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FAAR Advocates for Fair Short-Term Rental Regulations in Spotsylvania County
The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® (FAAR) recently submitted a formal letter to leaders in Spotsylvania County regarding proposed regulations for short-term rentals. The letter outlines concerns from the local real estate community and offers constructive recommendations aimed at balancing neighborhood impacts, property rights, and housing opportunities.
Why This Matters for REALTORS®
Local policy decisions directly impact property owners, investors, and clients considering short-term rentals. As the voice for more than 1,700 REALTORS® and affiliate members in the region, FAAR works to ensure regulations are fair, practical, and grounded in how housing actually functions in our community.
The proposed ordinance currently under review by the County Planning Commission includes provisions that could affect occupancy limits, septic system requirements, and enforcement penalties for short-term rental operators.
Key Points Raised by FAAR
In the letter submitted to county leadership, FAAR highlighted several concerns and recommendations:
Occupancy Limits
The proposal to limit occupancy to two people per bedroom may be overly restrictive. FAAR suggested that a more objective standard could be based on septic system capacity and water usage rather than a fixed headcount, which may better reflect how homes are safely designed and used.
Septic System Requirements
Mandatory annual pumping could create unnecessary costs for low-volume rentals. FAAR recommended allowing a yearly inspection approach that ensures systems are functioning properly without imposing unnecessary expenses on property owners.
Enforcement and Penalties
The proposed ordinance includes automatic revocation of a license after a first violation. FAAR encouraged the County to consider a graduated enforcement system that allows warnings and corrective action before imposing severe penalties.
REALTORS® at the Table
Advocacy like this is a core benefit of your membership. FAAR works on your behalf with local leaders to ensure the perspective of real estate professionals is part of the conversation when policies affecting housing are considered.
Our goal is simple: support responsible regulations that protect neighborhoods while also preserving property rights and housing opportunity in our region.
Stay Engaged
Issues like short-term rental regulations can evolve quickly as local governments evaluate community feedback. FAAR will continue monitoring the discussion and advocating for solutions that support property owners, housing supply, and a healthy real estate market.
If you have experiences or insights related to short-term rentals in Spotsylvania County, we encourage you to share them with Kim McClellan at FAAR so we can continue representing the interests of the REALTOR® community.
FAAR Email Deliverability Notice
Missing FAAR emails? They could be caught in your email filters and might be landing in a folder other than your inbox. Here are some things you can try in your email client to make sure they are delivered to the right folder. Scroll to the bottom of this page for a video on how to safelist emails in gmail by a specific domain, e.g. “@faarmembers.com”.
- Adding contacts as Safe Senders: Add our specific staff email addresses to your address book and “Safe Senders” list (if applicable). Emails to add: lcooley@faarmembers.com, lhillardwehr@faarmembers.com, bmcgrath@faarmembers.com, kmcclellan@faarmembers.com, pbrowning@faarmembers.com, lalsop@faarmembers.com
- The “Drag and Drop” Method: If a notification is found in a “Promotions”, “Spam”, “Updates” or “Other” tab, dragging it to the “Primary” or “Inbox” tab tells the provider to always put it there in the future. Most modern email clients (like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail) use machine learning to identify spam, and moving an email from the spam/junk folder to the inbox trains the filter that the sender is safe.
- Get a text alert for FAAR email delivery: Use this link https://app.noterouter.com/optinmsg/FAAR?org=b85a3 and look at the third column labeled “text” to enable the text feature to receive notifications as soon as these emails are delivered.
NOTE: The FAAR Academy newsletter is delivered on Tuesdays at 8 AM and the FAAR Friday newsletter is delivered on Fridays at 8 AM. Check the bottom of these emails or use the link above to manage your communication preferences.
Still experiencing issues after trying these? Contact Lauren at lcooley@faarmembers.com
New high-voltage transmission lines coming near you?
As real estate professionals, you know that infrastructure projects are one of the first things savvy clients ask about—and one of the biggest factors in long-term property valuation.
There is currently a significant proposal on the table: the Joshua Falls to Yeat Project. This is a 115-mile, 765-kilovolt transmission line planned to run from Campbell County through to Culpeper County, potentially impacting Spotsylvania and Orange counties. For your clients in these areas, this could mean new easements, 160-foot tall structures, and changes to the local landscape.
Why This Matters for Your Database
Being the first to provide this information positions you as a local expert and a protective advocate for your clients’ investments. Whether they are currently listing, looking to buy, or simply concerned about their land, they need to know how these proposed routes might intersect with their property lines.
Resources to Share with Your Clients
Direct your clients to the official Valley Link website that includes:
✅Interactive Mapping: Encourage them to use the Joshua Falls – Yeat project page to see if the proposed corridors impact their specific parcels.
✅Easement Education: Share the guide on how easements and rights-of-way work to help demystify the process for them.
✅Meeting Recordings: View previous recordings of public information sessions and more.
FAAR Releases February 2026 Housing Statistics
The Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® (FAAR) is pleased to release the latest housing market statistics to keep our community informed on local trends in home sales, prices, and inventory.
Selina Bryant, FAAR Director, provides the following comments on the current market.
“The market this year kicked off hot. Many buyers rushed to the housing market to get ahead of a more competitive spring and summer market. The month of February seemed busier than the last couple of years due to inventory increases but also new grant availability from Virginia Housing. Buyers are beginning to accept that interest rates may not improve significantly in the near term. As a result, many are choosing to move forward now to get ahead of rising home prices and the possibility of fewer seller concessions once the market reaches its peak season and shifts back toward a more seller-friendly environment.”
FAAR Releases January 2026 Housing Statistics
The Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® (FAAR) is pleased to release the latest housing market statistics to keep our community informed on local trends in home sales, prices, and inventory.
Matthew Rathbun, FAAR President, provides the following comments on the current market.
“We’re still leaning seller-friendly, but the tide’s shifting a bit. Buyers now have a little more breathing room to make thoughtful decisions, and we’re inching closer to a more balanced market.”
Housing Resources to Complement FAAR’s Housing Market Update
The recent Reality Check: FAAR Housing Market Update brought members together for an insightful look at what 2026 holds for our local market. This free, members-only event featured a keynote from Dr. Jessica Lautz of NAR and an expert panel of respected industry voices, providing clear, actionable insights to enhance your business and serve your clients effectively.
To continue supporting you, we’ve compiled key resources that deepen your understanding of market shifts, economic trends, and advocacy efforts that will shape the year ahead. These tools are designed to keep you informed, confident, and connected to a supportive community. If you missed the event, stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to engage and learn!
Stafford County Public Schools to Host Open House for Realtors
FAAR is happy to share an invitation from Stafford County Public Schools for a Realtor® open house coming up next month. Please RSVP directly to the school division using the link or QR code provided in the following information.
Stafford County Public Schools invites you to join us for our 3rd Annual Realtor Open House on February 10, 2026, from 9:00–10:00 a.m. at Augustine Golf Club (76 Monument Drive). This event is designed specifically for realtors as a resource to provide reliable, up-to-date information about our schools to prospective families considering Stafford County.
As trusted partners and key connectors within our community, your role in sharing accurate school information is invaluable. The presentation will begin promptly at 9:15 a.m., followed by light refreshments and an opportunity to strengthen our ongoing partnership.
RSVP today to save your seat! We hope you will join us as we celebrate you and the important role you play in helping families choose to live, work, and learn in Stafford County.
Spotsylvania County reintroduces short-term rental legislation
The Spotsylvania County Planning Commission is again considering an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals around Lake Anna. The County considered a similar ordinance back in 2024, but no substantive changes were made during that consideration. The biggest change that property owners would see is the requirement that maximum occupancy of the dwelling would be based on the “permitted per person per day occupancy rating of the sewage disposal system”. This interpretation of occupancy could impact property owners who have bedrooms with multiple beds intended for small children.
FAAR will communicate the dates of any public hearings on this ordinance so that interested parties can attend and speak their mind. Read the full ordinance by clicking the button below.
FAAR Members Demonstrate Strong Community Impact Through Service and Giving
The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® (FAAR) continues its commitment to serving the Fredericksburg region through meaningful community service initiatives and charitable giving that directly support local families and organizations.
Over the past year, FAAR members and volunteers made a significant impact through several key programs:
- 28 local families were supported during the holiday season through the FAAR Secret Santa program, providing gifts and essentials to families in need.
- 7,388 boxes of cereal were collected during the annual FAAR Cereal Drive, helping local food pantries address food insecurity among children and families.
- The Fredericksburg REALTORS® Foundation awarded $17,500 in grants to local nonprofit organizations, strengthening critical services throughout the community.
- More than 100 individuals and families served at the Thurman Brisben Center through the coordination of FAAR’s Community Service Committee, providing hot meals and companionship to our region’s families in need.
- Members of FAAR’s Community Service Committee and Young Professionals Network partnered to produce 200 sandwiches for Micah Ecumenical Ministries to distribute to clients through their street outreach programs.
Members also engaged in other projects throughout the year such as assembling Easter Baskets of food, hosting a senior citizen item drive, and donating blood through the Red Cross. More than 100 FAAR members volunteered for various activities throughout the year and significant numbers of both brokerages and individuals also have their own service projects with big community impacts.
“These efforts reflect the heart of who REALTORS® are,” comments Matthew Rathbun, 2026 FAAR President. “Our members are deeply invested in the communities where they live and work, and these initiatives demonstrate our ongoing commitment to making a positive difference beyond real estate.”
FAAR members support these programs through volunteer service, fundraising, and collaboration with local nonprofit partners. Together, these initiatives reinforce the association’s mission to serve not only clients, but the broader local community.
FAAR Releases 2025 Annual and December Housing Statistics
The Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® (FAAR) is pleased to release the latest housing market statistics from both December and full year 2025 to keep our community informed on local trends in home sales, prices, and inventory.
Denise Smith, FAAR Treasurer, provides the following comments on the current market.
“December was a busy month. Buyers were able to “shop” available inventory and negotiate some great deals, while sellers have begun adjusting to a slight shift in the market. Homes that were truly move-in ready and had major systems recently updated tended to sell more quickly than those needing improvements.
Inventory slowed toward the end of the year, but I expect that to change over the next two to three months. Overall, I believe the 2026 market will be stronger than 2025. Buyers should remain in the driver’s seat, though pricing is likely to stay stable—or even creep up slightly—as more inventory comes on the market by the end of the first quarter.”
Press Releases
Blue Wave Hits Virginia, Lots of New Faces in Local Politics
There was a blue wave in the Commonwealth of Virginia on Election Night 2025 with Democrats coasting to victory all across the state, a strong shift after last year’s swing to the right with the election of Donald Trump. Abigail Spanberger easily defeated Winsome...
REALTORS® Raise Nearly $13,000 for Local Housing Assistance Through Back-to-Back Fundraisers
The Fredericksburg REALTORS® Foundation and Young Professionals Network (YPN) of the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® (FAAR) turned two fun-filled fall events into meaningful community impact, raising nearly $13,000 in one weekend to be granted out to...
Median price dips for first time in over two years
Could the region finally see a stop to ever increasing home prices? September statistics show that it’s possible the tide is turning and that prices will finally cool after more than six years of consistent price growth. September of 2025 saw prices dip across the...
Prices up again in August as pace of sales continues to slow
The local real estate market continued to see rising prices against a backdrop of expanding inventory and fewer sales than a year ago. The median price for August increased more than 5%, going from $461,500 last August to $485,750 this year. While prices continued...