Well, here we are — mid-February, somehow. Valentine’s Day is behind us, the days are getting just a little bit longer (hallelujah), and if you squint, you can almost convince yourself that spring is actually coming. (The real estate market has already decided it is, by the way — more on that below.) But first: how are you doing with the new year? We’re about six weeks in, which means the shiny optimism of January has been thoroughly road-tested by now. The gym either stuck or it didn’t. The book is either being read or it’s judging you from the nightstand. The bingo card, if you made one, has either had some squares checked off, or it’s been quietly filed under “good intentions.” No judgment here either way. I started pottery classes, finally. The wheel humbled me immediately. (We’re all just out here trying.) So tell me — what’s one thing you’ve said yes to this year that has surprised you? Hit reply. I genuinely want to know.
🧠 Market Recap
Something is quietly happening out there — and if you blinked, you might have missed it. We are not yet through February, and I’m already seeing multiple offers on well-priced homes across Richmond and the surrounding counties. That means spring has essentially decided to show up early, with or without the calendar’s (or the weather’s) permission.
The national headlines are doing the usual — lots of “cautious optimism” and rate chatter — but as always, Richmond is its own thing. I’ve got the full, non-panicky breakdown: where we actually are right now, what it means for buyers and sellers, and what I think this spring is going to look like on the ground.
Have questions? Call, text, email, or reach out on social. If it’s easier — just reply to this email with your neighborhood (or target area), your price range, and your timeline, and I’ll send you a quick, no-pressure snapshot of what’s realistic, what’s working, and what I’d tell you if you were my favorite client.
(You all are. Don’t fight about it.)
❤️ What I’m Loving Right Now…
One of the things on my 2026 bingo card was making more art — actually doing the thing, not just saving it on Instagram. So in January, I finally signed up for pottery at Hand / Thrown on Brookland Park Boulevard, and last Friday I had my first class on the wheel. My friend Meghan warned me it would humble me. She was not wrong. (Trust me. A little super chunky cup was not what I envisioned making.) I’ve also been drawing every day, and I just hosted a little “crafternoon” at my house — a group of fantastic women, tables full of supplies, and zero agenda beyond making things. Honestly? It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made this year so far. I wrote a little more about it on the blog, including some ideas for how you might carve out a little creative time for yourself — even if it’s just an hour a month. You deserve it.
Did you know…Agecroft Hall and Gardens
|
One thing about Richmond? We’ll just casually have a 16th-century Tudor manor house sitting on a bluff above the James River, and most people drive right past it.
Agecroft Hall — tucked into the Windsor Farms neighborhood off Sulgrave Road — was built in Lancashire, England in the late 1400s. It survived Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and several centuries of distinguished English families before falling into disrepair in the early 1900s, surrounded by coal mines and general industrial chaos. In 1925, a wealthy Richmond businessman named T.C. Williams Jr. bought it at auction, had it completely dismantled piece by piece, shipped across the Atlantic, and rebuilt on its current site overlooking the James. The whole thing — stone foundation, roof, original windows, carved oak interiors — arrived in crates and was reassembled like the world’s most ambitious (and most expensive) jigsaw puzzle. It took two years and cost a quarter of a million dollars. (In 1920s dollars. Just let that sink in. Yikes.) Williams died just a year after moving in, his widow Bessie lived there until 1967, and per his wishes, it opened as a museum in 1969.
Today it sits at 4305 Sulgrave Road, is open Tuesday through Sunday, and it will make you feel like you accidentally stepped into another century — which, in the best possible way, you kind of did.
If you’ve never been, spring is the time to go. The Elizabethan gardens are stunning when everything starts to bloom, and the Richmond Shakespeare Festival performs on the grounds over the summer. It’s one of those places that makes you proud to live here — because honestly, not just every city has one of these!
Do you have home questions, need contractor referrals, or are you (or someone you know) thinking of buying or selling a home in the Richmond area? Reach out! I’d love to help.
