May
25
2007
I’m trying something new with my blog today. I’m writing a sponsored post. I’ll talk more about what that is in a followup post, but I wanted to disclose that I was paid by a third party to review a real estate site for my readers. The topic (Realty1st.net) is given to me, but the opinions, good or bad are my own. So here goes… I don’t need a realtor in Atlanta, so what I am going to review is the website. Is it functional and usable? Is it credible? Does it satisfy the needs of its intended audience?
Realty1st is an Atlanta Real Estate Site sponsored by Mark Teytel and Lena Zaretsky, Atlanta realtors for over 15 years. The site is very comprehensive (more than 100 pages), and includes details about the realtors, testimonials, current MLS home listings (sortable by city or searchable by the typical criteria), real estate articles, a real estate term glossary and a current real estate news section.
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May
23
2007
The DailyProgress has a story today about how Eco-friendly homes are the hot new thing. The idea is to use less pollutant and more sustainable (easily replacable by the earth) materials when building a home. There are three major development projects in Central Virginia underway that the article mentions that will use these principles:
The Belvedere project off East Rio Road in Albemarle County will eventually be a community of 700 homes that are certified as energy efficient. The developer, Stonehaus, broke ground on the project May 10.
South of Charlottesville, in North Garden, a 2,300-acre property called Bundoran Farm is being developed into an environmentally friendly community, in which 90 percent of the land will be conserved.
And in Zion Crossroads in Louisa County, a Utah developer is planning a 650,000-square-foot outlet mall, with office, retail and restaurant space. The project will include green building aspects, including solar power, recycled building materials and preservation of the 119-acre site’s existing wetlands.
This is such a Charlottesville thing to do. I wonder to what extent this is happening nationally? When sustainablility gets cost neutral, that’s when these efforts will really start to make a difference.
May
11
2007
At Yahoo News a local builder got a shout out this morning. Building Homes For A Lifetime: Interest In Accessibility Is Rising mentions custom-home building Charlottesvillian Randy Rinehart and his practice of building accessible custom homes for the elderly.
That 10,500 Americans turn 55 every day is a fact not lost on Randy Rinehart, 60, a custom builder in Charlottesville, Va. “About half of the eight homes we build each year are for active adults,” he said. “It’s not unusual for these people to walk in and pay cash for a $2 million house.”
I wonder how some smalltown person building 8 houses a year get’s an expert mention in an out of town publication? Kinda fun.
May
10
2007
The News Virginian has a nice article about assessment appeals. In Waynesboro, land owners have seen value rollbacks as small as $100 and as high as $3 million.
I’ve been reassessed serveral times but each time, though I was unhappy, I thought the new value was fair, or maybe a little low. If you think the assessment is too high, contest it. You don’t need a lawyer and there are no fees associated with doing so. You have nothing to lose. Richard Spurzem gained tens of thousands of dollars.
A real-estate developer from Charlottesville, Spurzem made headlines during the 2005 reassessment for convincing the appeals board to make a major slash to his shopping center’s valuation, arguing in part that the west-end site held little attraction for big-name commercial endeavors.
In Charlottesville, to appeal an assessment, you have 30 days from the date of the assessment mailing to appeal, by either calling or visiting the Real Estate Assessor’s Office in City Hall. You can then review the data used in computing the assessment and, if necessary, schedule an inspection of the property. “After this, should a dispute still exist, you may appeal to the Board of Equalization. The three-person board, appointed by the Circuit Court, is composed of City property owners. The board may affirm, reduce or raise the assessment, if in their opinion such adjustments are necessary to equalize the tax burden upon all citizens in the City. If you are dissatisfied with the Board’s decision, you may appeal to the Circuit Court. If you have assessment questions please call the City Assessor’s Office at 434-970-3136.”