It wasn’t that many years ago that I could count the million dollar sales in the Richmond area for the year on one hand. These days 2 hands are about a month’s activity for these sales. Through August, there have been 78 sales in the metro area at a million plus. Of course, the ever fashionable West End (Zone 20) leads all other locales with 21 sales to date. Here’s a fun little fact for Chas and Muffy to drop at their next cocktail party. About every 14th home that sells in Zone 20 in ‘07 sells for a million plus.  

     Number 2, and trying harder, is Goochland (Zone 24) with 18. Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone but the average million dollar sale in Goochland is $1,687,000, while their poor City cousins only averaged $1,624,187. And if you’re hanging out at the Jack Russell races at the next equestrian event, you might overhear that every 12th home that sells in Goochland breaks the mil barrier.

     The valley of humility between these two areas is the West End of Henrico (Zone 22), which has had 13 million plus sales. Must be something about those Real Estate Zones with a twenty prefix. We just accounted for 2/3 of all the sales. Now you know why Horace Greeley (actually, he got it from John Soule) popularized "Go west, young man….." 

     SOJ…South of the James, for you unwashed, finds the Midlothian area (Zone 64) touting 11 million plus sales. Oh, those River Roaders could never accept being surpassed by the Robious Roaders. Maybe the pronunciation really is Pow’hite Parkway and not Po’white.

     The remaining sales: Fan 2 (Zone 10); Glen Allen 4 (Zone 34); Hanover 5 (4 in Zone 36, 1 in Zone 44), Chesterfield 1 (Zone 52), SOJ City of Richmond 1 (Zone 60) and Powhatan 2 (Zone 66). Now go out and impress someone with your new knowledge! 

     Oh, the house in the picture. Not for sale, although it has had extensive remodeling recently. You can live in it for 4 years at the taxpayers’ expense. All you have to do is be elected Governor. Look, if Tim Kaine can do it, the bar ain’t that high!