BoS David Slutzky in Sunday’s Daily Progress:”It’s definitely time for the county and the city to put their heads together and develop a cohesive transportation system,” he said. “If you wait 20 years and start thinking about it, it will cost you a lot more than if you start thinking about it now.”I have heard many of the reasons that regional transit does not work: it is not fiscally viable, using eminent domain to take all the necessary rights-of-ways is neither reasonable nor practical, no mass-transit is successful or profitable (they are all subsidized) …… With fuel prices rising again and that Virginians are more susceptible to oil shocks, now is the time to consider our future. We seem to have a burgeoning grassroots effort with the likes of ACCT, MPO and now with a fairly forward-thinking Supervisor on Board, this thing may have legs. RCG had an excellent post last May that goes into great detail about whether mass transit increases property values. As with everything, (from the referenced report)Of course, as with any infrastructure project – be it a transit system, a public park, a highway or a school – there may be negative impacts that reduce the location value for some people. Some people move away from highways to escape the noise and smog, and some people move away from playgrounds to escape the shrill voices of kids at play. But for the market overall, positive impacts tend to outweigh the negative impacts, increasing overall property values.We should at least consider it.
Date Archives April 2006
Links for 04-17-2006
The World is Flat – for those who have forgotten that we live in a global societyWithout experiencing failure, how does one measure success?In those months of walking, I learned a lot…. And I learned a lot about this country; it’s hard not to when you’ve seen so much of it, one step at a time. But the hardest lesson was — is — failure.Single-sex education in CharlAlbemarle? This nat be an opportunity for the school systems to be innovative and to merge the Charlottesville and Albemarle school systems…. Honestly, unless you are self-employed, do you have any idea how much you paid in taxes this year?How an Influx of New Homes Could Affect One Family’s LifeBottom line: our home’s value is headed higher, and so are our taxes. But how to quantify the new development’s impact on our daily lives?Local real estate trends outweigh national trends…… But state numbers don’t matter much, either; and even city numbers are of limited value. What matters is what happens within a 10-mile radius of where you want to buy.Hence, this blog.
More on dealing with the changing market
The Realestatejournal has two informative articles here and here that emphasize a couple of things about the changing real estate market that seem to have been forgotten during the recent boom. 1) Real estate is an illiquid investment and 2) Plan (and be prepared for) for the worst – a vacant house that you can’t sell in a timely manner…. If the property is already a cash drain, imagine how grim things could get without any rental income coming in.Real estate has proven to a be, in most cases, an excellent long-term investment…. One of the most important is that many speculators have started to dump homes that were purchased as investments. In addition, high prices and rising interest rates have reduced affordability for middle-class families.The third – hurricanes – does not directly impact the Central Virginia market. The Charlottesville-area market has seen a reduction in price gains, more inventory on the market and longer marketing times…. I do not know the specific percentage of investment properties in our market, but anecdotally, my educated guess-timate is that about 25% of homes in CharlAlbemarle are investment properties. Many realize that the true investment return comes long-term and via rental income.
Century 21’s bad commercial
This Century 21 ad is troublesome because it shows a Century 21 agent pressuring a couple to make an offer on a house. With this part, I don’t have an issue – more often than not, one half of the couple has more say than the other: the wife talking — some say browbeating — her husband into buying a house while the agent listens in to the conversation on the speakerphone. This part however, does:”This listing is special, John,” says the voice of their real estate agent over the speakerphone…. “This is awesome,” says the wife. Pressure like this is one of the reasons that agents get a bad reputation. Would you return to that agent when it came time to sell the house?… I have wanted to write about this ad for weeks, but had not found the commercial online…. Realtors have enough bad publicity to deal with; we don’t need to put our own out there.
Links 04-13-2006
The real estate blogosphere celebrates one of its own stepping to a new level. This is a testament to bloggers’ influence, acceptance and the simple fact that Dustin is an innovator and leader. Here’s hoping that move.com listens to him, lest they be left in the dust by the competition (pun intended).Like it or not, Microsoft leads the way, not by innovation, but by volume. Those who have adopted RSS already – get ready for others to “discover” this technology.Live.com will be the first feed syndication experience for hundreds of millions of users who would love to add more content to their page, connect with friends, and take control of the flow of information in ways geeks have for years…. After much discussion and court-time, the DOE upgraded the standard for air conditioning units, effective January 2006. Apparently, any existing units in stock may be used, but all new units must meet the new standard. This is good news for those seeking lower energy costs and higher efficiency, especially because “88% of homeowners say lower energy costs are “very important” when choosing an air conditioner.”MLS consolidation is necessary. Currently I am a member of and about to be a member of the Charlottesville-area MLS, Northern-VA MLS, Staunton/Augusta (Waynesboro!)
A mini-revelation
One of the greatest challenges in real estate or any other business is maintaining the elusive balance between work and family. Getting to the following point has taken me quite a long time – in part by watching my parents come to my soccer games when I was the kid and they were the Realtors (they still are).My daughter is going to be eleven only once; this is why I do not negotiate my attendance at her soccer games – that I am the coach is secondary. When I have clients on Saturdays, I tell them that I have an existing appointment that I will not negotiate – my daughter’s soccer game. To a person, every single one of my clients has understood and said things such as “we wouldn’t want it any other way,” “absolutely,” and so on. What’s the mini-revelation? Those who do not understand may not want to work with me; most importantly, I don’t necessarily want to work with them.
Links for 04-12-06
Green paints are catching onSmall business health plans strategyYahoo’s new maps are mighty coolWhy not take the time to get a professional-sounding email address and leave that @aol.com address for personal emails?National energy savings campaignNo national bubble hereSlow growth and unintended consequences – are these the results that ASAP and the like desire?