Arlington County is sayin' that this year's home values not that bad. The county sees a net gain of 0.4 percent. (The values is used as part of formula to determine what kind of property tax county is going to stick up their residents).
Arlington
real estate property values for 2009 performed at a
higher-than-expected level, showing a net gain of 0.4%, County
officials announced today. Existing properties declined in value
0.06%, but new property added 1.0% to the County’s real estate,
resulting in a slight gain.
Previous projections were for a decline of up to 5.0%. Normal growth for a sustainable budget is plus 4.0%
The commercial property tax base increased by 2.3%, while residential properties saw a net decrease of 1.2%.
The
encouraging news on property values was partially offset by downward
revisions for other revenues that are sensitive to economic conditions,
including personal property taxes on motor vehicles. Additionally, the
budget proposed by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine would further reduce
state aid to Arlington by $2 million.
County Manager Ron Carlee reported that the County’s projected gap for Fiscal Year 2010 (July 2009 - June 2010) has decreased
from approximately $40 million, announced in November 2008, to slightly less than $35 million.
From the outside, there is nothing unusual about the stylish new gray
and orange row houses in the Kranichstein District, with wreaths on the
doors and Christmas lights twinkling through a freezing drizzle. But
these houses are part of a revolution in building design: There are no
drafts, no cold tile floors, no snuggling under blankets until the
furnace kicks in. There is, in fact, no furnace.
In Berthold Kaufmann’s home, there is, to be fair, one radiator for
emergency backup in the living room — but it is not in use. Even on the
coldest nights in central Germany, Mr. Kaufmann’s new “passive house”
and others of this design get all the heat and hot water they need from
the amount of energy that would be needed to run a hair dryer.
How come we don't build more of these over here?
*** UPDATE: Natural Home has a story on passive solar home.
TEXTING is part of communication medium I use in my business - a lot. According to this story, texting is the most profitable part of the big 4 carriers (down from 6), even though it costs them 'very little to transmit messages.'
Uhm, so basically the big cos. like AT&T rips its customers (incl. me) off ?
During the holidays, I will be posting light. Listening to the news last night, I am just glad that I don't have to deal with the weather, flight delays, etc. - because I am staying in town. So, I can use the time to do nothing (relaxing) and maybe.. maybe, think about what kind of topics I want to work on for the next year. (If you have suggestions, feel free to email me).
Since there's enough of bad news out there - like these ones: here, here, here and here, already - let's just have some laughs...
Lately, I've been trekking Kingstowne neighboorhood in Alexandria, viaKingstowne Association.
A planned community of 5400 homes in the
Franconia-Springfield
area of Northern Virginia's
Fairfax County, just outside the Capital Beltway circling
Washington, DC. The community offers ready access to Interstates
395 and 495, and to the Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn
Street stations on
Washington's Metrorail system, providing an easy commute to
the Washington area's major employment centers.
I am so amazed to watch how prices in this hood falling so fast. Because I remember, not too long ago, a client bought a 4BR/2.5Ba townhouse in this community - in the low-$400's. And now, some of the same townhouse within the same neighborhood are selling for as much as 25% to 50% off peak!
Okay, for one thing, Kingstowne is 'outside the beltway.' But, that doesn't mean that location is way out there .. in the boonies. This community still in Alexandria (zipcode) part of Fairfax county. I meant, there's still easy access to Metro subway and buses. It has a town center that has a collection of office buildings, grocery stores like Safeway and Shoppers, Starbucks, Panera, TJ Maxx, and more.
In other words, the location is not bad.
The few townhouses on the market for less than $350,000, for the most part either bank-owned (foreclosures) or short-sale. These are the ones 'cheaper' than condos in Arlington. The conditions of the houses I've been to were not that bad. The worst one I saw, was the one with a hole in the ceiling. Think
there's a water leak from bathroom above. For some reasons, in this area you got more better choices than some of the other area I've been to. (Oh, and I've been to sooo many of those bank-owned, not necessarily in Kingstowne, but just about any location in DC/N.Va where prices "match" with the demand).
Book - Customer (9 Up)1154 KINGSTOWNE
With the exception of The Jefferson (a retirement community out in Ballston area) that has a line up of condos for sale under $210k (7 condos), there is only a few good ones on the market for less than $250,000. And there's that trick to find the balance between price and condo fee. Condo association that bundles up fees with utilities, expect to pay more than $300 a month for the fee.
So, when you factor the condo fee into your mortgage payment, doesn't it make more 'dollars and cents' to get a townhouse? Here is the thing. If you don't mind the commute, a townhouse outside-the-beltway (still within the circle of Northern Virginia) area may offer more 'bang for the buck' - for you.
Loan document explains LIBOR rate rules Q: Dear, Dr. Don. The LIBOR rate on my adjustable-rate loan was to change Nov. 1, 2008.
The bank changed the rate as of Sept. 17, 2008. What was the LIBOR rate
per the Wall Street Journal on these two dates?
America's Best Long Term Bets Drive along Interstate 80, just outside the city of Sacramento, Calif., and scores of gated and planned communities await.
Paris Hilton House Robbed Listen puppies, we are somewhat loathe to discuss hotel heiress Paris
Hilton, because she and her breed of celebrity are so completely over
(o-vah!) that we can't stand it.
'Pretty alarming': Owners find themselves trapped underwater Michael and Cynthia Russell wanted to move to New York City, where they both work. Jobs are more plentiful there than in their town of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
But like millions of Americans today, the couple are stuck.
States Help, Hurt When It Comes to Mortgages State legislatures are stepping up their response to the nation’s housing crisis, according to research released today by the Pew Center on the States
— but that response appears to be mixed in terms of its effectiveness
and focus, according to a review of the study’s findings by HousingWire.
Record low mortgage rates toss housing a lifeline With the $500 of monthly savings Jim Hennessy of San Diego gained by
cutting the rate on his $417,000 mortgage, he plans to rebuild his
beaten-up retirement account and maybe even take a cruise.
Rock Row Small Lot Eco Town Homes Last month, Heyday Partnership began construction on a slick small lot development called Rock Row.
Located in the Eagle Rock area, which is north of downtown LA, Rock Row
will feature town home-esque (no party wall) properties at
affordable-ish ($475k-$550k) prices.
The
Clean Energy Rewards program currently offers Montgomery County
residents and businesses a 0.5 cent per kilowatt-hour rebate (reduced
from prior years) on certain voluntary green energy purchases,
offsetting 15-25% of the incremental cost of purchasing green energy.
The program budget was also increased by $200,000 to $561,000 through
June 2009.
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