DailyProgress.com Greene County supervisors unanimously approved a real-estate tax of 84 cents per $100 of assessed value Thursday, as many residents voiced their support for the school system during a public hearing. Greene has needed an increase for a while. Their precipitous growth has far outpaced the county’s need for revenues, primarily due to the large increase in the school population.
Doh!
Higher local unemployment since VA now has to count more people: You may have noticed a significant jump in unemployment in the Charlottesville area. Virginia, in fact most states, had been basing their unemployment figures on population numbers from the 1990 census…. This year the federal agency in charge is requiring states to use the 2000 census in their calculations, which has led to a jump, albeit a clerical one, in unemployment. Bill Metzger of the Virginia Employment Commission says our region’s unemployment now stands at 2.9 per cent. Charlottesville’s jump in unemployment is due entirely to accounting.
Mac’s new OS
I am going to be upgrading to the new Apple operating system, Tiger, very soon…. I love my Mac and it makes me more productive. Walter Mossberg Overall, Tiger is the best and most advanced personal computer operating system on the market, despite a few drawbacks…. Tiger is the classiest version of Mac OS X ever and, by many measures, the most secure, stable and satisfying consumer operating system prowling the earth.
Albemarle County Schools Redistricting
Albemarle County, having just redistricted a few students for the Fall 2005, is ramping up again to redistrict many more students for the Fall 2006 school year…. Check and double-check where your kids will go to school. Look at the school district maps – Albemarle’s are here – and call the Transportation Department. Most REALTORS try their very best to have the most up-to-date, accurate information, but always do your own due diligence.
57th District House of Delegates race
I had the opportunity this afternoon to hear David Toscano, Kim Tingley and Rich Collins speak today at CAAR…. Kim Tingley is the newcomer and Rich Collins is a newcomer to the “running for office†landscape, but a brilliant person – I would love to take or audit one of his classes…. This seat is an unenviable position – seemingly endless needs – transportation, education, economic growth, growth – with very little money to go around. I like and appreciate ideologues; heck I happen to play one myself at times, but the political landscape is so unforgiving tow ideologues I wonder whether one could actually accomplish anything.
And then there’s this –
“Of Course, There’s No Bubbleâ€: “We’re still getting started,†says real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, who has advice about buying, selling, and hot spots across the U.S. This part is interesting – Q: Any advice for sellers?… The one thing: If you want to be overpaid, underprice by 10% and see what happens…. Only 1 in 10 people maybe has that chutzpah, but it works again and again and again…. Over and over again, people say, “I’ll give you the higher price, but I need five days.â€
Real Estate’s high P/E ratios
A Canadian take – Merrill Lynch’s David Rosenberg has been a housing bear for some time and you wouldn’t look like a genius following his advice. Prices in the United States and Canada keep going up, no matter what the economist says…. Just because the housing bubble “hasn’t burst, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,†he told Barron’s…. The bubble talk is everywhere!