All I have to say this morning is – read what Rick wrote. Thankfully we live in a free country and this person is free to think and say what she pleases; I am free to think and say that her mindset is appalling and I am ashamed that our taxes pay her rent.
Date Archives May 2006
Are people really moving to the Cities?
Are people moving to the cities or is Charlottesville (the City of, not CharlAlbemarle) an anomaly?From the DP article titled “Many moving to cities, UVA professors find:According to the professors, the main reasons for increased interest in city living are abbreviated distances to destinations, proximity to activity centers and frustrations with some aspects of suburbia…. For instance, people in their twilight years desire being able to walk to activity centers for senior citizens, making downtown areas attractive destinations to live near.And from yesterday’s WSJ opinion page:Even amidst a strong economic expansion, the most recent census data reveal a renewed migration out of our urban centers…. Not only are the perennial losers — Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Detroit — continuing to empty out, but some of our arguably most attractive cities, like Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Chicago, have lost population since 2000. Even Charlottesville (the City of) has lost population of late (and here) while Albemarle has seen a 23.5% population increase over the past five years. Does this sound like he is describing Charlottesville?Given the growing challenge posed by the emerging boomtowns as well as the suburbs and exurbs, wannabe “hip cool” cities need to realize they can’t thrive merely as amusement parks for the rich, the nomadic young and tourists. To remain both vital and economically relevant, they must remain anchored by a large middle class, and by families and businesses that feel safe and committed to the urban place.The UVA professors seem to agree:”The future of housing here and elsewhere will depend greatly on where it is relative to job attractions, shopping attractions and entertainment attractions,” he said.The moral of the story?… Without digging into the numbers, using the MLS as the data source, Charlottesville has 308 homes on the market (attached, detached and condos) with the average price being $373k and the median being $310k…. Albemarle has 111 properties that are at least $1 million and Charlottesville has 5.The Charlottesville area is a fantastic place to live; there just happens to be more to the area than the City.
Semantics
Charlottesville and Albemarle are two different entities. They are part of the same Metropolitan Statistical Authority (MSA). Albemarle pays 10% of their revenue to the City of Charlottesville every year. Those who are newer residents are fairly surprised when they discover this fact – rightfully so.Charlottesville and Albemarle are not the same thing. Stories that highlight the values of Charlottesville while said features are actually in Albemarle (or Greene or Fluvanna as is often the case) are inaccurate.
A few things this morrning.
Real estate, green and traffic … Chicago’s going green (HT: Raising Kaine)Regarding Zillow, et. al:raw data without human analysis (looking inside and outside since the data was collected) is useless. Zillow is really useless because you still need a professional to determine if zillow is wrong & by how much. ANd if zillow is off by a mile so what–zillow isn’t backing up anything it says.I hate to post something with so many capitalization errors and typos, but the above point is true. Without interpretation of the data,the data will be just that – meaningless numbers that may or may not be accurate. (Good) Realtors are going to have to develop, maintain their professionalism and offer – get this – service – to survive and thriveHow will consumers become clients?What will the 29 North Corridor look like? Is it too late?If you question whether political blogs have influence, read this.
A Zero-energy home
Wow. Necessity really is the mother of invention.
Blogging is personal – and effective
Mark Cuban has an excellent post describing some of the major differences between traditional media and blogging. Well worth a read -(Traditional media) get hired for a specific job and they have to do that job. They get hired by a corporation that is most likely public, which means their senior management , the people they ultimately report to, have to put getting the stock price up above all else. That is really what blogging vs traditional media in 2006 has come down to…. Blogging is personal, traditional media is corporate.Is print media dead?Where newspapers kick the Internets behindPrint will always have a place – for investigative journalism, for the 5,000 word analysis that would be extraordinarily difficult to read on a blog, the sheer volume of information provided and for the satisfying effect that comes from sitting down and reading the paper from the first page to the last. Importantly, does real estate advertising have a future on the pages of newspapers, weeklies, monthly magazines? Why do real estate marketers (Realtors) spend so much money on a format that is inefficient, difficult to track and expensive? The direct connection to consumers the “trust” factor is mightily difficult to convey in a 2 x 3 (or whatever size one chooses) static house advertisement.
New Habitat Store in Charlottesville
One of the better assets to our community is the Habitat Store – a place for builders, remodelers and do-it-your-selfers alike. This week they celebrate their move from the staid 4,500 square foot quarters to their brand-spankin’ new 20,000 square foot home on Harris Street – across from Gaston and Wyatt and Intrastate Pest Control. A client of mine who is works there wrote to say this – It serves the community in multiple ways; a place to shop for great home improvement materials at a discount, a place to donate leftover or replaced items that are in good shape and might otherwise be discarded, and all monies raised directly benefits the Charlottesville area by building Habitat homes for those in our community who are unable to compete in our market. Stay tuned for updates on Charlottesville’s Builders’ Blitz, June 3rd throughout the 10th.