Those who attend public hearings and forums such as Boards of Supervisors and City Council meetings and who are able to maintain their attention span should be commended. So much that impacts our quality of life, and thereby the real estate market happens in these meetings. Consistency. Stepping into one meeting and immediately understand the context in which discussions are being held is a near impossibility. There is a reason that many of the attendees either are paid to attend, have vested interests or are retired – the meetings are mostly dry, intricate conversations between folks who have intimate knowledge about local government. My favorite part of yesterday’s BoS meeting was when a member of Staff referred to Code section “ten dot three dot three dot two.” The various organizations that track local government, such as the FEF, CvilleTomorrow, PEC et al provide invaluable services to the community.These meetings are vitally important. If no one listens or pays attention, who will know when politicians sacrifice their integrity?
Date Archives July 2006
The 80-20 rule
There is a rule that says 20% of the Realtors do 80% of the business. Apparently this is called the Pareto Principle (it’s amazing what I learn by blogging). With that in mind, I ran some quick MLS numbers – 290 Realtors have had more than 5 “sides” – either a listing or buying transaction since 1 January of this year. This is approximately 25% of the Realtor population in the CharlAlbemarle area. 475 had at least one and less than five sides. This profession is not just easy money.
Crozet’s growth pattern
Will the County listen to the people who signed a petition asking for a population cap?I am dying to see Old Trail’s promised affordable housing:“We do embrace affordability,†Beights said. He said affordable housing fitting the county’s current definition could start in the $180,000 price range and move up well over $200,000Will Crozet have 12,000 or 24,000 residents?This will prove an interesting exercise in integrity, politics, whether the elected officials listen to their constituents and whether much can be done to prevent growth.
Weekend links
Predicting population growthVirginia land use to follow road plan – yeah, we’ll see.Real estate advertising is focused more and more online.The share of spending on online real estate ads grew from 10.3 percent to 14.7 percent, and is expected to grow to a 32.1 percent market share in 2010. Real estate ad spending in newspapers, meanwhile, is expected to shrink 32.9 percent from 2006-2010, which would give newspapers a 30.4 percent share of real estate ad spending in 2010.Negative real estate headlines – might they be a driving factor in buyers’ psyches?Energy prices slice into consumer spendingNew Study Pinpoints top Places Where Real-Estate Prices May Fall-and Jonathan Miller’s excellent analysis earlier this weekPick your response wisely. Sometimes, initiating a pissing contest can backfire.