Tag: Ford’s Colony properties

New Listing in Ford’s Colony: 161 Southern Hills

4 Bedroom 2.5 Bath 2,700 Sq Ft
Offered at $419,000!
1 Welcome to 161 Southern Hills

Expect Southern Living charm in this impeccably maintained custom home featuring an open floor plan and striking Brazilian cherry floors that accent the entire first floor.

The Great Room opens to the kitchen with granite and stainless steel appliances.  The generous Master Bedroom suite offers beautiful bath with granite counters, jetted tub &  tiled multi-head shower.   The additional full bath is also with granite and tile. The spacious fourth bedroom could be used as a bonus room.

For more information on this home, contact Deelyn at 757.503.1999 or deelyn@lizmoore.com.

If you would like to work with a realtor who specializes in the Ford’s Colony and greater Williamsburg market, call me today for a buyer or seller consultation.  As the Liz Moore Top Over All Agent of the Year for five years,  I know the market here inside and out!

Are there kids living in Ford’s Colony?

Ford's Colony KidsYou bet! And there are a good many of them that now have some fun neighborhood events to look forward to!

The Ford’s Colony ‘Colony Kids’  is back in action! Ford’s Colony is home to many kiddos and they need fun things to do just like their parents. The Homeowner’s Association just announced that there are four planned activities this year for  kids under 12 years of age.

  • Spring Celebration & Easter Egg Hunt
  • July 4th Pool Party/Pizza Party
  • Trunk or Treat Halloween Event
  • Holiday Celebration & Brunch with Santa.

They are looking for additional volunteers who would like to help out with the program and may also have ideas to for future events.

From the HOA:

If you  are interested in participating in any of the above events, or in joining the Colony Kids Activities Team (next meeting is Feb. 9th at 8:45am at the S&T Club), please call or email your contact information (name, address, email address and phone number ) to:

Lastly, keep your eye out for upcoming information via email and Talk of the Colony regarding these events, so we can have a great turnout from the parents and kids of Ford’s Colony!

Thank you Deborah Huckins and committee for organizing these awesome and fun events for the Ford’s Colony kids. Your time and efforts are appreciated.

Homes for sale in Ford’s Colony? Here is what is on the market in Ford’s Colony!

So how many homes ARE for sale in Ford’s Colony? We are beginning 2011 with 124 homes ‘active’ on the Williamsburg MLS. 105 of those are single family DETACHED homes. 19 of those are ATTACHED (condos or townhomes) properties.  There are currently 7 additional properties detailed as under contract and pended. Those are homes that are set to close. (There are a few more detailed as ‘under contract’ but may have contingencies that are yet to be remedied like a home inspection, buyer financing, third-party bank approval or sale of the buyer’s own home. Those homes are counted in the 124 homes that are active on the market)

The number of homes on the market is actually down significantly from some of the peaks that we saw in inventory in 2009 -2010. The number of re-sale properties actually spiked to the low 200’s (ACTIVE resale on MLS)  so a number as low as 124 is really good.  Also consider that Ford’s Colony has over 2400 completed home sites which would equate to roughly 5% of the market for sale.

Ford’s Colony Parade of Homes Tour October 30 and 31!

Dont miss the FORD’S COLONY PARADE OF HOMES TOUR this weekend!

Ford's Colony Parade of Homes

Don’t miss the Parade of Homes this weekend October 30 from 10-3 and Sunday October 31 from 11-3. Liz Moore and Associates will have 15 fabulous homes open to tour. There will be refreshments provided as well as an opportunity to win a gift card to Opus 9.

Other brokerages may also have homes on tour so this should be a great opportunity to be able to view Ford’s Colony properties for sale.

In particular, don’t miss 112 Castel Pines (listed at $725,000) or 161 Southern Hills (listed at $425,000). They are both BEAUTIFUL homes that are sure to please!

Please stop by the John Pott Guardhouse or any of the featured properties above to get a map of all of the homes open. Open properties should be easily identified by balloons on the front of the homes. Please feel free to call me at 757.503.1999 or email me (deelyn@lizmoore.com) for more information or directions.

See you then!

Ford’s Colony Halloween Activities for kiddos and adults!

Just announced from the Ford’s Colony Home Owner’s Association:

“We’re holding Trunk-or-Treat, also known as Tailgate Trick-or-Treat. A group of Ford’s Colony residents will gather their Halloween-decorated vehicles in the parking lot at the Swim & Tennis Club, from 5 pm to 6 pm on Sunday, October 31st, Halloween Night. The event will be held whether it rains or shines.
Trick-or-treaters, pre-school through 8th grade, can move from car to car to show off their costumes and collect treats (instead of, or in addition to, going house-to-house to Trick-or-Treat). There will be designated parking for the families attending.
Whether it’s the trunk of a car that looks like an Autumn Harvest, the back of a van decorated as a vampire’s lair, or a pickup truck with a mobile pumpkin patch on it, you can decorate your vehicle with a little imagination. Festive costumes are optional.
This activity is designed to promote our community’s spirit and to provide a safe Halloween activity for our kids, under adult supervision.
Volunteers are still needed and welcomed to ensure the success of this family-oriented activity. If you would like to volunteer by decorating your vehicle, or to hand out candy, please contact Jim Hamilton at jhamilton.newcomers@cox.net or at 220-8607 for further instructions. You can place your individually wrapped candy or your donation into the decorated boxes in the lobby of the S & T Club.”

Looks like a great activity! Thanks to all who are volunteering to make this a fun night.

Ford’s Colony Foreclosure Sales over the past year

Today, it seems that almost everyone is expecting a ‘deal’- a great deal. Sometimes the bank owned foreclosed properties can be a good buy. Most times they need tons of work (and money). The deals are certainly there, however, the properties don’t have to be bank-owned to get them.

What percentage of Ford’s Colony sales have been bank-owned over the past year? There have been 70 closed sales in the past 12 months. Of those, 7 were detailed as bank-owned properties. Exactly 10% of the sales in Ford’s Colony in the past 12 months were foreclosures. Certainly higher than in times past, but, much lower than the most recent statistic from Realty Trac that indicates that foreclosed properties make up 24.17 percent of all sales nationwide.

The Ford’s Colony Country Club and it’s recovery

All parties involved in the Ford’s Colony Country Club Bankruptcy proceedings will report back to the Norfolk Bankruptcy Court on November 4, 2010 after a little over a 30 day mediation period. The parties last met at the end of September and the Judge hearing the case requested that parties consider mediation to avoid the process becoming further bogged down in legal processes. Club manager Steve Dreybus stated “we believe that our financial and operational plan is sound, viable, and in the best long-term interest of our membership and the property owners living in Ford’s Colony. It is important that our members stay involved and work through the Creditor’s Committee to ensure that your voices are heard and your interests are protected.” The ultimate goal, of course, is to secure a formal plan of reorganization. Once that has been determined then creditors can vote upon the plan. This has surely been a painful process for the Country Club and it’s members. The good news is that the Club and it’s creditors are working through the mediation process and will hopefully come to a resolution as to the best way to pull the Club out of the quagmire. As far as the neighborhood is concerned, it is surely important to distinguish the Ford’s Colony Home Owner’s Association from the Country Club. Unlike our neighbors in Governor’s Land, there is no mandatory social country club membership. The two groups (FCHOA and FC Country Club) certainly have some duplicate members, but the majority of homeowners in FC do not belong to the Country Club. For prospective residents the distinction is an important one.
The most important point to make is that of the “Big 3” gated and golf course communities in Williamsburg not one has been without an ‘issue’ of some sort over the last 12 months. Kingsmill has dealt with the uncertainties of the In-Bev acquisition of Anheuser-Busch and what will surely be the subsequent sale of the neighborhood. Governor’s Land has faced issues with their mandatory social country club membership and the dues associated with the membership. What to expect? A failure on the part of the Country Club benefits no one. Let’s hope that a prior statement made by Mr. Dreybus will hold true: “As mentioned in past updates, the Club and Prudential were close to an agreement at the outset of this process.” If they were close to an agreement at the outset, then surely an agreement can be reached during this mediation process that will allow for the Club to recover- in the best interests of the Club’s members and its creditors as well as the neighborhood as a whole.

Ford’s Colony neighborhood yard sale!

Ever been to a Ford’s Colony yard sale? Even better, have you ever participated in the Ford’s Colony yard sale? I have had the pleasure of doing both and it can be a lot of fun. You can simplify your life a bit by selling some of your treasures( dust collectors?). Yard sales can be fun whether you are on ‘the hunt’ or you are on a mission to de-clutter!

 The Ford’s Colony Yard Sale will be October 16th at the Historic Triangle Community Center on Waller Mill road if there are enough folks interested in participating. If you have an interest, residents are asked to submit  a check for $20 per table/chairs to the John Pott guardhouse in a self-addressed envelope no later than September 15 th. Please make the check payable to Phyllis Eastman.  If there are not enough participants your check will be returned.   As soon as enough residents have committed to participating, then the building will be rented and your check will be non-refundable. The  directions and table assignments will be posted at the Swim and Tennis Club by September 30. Please do email if you have an interest  reastman2003@verizon.net or call 258-1198.

What is the inventory in Ford’s Colony today?(What’s for sale?)

A beautiful Southern Living design on the 10th Fairway of the Blue Heron

As of today Tuesday, August 10, 2010, there are 122 single family homes for sale in the neighborhood. (This does not include lots, townhomes, or condos.) There is a price range from $349,900-$2,950,000. (Note- There are 2 homes in The Colony at that exact same  price of $2,950,000).

The breakdown on the 122 homes:

Price ranges:

$349,900-$400,000 – 9 homes listed
$401,000-$600,000 – 59 homes listed
$601,000-$800,000 – 31 homes listed
$801,000-$900,000 – 8 homes listed
$901,000-$1,000,000 -3 homes listed
$1,001,000-$2,000,000 -11 homes listed
And finally there are 2 homes priced at exactly $2,950,000

Those under contract? There are currently 9 (nine) homes under contract. Those range in price from $354,900- $584,000. The lower priced home at $354,900 is a foreclosure on Walton Heath.

The Ford’s Colony Newsletter- The Talk of the Colony

Thinking of moving to Ford’s Colony or just want to stay on top of what is going on in the neighborhood? The Talk of the Colony is a monthly newsletter that is distributed to all homeowners at the first of each month. The Newsletter is extraordinarily well done. In it you can find the latest information and news that you need to know.

The latest Talk of the Colony contains information about a ‘trial’ run of Wi-Fi at the pools. If you like the idea of the Wi-Fi at the pools you are encouraged to send your comments to the Board of Directors as well as the Technology committee. The network name is “FCHOA”. This is a great idea. I do hope that the ‘trial’ takes off and the wi-fi at the pools (both of them) continues.

There is also great information about the Swim and Tennis Club refurbishment:

The S&T Club refurbishment – It is underway and much dust has risen as the workers rip out the old ceiling, wallpaper, and lighting fixtures. Not to mention the work being done in the kitchen – new ovens, sink, faucet, counter tops, cabinet doors, and ice storage bin. It was certainly time for the renewal and we are incorporating more frequent funding into the capital reserve budget so that face-lifting may be done every ten years and an overhaul every 20. Seems the current heavy usage dictates a more programmed schedule that anticipates the needed renewals and we will plan that way in the future.

There is much more useful information on all clubs and their activities and meeting dates. Please check out the link below that will send you to a PDF of the August issue of The Talk of The Colony.

August2010ToC

How many homes ARE there in Ford’s Colony?

An example of a beautiful and established home in Ford's Colony
At the latest count at the end of July 2010 the numbers are as follows:

Single family homes: 2238
Townhomes: 80
Eaglescliff condos: 12

This totals 2330 properties currently completed (and hopefully occupied)

There are currently 31 units under construction and an additional 12 townhome units in Eaglescliff under construction.

There were 3 “New Starts” (brand new construction) that applied and were approved to begin building.

So what REALLY is happening in Ford’s Colony Real Estate?

I hosted a seminar recently in Fords’ Colony that covered the most recent sales trends in Ford’s Colony. Home sales and home prices are always interesting and very useful information. Taken with a grain a salt, checking recent sales and comparing properties is as close as you can get to a “quarterly statement” on what could be your largest investment : your home. It is funny as I always hear people saying that they think that they are being “nosy” when they are curious as to what their neighbor’s home sold for, when in truth, you really should know the values around you. While you may not being selling your home right now, knowing the value of your home is just as important as knowing the value of your stocks/bonds or money market funds. The values of all certainly fluctuate but it is always good to know where you stand. 

  In our little corner of the world we have several items to contend with: the general state of the economy and housing, the end of the government tax credits and, finally, more specific to Ford’s Colony is the announcement on April 3, 2010 that the country club had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. I always emphasize that the country club and the home owners association of Ford’s Colony are two VERY DIFFERENT and UNIQUE entities.  The HOA in Ford’s Colony is alive and well and functioning as a very strong and healthy congruent group. 

 I took sales in Ford’s Colony for the prior 12 months (June 2009- June 2010) and studied  what had sold, how much had sold and compared those sales prices to  the assessed values.( I always tell folks that assessed value and market value are two different animals, however, it is useful to see how those two figures compare.) SO for purposes of not getting too long on evaluating numbers, I will divide my findings into a couple of blog posts. There are few folks that enjoy looking at numbers we all just want the bottom line! 

Grits and Grasshoppers:   

So the first question how were sales during the past 12 months and what was the impact on sales from the April 3 country club bankruptcy filing?   

 The months supply of inventory in FC went from 28.8 months of inventory to 24.8 months of inventory in 2010. So- while not a fun number to see 2010 IS better than 2009. Here is the most interesting statistic from the Months Supply of Inventory: during the month of April 2010, the months supply of inventory declined to 11.4 and then in May 2010 it declined to 10.5. In April there were 12 homes that went under contract and in May there were also 12 homes that went under contract. June saw a huge drop to 5 homes under contract. Those are VERY important numbers as the country club announcement of the bankruptcy protection plan was made on April 3! The numbers immediately following that announcement were the best of the entire 12 month time period. We do have to consider the tax credit stimulus during those months also which, in the short-term anyway, certainly gave a jolt of energy to sales. The tax credit ended April 30,2010. Home buyers had to be under contract by the end of April to qualify. We saw a lot of buyers rushing at the end of the month to be under contract which resulted in a ‘trickle around’ effect in May as those month-end April sellers then became our May buyers.

 Bottom line? Sales seem to be more affected by the TAX credit ending versus any perceived issues with the country club. This is good news in and of itself.   

 NEXT BLOG: ASSESSED VALUE TO SALES VALUES in Ford’s Colony    

 For more information here are the charts for you:     

Homes under contract June 2009 to June 2010 The graph is difficult to read: it does show the trend of sales over the 12 month time period. Inventory declined (albeit slightly) year over year.  

  NEXT BLOG:ASSESSED VALUES TO SALES VALUES in Ford’s Colony

For more information on Ford’s Colony and other neighborhoods in Williamsburg, VA., please visit my website at www.PremierWilliamsburgRealEstate.com

Neighborhood info on Ford’s Colony, Williamsburg ,VA.

Ford’s Colony is a beautiful gated and golf community that is centrally located in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is a popular community with about 5000 residents and nearly 2,500 homes. By the time the community is completely established there will be more than 7,000 residents living in 3,250 homes, condos and townhouses all encompassed on 3000 acres. The neighborhood  is situated along winding roads that weave in and around three 18 hole championship golf courses all designed by Dan Maples. Other amenities include two Olympic-sized swimming pools (one with a zero depth entry) , a swim and tennis clubhouse,  hard and clay tennis courts, a nature trail, play ground areas, biking and miles of walking paths.

The community is known for its rolling topography and abundance of trees, ponds, and wetlands. There is a strict “Environmental Control Committee” that works to not only maintain the integrity of the homes that are built but also to maintain the trees and green spaces on lots as homes are being built. This ensures that there is no ‘clear cutting’ and the natural beauty of the neighborhood is sustained.                            

Ford’s Colony is known for its very active homeowner’s association that sponsors a multitude of social clubs and activities. (Forty clubs at last count!) There is bound to be a club or interest group for just about everyone. Examples of some of the clubs include: many bridge groups, Colony Wine & Dine, Chess Club, bowling, Colony Kids, Afternoon Artists, Pilates Group, photography, travel club, mah jongg, fly fishing, Tai Chi, Model railroad club, theater club, swim team, and the list goes on! There is a club or group that has been started for just about every hobby/interest.               

The mission statement for the Ford’s Colony Homeowners

The bridge at the Williamsburg West Pond

Association at Williamsburg: “To support the interests of its members; to preserve and enhance residents’ quality of life, property values and the natural environment; and to operate the Association’s services in a cost-effective manner.”

As a 14 year resident of Ford’s Colony, the HOA is very successful in accomplishing their mission.

For information on homes for sale in Ford’s Colony please click here.

Please check my website for more information.