Stimulus Package the Answer? Not by a long shot!

Is anyone else out there concerned that we (Americans) are rewarding unscrupulous business practices. We are paying to keep banks afloat that simply made very poor, greed motivated loans to thousands of consumers that also made very poor greed motivated decisions? Not to mention the Golden parachutes or the other upper management compensation packages the average Joe is paying for.
I don't think the American public (Tax Payers) should be bailing out banks - depositor's yes, but the owners of the banks who are in a big part responsible for this mess, no. Let the banks fail, the depositor's can get their money through the FDIC. If these poorly managed and obviously poorly or not at all supervised banks fail - guess what - there will be new business opportunities for new banks to form. Hopefully, the "new" banks will have learned from the current banks mistakes and greed. I believe the banks that perpetrated these bad loans and didn't check borrowers credentials should go under, if we reward them and keep the in business, it will happen again. In fact, take a look back in history when a lot of savings and loans did fail, what was that the 70's? What is going to happen to those who didn't make bad greed based decisions - they will pay for the others who did. How, higher interest rates for home mortgages, higher taxes, inflation - sounds a little like socialism to me.
I may be mistaken but I always thought the strength of our country was in part based on the fact that competition made businesses and our economy stronger and benefited the consumer.
The auto industry is another HUGE failure, why did it take the Toyota Prius to get the the American auto makers off their butts. I guess I am suppose to believe that our auto makers aren't as smart or innovative as the auto makers in other countries, Or maybe it has something to do with ties to big oil. I know we have and have had for some time the ability to produce autos that get great gas mileage, are less expensive, are better for the environment and run on various fuels or are electric. Why should I pay to help a dinosaur stay in business when that dinosaur has already demonstrated it is not committed to be a viable business and industry? It pays to know history, if we ignore history all we will do is repeat it until the Great Country of America utterly fails. I say the Great Country of America with a lot of reverence, I love our country but it breaks my heart and really makes me angry to see the mass destruction and decay that has occurred just in my short life time.

New Development in Alta

Alta residents, there is a new development plan afoot. Don't know what I'm talking about; call one of your city council members, attend a City Council meeting, talk to Mayor Tom French or stop in and talk to the city clerk. There is a major shortage of housing in Alta, prices are up and so is need. From sitting in on a recent City Council meeting and getting a visit from Tom French, it looks like the city of Alta will own the land/lots, will be developing them and selling them to prospective builders.

I am uncomfortable with the idea of government stepping in where private business should be. From the conversation with Tom and comments made by some of the Council members the cost to develop each lot is not their biggest concern, unlike a private developer profit is not focused on. I voiced a desire to see a side by side comparison with the development Addie has proposed. Long term there would be a lot more lots available. I also think this should be an area that the public's opinion should weigh mightly on the decision, ultimately they will be footing the bill.

Hum, cost is a concern of mine as a tax payer, resident and Realtor in Alta. One of the major reasons people want to live in Alta is that the taxes are lower than Storm Lake. Keep checking back for updates to this interesting situation that is developing in Alta. Let me know your thoughts about this.

Buena Vista County - The Tax Man is Coming to Your Home!

The B.V. County Assessor announced November 13th that they will be doing door-to-door inspections of all residential properties beginning on Nov 1st. Hum, maybe the notice should have been given in October, Oh well. The reappraisal should end by December 2008 and go into effect January 2009. I want to be on the record stating that I am not opposed to paying a fair share for government, taxes should be for the safety and improvement of our societies. However, I don't believe in wasting money - both my husband and I work hard as I'm sure you do.

What does this mean for you; properties have been selling rapidly and have increased in value significantly over the last 3 years, especially in Alta. Have you done any remodeling work to your property, it could mean higher taxes. If your property is in poor condition it could mean lower taxes, but I suspect that overall the taxes will not go down. The type of information the Assessors will be collecting include: construction type, physical condition of the property, age of the structures, type of interior finish, and exterior measurements.

No, it won't matter if you are home or not, I think the Assessor will notify the target neighborhoods prior to sending our personnel.

In Spring of 2009 the owners will be able to meet with and discuss their revaluation and the new assessments. Mark this date on your calendar - in red! If you receive an evaluation that is higher than you think your home could sell for in a reasonable amount of time (90 days) call me, your Realtor. I have the ability to do an extensive CMA (competitive market analysis) to determine a range of where your property should sell. If this amount is considerably lower than the value your property has appraised at you may be able to dispute it and have the appraised value lowered.