Posts Tagged ‘Eastern Shore Virginia real estate’

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Where In The World Is The Eastern Shore Of Virginia ???

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Virginia's Eastern Shore has a prime address- the corner of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean

One of the most frequent questions we get from people from out of the area who are responding to  our  ads  is  “Where exactly is the Eastern Shore of Virginia  ? ”   Mother Nature has  created this remarkable little  slice of the earth as a slender peninsula, bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean , on the west by the Chesapeake Bay,  to the north bordered by southern Maryland  with access to  mainland Virginia via the engineering marvels of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel complex   (  www.cbbt.com  ) .   Being at the corner of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean is  a truly primo address,  clearly.  But when we moved here  nearly twenty five years ago,  almost nobody I knew had ever heard of  the Eastern Shore of Virginia,  period– except people who lived here, obviously.  About twenty years ago Blue Heron Realty Co.  sponsored  a  “meet and greet”  booth at  the annual Homarama  builder show   in an effort to raise greater awareness  in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area of the real estate possibilities here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  It was funny,  in a sad sort of way— people would stop for a brochure and comment  that  they  had never heard of the Eastern Shore,  although  we are less than an hour away from almost anyplace in Virginia Beach or Norfolk.   That experience  and a few others  like it led us to write a little book  in 1989  (out of print now),  replete with lots of photographs,  about life and real estate on Virginia’s  Eastern Shore.  Back then the Shore was an extremely rural area and definitely not for everyone,  no shopping centers, almost no restaurants, no world class golf,  just exquisite waterfront property.  Having the book enabled us to lend out copies to people who were thinking of coming to look real estate so they could get a feel for the area,   in advance of making a trip,  see if it matched up with their needs,  contemplate whether or not this was an area for them. 

And now,  22 years later,  the Shore has changed a lot,  we have amenities galore.   But even in 2011,   many  people still have never heard of the Eastern Shore of Virginia  although they probably recognize the names of some of our little towns,   Cape Charles,  Onancock or Chincoteague  ( the Shore’s  great tourist area and home to the famous annual pony swim and auction   www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureid=711).  It’s easy to see where we are on the Eastern Seaboard from this  little map graphic– about 3 & 1/2 hours from Philadelphia, about 4 & 1/2 from most of New Jersey,  about 6 hours from New York City,  about 4 hours from the  Washington DC/Baltimore area,  1 & 1/2 hours from Williamsburg, 3 1/2  hours from Charlottesville and from Cape Charles,  less than a  1/2 hour from Virginia Beach and Norfolk.   Our area is really so close to a great many major metro areas– easy for friends and relatives to visit or  to visit them.   Better still,  not only is it easy to get here but when you live here it’s so easy to access wonderful events and attractions in other areas !   The Eastern Shore of Virginia is  “easy trip”  paradise.    Hankering for the mountains ?   Zip to Charlottesville.   Nordstrum’s having a big, big sale ?   Zip to McArthur Center in Norfolk.   Want to visit Capitol Hill,  the Library of Congress,  the amazing National Zoo or go to the annual National Book Festival  ?   Zip to Washington D.C. .   Annapolis Boat Show calling ?   Zip, zip.  Longing  to see Wicked on Broadway ?  Zip, zip, zip, pass go,  have dinner in Chinatown,  then on to the Great White Way.  Like State Fairs  ?   Zip to Richmond,  just 2 & 1/2 hours away.   You get the picture….    Virginia’s Eastern Shore  has a fabulous central location,  with easy access to and from some really great places.

  So  that’s  “Where In The World”   the Eastern Shore is located  — right in the middle of  many of  the good things of  life !

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Researching Historic Wellington House In “The Eastern Shore Room” At The Public Library In Accomac, Virginia

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

The Wellington House, A Historic Home For Sale

I had been doing  a little research for a customer  who is interested in an amazing  historic home Blue Heron Realty Co. has listed,  the main portion of which is believed to have been built in Colonial times,  possibly as early as the mid- 1700’s.  Named Wellington House, it’s a  beautiful historic brick home, very well preserved,  Flemish bond construction,  located on a wide saltwater inlet from the Chesapeake Bay near Nassawadox, Virginia.  ( For more info,  click on the Historic Homes listings on www.blueheronva.com )  The goal of the research was to glean additional detail  about its origins and history,  possibly even locate a very old photo, ( although a photo is always a lot to hope for) .     As part of the research process,  a trip to the  “Eastern Shore Room”  at the Accomac (main) branch of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Public Library system seemed in order.

The " Eastern Shore Room" At The Public Library In Accomac, Virginia

For anyone doing detailed research on the many historic homes and buildings located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore as well as general research and genealogical research,  the  “Eastern Shore Room”  is a treasure trove indeed.  A great many very old photos have been donated to the library,  including a collection of fine shots of historic buildings taken in the late 1800’s by Griffin Calahan,  most of  which  have been digitized so that  the  tap-tap of  a mouse will yield a copy to take home with you, no charge.  The library is also  the recipient of the papers from six of the main persons who have done genealogical abstracts here and it contains  all the Eastern Shore abstracts that have been complied as well.  Its  collection of  issues of  local newspapers stretches all the way back to 1881.   The “Eastern Shore Room'” as a separate space to house their burgeoning collections was established in 1976 and is the acknowledged best source,  possibly other than the Library of Virginia or the Library of Congress,  to research topics related to the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  A number of  singular items can be found here including  rare photos,  a very rare 1st edition of Sterling’s  “History of  Hog Island'”  and an original  map of   Cape Charles dating back to the time the town was founded, 1886.

Dr. Miles Barnes, Editor, "The Seashore Chronicles"

The curator of all these valuable and unique  papers is Dr. Miles Barnes.  I asked Dr. Barnes how long he had been with the library and was surprised to hear  “36 years” ,   as he looks so young.  ( I’m guessing his parents never had to wonder what he was going to be when he grew up,  having started at the library part time as a mere boy ! )  In partnership with the University of Virginia,  Dr. Barnes has published a fascinating project on  railroads and how they  transformed the Eastern Shore.   He  is also an editor of  a book about  the Virginia off-shore Barrier Islands entitled “The Seashore Chronicles”,  which I highly recommend as most interesting reading.  (  In fact,  it was so interesting I bought a copy as a gift for Eldest Daughter, who also loves historical books,  and asked him to sign it  for her. )   The library’s collection of Eastern Shore items has grown so substantially they can no longer be housed in the one room.  Like the Lone Ranger,  a  local bank,  Shore Bank , has come to the rescue of the library, ( whose current building is now over 45 years old ),  with the donation of five acres of land  adjacent to Shore Bank’s headquarters in Onley, a prime location.   Funds to construct  the planned new 30,000 sq. ft. building will be raised from private donations, grants and  from foundations.  ( Funds can be donated now to the Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation   www.friendsespl.org/ . )  Obviously this is an exciting time for Dr. Barnes and the “Eastern Shore Room” .  Because of  current space constraints,  parts of the collections are scattered now in five different locations within the library but can  be all pulled together in the new facility.  Then,  having talked his ear off and also having  been lucky enough to locate  a photo of  Wellington House taken in the late 1800’s  in the archives of the Calahan Collection,  ( which Dr. Barnes kindly not only printed but  copied the file to  a CD for me ),   it was goodbye,  you’re awesome,  see you again soon,  to the “Eastern Shore Room”.

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Start Your Coastal Lifestyle In This Like-New Condo At The Bay Creek Golf Resort In Cape Charles, Virginia Listed At Just $199,000

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Bay Creek Golf Resort's Private Beach For Residents And Guests Only

If you are thinking of  starting your coastal lifestyle with a care-free Virginia condo,   “The Fairways”  at  Bay Creek Golf Resort in Cape Charles, Virginia may be just the place for you.   With Fairways Condos’  prime location  within the Resort,  just a hop, skip and jump from its  gorgeous  sand beaches or the clubhouse and within walking distance  to the tennis courts and swimming pools,   you could be enjoying the many great Bay Creek amenities without giving a  thought to lawn mowing,  leaf bagging,  landscape watering or unclogging the  blasted gutters !  Nestled between the up-scale single- family home villages of Plantation Pointe  located on Old Plantation inlet  and  Heron Pointe located along the Chesapeake Bay,  The Fairways Condominiums are a great opportunity to enjoy a vacation home,  retirement home or full-time living  without any responsibility for the actual maintenance outside your own four walls,  the  popular condo  “Lock It and Leave It”  concept.

Arnold Palmer Hole # 1, Overlooking The Chesapeake Bay And The Lighthouse At Bay Creek Golf Resort

And did I mention the exciting  Bay Creek waterfront golf,  the Arnold Palmer 18 hole Signature course  and its companion course,  the 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Signature  course,  listed by  Golf Week, Golf World and Golf Digest  as among the top US courses ?  A Fairways  condo is also a great way to begin Living Green and enjoying  the  “Golf Cart Life”.  In Cape Charles,  this  includes not only the cart paths within the  Bay Creek  community but also the town itself as Cape Charles is one of the very few towns in Virginia where electric golf carts are street-legal.   “Park the Car,  Use the Cart”  is the watch word of many residents– zip on over to the Marina,  zip to Aqua’s for lunch,  zip to Rayfield’s Pharmacy to pick up your prescription and maybe grab a milkshake at their old-fashioned soda fountain,  zip to Sullivan’s for some office supplies,  zip to Cape Charles Medical Center for an appointment with much loved Doc  Dalessio,  zip to Stage Door Gallery to see their latest art exhibits,  zip to Kelly’s Pub for a carry-out of their delicious  Fish&Chips dinner,  zip, zip, zip– no gas, no oil, no fumes,  just the quiet and relaxed electric  Cart Life.

Looking Across Lake To Fairways Condos

You can acquire this great Beach-Golf-Marina-Pool-Tennis-Clubhouse-Cart Life-Coastal Lifestyle  with this  3 bedroom, 2  bath condo listed at just $199,000, making it the most attractively priced condo at The Fairways.  In excellent condition,  this spacious 1500 sq. ft. home with 2 car garage features an open and airy floor plan.  Numerous upgrades including  fireplace,  corian counters, etc.  Being sold fully furnished,  just walk right in, sit right down, this condo truly is a terrific buy.  And as an added bonus,  with a purchase now you will be there  in time to enjoy the spring beauty of the incredible  landscaping installed throughout  Bay Creek Golf  Resort.   Featuring  literally thousands of  flowering plants and bulbs including camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, primroses, columbine, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths,  all of which  will  be putting on their showiest show of the year,  the Bay Creek Spring Bloomers are the  resident’s delight,  an amazing  profusion of  colors and shapes,  wonderful to behold.  So give Blue Heron Realty Co. a call at 757-678-5200 for more information on this terrific condo buy– and don’t miss  the 2011 Spring Bloomers show !   Be there or be square !

                                      

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Posted in At the Beach, Fine and Casual Dining, Golf, Just Having Fun, Our Little Towns, The Arts | No Comments »

Out Of The Kitchen And Onto The Door— Williamsburg, Virginia Holiday Decorations

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

What do apples, lemons, pomagranates and boxwood sprigs have in common ?    They are all part of the grand Colonial Williamsburg tradition of decorating the doors in the Historic Area with wreaths, sprays and swags that  glow with the colors of   citrus fruits and apples, brilliant reds, yellows and orange set against the dark waxy green of  boxwood or pine sprigs.   And not just fruit laden wreaths appear– in the many years that we have visited Williamsburg, Virginia  during the  Christmas season we have seen a tremendous variety of  herbs,  dried plants, cinnamon sticks, seed pods of all kinds, magnolia leaves, etc. all used to create  the delightful door decorations which  grace the  Historic Area homes each year.   One of the most memorable was a very large wreath decorated with just about every type of shell that is common to our coastal area– oyster shells with mother-of-pearl interiors showing,  pink scallop shells,  swirled whelk shells, ribbed clam shells, dark bearded mollusks, long razor clams,  tiny periwinkles combined with boxwood, holly berry sprigs and long pine cones to create a  really  interesting decoration, one that really commemorated our magnificant  Atlantic Ocean-Chesapeake Bay region.

Just about every year we make a day trip to Williamsburg over the holidays.  It’s a relatively short drive from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, about an hour and a half or so depending on traffic,  and is such a holiday treat.  ( Actually, one of the nice things about living on the  Eastern Shore of Virginia  is how many fun events are so near by and easily accessed.)  Normally we make a  day out of it,  leaving  the Eastern Shore  in time to have lunch at  The Cheese Shop or The Trellis before walking down Duke of Gloucester Street to see all the creative displays.  Everything on every single wreath is natural, no plastic red apples, no golden styrofoam pears, no water-proof  ribbons, no silk ivy — it’s back to the basics,  real items,  things that were actually grown on land,  sea or air ( lots of feathers sometimes). 

This year was no exception,  the decorations looked terrific.  A bit pressed for time, we ducked into  The Cheese Shop for a quick bowl of  potato and leek soup  (definitely a favorite Colonial recipe)  and one of  their delicious Smithfield ham sandwiches before setting out to view this year’s crop of  decked out doors.  Pineapples, the traditional symbol of hospitality in Virginia, were in plentiful supply on both wreaths and swags.  Several wreaths featured the tiny but very sweet Virginia apple called the Lady Apple,  pale yellow  with a rosy blush.  A very clever wreath decorated with large lemons featured a clay pot below, looking for all the world like a miniture lemon tree affixed to the door.  But our very favorite decoration this year was a simple but elegant wreath of  fraser fir with an overlay of a wreath made from puffs of raw cotton,  dried cotton bolls and stalks,  burlap swags plus  pink pods of some type,  all  fashioned together most ingeniously.   Tracking  back towards Merchants Square we did a quick look-see into  the holiday windows in some of  their unique shops– the  Toy Shop and the Pewter Shop looked especially grand this year.  And then zip-zip,  back home to the Eastern Shore after having enjoyed immensely yet another holiday trip to Williamsburg.

                                  

                                  

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Be Careful What You Wish For……..

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Last year  ( actually a  few posts ago ) I was bemoaning the brisk breezes off the water but hoping for a little snow.   Ha !   As my father often said,  be careful what you wish for because your wish might come true.   And did it come true,  in spades.  On Christmas Eve Day,  Don Slater,  my favorite weatherman at WAVY tv 10 in Norfolk, Virginia was forecasting that the whole East Coast was  in for a whopper,  that  instead of blowing out to sea as previously thought,  the storm would be blanketing most of  North Carolina with up to 6-8 inches and would then work its way towards us,  bringing 4 inches, maybe more.  Although I was already re-thinking my  little wish,  I’m sure many a child here on Virginia’s Eastern Shore  was gazing  out the window,  thinking  WOW,  bring it on !  ( And at our house, definitely our two Newfies,  Pumpkin and Honey,  had visions of snowflakes dancing through their heads. ) 

The Weather Outside Is Frightful, Inside It's So Delightful, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

The snow actually started  just as we were sitting down to dinner on Christmas Day.  It had already been a  long but exciting day, starting with the arrival of  Group One consisting of two “big kids”, two little kids and two brand new puppies for brunch  ( everybody had a wonderful time, the puppies were adorable ),  moved on to phone calls to those far away,  a  visit  from those having dinner elsewhere, then on to Group Two for  dinner.  Actually, at our house,  Christmas dinner is always a  simple affair,  unlike Thanksgiving where my eldest daughter thinks dinner isn’t complete without at least six or seven different side dishes, including  the always mandatory homemade mac and cheese  and collard greens  ( I’m not originally from the South but have taken well to the Southern notion that collards,  cooked with a little bit of country ham for seasoning,  are a  “must”  on Thanksgiving ). Offerings of  pecan pie,  pumpkin pie and possibly coconut cake tempt one from the dessert table.   The Christmas menu in contrast is quite simple and always the same– roast beef,  twice-baked potatoes,  a green veggie,  a big green salad,  cheesecake  and pecan pie for dessert.  Potatoes and pies  made ahead,  salad greens washed, spun dry and popped into Tupperware  ahead,  mushrooms for the peas or green beans all sauteed,  everything tucked into the refrigerator,  the  cheesecake courtesy of  The Cheesecake Factory,    my world- famous, well,  family-famous,  port wine gravy started a day ahead so flavors can marry overnight— absolutely no cooking to do on  The Day,   just pop the roast into the oven and finish the gravy.   But back to the snow,  which started  just as we were  getting settled into dinner.

Pumpkin and Honey, The Snow Dogs

I flipped on the outside lights so everyone could enjoy the sight of  big,  fat flakes slowly drifting down—  they were indeed big fat flakes but they were not slowly drifting,  they were pretty much twirling and swirling at a pretty rapid rate,  giving me my first clue that  Slater’s  forecast might be right on the mark.  It was a beautiful sight though,  large white flakes set against the night sky.  Snow is a  rarity on the southern tip of the Virginia Eastern Shore– usually if  it snows nearby,  it  just rains here because of the moderating influence of having the Chesapeake Bay as  our western border and the Atlantic Ocean as our eastern border– it just doesn’t get cold enough.   But not Christmas night– it was cold,  it was snowing,  it was sticking !   I think it is hard for people from areas where lots of snow is simply routine to fathom how on earth a few inches of snow can snarl up an entire region.  But if you seldom have snow then you seldom have snow tires,  snow chains are unheard of  and you have no practice driving over snow and ice.   And your municipality has very little snow removal equipment.   So trust me when I say that 4 inches of snow here closes schools, offices and the county– it’s an official Snow Day,  break out the hot chocolate and marshmallows !  So if you’re still braving winters in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and other icy places but are considering real estate on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, relax, take heart,  usually it warms up right away,  within a day things are generally back to normal. 

Dawn, Clear But Chilly

But not this time– according to official reports, this was our biggest snow in nearly a quarter of a century and it was the 7th largest snow on record in Norfolk !  As everyone was saying their goodnights on Christmas it was snowing hard and by the time we woke up on the 26th it was just about a white-out.  The Newfies were so excited,  they dashed out,  practically did summersaults  in the snow,  raced around wildly,  then plopped down in a  little drift,  just chilling out !  Dawn on the 27th brought bright pink skies over a thick blanket of  dry white flakes.   By the end of that storm Cape Charles, Virginia  had officially had about 7-8  inches  of the cold white stuff and it was pretty clear that  it wasn’t going to disappear overnight.   However,  I was prepared to relax and just enjoy it– office closed, new Christmas book at my elbow ( autobiography of Mark Twain) —- let it snow, let it snow. let it snow !  (  Of course the forecast of  50 + degrees for Thursday was very comforting !  )  And  when I saw the snow totals from New York City (23  inches)  and parts of New Jersey (26 inches)  and Cape Cod– well,  let’s just say that I felt pretty doggone lucky to be here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia,  where our  mere 7-8 inches was  one for the record books.   But I will be a bit more careful next time about wishing for snow— because we might actually get some !

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Season’s Greetings From The Blue Heron Realty Co. Crew

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

It’s that time of year again,  the season when just about everybody pauses and takes a time-out from some of the  daily grind  to reach out to help others  who are less fortunate.   And,  as well,  to say thank you and express  appreciation to those who are so important to us,  our family, our friends and of course,  our clients and customers.   The year 2010 has been a very difficult year for many,  not just on Virginia’s Eastern Shore  but throughout this entire country.   However,  hope springs eternal and we are all hoping for a much better year for everyone in 2011.  In the meantime,  we would like to simply say  “Thank- you”  to all those who have listed or purchased property through the Blue Heron Realty Co. crew as well as  to those who have been taken the time to read this blog on life and real estate on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  So from Lemoin,  Marlene,  Montaigne,  Mike,  Gerry,  Heather,  Kay and Lisa in our Machipongo, Virginia  office and from  Dave,  Eva  and Jennifer in our Cape Charles, Virginia office,  thanks so much,  our  best wishes for the holidays and have a very happy,  healthy and prosperous New Year.   See you in 2011 !

From Our House To Your House, Season's Greetings And A Happy And Prosperous New Year From The Blue Heron Realty Co. Crew !

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If You Want To Purchase A Boating Property But Love Horses, On The Eastern Shore Of Virginia You Can Have Both !

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

It seems like more and more,  we are getting  calls from people who are looking for boating real estate on Virginia’s Eastern Shore but who want a property where they can have both a boat dock  in their backyard and horses on the property  as well.   Now in most areas this simply is not possible.  But  on the Eastern Shore of Virginia,  we have a number of opportunities  to buy properties where you can do just that.  I think one of the unique aspects of purchasing property here is that,  unlike so many other waterfront areas where the land has been chopped up into quarter acre lots, or even smaller in many cases,  on Virginia’s Eastern Shore,  many of the available waterfront parcels range from three to six acres in size,  and some are even larger.   These properties with acreage present the perfect scenario for having both a boat pier and a horse on the same property.

Take for example a ten acre parcel we have listed not far from Nassawadox, Virginia.  A  beautiful property,  it features wide water views and easy boating access to the Chesapeake Bay within 10-15 minutes of the property.  The best place to site  a custom home would be at the top of the knoll,  looking down towards the water.  This would offer terrific views and the access to a boat dock would be down a gently sloping path to the shoreline.   A pristine property,  this waterfront acreage is a perfect purchase for a boat lover .   And for a horse lover too  !

Partially wooded and partially open,  this parcel offers  easy conversion of the open area to  good horse pasture.  Fortunately, on this parcel,  as on most of the land in Northampton County,  the soils are excellent sandy loam soils which offer top notch  drainage — nobody wants their horse to have wet feet !   The property also has good depth which keeps the horses  away from the house and away from the water.  ( An important factor in helping maintain clean water would be  keeping  the nutrients from the horse patties from entering the water. )   Attractively priced at $399,000,   this property is ready for a beautiful custom home,  a backyard boat dock  and ,  if desired, offers room for a horse barn and pasture.  So if you want to purchase a boating property but you love horses too,  on Virginia’s Eastern Shore,  you won’t have to choose– you can have them both !   ( Take a peek at the  Farms and Farmettes   listing section on our web page,  www.blueheronva.com ,  to see other  real estate opportunities including beachfront properties where you can also have a horse. )

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The RE Show– Studying Social Media At The 2010 VAR Convention In Virginia Beach, Virginia

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

Every year the Virginia Association of Realtors  (VAR)  holds an annual convention and the 2010 event was held last week-end at  the Virginia Beach Convention Center,  a sleek modern facility which fortunately understands the value of  comfortable chair seats for  those who are going to be attending seminars held in 2 hour modules,  i.e.,  the mind can only absorb what the derriere can endure.   Since Virginia Beach is less than an hour from Virginia’s Eastern Shore it was an easy trip,  a piece of cake really,  and I slid into my first seminar  with 10 minutes to spare.  The convention is an annual opportunity for Virginia Realtors to network and to attend seminars on a variety of topics presented by top experts in their field brought in by VAR  from around the country.  This year I  agents selected six seminars,  each about using   “Social Media”.

So for nearly 12 hours over two days,  I immersed myself in Internet social media ideas and questions.  Starting with  a seminar entitled  “Beyond Blogging”  given by Jeff Davis from California  (who apparently is one of the top 5 experts in the US on Word Press  which happens to be the platform this blog is written on)  to  tips on  “Risk Management in Social Media”  also presented by another  Californian,  Ginger Wilcox and finishing  with  “Agent 2.0”  offered by Brian Copeland,  a funny,  funny guy  from Nashville,  Tennessee,  my derriere endured and my mind was stretcheeeeeed.  I loved Brian’s  witty  aphorism,  you can be smart or you can be pretty but this afternoon  let’s try to be smart.   ( Brian himself is both smart and pretty ! )  All three speakers were terrific,  the rooms were  fairly crackling with ideas and info,  mostly  new to me.   I definitely was trying to be smart but I think I probably was mostly pretty.  Yep,  I know I was mostly pretty.

Brian Copeland...Smart and Pretty

Anyway,  from  “Engagement is the New Metric”  and Dunbar’s  Number (150)  to websites with names like Cademus,  TweetBeep and Ping,   various  rooms  full of mostly middle age plus Realtors  ( in my case, plus plus)  grappled with new names,  terms and concepts.  We learned how to create an interactive web poll,  we  learned the program for doing voice-over on videos of our listings and  we were urged to  “move our off-line to on-line and our on-line to off-line” .   My husband likes to call learning all this new technology   “Coming out of the Cave.”   (  For the record,  I should note that  he selected  seminars on familiar subjects like  ” Floating In A Sea of Short Sales”  and  “Understanding the Glue to Real Estate Agreements”  and was not out there  trying to understand the security issues of  being or not being on Foursquare ! )   However,  step by step,  I do think I am coming out of the Cave but it is hard —  the Cave feels safe and is so familiar.  Also,  much as I hate to admit it,  I’m a person who looks back very nostalgically on the days when a cell phone was simply a device for placing and receiving phone calls.   So,  we’ll see if  by this time next year I’m tweeting Tweets and friending on Facebook.   The proof will be in the pudding,  time will tell,  not taking any bets just yet,  etc., etc.

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Tangier Island, Virginia — This Tiny Island In The Stream Hits The Big Time On ESPN !

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Most people have heard about Tangier Island,  Virginia  at some point  ( the  Island has  been the subject of  various  articles now and again) but who could have guessed that  Tangier would be the forcus of  a national marketing campaign by ESPN ? ?    Until now  the biggest thing I knew about Tangier is this—it is sooooo small !   Only about a mile wide and two and a half miles long,   Tangier Island  stands literally in the middle of the stream,  the mighty Chesapeake Bay stream,  a mere speck  on the horizon as you approach it.  The approach being  strictly by air or by boat  because unless you are Johnny Weissmuller  redux  ( or Michael Phelps ),  ain’t no other way to get there since there is no bridge and the nearest  land is the Eastern Shore of Virginia,  nearly fourteen miles away.  This isolation is reflected in the Tangier “dialect”  which is a bit of a throwback to Elizabethan English and  sometimes can be a little  hard to understand,  especially the old-timers.  ( True story— when we first moved to the Eastern Shore,  my husband was having lunch at Paul’s Restaurant ,  gone now but not forgotten and  people still reminisce about Ron and Gerry Crumb’s  chocolate cream pies.   A  group of six older fellows  were seated at the table next to him,  talking animatedly.  The  conversation was floating  around  him and my husband,  who is not particularly a language buff,  was trying to figure out what language they were speaking.   Curiosity finally got him,  he leaned over and said  ” Excuse me,  but what country are you fellows  from ? ”   They all stared  at him and one guy finally said  ” Well,  matey,  what the heck country are YOU from ? ”   And that was his introduction to Tangier- style pronunciation of  our  native tongue. )


Originally settled in the late 1700’s,   the Island’s population has shrunk from about 1500 in the early 1900’s to  under 600 today and that’s counting every man, woman, child and parakeet.   Golf carts,  bicycles and feet  ( yes,  actual walking from place to place on shank’s mare )  are the main forms of  island transportation.  One place visitors always want  to stop at  on Tangier Island is the Chesapeake House,  a quaint B&B and excellent restaurant  serving veritable feasts of crab cakes,  crab soup, crab fritters, fried soft shell crabs,  Virginia country ham,  the best hot yeast rolls ever and other delicious  home cooked,  mouth-watering foods.   Homemade pound cake with strawberries in season,  yes, yes, yes.   ( www.chesapeakehouse/tangier.com).  And,  of course,  everything crab is so fresh it was probably still swimming around the night before because the seafood business is the main business  on Tangier.   So,  if it’s crab and it’s from Tangier,  it has got to be good.

It stands to reason that a person would definitely be ready for a little  fun and entertainment  after a busy day out on the boat,  hauling crab pots in and out of the water,  busheling up the catch  or a long day in one of the myriad crab houses dotting the harbor,  watching for the hard shell crabs  to get ready to moult  ( the  “peelers” )  and then quickly scooping the  just  “busted-out soft shells”  from  the water before the new shell can harden, which is a fairly  narrow window of time so paying attention is important.  After work,  it seems that a big part of  that fun and entertainment is sports.   According to the ESPN3 web page,  Tangier has been named the   “The Biggest* Sports Town In America” .  *Per capita, of course !   Having fun themselves with that theme,  ESPN3   just  filmed a series of  eight commercial spots on Tangier,  each  featuring various Island residents talking about and cheering for their favorite college football teams.  ESPN’s ads,  two  of  which are attached to this blog post , were  filmed on Tangier  over the course of a week .   They  are  pretty funny  ( just watch the crab races )  and down-home authentic,  and are scheduled to  be streamed  on Monday Night Football.   Great for ESPN,   great for Tangier,  a tiny island in the stream which has finally hit the big ESPN time !   Go, Tangier,  go !    (And if you love the videos of  Tangier and want information on buying real estate on Tangier Island,  give Blue Heron Realty Co. a call– we can help you.)

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Looking To Buy Beachfront Property In Virginia ? The Eastern Shore of Virginia Has Some Great Beach Real Estate Deals !

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Who doesn’t love the beach ?   Duh, everyone  loves  the beach !   ( Well, everyone I know loves the beach and I know a fair number of people,  so let’s just extrapolate from there…..)   And the only thing better than sitting out on the sand,  under a huge beach umbrella,  reading the latest  Sara Gruen novel or maybe re-reading a Tony Hillerman mystery ( I so love Joe Leaphorn )  is sitting in your beach house in a chaise lounge,  out on your own deck,  overlooking the beach,  inhaling soft briny breezes,  maybe smiling through  “Sweetness At The Bottom Of  The Pie”  or  trying to unravel the latest Pynchon literary offering.   But the frosty iced tea pitcher,  the pantry and the CD changer are  sooo  much closer,  just reach out and touch someone.  Well,  what might be just as good,  or maybe even better,  is sitting on your beachfront deck,  wine glass in hand,  as the sun slips below the horizon and paints the sand and the water  in brilliant sunset colors.  Which, of course,  is why so many of  our real estate customers  contact  Blue Heron Realty Co.  with a request to help them find a great buy on a  beach lot or home. ( www.blueheronva.com )

Great news !    If you’re looking to purchase  beach real estate in Virginia,  the  Eastern Shore is the very best location in Virginia to find both beachfront and beach access property at affordable prices,  great prices that make the heart beat a little faster and fingers itch to grab a pen and sign some papers.  Sure they have beautiful beach property in Virginia Beach,  less than an hour away.   But who wants to pay about a million dollars for a 40 x  175  lot  and share with about a billion tourists ?   Fine  if your job places you there and you love the beach.   But if you’re looking for a leisure home,  a retirement home or just plain relaxed,  low key year-round living  and would prefer private and pristine  low density neighborhood beaches at  an actually affordable price,  then Virginia’s Eastern Shore  could be  the place for you !

In this blog post  I’m featuring  a beachfront home,  a waterfront cottage with deeded beach access  and  a beachfront  lot for sale.    All of these properties are great deals !    The beachfront home at $995,000 is a truly wonderful purchase opportunity.  It’s a lovely 3 bedroom home on nearly two acres, wooded, with  almost 200 feet of  magnificant beach shoreline in a small, very upscale beach neighborhood. ( Plenty of room to  add- on if more bedrooms are desirable. )  This intimate little  neighborhood offers  a swim &  tennis facility and access to a private freshwater lake,  nice  for those who like to canoe or kayak. 

The cozy 3 bedroom waterfront cottage with deeded beach access  for sale for $359,000 is located in a tiny  waterfront neighborhood of  only 50 homes.  The cottage is sited on a one acre waterfront lot on a small inlet from the Chesapeake Bay,  only a couple miles from Cape Charles and the Palmer and Nicklaus signature golf courses.   It’s less than a five minute walk to the neighborhood’s 10 acre private sand beach— the perfect place to build sand castles or do some surf fishing at sunset. Or enjoy catching some of our famous Chesapeake Bay blue crabs from the backyard dock.  If you are thinking of  buying a leisure home and would like to get some rental income to help off-set mortgage payments,  this could be a good property for doing some weekly summer rentals.  ( Blue Heron Realty Co.  has a vacation rental department and we can handle all the details for you.  Just call us at 757-678-5200 )

Last,  but not least,  is a one acre plus beachfront homesite located on a bluff overlooking 500 miles of sparking blue waters  at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay,  one of Mother Nature’s very best addresses !   Here is an opportunity  to purchase a sizable beachfront lot for just $429,000.   Pick custom home plans perfect for your particular needs,  get rolling with construction  and  be living in your dream beachfront home by Spring.  ( Blue Heron can help you find a contractor.)   So relaxing,  just sitting out on your deck,  golden sunshine,  listening to waves  lapping and seabirds calling,  feeling the soft salty breezes,  neck muscles totally loose,  some Dave Brubeck  playing in the background,  happily reading the National Electrical Code 2011 Handbook due out this winter.   No, no, sorry,  just a  bad  joke !   I meant reading Pat Conroy’s new book   “My Reading Life” ,  also due out this winter.   Anyway,  the point is that if you are looking to buy beachfront property in Virginia,  come take a look at the fabulous beach real estate for sale here on the Eastern Shore.  You’ll be amazed and delighted at what you’ll find,  I guarantee it  !!   ( Call us at 800-258-3437 for more particulars on these properties and don’t forget to check out our website for some other great buys– www.blueheronva.com  )

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