When our forclosure rate was number one in the state, there was no place to go, BUT up. It is important that forclosed homes are purchased, as each vacant home will cost the taxpayers $30,000. We can all hope that with the better press regarding the modification to the “probable cause” portion of the immigration resolution, that times will begin to turn around. There are still tough economic times ahead for the nation as a whole with the housing crisis, but we can hope that the incredibly cheap housing in PW, not exactly what I want to be known for, will at least soften the double forclosure rate we experienced. I have this horrible feeling though, that we were more than happy to have all these immigrants here to help build the community and now we can offer cheap housing because so many felt the need to leave their dreams behind, not wanting to live in a community enveloped in fear and hate. Now, before some people start yellin’ about how the resolution wasn’t to blame for this mess, I agree, we would be, like the rest of the nation, suffering through the housing crisis, but PW was hit especially hard and we do know first hand stories of people leaving, legal immigrants, not wanting to reside in PW County because of the anti-Hispanic climate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/03/AR2008050301095.html
I’m glad you admit the illegals are leaving. Undeniably true. I hope Fairfax, Arlington, Montgomery County enjoy the influx.
I simply do not believe the worst is over yet. If you run comps and then look at the county assessment, the county sticker value and real estate estate appraisals do not match–not even close. I see a difference of $50k or more with the county assessment being that much higher.
I would assume that no one is going to lend anyone more money than a house is appraised for.
I am not sure how this will all play out but the money just isn’t matching. I suppose the county appraisals being much higher is a good thing for those of us with 2nd mortgages and lines of credt.
Good Morning Rick and welcome,
Actually, the concern of many here was, not only were people who were undocumented leaving, but so were legal residents. Ergo, the extreme forclosure rate and the loss of income to local businesses due to the mass exodus. I’m not sure I would be bragging about the dire fincancial situation our county finds itself in due to the exodus.
Moon-howler, excellent point. For those of us who have been in our homes for some time, the loss of assessed value is not as painful, but for those who are now upside down on their loans, it is not a pretty picture. For struggling families, with fancy lending practices now coming home to roost, we will probably see more families struggling to stay in homes. The only positive I can see, is that we for each forclosed home bought, we won’t have to pay the 30 K to maintain it.
No, elena. There are other positives too. Trash will not be strewn all over front lawns. Those lawns will be cut and maintained. Men will not be seen urinating in their front yards. There won’t be ten white ladder trucks parked all over the yard.
Yes, this will cause some tough times, but in the long run, it will be worth it to get rid of the leeches that care no more to assimilate to American society than any other foreign invasion.
I am positive you don’t live in one of the neighborhoods affected by this blight. Maybe it would do you some good to have about 12 illegal families move in to the houses on either side of you.
Welcome Rick,
What changes do you see in your neighborhood?
I was not necessarily commenting on the status of anyone. I don’t know anyone’s status.
Sick-Of-It said on 4 May 2008 at 9:37 am:
Welcome to Anti! I have already shared my experience, prior to moving here, when I lived in a townhouse in Centreville, and the demographic shift in my neighborhood and issues that came with it. We dealt with it differently though, we reached out personally to our neighbors on either side of us to explain the do’s and don’ts of neighborhood living 🙂
I take offense at calling people leeches. I guess you would have said the same about my ancestors that came here in the early 20th century with little money in their pockets and also lived in crowded conditions til they could save enough money and live the American dream.
I have never diminished the concerns of people living in these neighborhoods that saw such a dramatic demographic change, but I believe there were may other solutions than villifying an entire community.
My friend Cebolla moved. I think her husband was illegal, but she and her three sons are legal. My next door neighbors, a family with three children, left just last week. I drove down street named after a Scottish lake. I lost count of the number of houses that looked abandoned. I saw five in a row that were up for sale. Each one represents a family that had to leave their home. Each family received a loud and clear message that they are unwanted in this society.
It takes a lot to come to the US especially illegally. You have little money, little education. Swim across a river, walk through a desert, hide in a ditch with biting ants waiting until a BP agent gets out of sight. Work all day in the hot sun and sleep on a 4 ft x 4 ft piece of floor meanwhile sending most of your savings to your mom. Only people with character and work ethic make it.
My guess is that they’ll keep on keeping on wherever they go. My guess is that in the long run we’re only hurting ourselves.
Moon Howler
The assessments are behind because they were going on last year’s comps before the prices further decreased early this year. So even if the trend in prices slowly goes up towards the end of this year, next year’s ’09’ could be lower than this years.
To avoid this some localities only re assess every 3 years. But then during upswings, it must be awful to get that assessment and see that your house (and taxes) have tripled. So who knows which method is best.
inon,
If the county assessments drop then people who have second mortgages could be hurting. If I am not mistaken, those 2nds are called in if the county assessments drop below what you owe. Am I mistaken on this?
It seems that there is an awful lot I didn’t know about the real estate market and about lending.
You might want to respond to the Journal Messenger poll about Supervisor Frank Principi’s motion at the BOCS meeting.
http://www.insidenova.com/isn
Rick Bentley said on 4 May 2008 at 9:10 am:
I’m glad you admit the illegals are leaving. Undeniably true. I hope Fairfax, Arlington, Montgomery County enjoy the influx.
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED – I KNOW WE AREN’T ENJOYING IT!!!
maybe they can all move in with elena and crowd? I’m sure she’ll put them up, almost as sure as she’s gonna delete this post like all the others 🙂
Sick-Of-It said on 4 May 2008 at 9:37 am:
No, elena. There are other positives too. Trash will not be strewn all over front lawns. Those lawns will be cut and maintained. Men will not be seen urinating in their front yards. There won’t be ten white ladder trucks parked all over the yard.
Yes, this will cause some tough times, but in the long run, it will be worth it to get rid of the leeches that care no more to assimilate to American society than any other foreign invasion.
I am positive you don’t live in one of the neighborhoods affected by this blight. Maybe it would do you some good to have about 12 illegal families move in to the houses on either side of you.
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED – WOUULDNT IT HAVE BEEN EASIER MS. OR MR SICK IF THE COUNTY SIMPLY HAD ENFORCED EXISTING ORDINANCES? EACH OF THE PROBLEMS YOU MENTIONED ARE ALREADY COVERED BY COUNTY ORDINANCE. DONT YOU SEE HOW STIRRUP AND STEWART AND LETIECQ WERE ADVANCING THE AGENDA OF A DOWNTOWN LOBBYING GROUP AND THEIR ELECTIONS (THANK GOD LETIECQ WASNT RUNNING AND WON!!)…WHY ARE SO MANY BLINDED TO THIS REALITY……..I WONDER IF THE CRIMINAL ALIEN UNIT WILL CALL OUT STORMTROOPERS AND GO AFTER PABLO IF HE PEES ON THE LAWN!!! THEN COREY ET AL WILL CALL CNN AND THEY CAN COME OUT AND SEE WHAT A GREAT JOB COREY IS DOING!! I’M GLAD YOUR HAPPY. I’M NOT
inon said on 4 May 2008 at 11:50 am:
Moon Howler
The assessments are behind because they were going on last year’s comps before the prices further decreased early this year. So even if the trend in prices slowly goes up towards the end of this year, next year’s ‘09′ could be lower than this years.
To avoid this some localities only re assess every 3 years. But then during upswings, it must be awful to get that assessment and see that your house (and taxes) have tripled. So who knows which method is best.
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED – INTERESTING IDEA INON…THAT WOULD TAKE CARE OF A LOT OF SWINGS .. IN FACT AN AVERAGE OF THE 3 MIGHT BE BETTER SINCE WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY…………WHILE ON THE SUBJECT, I THINK THE WHOLE IDEA OF TAXATION NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT. OUR SYSTEM IS A HANGOVER FROM THE 19TH CENTURY….STALE…TO THINK THAT WE HAVE MILLIONS OF VISITORS…..THEY DO PAY SALES TAXES…DOE THAT DO IT? IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A SMALL MEALS TAX FOR ALL THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS TO SHARE…..BUT ….WOULD AN INCOME TAX ALSO BE MORE EQUITABLE? AND COMMERCIAL REALLY GETS SCREWED …THIS YEAR THEIR’S GOES UP ALMOST 30%/////
KR,
You keep saying how all of the problems could have been handled by enforcing ordinances, yet Manassas has never been able to enforce any type of overcrowding rules. Each time they got shot down in a court or by a judge, so it’s not that easy! I’ve mentioned this before over and over, but no one seems to get it. Tell me how to go about getting that sign demolished, you can’t because some nit wit says it’s political speech. As if our forefathers would have stood for this, Not! There’s free speech, and then there’s community disrespect.
Elvis, you know that no one is deleting your posts. Please stop saying that. It simply isn’t true.
elvis said on 4 May 2008 at 1:56 pm:
maybe they can all move in with elena and crowd? I’m sure she’ll put them up, almost as sure as she’s gonna delete this post like all the others
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED…..ELVIS, ELVIS,ELVIS…….SHE SURE LEAVES A LOT OF YOURS ON….I DONT THINK SHE DOES THAT!! YOU HAVE THAT MIXED UP WITH THE NAZI FOLKS!!
Elvis,
Not one post has been deleted. Please stop throwing around baseless accustions.
corr: accusations
I made three today (I counted) both of them with exception of the one above are gone, rest my case. here’s how I verified.
I posted
I went back and checked, they were there immediately after.
then I came back a couple hours later, they were not.
you draw your own conclusions, is GL running this blog now too?
so what’s happening is admin is seeing posts that dont fit her bill and then deleting them when she get’s a chance. I’ve also seen on each of those posts people respond to them, check the threads. You’ll notice people responding to something that is not there. this is not an accusation, it’s the truth and I’ve proved it multiple times.
Elvis,
I just went in and approved you. It looks like some of the messages are getting stuck. Interestingly enough, Elena’s was one of them. I went in and saw she was stuck also and approved her.
I am telling you, you were not being deleted. I think if you look now, you will see your messages. I believe I mentioned earlier, Admin is spending time with her family this weekend. I do not have the technical skills she has. Sorry. When I spoke to you earlier about no one deleting your posts, the ones I just released were not there.
I am sorry you are having to wait. Elena and I have other things to do also. I will try to be more attentive.
Elvis,
Look around and make sure your posts are there. If they are not, leave me a message on the housing market thread and I will attempt to find them. I honestly do not want you to go off thinking you were deleted. You were not.
[…] seem that the funny folks at ANTI-BVBL agree. They were running a post with this headline: PW Housing Market Has No Place To Go, BUT Up! Needless to say, I cracked up with […]
Citizen Tom,
“Wondering how the prochoice folks for illegal immigration folks would explain this reversal I decided to look around. Some of things I were quite funny.”….
Needless to say, I cracked up”
I read your article and found it funny that you would assume this is a pro choice for ILLEGAL immigration blog. I am far from PRO-ILLEGAL and other’s here are too.
Somethings are just hard to accept or explain.
Just like this video I found on your blog. By the way, I love the video 🙂
http://citizentom.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/weekend-weird-stuff-the-crow-the-kitty/
I dont think the housing market has much to do with people leaving because of the resolution more so that they could not afford the houses in the first place and should have never purchased them. the market is saturated with homes now and the prices are great however the qualifying process for loans is much more stringent. I just purchased another home in PWC and qualifying was much harder than 5 years ago for sure. Interesting site you have here.
Elvis,
You really should read more posts. I said in another thread that I was getting behind in checking comments and that they were getting stuck in moderation for some reason. I explained that Admin is working on updating the format and that there are some issues with comments being posted. Even MINE are getting “trapped”. I prefer to spend a nice day with husband and kids and not babysit the blog.
Did you know that you can go to Atlanta right now and get dirt cheap foreclosurs. Just heard on the news that some are actually selling for as little as $1000. Yes, $1000. Wow.
They must have a rule of law resolution in Atlanta, too. It’s the only possible explanation. 😉
“If I am not mistaken, those 2nds are called in if the county assessments drop below what you owe. Am I mistaken on this?”
Yes, you are mistaken.
2nds are not called unless one has taken out a completely shady mortgage. And then, well, that’s what you get for being simple.
Elvis, Manassas couldn’t control over-crowding because they did it by trying to legally define family, not fire and safety restrictions. There is a big difference between saying “this place can only house 6 people safely” and saying, “Sorry, Joe. Your great-uncle doesn’t count as family. He’s got to leave.”
anon,
Is that just in Virginia? What is this warning I am hearing about on the national news?
Josh, Welcome. Is your new home one that was a foreclosure or was it just a home for sale? Have you moved yet?
Welcome Josh!
Josh, I have to jump on the “welcome bandwagon” with your arrival. 😉
Greed on real estate agents, banks, mortgage brokers, et al’s part played a HUGE part in the foreclosure situation we are currently in. Futhremore, the foreclosures were happening months before the resolution was even thought of, let alone introduced, implemented, or funded.
Love this new look!
The influx of Jispanics in alexandria just adds a touch of picante to our neighbourhood.
Instead of football, we have soccer pitches.
The ethnic food is varied, more than olive branch and fuddruckers.
If we have too many living in a house, we enforce the zoning, not lock up “Illegals”.
Its understood they are welcome here, just follow the rules for safetys sake.
SecondAlamo | May 4th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
KR,
You keep saying how all of the problems could have been handled by enforcing ordinances, yet Manassas has never been able to enforce any type of overcrowding rules. Each time they got shot down in a court or by a judge, so it’s not that easy! I’ve mentioned this before over and over, but no one seems to get it. Tell me how to go about getting that sign demolished, you can’t because some nit wit says it’s political speech. As if our forefathers would have stood for this, Not! There’s free speech, and then there’s community disrespect.
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED……GOOD POINT 2ND….BUT AS I UNDERSTAND THE COURTS, THEY WILL SHOOT DOWN THE RESOLUTION AS SOON AS ‘HARM IS SHOWN’……I DO KNOW THAT THE FIRST OKLAHOMA CASE WAS THROWN OUT JUST LIKE PWC….I BELIEVE THIS WILL HAPPEN IN PWC. AS FOR THE SIGN, I JUST DONT KNOW SINCE I HAVE NEVER SEEN IT. BUT THE OVERCROWDING, I RECALL PROBLEMS FROM LAST YEAR..I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE…..BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST TO FOCUS ON THE REASON(S) THE OLD ORDINANCES DID NOT WORK AND RE-WRITE THEM TO MAKE THEM WORK BEFORE THE COURTS….THE RESOLUTION CANNOT STOP OVERCROWDING …..EXCEPT FOR WHAT HAS HAPPENED….AND WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION STARTS AGAIN, THAT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN…….
Red Dawn said on 4 May 2008 at 6:44 pm:
Citizen Tom,
“Wondering how the prochoice folks for illegal immigration folks would explain this reversal I decided to look around. Some of things I were quite funny.”….
Needless to say, I cracked up”
I read your article and found it funny that you would assume this is a pro choice for ILLEGAL immigration blog. I am far from PRO-ILLEGAL and other’s here are too.
Somethings are just hard to accept or explain.
Just like this video I found on your blog. By the way, I love the video
http://citizentom.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/weekend-weird-stuff-the-crow-the-kitty/
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED…..YOUR CHOICE OF WORDS …PRO-CHOICE…REFLECTS SO MUCH OF THE BS THAT IS THROWN BY THE NAZI SET!! I AM NOT PRO-CHOICE AND I DONT THINK OTHERS ARE…I AM DISGUSTED WITH COREY ET AL USING THIS ISSUE TO BAIT VOTERS SO HE COULD BE RE-ELECTED……AND I THINK HE AND STIRRUP ARE FOLLOWING A PLAY BOOK SET UP BY FAIR……HOW TO WIN LOCAL ELECTIONS USING THE UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS ISSUE…….AND I DONT LIKE YOUR CHOICE OF WORDS ‘ RULE OF LAW RESOLUTOIN…..IF ANYONE WANTS THE RULE OF LAW, IT IS US….FOLLOW LOCAL ORDINANCES….GET THE JOB THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GET DONE…NOW ALLOW US TO BE USED BY FAIR……YOU FOLKS GOT COREY IN WHEN 16% OF COUNTY VOTERS VOTED FOR HIM……IT IS MY CONTENTION THAT IF PWC VOTERS WERE AWAKE ….THEY WOULD HAVE THROWN HIM OUT AND PUT IN THE REAL RULE OF LAW PERSON…SHARON PANDAK!!!
I am totally confused. I am pro-choice. I have no clue what Red Dawn and Kenneth are talking about.
Apparently, Tom/Red were referring to people as “pro-choice” meaning “pro-ilegal.”
—————————
Red Dawn said on 4 May 2008 at 6:44 pm:
Citizen Tom,
“Wondering how the prochoice folks for illegal immigration folks would explain this reversal I decided to look around. Some of things I were quite funny.”….
Needless to say, I cracked up”
I read your article and found it funny that you would assume this is a pro choice for ILLEGAL immigration blog. I am far from PRO-ILLEGAL and other’s here are too.
“Name calling or lumping everyone into one or two categories calling folks Nazi’s, Hitler-esque are not helpful things to do. Get to the facts of the situation and skip the names. At the same time, realize we are all dealing with anger.”
Ladies and Gentlemen, the only people I have called “Nazis or Neo-Nazis” are GL and the hateful followers he has in HSM. I do this because I am concerned that these people and groups, affiliated with FAIR, have become a hate group in and of themselves. I do this because it’s a descriptive term, not just a name. (If I just wanted to call them names, believe me, “Nazi” wouldn’t be my choice.) This is why I have advocated for people in HSM who are NOT hateful to LEAVE the group. HSM has become tainted with FAIR and endorsed by the KKK. Why would anyone want to stay in that group?
For the umpteenth time, I don’t think everyone who wanted the resolution was a “Nazi.” This is GL spin. Please don’t listen to it. And PLEASE don’t make me repeat this on every string. It’s annoying.
Moon-howler, I don’t know what’s happening to second mortgages, but the WaPo had an article recently about how home equity lines of credit were being cut. If someone had a $100,000 HELOC and the house had depreciated, the HELOC was cut to be in line with the depreciation. IOW, the bank wasn’t going to finance more than the house was worth. A person who had expected to have the entire $100,000 at his/her disposal may only be able to use $40,000 of the credit line. The bank withdrew the remaining $60,000.
El Guapo said on 4 May 2008 at 11:36 am:
“My friend Cebolla moved. I think her husband was illegal, but she and her three sons are legal. My next door neighbors, a family with three children, left just last week. I drove down street named after a Scottish lake. I lost count of the number of houses that looked abandoned. I saw five in a row that were up for sale. Each one represents a family that had to leave their home. Each family received a loud and clear message that they are unwanted in this society.”
Oh PUHLEEEZE! And the academy award goes to el guapo for his portrayal of the concerned and wounded citizen at the horrors imposed on the illegal alien community. Look people: the simple fact is that all the jobs dried up and these people are leaving. They have no ties to the community, there will be no legal ramifications for them and they will simply move on and do the same thing in someone else’s community. If I had no ties and if I could get away with abandoning my home and letting it foreclose then I would do that in a heartbeat, but you see there are rules for those of us who are ‘lucky’ enough to be citizens. Maybe if I renounce my citizenship then I can tell the bank to take a flying F and send them the keys to this house which has lost all equity from this nightmare. The resolution has done nothing to cause anyone to leave their homes. The simple fact is that without construction jobs, these people don’t pay the bills. Their entire livelihoods are based on construction, landscaping, or other odd jobs, which let’s face, have all dried up now. If there is no work then they don’t pay their bills. There is too much spin on both sides with regard to why people are leaving and why they are buying homes again in our area.
Off topic a little (sorry) but do you know people can vote on this poll http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/ several times if they change IP addresses?
BTW I haven’t TRIED it. I don’t know how to change my IP address. I just surmised it from the message I got when I hit “enter” twice.
I posted my comment about this earlier but apparently comments are censored here for some reason. I guess this is not the place for moderates to contribute. I enjoy getting my news from here and from Greg for a balanced diet but I will not abide by censorship at either place. Take care all.
Park’d, you weren’t censored. This blog is going through some cosmetic changes and a few posts had gotten hung up.
Just let us know if something doesn’t post. Unless you are totally outrageous, you will not be consored. I believe you were released. Let us know if you still don’t see your post.
Trust me, there was censorship at the other place and it wasn’t just occassional technical difficulties.
“Wondering how the prochoice folks for illegal immigration folks would explain this reversal I decided to look around. Some of things I were quite funny.”….
I’m strongly pro choice and strongly anti-illegal labor/alien. Your statement maes no sense, Citizen Tom.
Censored, I thought I heard or read somewhere that some of them were being called in if people were maxed out on a 2nd trust. What you are saying certainly makes sense. With house values almost dropping in half, it wouldn’t take a long time to have either condition apply.
Thanks for the info though, that was another scenario I had not considered. It’s enough to make a girl keep her money buried in the back yard.
Not me, Bubba,
I was quite confused by the term ‘pro-choice’ being used in a statement about illegal immigration. That could get real Machiavellian. Glad it wasn’t just me.
To add more to the mix…
http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/05/01/mortgages-financial-education-biz-beltway-cx_jz_0501homebuyers.html
The Mortgage Meltdown’s Dirty Secret…
Washington, D.C. – Anyone wondering why America’s mortgage system melted down should flip through a little-noticed government report issued last October on the financial literacy of recent mortgage customers.
The study, put together by the Federal Trade Commission for the Federal Reserve, contained some startling statistics: Of those surveyed, 25% could not identify the annual percentage rate of their mortgage, and 25% could not identify the amount of settlement charges. Half could not correctly identify the amount of the loan. Two-thirds were unaware of prepayment penalties that could be charged during refinancing. Three-quarters did not recognize that the loans included charges for optional credit insurance.
It’s a point you don’t hear much about. Yes, lenders maliciously tricked borrowers, and yes, frenzied speculators bought houses they knew they could not afford. But it’s just as true that a lot of well-intentioned people simply signed mortgages they did not understand.
…
Interesting read and a worthwhile topic to review in debating the impact of the resolution.
To deny the Resolution has had any impact on PWC’s population of immigrants (legal/illegal) is foolish…however it is equally so to disregard the real financial meltdown this nation is experiencing. Orange County, Ca is faring even worse than we – and they had no resolution. It just seems like the resolution has had a devastating impact because PWC had more than its fair share of BAD loans and unqualified lendees…