City-County Revenue Sharing, Albemarle County Redistricting and Property Taxes
Three big stories if you live in (or are considering moving to) Albemarle County: - Your elementary schools need balancing and need to be redistricted. (always check your school district before you buy!) (Update: these are the options for redistricting Hollymead and Baker Butler) -…
So What if the NAR Overestimated Home Sales?
What's old is new again. "The National Association of Realtors says it has overestimated the number of homes sold in recent years and will soon publish revised statistics based on a new benchmarking methodology." To which I say: so what? I have yet to see…
City of Charlottesville Real Estate Market Update – First Ten Months of 2011
One big notation: I'm no longer comparing today's real estate market; what happened in 2005 - 2007 and before is interesting, curious, anomalous and ultimately irrelevant to today's real estate market. EVERYTHING is different now - interest rates, economic outlook, international economic events, gas prices,…
Albemarle County Real Estate Update – The first Ten Months of 2011
One big notation: I'm no longer comparing today's real estate market; what happened in 2005 - 2007 and before is interesting, curious, anomalous and ultimately irrelevant to today's real estate market. EVERYTHING is different now - interest rates, economic outlook, international economic events, gas prices,…
Veteran’s Day 2011
To all veterans and their families: thank you, from me and from my family. But don't stop today. Thank them whenever you can. What they and their families have sacrificed for us is immeasurable. Thank a veteran today.
The Bubblers and the Brokers, Part 2
The Charlottesville Bubble Blog have posted Part Two of their series. Michael Guthrie invited Greg Slater and me to be on his radio show this Saturday on WINA at 10am; we will be discussing our perspectives on the Charlottesville real estate market, what we're seeing,…
HR 1746 – If you’re An International Buyer Looking to Purchase in a College Town
This might be the program for you if if you're a wealthy foreigner who needs a Visa, if you buy a house (in Charlottesville) "worth" at least $500k, you can get a Visa. 1: Anything to stimulate investment in the US could be construed as…
Belevedere Neighborhood Maturing
I've always liked the Belvedere neighborhood; I think it's a great place - great neighborhood, great location and well-designed energy efficient houses. Charlottesville Tomorrow reports on how Belvedere is growing up and taking shape. “The homes are built right by the sidewalk and you can…
Links for 8 November 2011
To Fix Housing, See the Data - (NYTimes) - The case for principal write downs. Would Higher Interest Rates boost the Housing Market? - (The Atlantic) - Local Food: No Elitist Plot (NYTimes) Making Sense of Home Price Data (Smart Money) Making Sense: Market Reports…
Biscuit Run – Now in Court
The Biscuit Run story, originally a large tract of land, then a planned huge development, now failed planned development and a planned State Park, gets another chapter. This chapter begins … in court. Brendan Fitzgerald at C-Ville reports: Forest Lodge LLC—a venture that includes developer…