Loudoun & Charlottesville
What I am listening to tonight: Managing Growth: A perspective from Loudoun County Supervisor Jim Burton.
Will our community become even more ridden by sprawl and property tax increases? That’s what happened in Loudoun County, according to Jim Burton of the county’s Board of Supervisors.
Courtesy of Cvillepodcast.
I have never heard Jim Burton speak before, so I will take what he has to say at face value until proven otherwise. A lot of what he says sounds like it could be applied to the CharlAlbemarle/Central Virginia region and projected five to fifteen years down the line.
Fire and rescue, schools - basic government services - sound, from what he has to say, to be at the point of being overwhelmed. The goal, one would think (and hope) is to learn from Loudoun’s mistakes before what makes this region special is no more.
Loudoun and Albemarle have very different demographics. One questioner stated that 70% of Albemarle’s citizens do not have children to which Mr. Burton responded - “that is the opposite of Loudoun.” A quick search at census.gov shows that 24.8% of Albemarle’s population is under 18 while 29.8% of Loudoun’s population is under the age of 18. These numbers are from 2000; an awful lot has changed in 5 years.
Wise planning and implementation may be able to prepare adequately for the growth that is coming. The missing piece is trust. Trust that the elected “representatives” in government, developers, NIMBYs, even YIMBYs will act with integrity is nonexistent. When a politician has the audacity to say this:
At the end of a recent budget work session, Caravati informed his fellow councilors that because he isn’t seeking a third term in May, he’ll be able to take politically unpopular positions.
“What I’m saying is, don’t be bellyaching about ‘we’ve got all this new money and we want to cut rates to reduce the amount of money,’ and then not talk about services,” he said. “We all do it, and I’m saying I don’t have to worry about it this year, so I’m going to raise hell about it.”
How in the world is one supposed to trust him? If his fellow politicians had any integrity, they would publicly question what he has been doing the rest of the time he has “served.” Those who do not should find themselves publicly shamed and guilty by association.
“Smart growth” “Slow growth” “no growth” - The term “smart growth” has been bastardized and politicized to the point that it is a counter-productive term. It polarizes many to the point of causing either side to stop listening to the other. Smart growth could be just that - smart growth, without the political firestorm that accompanies the term. Plopping 6,000 homes without adding to the affected infrastructure is, frankly, pretty stupid. That trend may be changing, however.
I have confidence (perhaps a bit of false confidence, but that’s my right) that our region will right itself and plan appropriately. The people are beginning to be heard; now they have to follow through. You may be asking yourself - “why is this on a real estate blog?” Answer: real estate is largely about quality of life. It is in everybody’s best interest to maintain a high quality of life - it’s just good business.
Thank you to Cvillepodcast for providing this service. I don’t know how many people attended the meeting this afternoon, but I am grateful for being able to listen at my own leisure.
Technorati Tags: affordable housing, charlalbemarle, growth, sprawl
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Affordable housing in C’Ville
Bah. C-Ville reports:
Councilor Kevin Lynch foresees that with more precise tax-relief in its toolbox, the City will be able to target “low- and moderate-income homeowners who have seen the most rapid appreciation in their properties,” rather than enacting blanket tax-rate relief as Council did in 2005 when the property tax rate was cut by 4 cents to $1.05.
This kills me. I wrote about this bill last month before the eminent domain language was removed.
I don’t even get this -
Harumph, says Lynch: “The Free Enterprise Forum and the realtor group are always in favor of affordable housing and preventing any legislation that would block it until someone asks them to provide it. Then they’re nowhere to be seen.”
Realtors are in favor of preventing affordable housing legislation? Makes sense to me. Governments have proven themselves time and again to be incapable of running an efficient organization. There is seemingly little direct accountability in politics, and plenty of incentive to create endless layers of bureaucracy and thus, job security for said politicians and staff.
How does one explain the CAAR Workforce Housing Fund if Realtors are against affordable housing?
New podcast for Minor Ridge listing
The evolution of our podcasting adventure continues …
Podcast for 360 Minor Ridge Road (requires iTunes)
This one is better integrated with the photos, Google maps, the essay by the owner is great and delivers more insight than I could offer from my objective point of view. Adding the owner’s point of view is beneficial and provides a unique perspective. More information on this property is here.
Please let me know what you think. I think that implementing this technology is a good addition to our real estate marketing services.
March Newsletter
I have just finished my March Newsletter (1 day early!). Please email me if you would like a copy, either as a PDF or snail mail. As soon as I shrink the file-size, I will email it out.
The Portland experiment (Part 2)
Sometimes I read something where a mere summary posting simply does not suffice. This is one of them. Part 2 of AHI’s Portland series is excellent. Well researched, clearly presented. Virtually every paragraph could be cited for application to the Central Virginia (or any growing) region. Pointedly, here is part of the conundrum (which I discussed here as well)
Although many opponents of sprawl believe their beliefs are based on a rational and disinterested diagnosis of urban problems, they actions often involve powerful, even if usually unacknowledged, self-interest.
Families who have recently moved to the suburban periphery are often the most vociferous opponents of further development of exactly the same kind that created their own house because it would destroy their views or reduce their access to the countryside beyond their subdivision. (Pages 161-162)
And:
Markets are smarter and quicker (in an OODA-loop sense) than regulators, mightily though the regulators try:
Most, if not all pertinent and related topics are discussed - affordability, growth, sprawl, mass transit, land use, regulations, Read the whole thing. Discuss. Solutions?
Technorati Tags: affordable housing
CharlAlbemarle market update
The market always slows in December-January-February.
These numbers are … interesting. Using the MLS as my source, with my standard caveat that the MLS is not all-encompassing …
Inventory for Charlottesville/Albemarle:
Active in January 2005 - 229
Active in January 2006 - 296
% increase - 22.64%
Contingent - 20%
Pending - 24%
Closings - 13%
Active in February 2005 - 273
Active in February 2006 - 372
% increase - 26.61%
—For the entire Market Area* —
Active in January 2005 - 403
Active in January 2006 - 516
% increase - 21.90%
Contingent - 20.21%
Pending - 23.12%
Closings - 32.61%
What’s the difference between Contingent and Pending? Contingent indicates that a contingency remains, typically home inspection, financing, etc. Pending means that all contingencies have been met and both parties are merely waiting to close.
More inventory, less homes going under contract, a sense of equilibrium in the market, a shift to more of a buyers’ market is upon us. I remain confident that the increase in inventory is a sign of a healthier market, for two reasons - first, I think that if enough people say “the market is popping!” then we will witness a self-fulfilling prophecy act itself out. Two, I truly believe what I write (until proven otherwise).
Technorati Tags: Central Virginia, real estate, virginia
What will become of Charlottesville?
Each day seemingly brings a new development, a new announcement of another couple-hundred acres’ demise. I received the following email from clients last week who wish to relocate to C’Ville to retire …
After our tour of C’Ville with you last Sunday, (we) drove around the town on our own for a few hours before heading north to Centreville. With much enthusiastic conversation, we were fairly sure that Dunlora could be the community for our future home. Everything about it seemed right for us! The information you forwarded today even reinforced that opinion.
However, I went to the Belvedere website after I received your email and, I’m sorry to say that our bubble seems to have burst. I don’t think we want to live immediately adjacent to a community with 900-1200 homes and also significant commercial space. That development will be north of Dunlora, and a large portion of undeveloped property still exists to the south (you don’t need too much of an imagination to figure out what the future holds for that area). I haven’t even explored the projected parkway website yet.
Are we over-reacting? Is this merely a bump in the road? We know that, with your assistance and guidance, we’ll be able to find a suitable residence in or near Charlottesville.
I had several reactions after receiving this email from my clients, the most striking was that of utter disappointment. Good growth is good. Too much growth, combined with growth of the wrong kind, will destroy what makes our region special. An awful lot of people choose to come to the Charlottesville area because they want to move here for the reasons that make Charlottesville special. In the words of an off-line commenter:
If C’ville continues to try to imitate No VA (i.e. concerns centering around Crozet development, developers squeezing in as great a density as permitted—well there goes the QOL and the neighborhood). Again, I reiterate, it’s the “country” of Charlottesville with the little flair of charm, artsy craftsy, good restaurants, etc. created by UVA in downtown and “clean,pure wine country, that is C’ville.
This perception is what sells Charlottesville. I have never had to “sell” anyone on C’Ville; most love it here - for the open spaces, the clean air, the culture, schools, etc.
The HooK ran a good story this week depicting the trials and tribulations of Loudoun County to our north. It used to be said, “Don’t Fairfax Loudoun,” now I see the occasional “Don’t Loudoun Albemarle.”
The transience of our community is one of the aspects that makes us great. The constant change and influx of new ideas and perspectives add tremendous value to our vibrance, our je ne sais quoi, or as Dr. Evil says, our “I don’t know what.”
The questions I face every day are: At what point is “too much?” When do we stop being “CharlAlbemarle” and become just another town? The more homogenous developments we allow, the less character and style we will have. These type of developments, (described to me as “underwhelming, denuding the landscape, generally “blah” developments) to me (and my clients) are not “Charlottesville.”
This is a difficult story for me to write, as I make my living selling real estate. The goals of ASAP seem irrational and illogical to me, but they have a few good points here and there. I think the intent is good; the methods leave a lot to be desired.
A balance exists; I (nor has anybody else, it would seem) just haven’t found it yet. A moratorium on growth as some have proposed is not a reasonable nor feasible solution. I still love it here. Our challenges pale in comparison to other regions and locales … Here is where my idealist side rears its head - I do not advocate stripping individuals of the right to develop their own property. I just wish they would do so in a better fashion.
Growth is inevitable; how we grow is vital. This is a great place to live and work … now everybody knows it. We are victims of our own successes.
Technorati Tags: charlottesville, growth
Earnest Money Deposit
Great post at Rain City Guide by Ardell on earnest money, one of the few direct out-of-pocket expenses buyers make prior to Closing.
The buyer usually writes a check for the Earnest Money deposit at the same time that they sign the offer and they hand it to their Buyer Agent.
…
If you know you really want the house when you make the offer, and you have no problems at all throughout the transaction, the Earnest Money just slides like butter from your hand and back into your hand. Whether it actually goes into your hand at the end or is paid against your costs varies from transaction to transaction. But it still simply comes back to you like a boomerang.The only time you should be worried about handing over an Earnest Money check, is if you are not sure you want the house at the time you make the offer.
In our market, the check is made payable to the Buyer’s Agent’s company, where it is held in escrow until Closing. More on this later …
Technorati Tags: buyers
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