About Botetourt County, VA

The Linkenhoker home-place, in historic Botetourt County, Virginia combines the charm of the Old South with one of the most beautiful settings to be found anywhere. Since colonial times, it's rolling fields lush in bluegrass, it's cropland and forested areas, it's bubbling brooks and bold spring have produced the necessities of life for generations of our forefathers. And today the well groomed acres attest to years of hard work and loving care. The farmland now belongs to The Peter P. Slovinsky family. The home-place was lovingly restored by the home's previous owners. Only due to a job transfer is this home now being offered for sale.

The key living areas of this home have been staged to sell by Shows Great Home Staging.

For More Details and Photos Please go to http://www.historicbotetourt.com

This home is presented for sale by Wanda Richards of Long & Foster - North Office.

I recently had an opportunity to travel the Botetourt County Wine Trail. It is a bit short, consisting of just 3 vineyards, but the experiences presented by each are quality and worthwhile. Each is unique and offers a fair variety of wines, some award winners among them. I will refrain from critiquing the wines as I have a love of wine but I am no expert in the general public's palate preferences. The three vineyards in Botetourt as as follows, in no particular order: Fincastle Vineyard & Winery, Virginia Mountain Vineyards and Blue Ridge Vineyard.

As of today, Friday 11/7, there are 1413 active residential real estate listings in Roanoke and Roanoke County. In all, the entire Roanoke Valley has 3938 homes available. Keep in mind that this figure does not include commercial, farm, land or multi-family homes. If this is not a buyers' market, then there never was one!

The problem is, it seems that everyone is afraid to make the commitment to purchase a home. In short, my advice on that issue is this: If you have stable employment, I mean if you really feel certain that there is no risk of losing your job and in the event that you did, you would be able to find comparable employment quickly - then this is your opportunity to take advantage of a down market. Buy now if you can! I believe that, nationwide, if every american in that situation would act and purchase, home prices would quickly begin to rise and our economy could be recued from its' impending doom.

Think about it. That is "stimulus package" we need - and positive media could accomplish that!

This well built brick rancher is located in the historic town of Fincastle, Virginia and has been completed refurbished and provides all new mechanical components and fixtures. Gleaming hardwood floors, new kitchen and baths, fresh paint and so much more. This is one home you will want to see.

This home has been staged by Shows Great Home Staging.

Click here to view Real Estate Show >

For More Details Please Contact Listing Agent Wanda Richards of Long & Foster Real Estate

MOMO PLAY: A slang term used to describe an investment purely as a momentum play, not worrying about the company's fundamentals.

MOMO is a word I am going to use here in Real Estate also. It's a combination of two words - Modern Momentum. It describes what people do when they see activity has picked up. Problem with that is everyone else has already gotten on the boat, and now you're really buying into a deal that's likely marked-up higher than when you could have gotten in just recently.

As an investor (in Stocks and Real Estate), I see this happen all the time. It doesn't matter what kind of market we're having, because there are always good sectors and bad sectors in any given time. An example would be Alternative Energy stocks dizzily escalating up in a down market.

In Real Estate, there may be a down market in certain locations, a depressed market in other locations, and a healthy market in yet another.

In the Greater Roanoke Valley, as Realtor Association statistics of sales have been showing (and from a query that any Realtor can pull up in their MLS software to get particulars), sales are not consistent with down-market reports of harder hit areas around the United States. You cannot compare Roanoke to the Cleveland area. (Upon edit, a message from Stan at Realty One in Cleveland who comments that sales in some areas of Cleveland are doing as well as Roanoke - PLEASE TAKE NOTE, and I apologize for any misrepresentation.)

So when should you buy if you live in or want to live in Roanoke? Now is the time. Spring 2008.

If even a jump of 10-15% in sales volume hits this summer, you could be running into the MOMO problem. And that means prices have hit bottom, momentum will start, home values begin to increase. Does it make sense with gasoline at $3.85 a gallon? Yes. People can drive less, people can shop more cost-effectively at the grocery store, people can do without frilly gadgets, but they have to live somewhere.

Renters can still get into homes cheaper, and there are a few mortgage brokers who will work with various credit strength. Homeowners looking to upgrade can bargain with builders right now. Homeowners looking to downgrade can likely cash fund a smaller home - especially if they're moving to Roanoke from expensive areas of the country.

Supply and demand changes at intervals. The supply is good at this moment to support a buyers' market. The best homes priced to move will be gone first. The rest will adjust as a reaction... when business picks up, prices will adjust up. If you miss it, you will get caught in Modern Momentum when you decide that everyone's out buying a house now, so it must be a good time...