Despite the cold, many members of the Community attended the dedication. Speeches were made by past President Charlie Brewster and Royce Decker. Betsy Ziskind unveiled the commemorative plaque and the family planted

flowers around the butterfly garden.

The Butterfly Garden ready for the Dedication

Some of our residents at the Dedication

Royce Decker speaking

Plaque unveiling by Betsy Ziskind

Betsy Ziskind and family

Family Planting Flowers around the garden

VAGazette Saturday November 22nd 2008

Two reasons for the still relatively slow market in resale homes is the existence of the 35 new home sites in the greater Williamsburg area. You can check them out on the new construction page at www.retiringinwilliamsburg.com. The second is the inability of out-of-area buyers to sell their current home at their current location. Although good news from Northern Virginia, a source of buyers for our area, indicates that their residential market is improving. "MRIS MLS data shows Prince William County and its jurisdictions posting the largest area increase with September contracts of 1,285 as compared to only 370 last September. Contracts in Fairfax County and localities were up by 60% with 1,780 Sept. 08 units as compared to 1,110 a year ago. The upward trend for home sales in the region began in April with the number of new contracts written exceeding 2007 for same month sales in 5 of the last 6 months."

To sell your home today you have to price it smart, make it look irresistible, and market hard. If you are thinking of selling your home, I would be happy to provide a free Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), a report that compares your home to similar homes that have recently sold or currently are on the market. Free reports to improve your home's appeal to buyers are available on my website. These include: 29 Tips for Selling Your Home Faster; 450 Ideas to Help Your Home Sell Faster; and Seven Selling Mistakes You Don't Want To Make. To see how I maximize the market exposure of my client's property to include all sources of first contact for home buyers, check out the "About Rolf" page at www.rolfkramer.net.

Rolf Kramer

Oh, By The Way^TM... If you come across someone who is thinking about moving or buying or selling a home, and would appreciate the professional level of service and personal attention that I provide, I'd love to help them. Just call me with their name and number. I will be happy to follow-up and take care of their real estate needs.

A New Marketing Technology for Home Sellers

84% of buyers search for homes on the Internet*.

60% of buyers find the home they purchase on the Internet or through a real estate agent*.

*From surveys conducted by the National Association of REALTORS®

For my home sellers, I now offer narrated, room-by-room, full-motion home video tours

Video tours are a newly available technology to promote and exhibit homes on the Internet, and in Multiple Listing Services (MLS) used by real estate agents.

Compare my new full-motion videos to those older fishbowl virtual tours using still pictures!

Check out my current full-motion home video tours at www.rolfkramer.net. Click on "Featured Listings", then click on a listing's "Virtual Tour"

Lake Powell Forest Real Estate Update October 2008

Lake Powell Forest

Current Market Information*

Legend: Resales (grey shading); New Construction (no shading).

Greater Williamsburg Residential Real Estate*

You will need Adobe Flash Player to play the slides, which is installed, by default, on most computers. 

(I apologise for some file formatting errors that have crept into this presentation. They are not in the original)

There will be a public workshop at Legacy Hall, 4301 New Town Avenue, New Town

between 7pm and 9pm Monday, October 27th, 2008.

From the JCC Web Site

  The purpose of this Airport Feasibility Study is to determine the demand for aviation services and the alternatives available to serve this demand in the James City County area.

1. Determine aviation demand for a General Aviation-Community Airport (as defined by the Virginia Department of Aviation [DOAV]);
2. Identify and catalog all costs required to meet FAA standards for a community airport;
   Based on data collected above,
3. Determine the cost vs. benefit of public ownership of the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport;
4. Determine the economic cost vs. benefit to the surrounding communities (James City County, York County, Williamsburg) of public ownership of a community airport;
5. Examine a Status Quo alternative (private owner), local acquisition of existing Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport alternative, utilization of other existing facilities alternative, and a green field site alternative;

Click here for the JCC Airport Topographic map (3.4mb pdf file)

You will need to login to read the newsletters. See previous newsletters for the login and password.

[Butterfly in the Butterfly Garden - 2008-09-12]

If you have a moment to sit on the bench and stay still, your patience

will be well rewarded with a variety of butterflies attracted by the scents of the various plants.

[Butterfly Garden]

[One of the plants in the garden]

The latest newsletter is available under the newsletter category (Look down the right hand side

 for "Categories" and click on "Newsletters")

You will need to login to read the newsletters. See previous newsletters for the login and password. 

SUNDAY
June 29, 2008
1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Visit 5 Diverse Farm Businesses

Meet the Farm Families and learn about Agriculture in your Community

(From James City County FYI)

Michelle and Randy Gulden

125 Camp Road

Toano, VA 23168

(757) 566-4803

Vegetable farm, flowers, CSA, Community Supported Agriculture

Randy Gulden and his wife Michele have operated KelRae farm since 2002. Randy's great uncle Buck Hazelwood owned and farmed 88 acres and when he died Randy and Michele decided to take over the farm operation. Today they farm 25 acres growing 30 to 40 types of vegetables including a variety of sunflowers. They named their farm after two of their three daughters, Kelsey and Rachel. KelRae Farm sells produce at the Williamsburg Farmers' Market and also operates a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) which is way for consumers to purchase a yearly subscription to the farm that entitles them to a weekly share of the farm produce. Bring the family we'll have a hay rides, face painting and bubble station for the kids.

Hidden Brook Farm

Jim and Wanda Hill

100 Skillman Drive

Toano, VA 23168

(757) 566-1052

(Jim Cell) 757 871-4739

Website: www.angelfire.com/va2/hbfarm/

Hidden Brook Farm is a 10 acre farm operated by the Hill family. We purchased it in 1985. We have always enjoyed growing fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. In the last two years we have expanded to 15 acres of produce by renting neighboring farms. We grow raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, several varieties of tomatoes, summer and winter squash, cantaloupes, watermelons, sweet corn, pumpkins, gourds and other vegetables. Also cut flowers. The farm is also home to a wide and fascinating variety of show hens and roosters including the rare Dominick variety and Old English bantams. We also have honeybee hives to help pollinate our crops. Suzie and Cinnamon our two quarter horses, will also greet you.

New Kent County

New Kent Cooperative Extension Office

Paul Davis, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent

Leanne DuBois, Horticulture Agent

Shelly Howland, 4H Agent

Mary Mills, Administrative Assistant

4301 B. Olivet Church Rd.

Providence Forge, VA 23140

(804) 966-9645

The New Kent Extension office has been organizing the Taking Root Farm Tour since 2003. Extension brings researched based knowledge from Virginia Tech to the community and focuses on Agriculture and Natural resources, 4H youth development and Family and Consumer Science. The New Kent Extension office is located on the previously operated Southern States Research Farm. The stop will showcase an Organic Raised Bed Demonstration Garden, Turf Panel display including Zoysia, Bermuda and Fescue varieties, trickle irrigation demonstration, wildflower meadow riparian buffer, high tech farm equipment, Ask the Master Gardeners booth, soil sample and urban landscape information. Learn about the local Extension Office how they service the community.

Charles City County

Clearview Farm Alpaca

Richard and Sandra Carter

8080 Kips Creek Drive

Charles City, VA 23030

(804) 829-5092

Email: clearviewfarm [at] wildblue.net

Website: www.clearviewfarmalpacas.com

Clearview Farm Alpacas have been breeders of registered huacaya alpacas for nine years. We are a full service farm, offering quality breeding stock, herdsire services, boarding and alpaca products. Just last year, Clearview won over 62 show ribbons and 10 championships, reflecting the quality of their breeding program and placing them among the top breeders in the US. Alpacas are gentle curious creatures that produce one of the best fibers of any animal in the world. Alpacas are gentle on the land and have become one of the best livestock investments to have. The alpaca industry is bringing the family back home to the farm. Come for a visit and see the new babies and get an alpaca hug or kiss.

Sandy Fields Farm

Briscoe and Kenan White

11110 Sandy Fields Road

Charles City, VA 23030

(804) 829-6201

Email: bwhite [at] thegrowers-exchange.com

Website: www.thegrowers-exchange.com

Sandy Fields Farm is the original Weyanoke Plantation and sits on the shores of the James River. The Dock was a historic public dock in sailing and steamship days. This farm has been in Kenan's family for three generation. In 1985, The Growers Exchange opened in an abandoned Texaco station on a busy urban street corner in Richmond, Virginia. In order for us to control the diversity and quality of the plants we offered, we needed to grow our own so in 1987, we moved our operation to Sandy Fields Farm. In the last three years we have remade ourselves into The Growers Exchange.com an online garden center, catering to gardeners in 48 states. We planted a new orchard this year and plan to sell fruit to grocery stores and local farmers markets in the near future. We currently have 5 distinct growing environments with 1.5 acres under cover. We spent twenty years growing an environment within the store and the community that encouraged an exchange of plant and gardening information. It is exciting to be able to share the best we grow with such a large and diverse market. We also raise pheasants, quail, partridges and Dexter cattle.

Sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension, New Kent County and the JCC/NK/

Williamsburg Master Gardener Assoc. Call (804) 966-9645 for a map and more information or visit www.jccwmg.org

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Leanne DuBois at (804) 966-9645 during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event.*TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Extension is joint program of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state and local governments. Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Click here to download the update flier

LPF Real Estated Update - June 2008, download link (600KB pdf file)