Hollymead Town Center update
NBC29 Online:
Albemarle County is excited about the creation of jobs as well as the new shopping opportunities. The county envisions a community where people can live, work and shop without traveling too far. Due primarily to the fact that nobody wants to drive the 29 North Corridor.
Besides Target, some of the other stores that will be a the Hollymead Town Center include Harris Teeter, Fridayâs, Petsmart, Nextel and Wells-Fargo. Developers tell us eighty percent of the space available for lease is already spoken for.
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Chemistry when choosing an agent
From the RealEstateJournal
Finding an agent is a lot like dating: Chemistry counts. You’ve given ample hints that you prefer No. 1, the agent with whom you have “rapport.”
I am not sure that my wife would agree, but this is true. If there is not the appropriate chemistry between client and Realtor, the working relationship may be more difficult. Be sure you feel comfortable with your Realtor and feel that you can trust him/her. Not all Realtors are the same!
Greene passes real-estate tax
DailyProgress.com
Greene County supervisors unanimously approved a real-estate tax of 84 cents per $100 of assessed value Thursday, as many residents voiced their support for the school system during a public hearing.
Greene has needed an increase for a while. Their precipitous growth has far outpaced the county’s need for revenues, primarily due to the large increase in the school population.
Doh!
Higher local unemployment since VA now has to count more people:
You may have noticed a significant jump in unemployment in the Charlottesville area. Virginia, in fact most states, had been basing their unemployment figures on population numbers from the 1990 census. The federal government had been using figures from 2000. Needless to say, when the states released their jobless numbers and the feds released theirs, they didn’t add up. This year the federal agency in charge is requiring states to use the 2000 census in their calculations, which has led to a jump, albeit a clerical one, in unemployment. Bill Metzger of the Virginia Employment Commission says our region’s unemployment now stands at 2.9 per cent. (rather than 2 per cent - still not too shabby!) Charlottesville’s jump in unemployment is due entirely to accounting.
Mac’s new OS
I am going to be upgrading to the new Apple operating system, Tiger, very soon. I am a Mac guy. I love my Mac and it makes me more productive.
Walter Mossberg
Overall, Tiger is the best and most advanced personal computer operating system on the market, despite a few drawbacks. It leaves Windows XP in the dust.
NYTimes.com
But with apologies to Mac-bashers everywhere, Spotlight changes everything. Tiger is the classiest version of Mac OS X ever and, by many measures, the most secure, stable and satisfying consumer operating system prowling the earth.
I hope my wife is reading this - it’s only $129!!
Albemarle County Schools Redistricting
Albemarle County, having just redistricted a few students for the Fall 2005, is ramping up again to redistrict many more students for the Fall 2006 school year. Nobody really knows which kids will go where, but there are some general ideas. Anything I write would be (albeit somewhat informed) speculation; so I won’t.
Check and double-check where your kids will go to school. Look at the school district maps - Albemarle’s are here - and call the Transportation Department. Most REALTORS try their very best to have the most up-to-date, accurate information, but always do your own due diligence.
57th District House of Delegates race
I had the opportunity this afternoon to hear David Toscano, Kim Tingley and Rich Collins speak today at CAAR. They each have their merits and negatives. David Toscano is the seasoned politician. Kim Tingley is the newcomer and Rich Collins is a newcomer to the “running for office” landscape, but a brilliant person - I would love to take or audit one of his classes. Kim and Rich demonstrated one characteristic that I did not feel from David - passion for their beliefs.
This seat is an unenviable position - seemingly endless needs - transportation, education, economic growth, growth - with very little money to go around. I like and appreciate ideologues; heck I happen to play one myself at times, but the political landscape is so unforgiving tow ideologues I wonder whether one could actually accomplish anything. Sorry for the run-on sentence.
And then there’s this -
“Of Course, There’s No Bubble”:
“We’re still getting started,” says real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, who has advice about buying, selling, and hot spots across the U.S.
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