will be so appreciated.
Additionally, WARA is encouraging customers to buy gift cards from a member restaurant. Those who purchase a card worth at least $25 (and send in proof of purchase to Debi Schaefer at director@WaraRest.com) will be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate.
Club names membership director
Members of the Ford’s Colony Country Club have welcomed a new membership director, Tony Null. He comes to Ford’s Colony after working in Raleigh, N.C. for nearly a decade as director of communications and marketing for the North Ridge Country Club.
Null has a long Virginia history, however. He was raised in Newport News, earned a degree in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University and is the former membership director at Kingsmill Resort.
Ford’s Colony residents can reach out to Null for country-club membership information at 757-258-4100.
Recapping ’19 sales numbers
The year-end numbers for Ford’s Colony home sales are in!
- In 2019, 138 sales closed in the community. (Deelyn sold 15 percent of those, more than any agent in Williamsburg.)
- Active listings as of Dec. 31 – 61
- Average months supply of inventory – 7.2
- Average sold price — $489,575
- Average sold to original list price – 94.4 percent
- Average price per square foot — $149
- Average days on the market for under-contract homes – 83.9
For more information and discussion about the Ford’s Colony real estate market, please join me Thursday, Feb. 20 from 2-4 p.m. at the Ford’s Colony Country Club clubhouse for my annual FC Market Watch presentation. Please RSVP your attendance by Feb. 13 to Deelyn@Lizmoore.come or Christie@Lizmoore.com
Featured home — 1101 Eaglescliffe
Offered at $485,000.
Fabulous Eaglescliffe condo offering a very unique floorplan!
You will love this sophisticated and extraordinarily well done home featuring a den or ‘flex” living space adjacent to the great room plus both a screened porch AND a covered porch.
Compare the costs of maintenance of a single-family home versus care-free condo living. On an annual basis, condo living has proved to be more cost effective!
For more information on this Ford’s Colony home, contact Deelyn at 757.503.1999 or deelyn@lizmoore.com.
#FordsColony #WilliamsburgVa
FC Dance Band honors Count Basie
The popular Ford’s Colony Dance Band will perform on the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre Stage on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Dewey Decibel Concert Series.
The band will salute big-band royalty with its “Tribute to Count Basie,” a 90-minute set featuring favorites like “April in Paris,” “Shiny Stockings,” “Cute,” “Hay Burner” and “Jive at Five.” Admission is free, but a free-will donation will be taken to benefit the band. You can follow the band via its Facebook page.
The Dewey Decibel Concert Series is in its 20th anniversary season. It offers an eclectic mix of popular jazz, bluegrass, folk, Americana and classical music acts. All shows are at the Williamsburg Regional Library.
Future 2019 shows are Peninsula Concert Band, Holiday Concert Dec. 3; the Jae Sinnett Zero to 60 Quartet Christmas Special, Dec. 13; and the LCV Project, An Acoustic Christmas Dec. 19
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Check out the latest Colony Life
I’d like to thank Marilyn Adams, the editor of Colony Life magazine, for the generous article in the December edition, which is just out. It is an honor to be featured in her magazine’s “Resident Sponsor Spotlight.”
Look for the latest edition of Colony Life in your mailbox. And thank you again, Marilyn!
What’s in a name? John Pott
The names of Ford’s Colony’s streets are an intriguing mix of golf courses from around the country, and world, and of Virginia historic figures. Occasionally, I’ll introduce you to an interesting street name and the story behind it . . . which brings me to “John Pott.”
A main thoroughfare into Ford’s Colony off of Longhill Road, the street is named for the noteworthy physician and Colonial governor of the Jamestown Settlement. Dr. Pott, Oxford-educated, arrived Jamestown with his wife Elizabeth in 1619. He evidently had an interesting few years thereafter.
First, he was accused of poisoning 200 Native Americans in 1623 in retaliation for a massacre of colonists; he was ultimately cleared of the charge and his seat on the Governor’s Council was restored.
Pott himself was installed as governor in 1629, but in 1630 he was convicted of stealing livestock. His skills as a physician, however, were so crucial to the colony that the next governor, Sir John Harvey, petitioned England for Pott’s pardon. It was granted, he regained his estate known as “Harrop” – evidently located in what is now Williamsburg – and continued his medical work.
“As physician, leader and revolutionary, Dr. John Pott served as a vital force in shaping the history of Jamestown colony,” according to an article from the New York Academy of Medicine.
Now you know.
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The customizable app includes the most accurate and updated information on all MLS listings in the Williamsburg and James City County areas.
Users can search for homes and rentals nearest to them, locate scheduled open houses, peruse new listings and track price changes on existing listings.
The app includes a mortgage calculator, a saved-favorites button, an advanced search function that enables users to target a range of home (baths, beds, lot size, square footage) and price options, and a direct line to Deelyn via phone, email or text message.
Download Deelyn’s mobile app here to bring her mastery of the Williamsburg-area real-estate market to your home buying or selling experience.
Time to jump on “Black Friday” week home deals!
Imagine if November’s “Black Friday” deal-driven shopping frenzy lasted a week? Well, it does last a week in real estate – and it’s THIS week!
Data released by Realtor.com indicates the week of Sept. 22 is the best time to buy a home because of less competition and a spike in inventory and price reductions.
Because so many families are focused on getting settled for the new school year instead of shopping for houses, buyers in general face 26% less competition across most U.S. markets surveyed.
At the same time, inventory increases by 6 percent. And of those homes, another 6 percent will be reduced in price.
The inventory of luxury homes sees a marked increase this time of year, said Realtor.com senior economist George Ratiu.
“There [are] a lot of opportunities for luxury buyers,” he said.
Because things can happen quickly, Forbes.com contributor Stephanie Vozza advises deal-seeking buyers to:
* be alert to price reductions in their chosen area.
* get preapproved for funding
* be willing to close quickly
* make their strongest offer right away
* ask their agent for a market analysis of comparable home sales.
I would be delighted to do a complementary market analysis for you. Please contact me at Deelyn@lizmoore.com or 757-503-1999 if I can help you this week – or any week at all.
Vote Williamsburg for Best Small Town in the South
Williamsburg has been recognized yet again as a great place to live and to visit.
As part of its search for the “Best of the South 2020,” Southern Living magazine has nominated Williamsburg for the title of “Best Small Town.”
There are 32 other towns on the list, located throughout the south and as far west as Oklahoma. Besides Williamsburg, however, only Fredericksburg was nominated from Virginia.
The magazine is polling readers for their favorites among such diverse and fun things as bars, restaurants, new and historic hotels, barbecue joints, resorts and chefs.
Jill Pongonis, media relations manager for the Williamsburg Tourism Council, told the WY Daily the nomination alone significantly raises the city’s profile.
“They survey about 65,000 readers so the impact of the voters is definitely awareness and reaching a target market that is interested in this destination,” she said. “We do try to get our public relations team out there to . . . work with travel writers to expose them to the wonderful experiences they have here. It’s not by chance, it’s a collaborative effort.”
You can take the magazine’s online survey as often as you wish. Voters are eligible to win a grand prize of $2,500 for doing so. Voting is open until Sept. 16.
Miller named new GM of Ford’s Colony CC
Peter Miller has been named the new general manager of Ford’s Colony Country Club. Miller was most recently the manager of the City Club in Washington, D.C., like Ford’s Colony also a ClubCorp property.
Miller has a lengthy background in the hospitality business that includes stints as a chef at The Four Seasons Atlanta, assistant general manager at the restaurant management company Brinker International, and time as general manager at clubs in Florida and Delaware.
A certified executive chef with a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta, Miller has cooked for two presidents, three first ladies and such celebrities as Paul McCartney and Madonna.
Miller and his wife Kristen have two daughters. He will start his new position Sept. 3.