Blog | Jenkins Real Estate Group

Chuck Jenkins Sponsors Shrimp Festival

Once again, Chuck Jenkins is proud to be a platinum sponsor of the 2017 Shrimp Festival. This is a great family event hosted by the Cold Harbor Ruritan. All proceeds from the Shrimp Festival support a variety of local organizations, including Special Olympics, The Hanover Adult Center, Mechanicsville Fire and Rescue, food closets for area churches, park and school cleanup programs, three scholarships for local high school students, and much more.

Below we’ve posted an interview with Bill Bevins from Star 100.9. This event took place on May 2, 2017 and features Keith Rigsby, Chairman of the 2017 Shrimp Festival and our very own Chuck Jenkins. If you’d like to help our community by becoming a Shrimp Festival Sponsor, or donating your time, money, or services, please contact Keith Rigsby through the Cold Harbor Ruritan Facebook page.

Be sure to watch the entire video so you can see how you can enter a local hero to win one of 8 sets of tickets we’ll be giving away starting Monday, May 8, 2017, or click here for more info.

Long & Foster Participates in Toys for Tots

Long & Foster Real Estate, the largest independent residential real estate company in the United States, is once again participating in the U.S. Marine Corps’s annual Toys for Tots program. 2016 marks the 24th year we’ve contributed to this important and worthwhile campaign. Over the years, Long & Foster offices across the Mid-Atlantic have collected thousands of toys.

“For more than two decades, Long & Foster and its affiliated businesses have remained committed to helping provide a better holiday season to children in need within our local communities,” said P. Wesley (Wes) Foster, Jr., chairman of The Long & Foster Companies. “We take great pride in being able to once again assist this worthy cause and to help give the needy children in our communities a happier holiday.”

All toys that are collected and presented to the U.S. Marines, are distributed through churches and social welfare agencies to the neediest children in the community. Founded in 1947, the Toys for Tots campaign is an annual toy collecting drive that reaches all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. In 2013, the Toys for Tots campaign distributed more than 16.8 million toys to nearly 7 million children.

“Giving back to the various communities in which we live and work is a top priority for all employees and real estate professionals within Long & Foster, and that’s why we participate in the Toys for Tots drive year after year,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and chief operating officer of The Long & Foster Companies. “The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve has built a tremendous program with Toys for Tots, and our employees, agents and their clients appreciate—and enjoy—the opportunity to share the holiday spirit with children who might not receive anything otherwise.”

Drop Off Location
Long & Foster Hanover
6150 Mechanicsville Turnpike
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
804.746.1850

For more information, and to find out how you can help, please visit www.toysfortots.org.

Proudly Supporting Susan G. Komen

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This month, we’ve added a splash of pink to our print and online ads to recognize the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the wonderful work they’re doing to help women everywhere. To support their efforts, we’re donating $250 for every home we list in October. To find out more, call us today at 804.397.9389.

Hanover Supervisors Approve Indoor Sports Complex

Plans for a 27.5-acre sports park that will include several ball fields and a two-story indoor complex received approval in Hanover County last Wednesday.

The county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously granted the permit needed for the sprawling venue called RVA Sports Park that would be located on the western side of Lakeridge Parkway near Marvin Lane. The venue, which will host regional tournaments and league games, is expected to attract 400,000 annual visits, according to the projects developers.

I hope this project works because its a benefit to the community, board Chairman Aubrey M. Bucky Stanley said before the vote.

The sports park will have three outdoor turf fields for baseball and softball, in addition to an 86,000-square-foot indoor training complex that will include a weights room and space for basketball, volleyball and hockey, as well as an indoor restaurant.

Buffers between 20 and 40 feet are planned around the northern and western borders of the facility.

Scott Courtney, vice president of land development at Resource International Ltd., represented RVA Sports Park and indicated the developer would readily abide by most recommendations from the Planning Commission, including eliminating a fourth baseball field that was detailed in earlier plans.

But he pushed back on the hours of operation for both the indoor facility and baseball fields recommended by the planners.

He asked the supervisors to allow the sports complex to do away with set hours for the indoor building and requested that the hours of operation for the fields be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., which would have the fields open and close an hour later than suggested by the Planning Commission. The supervisors accepted those suggestions.

The five people who objected to the project shared grievances about the hours of operation for the baseball fields as well as lighting. They were equaled in number by people who favored the project, including Tracy Woodson, head coach of University of Richmond’s baseball team, who said the facility could be an economic driver.

River Mills

The Henrico County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a 250-acre residential development west of Virginia Center Commons in the Fairfield District. Construction is slated to begin in 2017.

HHHunt Communities plans to build 450 single-family homes, 300 town houses and 285 apartments in what it is calling River Mill. According to documents, homes are expected to start at $340,000, but houses on 80-foot-wide lots along the Chickahominy River will begin at $420,000. Town houses will range from $240,000 to $290,000, and apartments will rent for $780 to $1,500 a month.

The project lies along the path of the planned four-lane extension of Woodman Road from Greenwood Road to J.E.B. Stuart Parkway. There will be a 7-foot fence and landscaping along the Magnolia Ridge subdivision’s common area across the Woodman Road extension, said James W. Theobald, an attorney representing HHHunt.

Roseneath Towers

Two 10-story mixed use apartment buildings are proposed; project’s
developer plans on transitioning units to condos for purchase down the
road.

The project, which would be constructed on an empty lot at Roseneath
Road and the terminus of West Clay Street and I-195 offramp, will likely
go before the planning commission in May, and Historic Housing LLC hopes
to break ground this summer if everything goes as planned. The two
approximately 100-foot buildings would be a stark contrast to the one-
to two-story buildings currently in the neighborhood, and would likely
need a Special Use Permit (SUP) for its height to be approved by city
planners. The tallest building in the Preserve at Scott’s Addition
development, which faces the project site to the south, is four stories
in height.

Salomonsky says the project will encompass 260 residential units that
will begin as rentals and could later be converted to condos for
purchase, ideally three to four years down the road. The timeline will
be dictated by market conditions and demand in the neighborhood, he said
during the presentation. Many of the units will feature built-in home
offices, and a multi-level parking garage would be constructed as part
of the project. Existing commercial buildings abutting the buildings to
the north would remain along West Leigh Street between Roseneath Road
and Belleville Street.

Winterfield Place Phase II

The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors opened the door for a new development in eastern Powhatan County that will create a new retail space, 22 single-family “golf villa” units and 200 apartments.

During its meeting on Monday, Feb. 1, the board voted unanimously to conditionally rezone about 50 acres of land near the intersection of Route 711 and Winterfield Road from Commercial and Residential-Utility to Village Center Planned Development District.

The applicant, Riverton Associates, plans to create a mixed-use development near the eastern county line that consists of a maximum 75,000-square-foot retail/commercial/office space, 22 single-family “golf villa” units and 200 apartments, March Altman, deputy county administrator, said.
After a lengthy discussion, the board voted unanimously to approve the conditional rezoning.

Casey Sowers, representing Riverton Associates, introduced the board to more of the specifics of the development his company is planning. The project, Winterfield Place Phase II, will be located near the existing Winterfield Place Phase I development and built on the success it has had there.

Riverton was responsible for the design and construction of the relocated Winterfield Road and the improvements and signalization of the intersection of Winterfield Road and Route 711, Sowers said.

Powhatan County adopted an updated comprehensive plan in 2010 and Riverton Associates is asking to coordinate the land use of its project with that plan, Sowers said.

The project will create the Founder’s Creek Court Extension, which will hold 22 new lots with two new open spaces acting as a transition zone between the new homes and existing homes, Sowers said. Although the new and old homes won’t look exactly alike, the group has created a harmonious architecture and design

The group actually planned an extension back in 2003, but at that time it expected to build 27 new lots, have no open green spaces and no transition between existing and new homes, he said.

The new homes will be built to existing golf villas architectural standards with a few exceptions, Sowers said. All yards and green areas that are to be maintained by association to be sodded and irrigated.

Tarwood Estates

Tarwood Estates is a small, wooded community located in Mechanicsville, Virginia. It features 14 private lots that range in size from 5 to 8.5 acres. Lots are priced from $139,950. We’re also offering custom homes from the low 450’s. Use your builder or one of ours.

Best of all, each lot is pre-wired with Comcast high-speed Internet. Plus, there are no HOA fees and all roads are state maintained. If you’re searching for a beautiful, private community surrounded by trees, a natural stream, and plenty of wildlife, you need to visit Tarwood Estates. View our community video below, then call Chuck Jenkins at 804.397.9389 for additional information and a personal tour.

Click here to see some of the lots available

Tarwood Estates
A hidden gem in the heart of Mechanicsville

Community Sitemap
Six families have already discovered Tarwood Estates, which means only 8 lots remain. Don’t wait for somebody else to purchase yours. Call Chuck Jenkins today at 804.397.9389.

Download a PDF of the Tarwood Estates Sitemap

Don’t Wait—Beat the Crowds and Buy This Winter

Now that the U.S. has regained its job-creation mojo, as the October employment report showed, the demand for housing is only going to grow.

After all, when people have jobs they can break off and form new households—ditching the roommates behind or finally moving out of Mom and Dad’s basement—and that’s what fundamentally drives home purchases.

Most of the households created over the past two years have been renting households, but based on U.S. Census data for the third quarter of this year, it appears that homeownership has started to recover.

This especially makes sense now that it is cheaper to own than rent in more than three-quarters of the counties in the U.S. And it’s not getting better— rents are rising year over year at twice the pace of listing prices. Meanwhile, mortgage rates remain at near record lows but appear poised to increase over the next year. And home prices are rising, too.

So if you qualify for a mortgage and have the funds for a down payment and closing costs—and if you intend to live in a home long enough to cover the transaction costs of buying and selling—you will be better off financially if you buy as soon as you can. After all, if you are tired of your current home now, you won’t feel better about it in six months.

The top factors driving home shoppers this summer were pent-up demand and recognition of favorable mortgage rates and home prices. These drivers will likely remain well into next year.

Yet demand for housing is extremely seasonal. In most markets in the country, we are conditioned to believe that we should buy homes in the spring and summer. So come each October, plans to purchase shift to the spring. While the school calendar and weather do influence the ideal time to move, many buyers would benefit from buying this fall and winter rather than waiting until next spring.

In October, the percentage of would-be buyers on realtor.com® saying that they intend to buy in seven to 12 months was the highest it has been all year and represented the largest time frame for purchase. Likewise, October produced the lowest percentage of would-be buyers saying they intend to buy in the next three months.

In other words, people’s stated plans point to a very strong spring for home sales. Great, right? But here’s the problem: Inventory isn’t likely to be higher in March and April than it is now. And while inventory should grow in late spring and into summer, it won’t grow as fast as the seasonal demand.

So, if you are ready, consider getting in the market now instead of early spring. You will have more choices and less competition, and you can lock in today’s rates rather than risk rates being 25 to 50 basis points higher. (A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.)

A 50 basis-point increase in rates (for example, from 4.05% to 4.55%) would cause monthly payments to be 6% higher. And that increase would not only affect your monthly cash flow but could also affect your ability to qualify.

So if you are considering buying a home this spring, it’s worth exploring the inventory now and reaching out to a local Realtor®. A new home could be the best gift you give yourself and your family this holiday season.

Americans Are Getting Happy About Housing Again

The soaring prices of real estate in some parts of the country don’t have Americans down. In fact, the current real estate market has them pretty darn upbeat. The 2015 National Housing Pulse Survey by the National Association of Realtors® found that 68% of Americans surveyed in the country’s 50 largest metropolitan areas think now’s a good time to get a hold of some real estate. “Owning is cool again,” said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of realtor.com®.

Indeed, homeowners are apparently a confident bunch: 71% think they can sell their house for the amount that they paid for it—and only 55% thought so in 2013.

“It’s a good time to buy—for real,” Smoke said. “Sure, prices have largely recovered and rates are up slightly, so homes aren’t quite as affordable as they were a few years back.” However, he pointed out that many households are now in a better position to buy than they were in 2013—thanks to lower unemployment, better household balance sheets, and slightly easier credit.

Perhaps that’s why 49% of poll respondents believe that activity in the housing market has increased in the past year, compared with 44% in 2013—and just 12% in the dark period of 2011. Some 89% think home sales in their area will either stay at their current height or rise some more, and few are concerned about foreclosures.