Local Governments Need Local Options
Well I've been out of town with limited access to the tubes but I've been busy as you can see with a video debut:
The North Carolina Association of Realtors, Inc., is a non-profit corporation organized as a 501(c)(6) Business League which has an annual operating budget of approximately $4 million.
The North Carolina Homeowners Alliance is a 527 political organization set up in August 2006 by the North Carolina Association of Realtors, Inc., which is the sole funder. By December 2006, $105,927 had been contributed to the 527 political group by the association.
In addition the NC Realtors PAC reported spending $690,576 in the last election cycle, $670,911 of it going to candidates or committees. The PAC reported $496,589 on hand December 2006.
This my first foray into video, having been inspired by Drama Queen and Screwie Hooley. It was fun and I hope to do some more but don't worry Anglico, I'll be writing too. :)
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Fantastic!
A talented writer AND a budding videographer! This is great stuff.
Local needs. Local options. Let local people handle local problems. We don't need no stinkin' legislators stifling our progress.
I dont have a problem
putting a 1% transfer tax on any property ONLY IF the tax is written in such away that it cannot be corrupted like the lottery tax is now.
When buying a house, I will factor in that payment.
Who will bitch about this is folks that buy and sell houses alot. They are in a business.
1% on $200,000 is $2,000. A minor cost when it comes to a house that most people will live in for at least 5 years. But if your buying and selling 10 $200,000 homes, thats $20,000 dollars that must be factored in somewhere.
I have not seen a realtor in rags. Tough doo doo to you guys. Your already gurenteed 3% of the sales price of the house and up to 6% if you list and sell the house.
The $2,000 will be added to the price of the house and either the seller or the buyer will end up eating that cost. Realtors, looks like you need to do just a little bit of work. Get over it.
The benifits of this $2,000 to the community will improve sewers, water services and other things for the infrastructure of the comunity. Dont be in a business that sells houses and the idea of a home to people but require someother entity to provide the services to that home you just sold.
BTW, neat video, was wondering if the little girl was going to get washed over by a large wave of realtor sharks from the ocean.
Well, in places like Meck, there needs to be one simple line in
the law: "all proceeds from the tax will go to fund capital projects for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools"
and Wake
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
Doesn't matter
Since money is fungible, they will just take what they would have spent on schools and use it for something else.
...the benifits of this
Not to mention the fact that these improvements in infrastructure and schools will lead to the property value going up--probably more than $2,000 in some communities like Wake and Mecklenburg.
just as important
those costs must be covered somehow. Obviously not all costs of growth within a school system are caused by new home buyers. However, given the population growth within NC, it is probably safe to assume that much of the cost to communities is coming from people who are moving in to the area from another state. Why should they steal from everyone else? If they arent forced to pay for things like hiring good teachers, building good schools etc, then theat is what they are doing. They are stealing from people who have already paid for a certain level of education, and now have to spread those resources thinner and thinner.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
Terrific video
and it tells the story about the Realtor's PAC very well too. Thanks!
SE NC Dems
That was really good Greg
The little girl kept my attention, I liked the way you overlaid the facts then the background music fueld my emotion on an almost subliminal level. Very good.
Why do you suppose that the realtors assn are fighting this so hard? I have seen a number of lte's in the paper against. Most of the pro comes from those elected or working in govt. From what I've seen so far in my County Govt 101 classes so far, each penny is used pretty efficiently to stretch a budget that when looking at the mandated programs, is already too thin.
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Progressive Discussions
because
the realtors assn (not realtors in general, just the association) is a front for right wing nutjobs just like the catholic league is a front.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
Thank you for specifying the association
instead of individual realtors. I hope others will follow this example.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
Realtors
I know a number of individual realtors, mostly nice people, with a few curve balls. I even know Tim Kent, the Exec Dir. of the Realtors Association.
Collectively it seems to be acting as a mob. The Association's opposition reeks of partisanship. They are targeting supposedly vulnerable Democrats with mailings.
I believe that on the whole realtors will benefit from these local option bills but the association is seizing this as a wedge issue to get Republican majorities in the Legislature to wipe out a lot of regulations on development.
Read Tim Kent's Letter
In the N&O today?
Cut spending, hmmm....
When there was no fat, you've eliminated the meat, and now you're sawing on bone - where, pray tell are these spending cuts supposed to come from?
That was beautiful, greg
I couldn't agree more. It's time to give local governments options.
The General Assembly isn't going to give local gov't an outright ability to levy a transfer fee. What they might do is give local gov't the ability to let their citizens vote on how to solve their own local funding problems. A 1% transfer fee may be one option they add for local gov't.
But the NC Realtors Assoc doesn't think citizens deserve the right to determine how they'll pay for growth. They don't even want your local gov't to have the right to give you a chance to vote on it. They think local gov't should only be able to raise your property taxes to increase revenue. They don't mind increasing your sales taxes, either.
But the NC Realtors Assoc wants you to believe that additional property and sales taxes are your best options. Amazing. They think we're so ignorant that we might actually buy that slick sales job.
Since I'm in real estate finance for a living. . .
Until the Democratic Party or some European soccer club realizes my true genius. . .I have what I think is a good perspective on the realtors.
By and large, realtors and builders are a conservative lot, opposed to taxation of any kind. But whenever you discuss taxing their transactions, in the case of realtors, or impact fees, in the case of builders, they go batshit with alarmist screeching about how people won't buy houses any more in NC if we do any of these things.
My reply---if they can put up with your 6% and even normal, minimal mortgage fees, which usually run between 2-3% of the loan amount, the market can certainly bear a 1% tax or an impact fee. And, unlike builders and realtors in this area, who are licensed state by state, I do transactions all over the country---I've closed deals in NY, PA, IL, TX, FL, VA to name a few, and many states have impact fees AND state taxes of this sort. And none of them are real estate wastelands.
A modest proposal to the realtors---if you think the 1% is going to be so difficult to collect, and you want to hold onto the growth that's enabled many of you to get wealthy on a bare modicum of education and professionalism, why don't you drop your standard fee to 5%? Not holding my breath. . .
Hear, hear
Greg, thank you for posting on this important issue. I strongly agree with your conclusion and your succinct headline summarizing it: Local governments do need local options. We can't rely on PACs or politicians in Raleigh to make the best decisions for our communities. Communtities themselves should have options to support schools, infrastructure and public safety and determine their own course of growth. For more on how I envision empowering local governments statewide, I'd encourage you to visit my web site at www.patsmathers2008.com.
Thanks Pat
Please feel free to email the link around the State:
Local Governments Need Local Options
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JokYwVv6VP4