Madison County Maintains a Quiet, Country Lifestyle

By Joanne DiMaggio

If you’re considering moving to a new area, the best authorities on what life is like there are local REALTORS® who not only sell property in the area, but who live there as well. When it comes to life in Madison County, three such experts are REALTORS® Pat Seeberger and Bonnie Coffey, both of Montague Miller & Co., and Bill Gentry of Jefferson Land & Realty.

Gentry has lived in Madison since 1971 and has sold real estate there since 1986. When asked what makes Madison such an attractive place for prospective buyers, he said there were many reasons. “Location, natural beauty, quality of life, open space,” topped his list. 

Pat Seeberger and her family have lived in Madison for 35 years. They “stumbled across Madison County” after a camping trip to the Shenandoah National Park. “We just came off the mountain one time, and someone directed us to Madison and we ended up buying property.” 

Seeberger, who has been selling property in Madison since 1988, said the biggest draw to the county is its peaceful, rural nature. “You could have seclusion, and privacy here, with quiet roads and scenic beauty. It’s just a wonderful place to live.”

For Bonnie Coffey, who grew up in Madison, not much has changed over the years. She finds the county’s outdoor amenities—such as the hiking trails, trout fishing, and scenic mountains—as the biggest draw for prospective buyers. For that reason, she is seeing an increase in retirees and big-city refugees buying property in Madison.

“Most people who come into Madison are coming from the big cities,” she said. “They’re coming here to retire, because they want to get out of the hustle and bustle of the cities and they want a quiet, peaceful retirement area.”

Gentry said his clients fit into two major categories—those who are purchasing a second or third home; and those who choose to relocate to Madison because of employment or retirement. “Both groups are generally represented by people who are well educated and have been successful in their careers.”

While there are few employment opportunities in Madison, its easy access to more populated areas and its low tax rate are appealing to residents who don’t mind driving for amenities. 

“The taxes are cheaper in Madison than any of the other surrounding counties,” said Coffey. “As far as jobs, you’re not too far away from Charlottesville or Culpeper. You don’t have to deal with a lot of traffic.”

Gentry said the county has “good transportation infrastructure, community activities, safe environment, public lands for hiking, hunting and fishing.” As far as its location, Gentry said Madison is “close to hospitals, shopping, and airports.”

While Seeberger admits the county has few of the kind of amenities other counties can brag about, she sees that as a plus rather than a minus. 

“We don’t mind going to other places for those things,” she said. “Ruckersville is developing with Lowe’s there and a Wal-Mart coming in. “Speaking for myself, I don’t mind going down the road a little bit. We’re glad we don’t have any big box stores here. We’re very involved with our community, the churches, and family life. There’s no end of things to get involved in to keep you busy, if that’s what you’re looking for. The newest group I joined is Friends of the Library—a group of people getting together to support what they feel strongly about.”

Diverse Housing Choices

Seeberger said in a county with only 13,500 people, housing turnover is far less than in surrounding counties. In the entire county there might be only 70 homes on the market at any given time. Low taxes and low inventory have helped steady the housing market in Madison.

“The market has slowed since the $8,000 tax credit ended, but it was never like the market in the surrounding counties anyway,” said Coffey. “For the most part, Madison is holding its own. We don’t have as much on the market because most of the people who live here are holding onto their properties.”

Gentry sees the housing market in Madison as segmented. “The lower to lower middle end has been more impacted by the defaults, short sales due to imprudent lending practices. The upper middle and upper end portion of the market has been less impacted, as these borrowers had more equity to absorb the downturn in the economy.”

That being said, Gentry said homebuyers could find homes in Madison going from a modest starter home in the low $100,000s to an estate-quality home on large acreage in the $3.5 million price range. 

Seeberger agrees. “First-time homebuyers can find a home in Madison and then it runs the gamut to beautiful custom homes on acreage, farms, and lots of properties in the middle. The smorgasbord is there for people—it just depends on what they’re looking for.”

Coffey added that the average buyer in Madison is looking for a three-bedroom, two-bath home with a basement. “You can’t get one for less than approximately $160,000.” 

Madison-Style Amenities

Despite its rural nature, Madison has a lot to offer. When asked if there are any special places known only to locals, Gentry said there were so many he could not list them all. 

“I could talk for days on that question,” he said. “We have many very interesting locations; from wineries, B&Bs, Civil War trails, art studios, country stores, Graves Mountain Lodge, trout fishing, hiking, etc.”

Seeberger said there is a lot of Civil War history in Madison. “There are markers around our roads, so if you’re interested in Civil War history you’ll find a lot here. On the 4^th of July you can enjoy a beautiful free fireworks display at Graves Mountain Lodge. When my children were growing up, we put them in the back of the truck and headed out there. Plus we have wonderful trout streams. You go on rural roads and people just pull over in their trucks to go fishing for trout.” 

Few Changes Over the Years

Everyone agrees that Madison County seems to be frozen in time, with very few changes happening over the years. Most residents hope it continues that way.

“We don’t have any public water or sewage in the county except in small areas, like the little town, so that limits anybody coming in and putting in a development,” said Seeberger. “Plus we have zoning restrictions about land division, because we want to preserve the kind of life we have here.”

Gentry said in the next five or ten years, he anticipates measured and limited business growth, “but the county will basically look and feel the same; which is a good thing.”

For Seeberger, Madison County is a unique place and those who live there feel privileged to have found such an extraordinary place. “I am working with a broker from Hawaii and spent a week showing him property in Madison. Of all the places he could be on the East Coast or State of Virginia, he is hoping to purchase a beautiful piece of land in Madison. I feel like if you find us, you’re just so fortunate in comparison to any other place. We’re very special. We’re friendly—good neighbors—we treasure our way of life and we love the beautiful countryside we live in.”