Date Archives August 2006

Recycling poll

Recycling is hard to come by.  The City of Charlottesville offers recycling (navigating their website makes me just want to give up and throw it all away).  The County of Albemarle does not, but offers an informative page with drop-off recycling locations.I had no idea that our region was voted “most sustainable community in Virginia.The Daily Progress’ 2005 Welcome Guide has a recycling roundup.  So does the HooK.One would think that a seemingly progressive region as ours would be willing to financially support recycling.  Many of my clients, both existing residents and transplants, ask whether recycling is an option.  Until economics dictate that something is viable, it won’t be an option.  Check out the poll in the right sidebar; feel free to add an answer as an option.  I’m curious.

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Why use print?

With internet marketing, there are metrics I use to determine how advertising campaigns are working.  Click-throughs, referrals from specific sites, hits, time spent on a particular page – these are all methods by which I can measure whether my money is being used effectively to market my clients’ property….  I was simply not interested in their print arm, as nice as it is.How is print effective?…  Marketing to the passive real estate consumer – those who may be looking in six, nine or eighteen months.  A good example of this is the recent two-part series by the local Real Estate Weekly (PDF 1, PDF 2) – this type of feature article will do more than a 2×2 box that has a front shot of a house and a few clichéd words of description.There is a survey out today validating my thoughts (and spurring this post).Inman:But Realtors say they buy print ads because their customers expect them to, not because they produce results, according to a survey by Florida-based Classified Intelligence LLC and Realty Times….  (bolding mine)So what’s taking so long for the transition (to the internet) to happen?”The difficulty is that many sellers value print advertising because they see it, they feel it, and they also feel that there is an investment that the agent is making in their listing with some forms of print advertising,”Realty Times:In allocating their budgets, Realtors get the word out on the street via flyers, yard signs, and billboards — still the top category of spending, as it was in 2005….  Thirty-six percent of respondents said that up to 10 percent of their advertising dollars go to newspaper advertising.Thanks to Joel for the link to the study.The only exception to this is Open Houses.  The Sunday paper is the best way to get traffic to an open house.

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Green development rising

Being an EcoBroker, I have a real vested interest in the adoption of green technologies in the housing industry.  As someone who plans to live here for a good while, I have a vested interest as well.  Avoiding positive green news is becoming harder and harder.  Locally in the Charlottesville area, more properties are being marketed as “green,” builders are seeing the value of building better, more sustainable housing …Green is GoodGreen Business Trend Taking HoldTreehugger RoundupA voice in the wind debate:…  wind turbines are much more than technology for generating electricity: they’re symbols that represent ideas ranging from sustainability and respect for natural limits to intrusions by faceless corporations and far-off populations bent on feeding their own greed and overindulgence …Hot on the heels BP’s purchase of local wind developers, Greenlight EnergyWind power picks upI’ve said it many times before.  Green will not gain prominence and widespread adoption until and unless it is a profit-making entity.  We are close.

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What do you want to know?

I have been working the in the real estate world for just over five years and have been around it since I was a wee child (both of my parents are Realtors).  I have moved five or six times locally in seven years, but I have never directly asked myself or my clients this question – What do you want to know about the area that will either help you move or help you decide to move here?  – Schools- Crime Rates- Employment- Grocery Stores- Public Transport- Recycling- What is there to do?- What have you been looking for online that you just cannot find?A general, all-encompassing question that usually elicits the responses above is this – “What, if anything, do you want or need to be “close to?””  Listening is my best weapon which I use to discern my clients’ wants and needs.  I just need to be sure I am asking the right questions.

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State oversight over local development?

Listening to friends and clients, it is a rare (and usually misinformed) person who thinks that growth management has been responsibly implemented – locally and throughout the Commonwealth.The WP has an interesting article today that neatly summarizes the issues we face as we move forward.It comes down to trust.  To a man woman person, not one to whom I have spoken believes that the politicians, the builders, the NIMBYs (add your pejorative here) is trustworthy enough to look beyond their own selfish, short-sighted self interests.  In a vacuum, each is right.Commonwealth Commonsense has a good analysis today, from whom I have cribbed this snippet of the pertinent legislation: Note: if you don’t read the legislation, it’s hard to determine whether you’re “for” or “against” it.Provides that prior to adoption of any comprehensive plan or amendment the locality shall submit such plan or amendment to the Department of Transportation for review and comment.  The Department shall provide written comment on the proposed plan or amendment within 90 days of receipt thereof.  Also, upon submission to a locality of an application for rezoning, the locality shall submit such application to the Department of Transportation within 10 business days of receipt thereof….  Within 45 days of its receipt of such application, the Department shall either (i) provide written comment on the rezoning application, or (ii) schedule a meeting, to be held within 60 days of its receipt of the application, with the local planning commission or other agent and the applicant to discuss potential modifications to the application to address any concerns or deficiencies.Whom do you trust to do the “right thing?”…  then I come back from a home inspection to this news: There will be a Special Session of the General Assembly to discuss/act on/remedy/pander about Transportation 27 September to 30 September.  (Thanks to Waldo for the tip)I’m hoping that anything that comes of the Special Session will be reflected in the General Assembly RSS Feed (and of course throughout the VA blog world).For further reading, visit Charlottesville Tomorrow’s post and podcast on local transportation priorities.

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