Isn’t it time that our elected officials actually listen to the voters?

Georgia legislators heard residents at a public hearing held at Georgia Tech on June 30, preparing for the upcoming special session of the Georgia General Assembly. This session will be held to redraw the state’s legislative and congressional districts, to better reflect changes in Georgia’s population.

Many of the speakers expressed hope that “communities of interest” – areas which share common beliefs and lifestyles – would be kept in tact during the process. Sen. Fran Millar, a Republican from Dunwoody, said he would like to see the 6th Congressional District redrawn so that it takes in more of DeKalb, including areas now to its south such as Brookhaven and the Smoke Rise community (in Stone Mountain? – that’s not really to the “south” of Dunwoody, Mr. Miller). Dunwoody, is part of the 6th District, and is represented by Republican Rep. Tom Price of Roswell. Brookhaven, Ashford Park and Drew Valley are represented by Rep. Henry Johnson, a Democrat from Lithonia, in the 4th District.

The meeting was the last of 12 public hearings held around the state. On Aug. 15, The state legislature will hold a special session to redraw legislative and Congressional lines, based on the 2010 Census.

I’ve been saying for years, that I wanted to run against Rep. Johnson. Or, rather that someone, anyone, should run against him. If the citizens of Ashford Park, Drew Valley, Murphey Candler and Brookhaven don’t get better representation from Hank, maybe 2012 will be “the” year that I actually do run. Nancy for The House, or Nancy4TheHouse.com – I kind of like the sound of it!

Recently, I’ve blogged about this summer’s town hall meetings, trying to drum up interest in creating a new City of Brookhaven. What is driving me crazy, are the new “facts” that are coming out about this new city.

Apparently, the organizers need approximately $30,000 for the Vinson Institute’s study and are trying to raise $50,000 (no, I’m not sure why they need an additional $20K). What was presented in the first town hall meeting I attended, was that the Georgia legislature was paying for this study. But now, as I understand it, the organizers are asking citizens to donate money towards the study.

Does anyone think the idea of a City of Brookhaven will fly, when they don’t even have the money for a study? I don’t get it; am I the only who doesn’t?

Two weeks ago, on June 29, there was another town hall meeting, regarding the creation of the new city of Brookhaven, GA. This meeting seemed to be conducted by people who did not seem to be in favor of it. Rep. Mike Jacobs did not talk at the second meeting, although State Rep. Elena Parent and several organizers from Dunwoody and Sandy Springs spoke.

The areas being considered for a City of Brookhaven are currently in unicorporated Dekalb. These property owners pay their taxes to the county, in exchange for certain services. The organizers for a push to city-dom, it seems to me, are pushing an agenda of what is in it for them, rather than what is in it for the taxpayers.

To incorporate into a city, the city must provide a minimum of three services. These services cannot be overlapped (ie; one can’t have two police departments).  At the town hall meeting, Jim Grubiak, of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia said, ‘is the perception the same as the reality?’. Grubiak said that what leads citizens to create a new city is:

1. Communication (or lack of communication);
2. Planning and Land Use;
3. Resource allocation;
4. Representation: are officials listening?

Are county officials listening to North Dekalb residents/taxpayers? Does the creation of a City of Brookhaven warrant the extra money and bonds that must be raised to substantiate  a new city?

What will the new city of Brookhaven bring to its residents? Some negative considerations to consider are:

1. The probability of higher taxes *;
2. Needed government buildings;
3. Employees, equipment (this could be as small as copiers and as large as police cars).

Dekalb County’s police has Swat & Riot Units, a Detectives Unit, a Gang Unit, Narcotics unit, Vice Unit, two police helicopters: would these services go away with the creation of a Brookhaven police force?

Obviously, the positive considerations are:

1. Local control, which would mean empowerment and self-control;
2. Additional representation;
3. Efficiency and responsiveness;
4. The opportunity for enhanced services (two examples would be more police and upgraded parks);
5. Better code enforcement;
6. More local control over planning and zning decisions.

*Higher taxes? You bet there will be higher taxes! The areas being considered for a City of Brookhaven, are primarily residential, with a small portion of it, commercial businesses. Without taxes for commercial interests, where will the money come from, for government/city buildings, squad cars and equipment, employee salaries, park enhancements and on and on? Can you say higher taxes?

Recently, there have been two town hall meetings to discuss creating a new city in North Georgia. This new city would be the City of Brookhaven.

The first meeting was held on May 24 to introduce the concept of this new city to the area’s homeowners.  GA Representative Mike Jacobs has introduced House Bill 636 to pay for a study by The Vinson Institute of the University of Georgia.

Between now and late October, the Vinson Institute will study:

1. The cost aspects of a City of Brookhaven;
2. The range of services that would be provided by the City of Brookhaven;
3. What would be the capital expenditures for the new city’s assets (parks, town hall, etc);
4. What would be the potential sources of revenue from the new city (wine, liquor, beer; property taxes);
5. What would be the potential revenue sources from franchises serving the City of Brookhaven (cable, gas, telephone);
6. What would the facility and salary costs be for a new city.

The portion of the meeting that I didn’t understand, were the areas to which the study will apply. The areas being considered are: Historic Brookhaven, Murphy Candler, Brittany, Linwood Park, Silver Lake, Brookhaven Heights, Lenox Park and Brookhaven Fields. Another broader section of the study will include Ashford Park and Drew Valley. The latter two, in my opinion, are closer to being a part of a City of Brookhaven, than Murphy Candler, Silver Lake and Brittany. But then, Rep. Jacobs, one of the key proponents, lives in the Murphy Candler area.

One of the points that the organizers made, was that taxes would probably (???) not go up. The residents of Brookhaven would pay less to the county and the balance of the taxes would be made to the new city. In other words, if the City of Brookhaven opts to create its own police and fire departments, tax payers would pay that portion of taxes to the city and deduct it from their county-paid taxes. It is like a basket of services: pick which ones you want, deduct them from the county’s revenue basket and then put them into the City’s basket.

The town-hall leaders asked the city organizers of the newly-created cities of Dunwoody and Sandy Springs  to speak at the May meeting. One of them said that there has not been a tax increase in the 3 years that they have operated the city of Dunwoody and that Dunwoody is operating with a surplus of revenue. It was also said that Dekalb County’s property tax millage rate of 2.5 mils will go up to replenish the county’s reserves, perhaps as high as 4 mils. Dekalb CEO Burrell Ellis recently said that taxes must go up to pay for the county’s services (A “mil” is equal to $1.00 for every $1,000. of the assessed value; in Georgia, the assessment is set at 40% of the market value).

Like many of the town hall attendees, I am not sold on cityhood. I will have to hear what the benefits of a City of Brookhaven would be. Is it just more money out of our pockets?

Buckhead Trees

A Buckhead man has been fined more than $52,000 by the city of Atlanta for trees destroyed on his property. He says he didn’t cut them down.

There’s a new bill in Congress, The Housing Recovery Act of 2011, or H.R. 1526, which is aiming at getting the backlog of foreclosures sold, by allowing buyers to use retirement funds for purchases.

The new bill aims to clear the growing foreclosured properties’ backlog by allowing buyers to dip without penalty. The bill would amend the IRS tax code, so that qualified individuals could use distributions as a down payment to purchase residences that have been in foreclosure status for one year or more.

Typically, pulling funds out of an IRA, 401k, or similar retirement accounts prematurely would call for early distribution penalties, but Florida Congressman (and real estate agent) Bill Posey is hoping the IRS will waive it for the greater good. US Rep. Posey introduced the bill in the US House last week, and it was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

If it is passed, it will come with a few requirements:

1. The subject property must have been in foreclosure for one or more years;
2. The retirement funds must be used within 120 days of the close of purchase;
3. The foreclosed property must be held be the buyer for a minimum of two years to avoid any early distribution penalties. It will not allow investors to “flip” properties.

The bill is aimed at promoting sustainable homeownership, while giving homeowners a tax break. Let’s hope the Congress can move on this!

Plenty of houses are old but how can a Sellers make his/her/their home look rejuvenated and not old and tired? The difference can be what makes a house sit or sell. Here are some tips to homeowners, even if they are not putting their homes on the market:

1. Green is good, but not if it is growing on the siding, bricks or roof. Many times, Sellers are focused on sprucing up the flowers and front landscaping, when what they should  be focusing on, is renting a pressure-washer and ridding themselves of that green, fuzzy stuff. 
2. Ivy growing up a home’s exterior walls may give it a charming cottage effect, but it speeds decay and should be removed. English ivy damages mortar and screens. Once removed, it may still be difficult to rid a home of the tracks and roots left behind.
3. Heavy, layered window treatments drag down a home into old-lady category. If a Seller can’t replace the window treatments, cut back on the layers of sheers or remove the valances.
4. A split storm door (glass or a screen at the top and aluminum at the bottom) dates a home. Either remove or replace the door.
5. Skinny moulding: nothing says the 1960′s like skimpy, skinny moulding. Replace it with larger, heavy crown and base mouldings.
6. Wallpaper: take it down, take it down, take it down! Unless it is subtle, rarely will a Buyer like the wallpaper and it dates the home.
7. Hollywood-style light strips in bathrooms: see #6 and take them down and replace them with more modern light fixtures.
8. Replace skimpy street numbers and door hardware with bolder, heavier hardware with a brushed nickel or black wrought-iron, 3-dimensional look. Replace that worn -out mailbox, too.
9. Worn carpet and flooring can make the whole house look tired. Consider replacing old carpet or laminate floors with tile, fresh carpet/pad or better yet, hardwood flooring, which can be sanded and rejuvenated often.
10. Gray, splintering decks should be maintained every two years with a clear sealant, to prevent swelling and shrinking.
11. Painted-over light switches are easy and inexpensive to change. Keep them bold, but plain.
12. Peeling paint looks bad and can damage a home’s exterior quickly, especially if the painted surface is on the exterior of the home. Dirty or thinly painted interior walls can damage a Buyer’s impression, often leading to a reduced offer.

Lately, I’ve noticed signs that Atlanta’s new-home construction is starting up again, and it seems to be starting in a big way. Hammers are pounding and saws are buzzing again, a sign that the home-building industry is slowly coming back to life.

In Georgia, we look to the West Coast and California for trends. How’s this one for a bell-ringer:

The Irvine Company, a Southern California development company, recently announced plans to built up to 2,600 homes in two new developments; workers have already begun to frame the new homes. This same company footed the bill 13+ months ago and financed its own foray into new construction. About 10,000 people showed up for the developments’ grand opening and the projects were sold-out in less than half the estimated build-time. By the end of 2010, more than 1,200 homes were sold.

300 Georgia companies are helping sponsor the 7th annual Construction Education Foundation of Georgia Career Expo (CEFGCE), March 17-18. It will showcase different career paths for architecture, construction, energy and facilitiies mangement to more than 6000 attendees.

I used to sell new-homes exclusively. Then 2007 hit and I reinvented myself. I don’t think that we’ll ever see the go-go days of new-home construction we saw in the early 2000′s, but I believe that we are about to see a resurgence in construction. Isn’t that a wonderful thing?

This morning, ABC’s Good Morning America reported the top 10 places to live, according to Zillow. The cities were ranked by affordability, their unemployment rate, their foreclosure rate and the area’s price increases. The “winning” cities are:

1. Utica NY. Utica has the lowest foreclosure in the US, with a median sales price of $104,000;
2. Oklahoma City OK: Prices are up by 3% and the median price is $117,800;
3. Rochester, NY: the median home price is $121,000. 91% of the homes sold in 2010, sold for a gain;
4. Pittsburgh, PA: Home prices are up and the median price of a home is $110,300;
5. Tulsa, OK: This was the most affordable housing market; the median home price was $112,300;
6. Albany, NY: This is a stable housing market with a relatively low foreclosure rate. The median sales price in Albany is $193,100;
7. Lancaster, PA: Lancaster boasts a realatively strong economy and low foreclosure rate. The median price in Lancaster is $179,300;
8. Madison WI: Prices were down in 2009, but rebounded in the last quarter of 2010, asking the question “Have we seen the bottom yet”?;
9. Green Bay, WI: The median sales price is $143,100 and their economy is improving: the unemployment rate fell 1% to 6.6%;
10. Lincoln NE: Unemployment is 4% (lucky Lincoln!) and the median price of a home is $104,000.

This is great news for these cities. Foreclosures are down and their local economies are improving. Can the rest of the country be far off from this reporting?