From today’s Daily Progress:A public hearing on Charlottesville Superintendent Rosa Atkins’ proposed $58.1 million budget for fiscal 2008-09 was as over as soon as it started at Thursday’s School Board meeting.Though no one spoke Thursday, the public will have another chance to comment on the budget on Feb. 21.It’s a shame to see citizens abdicating their responsibility to themselves and their fellow citizens. Better public schools are one of the absolute best ways to increase property value. Where were the homeowners?
Browsing Category Politics
Rural Area Protection measures pass in Albemarle County
Channel 29 says it all:What you do with your land is no longer entirely your decision if you live in Albemarle County. After many rewrites over several months, supervisors have come to terms on three ordinances…. Comprehensive coverage at Charlottesville Tomorrow.Personal property rights have taken a blow for the greater good. The ramifications and unintended consequences of these anti-growth measures will be felt for years, for better or for worse.
Proffers, impact fees, market update, pricing land and more
There are few better motivators than fear of sounding unprepared and unintelligent – due to the last-minute call from Coy, I am now very up to date on all of the below issues.- If you’re pricing a property, price it to sell…. Solds may matter little, and what the seller paid for the property is irrelevant with regards to market value (as is the assessed value).- We discussed the current state of the Charlottesville market.- Declining markets and “Jingle Mail” – here is an excellent article on this from a professional appraiser’s point of view.- Property rights and Ron Paul (briefly)- Several callers called in and discussed the rural area ordinances that are up for a vote this evening in Albemarle County. This is a passionate debate between property rights advocates, “greater good” opinions, preservationists and more.We didn’t get around to discussing Senate Bill 768 – which would either destroy or fix the current proffer system, depending on you perspective , but I encourage any and all to learn more about it…. They’re talking about taxes, but the word “tax” isn’t used until the last page – page 12 if you happen to print it out.As soon as the podcast is posted, I’ll post it.
Tune into WINA this afternoon
I’m going to be filling time from five to five thirty this afternoon. For those unlucky readers who don’t live in the Charlottesville area, you can catch the podcast tomorrow on CvillePodcast.Topics I expect we’ll touch on – Rural area protection ordinances, 29 north, proposals in the city to set aside pre-budget money to subsidize housing, current state of the Charlottesville area real estate market and maybe Senate Bill 768, which would change the current proffer system to one requiring impact fees.
Pulled from the comments – More on Dual Agency
“Dual agency practiced by one agent is always a conflict of interest for the agent even if legal dislcosure is made.In a designated agent situation, the principal broker is by law acting as a dual agent and is in a conflict of interest position even if legal disclosure is made.Virginia law requires disclosure of dual agency but our Code of Ethics requires “informed dislcosure . It doesn’t go far enough in my opinion.Unfortunately, the laws in our state regarding dual agency (including designated agency) do not require an agent to specifically disclose to either seller or buyer the number of ways in which his “representation†of them will change once dual agency is invoked by him or his broker.Specific examples should be given such as “I can no longer advise you on value or offering priceâ€. They won’t be hearing information such as “I can no longer inform you about the wild and loud parties that go on every weekend at the house next doorâ€.When signing most listing agreements sellers agree in advance to go along with the a potential dual agency without this vital information. The agent is already free on the seller side to work as a dual agent as long as his buyer client agrees.I wonder how many well informed sellers or buyers would agree to go along with it when offered if they knew that “their agent†could no longer be their advocate but would merely be providing ministerial services?I wonder how many times the request to agree to dual agency is presented to a seller as the agent is holding an offer in hand.I wonder how many times the act of bringing in a second agent to “represent†one side in a designated agency situation is accomplished at the last minute with little knowledge of the new client by the new agent and without actually being familiar with the property or showing it to him.Our Code of Ethics requires Realtors to ALWAYS place the best interests of our clients ahead of our own.
Instead of a Monorail in Charlottesville
Or Streetcar, or whatever they want to call it, why not this? It combines Bus Rapid Transit and bikes, and doesn’t require a ten-million-dollar a mile investment.
You think Albemarle and Charlottesville’s reassessments hurt the budget?
Here’s some perspective.The (Loudoun) county Board of Supervisors is expected to face about a $250 million deficit and begins its budget negotiations later this month.