| For what it's worth
Just like the stock market, house values can be an up-and-down affair. But the market value of homes in Altoona is not as volatile as in bigger cities such as Pittsburgh, Baltimore and New York City, according to area home appraisers and real estate agents. “Most people in this area know that there's basically a gradual, 5 percent increase per year," said Richard Johnston, owner/broker at Howard Hanna Johnston Realty, Altoona. “In the bigger markets, home values are going up 15 (percent) to 20 percent every year. But like the stock market, it has to correct itself eventually." Bigger populations and more jobs account for the dramatic increases in bigger cities, Johnston said. Home appraisals are a key component of the home buying and selling process, Johnston said. A residential appraisal is a security tool used by lenders to establish the market value of a home's property.
Retail Auto Sales Are Sliding Toward a Decade Low
Auto makers are feeling more pain this month as demand for light vehicles continues to plummet toward decade-low levels, with many consumers holding off on big-ticket purchases. Retail auto sales, as measured by deliveries to consumers by dealers between the dates of Feb. 1 and Feb. 17, fell 16.37% compared with the Feb. 1 through Feb. 18 period a year ago. The numbers, released in a report distributed yesterday by consumer research firm J.D. Power & Associates, don't include fleet sales to firms and agencies, such as rental-car companies. Retail sales are considered the most accurate indicator of actual demand. Since late 2006, car buyers have been under increasing pressure as concerns over the economy, housing, fuel prices, and tighter access to credit escalate. Many analysts have predicted U.S.
John SIDNEY McCain was Born in Panama!
And Hillary RODHAM Clinton entered the world in Illinois.None of this may actually matter, mind you, since (surprise) John SHIRLEY McCain's birth occurred on a military base. Being posted there by the U.S. Government, you can't exactly tell McCain's parents their offspring don't qualify as legitimate citizens. Who really knows what the founding fathers really meant anyway: The phrase "natural born" was in early drafts of the Constitution. Scholars say notes of the Constitutional Convention give away little of the intent of the framers. Its origin may be traced to a letter from John Jay to George Washington, with Jay suggesting that to prevent foreigners from becoming commander in chief, the Constitution needed to "declare expressly" that only a natural-born citizen could be president. OK, whatever, so Panama's a non-issue, but still, what about SIDNEY? Surely there's a good playground taunt, or hidden meaning in that somebody can cook up before the election, no? .
Archives for: February 2008
Eric Turkington (D-Cape and Islands) recently wrote state Attorney General Martha Coakley urging her to join other states' attorneys general in supporting a class action lawsuit protesting tax discrimination against out-of-state property owners in Florida.The lawsuit, Lanning et al v. Pilcher et al., questions the constitutionality of a "Save Our Homes Amendment" (SOHA) to the Florida constitution passed by voters in 1992, according to a recent press release from Mr. Turkington's office. The SOHA caps the annual assessment on a property owned by a Florida resident at either 3 percent of the assessment for the prior year or the percent increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). As the law stands, someone who buys a second home in Florida has to pay property taxes as much as three times higher than a Florida resident who qualifies for the tax cap, according to a Jan.
Corzine slashes $500M from state budget
The governor presented his "sober and responsible budget" to a joint meeting of the Legislature in the Assembly chambers in Trenton. Earlier in the day, a new Fairleigh Dickinson University/Public Mind poll found 64 percent of the public opposes Corzine's plan to steeply increase highway tolls to pay for transportation improvements and reduce the state's debt. A majority of those polled, 51 percent, favored "very steep budget cuts" instead. Corzine said he has heard the public's frustration at the town hall meetings he has held to explain his toll hike proposal. .
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