Southampton County

Join now!

User login

Localities

Who's your legislator?

When proposed legislation threatens the value of your home, we can help you contact your legislator.

Send us a tip!

Have a news item you think we'd want to share? Send it to us on our contact form!

Find us on...

Tell a Friend

Click here to send an e-mail to friend, co-worker, neighbor, or relative about the Virginia Homeowners Alliance.

Contact us

info@VaHomeowners
Alliance.com

Va Homeowners Alliance
PO Box 643
Richmond, VA 23286-0572

Hampton Roads travel troubles expected to worsen

Rush hours in Hampton Roads currently see 12% of the region's primary routes severely clogged, according to the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization. Officials say 29% will be jammed by 2030 -- and that's assuming that major projects now on the drawing board are completed.

"The numbers don't surprise me at all," said Commonwealth Transportation Board member Aubrey Layne of Virginia Beach. "In Hampton Roads, we have $19 billion in needs... and just $2.3 billion to spend" in the next 30 years.

Foreclosures slowing in Hampton Roads

Foreclosure activity in Hampton Roads is down from April, but still higher than it was in May 2009, according to online foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac.

Banks and lenders repossessed and auctioned off 1,563 area homes last month -- 10% fewer than in April, but up 66 percent from a year ago.

Foreclosure rates dropped across most of Hampton Roads, but went up a bit in Virginia Beach. Of the seven major cities in the area, May foreclosures were most prevalent in Portsmouth and Chesapeake, and least common in Newport News and Hampton.

Read more in The Virginian-Pilot....
See information about Virginia foreclosures by locality here....

Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010 - 2:45pm

Southampton County residents protest proposed tax hikes

More than 400 residents attended an open hearing to protest tax hikes included in the Southampton County budget. A petition to cut spending rather than raise taxes, signed by 1,200 residents, was presented to officials.

The County Board of Supervisors plans increase the real estate tax rate by five cents, to 77 cents, and the personal property tax rate for vehicles by one dollar, to $5.50. The tax increases would generate more than $1.37 million of the county’s $53 million budget.

Southampton County's draft budget includes tax hikes

The Southampton County Board of Supervisors has prepared a budget draft that calls for increased txees on real estate and personal property. The increased taxes will close a $1.85 million budget shortfall.

The real estate tax rate is set to increase five cents, to 77 cents, and the proposed personal property tax rate for vehicles would go up by one dollar, to $5.50. One cent of the real estate tax increase will be set aside for the schools.

$18.9 stimulus grant will bring broadband to south central Virginia

An $18.9 million federal stimulus grant has been awarded to Mecklenburg-based Buggs Island Telephone Cooperative (BIT). The grant will make high-speed broadband access available to every business and residence in 15 counties in south central Virginia.

The project will create 64 jobs, most of them in Mecklenburg.

Fifth District Rep. Tom Perriello assisted BIT with the application process. “This is a real game changer for economic growth and quality of life in our area,” said he said. “Reliable broadband service is the foundation for bringing new jobs and growing our local businesses. It boosts home values and the quality of life in our communities.”

Hampton Roads foreclosure rates up

RealtyTrac, a national foreclosure-monitoring service, reports that foreclosures are up in the Hampton Roads area -- a trend that is being noted across the U.S. The latest statistics put the number of bank-owned properties at the highest quarterly total on record. Bank-owned properties are foreclosed properties that fail to sell at auction.

There is also some good news: nationally, March sales of existing homes were up 16.1% over March 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors. Seasonally adjusted new-home sales were up 26.9% from March 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Plan to rebuild U.S. 460 gets a push from Gov. McDonnell

The on-again, off-again plan to rebuild U.S. 460 in an effort to ease traffic congestion had been given a boost by Governor McDonnell. "I want a public-private partnership that begins, that is well thought-out, that is either approved or imminently to be approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board" by summer, McDonnell said.

That's good news for Hampton Roads homeowners, who have been bedeviled by heavy traffic along the route.

Because there are limited state funds to contribute to the project, any construction plan will likely include the collection of tolls along the completed roadway.

Sellers hope expiring tax credits spur sales

Homeowners in Hampton Roads are working hard to sell before the homebuyer tax credits expire next month. Two credits are available: $8,000 for first-time buyers or buyers who haven't owned a home in three years, and $6,500 for those who've owned their current or latest home for five years.

To qualify for the credit, buyers have to sign a contract by April 30 -- a powerful incentive that property owners hope to take advantage of.

Hampton Roads Home Sales Soared While Prices Slid Last Month

The Virginian-Pilot reported some good news about the housing market in Hampton Roads.

Home sales in the area soared while buyers rushed to beat the deadline for the first-time buyers federal tax credit.

The tax credit has been extended, and expanded to include current homeowners who wish to move into a different home.

Get details about the current federal tax credits for home buyers that expire on April 30, 2010.

"Home sales in South Hampton Roads soared as prices slid during November as first-time buyers rushed to beat the now-extended deadline for a federal tax credit, according to a report released Wednesday.

Last month's sales volume was up 5.1 percent from October and 87 percent over November 2008, according to Real Estate Information Network Inc.

The Virginia Beach-based multiple listing service reported 1,164 homes in the region sold in November, compared with 623 a year earlier.

Despite increased sales, home prices continued to fall, partly reflecting activity by first-time buyers at the low end of the market. The multiple listing service reported that the median price for existing homes in November was $199,950, down 7 percent from a year ago and at the lowest point in 10 months.

November marked the six month in a row of growth in local home sales and the biggest year-over-year gain in 2009. The rebound contrasts with the market a year ago, when sales were plummeting amid deteriorating economic conditions."

Read the full story.

Posted on Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 10:26pm

Hampton Roads Area Having a Top-10 Year for Rainfall

Hampton Roads has experiences it's rainiest year since 2003, acording to the Virginian Pilot.

The increase in rainfall will hopefully have a great impact on the area's agriculture.

"Hampton Roads officially broke into the top 10 wettest years on record with the recent heavy rainfall.

The region's 2009 rainfall total moved into the No. 6 spot, overtaking the 1937 amount of 59.7 inches, said Craig Moeller, meteorologist for WVEC-TV.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, 60.75 inches of rain had been measured for the year in Norfolk, according to the National Weather Service in Wakefield.

'This is the most rain we’ve had since 2003,' Moeller said. That year, the National Weather Service measured 61.76 inches of rain at the Norfolk airport and ranked it the fifth wettest year."