A buried stream shows itself. This was not discovered in the home inspection.My client emailed me this movie with these (partial) remarks – … there is a creek at the bottom of Mulberry Avenue … the city was working a week ago down there, but I heard there is natural stream coming from the top of the street, somewhere between Mulberry ave and Center ave. I don’t know if the water is coming from the street, or from the ground…. Anyway. Thank goodness they didn’t built the house further back…And the next morning – This morning, if you sit next to the path of the stream, you can still hear the water flowing underneath the grass. It’s still there, but more quiet.
Date Archives June 2006
Regional roundup
With every one of these localities moving forward with their own growth and comprehensive plans, doesn’t it make sense to have some sort of regional cohesion between the plans and planners? What impact does TJPDC have?Albemarle assesses residents’ opinions – was anybody surprised by the answers?“We noticed a decrease in satisfaction rates [for transportation] between 2002 and 2004,†Allshouse said. “We saw data line up that showed us transportation is becoming a more important issue, so the goals for [the 2007-10] strategic plan, which should be adopted in July, include expanding regional transit opportunities and accelerating transportation projects.â€Louisa’s Comp Plan moves forwardWithout the infrastructure, Tingler said, planning will not be effective. “If the county is concerned about bringing growth into designated areas,†said Tingler, “along with that goes modification to bring resources into those areas, water, sewer…. Fluvanna’s Comp Plan surveyNo details have been released regarding the results, but public concerns about “growth and taxes†are a leading theme, according to a planner who has seen a number of the responsesMadison County jacks up building permit fees “Last year was a tremendous year; it was so busy,†Grayson said…. CvilleTomorrow changes tack slightlyWatching how they balance this will be interesting. CvilleTomorrow is one of the most valuable information assets our region has. I personally hope that they use their influence for information dissemination rather than advocates for or against particular developments.
Craigslist, Google, Yahoo, and fair housing
One reason that Craigslist will have At stake is whether online sites should be compelled to actively police the postings of their users to ensure compliance with federal and state laws.
Soccer catches on
Way off topic, other than the fact that playing, coaching and watching soccer brings me joy:Despite the general lack of interest in the World Cup by the US audience, the soccer tournament is more popular than the NBA basketball championship and the NHL’s Stanley Cup hockey title. Both of those events were being held at the same time as the World Cup.Anything worth while takes time.
Business blogging takes time
And commitment, dedication, knowledge and a sense of humor. I read this story at Steve Rubel’s site last week, referencing this study done by the University of Massachusetts (pdf).One of the more insightful conclusions is a simple one: Blogs Evolve.For anybody curious about blogging for their business, take the time to read this study. Blogging is not rocket science, success take the will to succeed.
Towards representation
My wife called to me last week to watch a segment on the Today show (no link to the story) focusing on Sellers choosing not to have representation when selling their houses – some call them FSBOs…. There are several different business models available in today’s market that will simply post (usually accurate) listings in the MLS for a certain fee, but will not provide any negotiating, representation or any other assistance. There is a place for that – no question.The future of today’s Realtor is going to depend more and more on the representation aspect of real estate transactions. Any monkey can do data entry (look at some of the MLS listings and you will think that a monkey could easily have done better; there is no excuse for not putting in at least eight photos with a property)…. Representing the minutiae of a transaction – the seemingly little problems that can swiftly become seemingly insurmountable, managing the people and emotions involved, knowing about and doing those aspects of a transaction that can make a transaction a good or a painful memory – those are the parts of this profession that will Being able to successfully represent clients will define the future of this profession. There is much online competition for the real estate industry – Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Google – that will fragment real estate search. Picking up the pieces by representing clients and their best interests will define the successful Realtor. No amount of online data will replace a walking into a basement and immediately knowing whether there has been water infiltration recently, or whether the wood floors are real 3/4 inch wood or a laminate-type product.
Eminent domain restricted?
Executive Order: Protecting the Property Rights of the American People Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to protect the rights of Americans to their private property, including by limiting the taking of private property by the Federal Government to situations in which the taking is for public use, with just compensation, and for the purpose of benefiting the general public and not merely for the purpose of advancing the economic interest of private parties to be given ownership or use of the property taken.If I am reading this correctly, this addresses the eminent domain threat quite mightily. What do you more knowledgeable readers think? Ever since the Supreme Court’s ruling last year, the general public has been in an uproar. I am somewhat surprised that somebody listened.Perhaps equally important is this question – what are the loopholes that some will try to exercise?