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Friday, April 23, 2010
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28 comments:
Off-topic so feel free to ignore.
Freaking Washington Examiner.
Wastefully littering our neighborhoods.
The first week in the house, I called to stop delivery and actually got through. The lack of a paper lasted about 2 weeks.
Since then I've called another 3 times, never getting through to a person. So, I finally remembered to go to their stop delivery site.
1) It requires you to enter an email address
2) It will take 7 business days.
So, we won't have a clue whether it's been effective or not for another week and a half.
AND they want an email address. I entered a bogus one. I am so P.O.'d at them. WTF gives them the right to pollute and litter our streets with their garbage? And then makes them think they have the right to my email address?
Completely furious.
This is the type of thing that makes me wish I were litigious. At what point does littering become a felony? Can we fine them out of existance?
It would be one thing if the stop delivery call I made actually worked. Then one paper could be seen as advertisement, no big difference from the junk mail. But since it didn't work, and they think they have the right to your personal information. No. no freaking way. There must be something illegal in here somewhere. I just don't know what.
Sorry, but given you all live in NoVa, I'm hoping someone here knows an effective method of actually getting them to NEVER EVER throw another freaking trash paper on my driveway again.
Thanks.
Cara,
I know our neighborhood association fought them over the unwanted deliveries, but since I'm temporarily out of the neighborhood, I don't know how that worked out. I get the Examiner where I am now, and it goes right in the recycling, without being looked at.
Maybe calling the advertisers and letting them know that their advertising money is going in the trash would help.
KeithK,
So using the "stop delivery" service didn't work for you either? Or you haven't tried where you live now?
Thanks!
(oh and mailinator.com is your friend for situations like this email wise if anyone doesn't already know how to get a free temporary email, just make up anything@mailinator.com and it will go there and be world-readable. They also now have a semi-secret email generator...)
Harriet - thanks for hosting this forum! We've been in the NOVA real estate market for the better part of a decade, and are very optimistic as to what the next 6 months hold for potential buyers and sellers. Looking at the housing affordability index, we've made some recommendations for folks in the DC-area (http://allthingswashdc.com/2010/04/07/best-bethesda-realtors-the-right-time-to-buy/)
Harriet - thanks for hosting this forum! We've been in the NOVA real estate market for the better part of a decade, and are very optimistic as to what the next 6 months hold for potential buyers and sellers. Looking at the housing affordability index, we've made some recommendations for folks in the DC-area (http://allthingswashdc.com/2010/04/07/best-bethesda-realtors-the-right-time-to-buy/)
Cara,
I haven't tried in the new place. I'll be out in a couple months anyway
In case anyone didn't see this from yesterday, below from Arlington Sun Gazette:
Up, Up, Up: Home Sales Rise During 1st Quarter
Home sales across Arlington during the first quarter of 2010 were up nearly 29 percent from the same period last year, and the average sales price of homes sold also posted an increase.
A total of 486 properties changed hands in the county during the month, based on figures from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc., the area’s multiple-listing service.
Double-digit increases from 2009 figures were posted each month during the quarter: up 10.9 percent in January, 48.9 percent in February and 30.9 percent in March.
The average sales price also rose, though not at such an upward trajectory as sales.
The average price of all homes that sold across Arlington during the period was $474,712, up 3.9 percent from a year before.
Total sales volume of all transactions during the period was $238.7 million, up about 34 percent from the $179 million reported a year ago.
Arlington’s increase served as a booster shot to the inner suburbs, which, as a group, managed to grind out a slight increase in sales during the quarter despite a decline in Fairfax County.
CNBC: New Home Sales Surge 27%, Blowing Past Estimates
Sales of new homes surged 27 percent last month, bouncing off the previous month's record low and blowing past expectations as better weather and government incentives boosted sales.
The Commerce Department said new home sales rose in March to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 411,000.
It was the strongest month since last July and the biggest monthly increase in 47 years.
Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a sales pace of 330,000.
February's results were revised upward to 324,000, but remained an all-time low. Sales had been especially weak over the winter, partly due to bad weather in much of the country.
The median sales price was $214,000, up more than 4 percent from a year earlier but down more than 3 percent from February.
Tom
Dude, old news. We got the MRIS numbers back on the 10th. # of sales is up. So now is inventory... If you want real info go to the NVAR monthly reports that Harriet links to on the front page to get the blow by blow for SFHs.
Tom,
Thanks for the heads up on the new sales numbers being out, but you need to look at the longer term to put this in perspective:
Calculated Risk.
New Home sales to qualify for the credit must happen in March or April, and yet the NHS numbers didn't even beat 2008.
The "soar up" part is purely because of the amazingly low bar set in 2009 and February.
Cara,
My sympathies. One of my neighbors called the Examiner, identified himself as an attorney, and politely asked them to stop. Amazingly, it worked. He also gets treated a lot better than I am in many other situations once that little fact is known!
Just wait'll you start getting flyers from everyone wanting you to pay them for painting, house cleaning, yard work, pizza delivery, etc. When you go on vacation, these scream "the homeowners aren't at home!" so you'll probably ask neighbors to recycle them for you. A total nuisance.
Ace,
Yeah, I do get a lot of those. Oddly on Saturdays... Indeed we will need to ask Doug or Dave to take those off for us... Very very annoying.
If the website method doesn't work this time, next time I get through on the phone, I'll just pretend I'm a lawyer, see how that goes. Or get a lawyer friend to do it for me.
Cara,
I didn't know the Washington Examiner was even delivered to homes. The only free paper I see in my neck of the woods is the Fairfax Times.
For your delusional pleasure:
http://franklymls.com/AR7319280
Unattractive, busy street; half-a$$ed kitchen update; lots of other work needed--all for a mere ~$200K over assessment. Hurry, this won't last!!
7 days to the end of $8K free money and it just doesn't look like i'll see any of it :( very disappointed with the inventory out there. trustees sales is my last hope but even those are drying up...
Ace-
It is also really close to 66, so I wouldn't be surprised if you also heard noise from that in addition to the street it is on. I agree that house need a lot of work...
MM,
The $8k is nice to have, I can't lie, but a house that you want at a price that you can live with is the important thing in the long term. At least the inventory is rising, although I am observing what you have been that the the new listings tend to be higher in price. But if the inventory truly picks up this summer... maybe buyers won't all be tripping over themselves for the same few good homes at good prices. I know, wishful thinking.
HB,
The hits just keep on comin'!
Right you are.
MM, In addition to what Cara said, I believe prices will stabilize if not drop slightly in your target market, because the $8K and low interest rate frenzy served primarily to help sellers get higher prices there.
CARA
While i've known people who had trouble with Skylights, I had 6 solotubes in my house for 5 years and never had a problem with leakage.
The nice thing about a solotube is because they are round, they don't have corner stress.
and at $500/per installed, they aren't bad.
Don't get the small tubes.
Get the 14" ones. way more light.
pat,
May I make a personal request? I'll read my name fine without all caps. Thanks. It just reads like being yelled at to me, whether it's meant that way or not...
Good to know that so far the solotubes have been issue free. The skylights I knew with problems were all older than 5 years though, but the lack of corner stress is a plausible explanation.
Pat
Sol*A*tubes - with an A - do look like an interesting invention.
Googling SolOtube - with an O - as you keep writing it makes for even more interesting search results.
:)
Does anyone know the story on why this house has been under contract forever? (I think it's been that way for more than a year, but maybe not).
Calling the ghost of anielarke...
http://franklymls.com/AR6818417
Ace,
I don't know the reason but sawbuck does indeed put it at almost a year since 5/9/09. Maybe it doesn't have an occupancy permit or has some other builder issue?
MM, Ace,
I just got two price drops in my inbox today, so there is hope that the post-credit buyer lull will bring lower prices (I'm guessing these are in seller's anticipation of losing out on the $8k buyer pool).
Smart I'd say to drop before the deadline rather than after. One of them I'd now call a deal (if everything is in good shape, I didn't go to the open house).
Cara-
I have seen a lot more price drops over the last month than in the past. I haven't really paid enough attention to tell if the new listers are just picking higher starting points or whether prices are actually coming down.
cara, Pat,
Yes, the $867 seems to be monthly.
For a while I thought we had a solution; a place to park those two broke old guys.
Thanks for looking into it.
hb,
I agree. I notice more price cuts. I am also surprised to see more homes coming back to market after being sold. Tighter credit? May be...
Inventory is getting back to good levels and 8k is almost over. So, summer will be very interesting indeed.
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