The only way I learned about it was when I saw that the National Association of Home Builders is suing the EPA : (bolding mine) A coalition of housing industry groups joined the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today in announcing plans to file a lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for removing the “opt-out” provision from its Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. … Its opt-out provision, which expired July 6, let consumers allow contractors to bypass extra preparation, clean-up and recordkeeping requirements in homes where there were no children under 6 or pregnant women, thus avoiding additional costs. “Removing the opt-out provision more than doubles the number of homes subject to the regulation,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. … Right now* nearly 1/3 of homes on the market in Albemarle – 322 homes – are affected by this rule (as in, they were built before 1978).
Posts Published by Jim Duncan
Is Inventory in Charlottesville’s Housing Market Really Increasing?
Ignore data prior to November 2009; there was a glitch. The answer to the titled question: Yes. Inventory seems to be increasing. Realistically, (and I’ve said this many times before) we won’t know where we…
I’m Moving to Charlottesville – Should I Rent First?
If you’re unfamiliar with the Charlottesville area, or used to live here and are coming back home, my opinion is that – and I tell my clients this – if you have the luxury, you should absolutely rent for at least six months prior to purchasing. … If you’re searching for rentals in Charlottesville, start here , but please, be aware of craigslist rental scams . … This is a tremendous opportunity for someone … military families (of which we have many now) are used to moving to an area and finding a rental or temporary rental quickly.
…Buying a house in a down market can be a very good thing; buying a house in a market that may have more decline yet to come takes confidence and a bit of faith.
Habitat for Humanity Builders Blitz this Weekend in Charlottesville
If you have some free time this weekend, why not help to build a house for Charlottesville’s Habitat for Humanity Builder’s Blitz ?
On two weekends in July 2010, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville will begin the final set of four homes in the affiliate’s first mixed-income development with an all hands on deck community Blitz Build.
This fun, participatory event will take place on four days – Saturday July 10th, Sunday July 11th, Saturday July 17th and Sunday July 18th at Paton Street in the Fifeville Neighborhood. The event will kick-off at 8 am on Saturday, July 10th with a short groundbreaking ceremony featuring the Habitat Partner Families who will own the homes being built and the home sponsors.
Updating Charlottesville’s Bicycle Transportation Plan
Good stuff in the C-Ville this week about the City of Charlottesville’s bicycle plan. … Without a comprehensive plan that brings together the three players – Charlottesville, Albemarle and UVA, we’ll continue to have bike lanes that start, stop, start again … or don’t exist at all. A bike lane to NGIC and DIA would be nice. … Charlottesville did win a bronze designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” in 2008 .
Mid-Year Charlottesville and Albemarle Market Report – 2010 (Part 1)
Looking at the real estate market data for the Charlottesville market – or any market in the US – is skewed by the homebuyer tax credit, which has been demonstrably proven to have pulled demand forward to the first quarter of 2010. … Now for some Second-Quarter context : First, the obvious – when looking at the historical market data for Charlottesville and Albemarle, as single family homes’ prices increased, buyers looked to attached homes and condos. … One way to look at the numbers above is to say that, last year we didn’t have the homebuyer tax credit; without it this year, the number of contracts written in Charlottesville and Albemarle would have been much lower. … Another way to look at it is that the buyers this year were going to buy anyway, and that the homebuyer tax credit was simply a bonus .