Category: Love Where You Live

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.

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!

Third-Quarter ‘Market Watch’ numbers are in

Sales statistics I compile for my quarterly “Market Watch” update show the sale of 103 homes (including townhomes and condos) had closed in Ford’s Colony through Sept. 30. 

The average sold price in Ford’s Colony through the third quarter of 2019 was $499,698, at 94.2 percent of the original list price. (The range of sales prices in the third quarter alone was $278,000 to $770,000.)

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104 Worksop
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Other key statistics through Sept. 30:

  • Average months supply of inventory – 6.8
  • Average price per square foot — $148
  • Average days on the market – 81.1 (down from 94 through the second quarter)

In all 40 homes closed in the third quarter – 17 in July, 15 in August and eight in September.

I very much appreciate the kind words of my friend and client John Urban, whose sale closed during the third quarter: “For a major happening in your life you want a qualified, experienced professional – that is what Deelyn and her team bring to the table. With Deelyn as your representative — from the original walk through to the staging, to her extraordinary marketing and onto the closing negotiation — you are always in available good hands. She gets the job done!”

Thank you, John!

For information on buying or selling a home in beautiful Ford’s Colony, please call me at 757-503-1999 or email at deelyn@lizmoore.com.

The numbers:

Download Deelyn’s new mobile app now!

Home buyers and sellers can now take Deelyn with them on every step of their journey!

Deelyn’s new mobile app puts Liz Moore and Associates’ most accomplished and knowledgeable Realtor at your service 24/7.

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.

Everyday gratitude

Happy November! Halloween-candy hangover notwithstanding, it’s a beautiful weather start to a wonderful month, the gateway to the warmth and gratitude of the holidays.

As a 21-year resident of Ford’s Colony, I am mindful — especially during this time of reflection — of the simple joys of our wonderful neighborhood.

The turning of trees and the glint of sun through autumn shadows. A bench seat by a duck pond, collar upturned on a crisp afternoon. Easy dog-walks as dawn breaks. Smiling nods to neighbors known and soon-to-be-met. Jogging trails and loops with friends, lost in conversation, and riding bikes over gently rolling hills.

I appreciate Ford’s Colony so much. And as a Realtor, I love showing folks interested in moving to “our home” what we already know: Ford’s Colony is a great place to live.

Please contact me (deelyn@lizmoore.com) if you or someone you know is interested in buying or selling a home in Ford’s Colony. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy a wonderful November with family and friends.