Date Archives January 2010

Would you Use an Open Space in Crozet?

I’ve made no secret about how much I like Open Space in Charlottesville . While they are still trying to, in the words of a friend, “ trying to find their soul ” – seeking their own personality as it were, it’s a fantastic concept, and is a space I use as frequently as possible.

… I’m a Realtor , so having a great space to work and meet clients is crucial, but not something I need every day.

…My question is this – if there were an Open Space in Crozet – in Old Trail for example – would you use it?

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An Interesting Question – Schools and Housing Values

Seth Godin asks in the “Ubiquity of Competition” : There are twenty towns you can choose for your family’s new home. One invests in its schools, has a focus on inquiry, AP courses and community, while the others are muddling through, arguing about their future. … One of them is represented by a broker who is a pillar of the community, a friend of many and a role model for the industry. … Whenever buyer clients ask me about the quality of Charlottesville and Albemarle County schools, I answer with a market-based response.

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This Should be Fun – Raising the Bar

The prevailing theme that I took away from the experience was “for the most part, we agree that the bar DOES need to be raised in real estate…but how, my what means, and by whom?” Finally, we at Professional One have decided to continue the conversation in this format and have created “Raise the Bar” radio , which you can find at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/raisethebar . We plan to kick the show off with our inaugural broadcast in early February (details to follow on Twitter), and the following guests have already graciously agreed to appear on the show:

Read more: http://p1fran.com/2010/01/rtb-on-the-radio/#ixzz0ddsqIZey Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike Raising the Bar is another reason that we at Nest have such high standards for our agents .

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Questions Raised about Biscuit Run’s Purchase

The director of the area’s regional transportation planning body wants state officials to explain why nearly half of the $9.8 million used to purchase the Biscuit Run property for a new 1,200 acre state park came from federal transportation funds. Metropolitan Planning Organization , has sent a letter expressing his concerns to Pierce Homer, the Secretary of Transportation under former Governor Tim Kaine. While Williams stated he has no opinion on whether the state should have purchased the land, he points out two-thirds of the Biscuit Run property is within the boundaries of the MPO’s jurisdiction. … Is this sour grapes on behalf of the MPO or a reasonable request as to how and why the property was purchased?

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Albemarle County’s School Budget Request

No salary increases of any kind for any employees; the projected 8 percent increase in health care costs and increased Virginia Retirement System expenses are covered by the request so employees will not receive a direct reduction in compensation for 2010-11; Increases in class size by one student in grades 4 through 12, a net loss of ~17 full-time equivalent teaching positions, many of which will be absorbed by attrition; Ten percent cuts in eligible operational budgets across the board for all schools and departments; Places hold on technology replacement and improvements; Reduces Learning Resources (textbooks, online resources, consumable materials) by $500,000; Reduces the transportation department by nearly $400,000, as efficiencies in routing, compensation, and program delivery are implemented. … Introduces for the first time a student activities fee for athletic programs and reduces the programs we offer: A student activity fee of $75 per student, per sport, with a cap of $425 per family will be enacted. … Cuts instructional support funds for intervention and enrichment, CATEC, elementary and middle school summer school; Makes, for the third consecutive year, additional position cuts in at the central office, and in support services, including leadership reductions. … The School Board will hold a series of budget work sessions in January, a Public Hearing on February 2, and another Telephone Town Hall on February 3 to hear feedback and concerns from the community.

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Twitter Week in Review – Some Real Estate Conversations, Some Off-Topic

Great caller on @ CSPAN just now “throw them all the hell out and start a *real* third party” response “…and we’ll leave it right there” 🙂 #

… @ jolenta Long day of showing ahead tomorrow; I’ll get it done tonight w/ @docusign’s help and be done. in reply to jolenta #

… #SMCCVille’s Event today – Traditional Media and Social Media – If you can’t make it, ask questions using # SMCCVille http://post.ly/JcSM #

… RT @tgonser: @ JimDuncan Dying to know the answer to “I love DocuSign but…” The blog image shows a red x.[try this http://bit.ly/4SCPdU ] #

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