Statewide

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

Officials and the public learn more about high-speed rail

Virginia is courting federal dollars for high speed rail projects, and town hall meetings are being held around the state to allow residents to learn about the projects and provide input. While officials in Hampton Roads pondered the possibility of high-speed rail bringing significant economic activity to the area (perhaps as much as $1 billion by 2025), residents in Petersburg commented on practical matters surrounding the project (views from some properties will be changed).

Wherever they live, Virginia homeowners need to consider the possibilities of the high-speed rail initiatives that are in progress across the state. Participation in public forums is key if homeowners are to understand -- and influence -- the way that railways will impact their communities.

Plans for high-speed rail dogged by funding troubles

Bringing high-speed rail to Virginia will take decades and cost an estimated $5.3 billion -- if the money can be found. Virginia currently has about $30 million a year earmarked for capital improvements to state rails.

Virginia officials applied for $1.8 billion in federal stimulus money to develop the part of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor between Petersburg and the nation's capital. Just $75 million was approved.

Homeowners along Virginia's planned high-speed rail corridors stand to benefit from the development of the efficient transportation network. A relatively inexpensive and convenient commute between major cities would spur economic development, which would in turn stimulate the real estate market.

Read more in The Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 9:28pm

McDonnell says almost 72,000 jobs created in six months

Governor Bob McDonnell says that Virginia has seen a net increase of nearly 72,000 jobs since February. Experts say that an improved job market will help lead a general economic recovery and bolster the housing market.

The net gain in jobs could have a strong impact on homeowners, who are more likely to keep up with their mortgages if they are employed. Sellers looking to market their homes will also benefit from an increase in jobs, as buyers with jobs will be able to qualify for financing.

Virginia is a great place to do business

CNBC released its ranking of best states for business, placing Virginia second. The Commonwealth topped the list 2009 and 2007, the first year of the network's ranking.

Virginia's still first on Forbes magazine's list of best states for business -- and has been for the past four years.

Virginia's favorable business environment is paying dividends in this economy, to the benefit of its residents. The real estate market is expected to rebound as the economy improves.

Reduced state aid forces localities to make painful cuts

Localities across Virginia responded to reductions in state aid by slashing support for schools and community services. Nearly 30% raised local taxes in an effort to make up the shortfall.

Balanced budgets -- at both the state and local levels -- can have a huge impact on homeowners. When officials spend too much, taxes can become untenable, forcing residents to make tough choices in order to manage their own household expenses. On the flip side, if state and local budgets are slashed too deeply homeowners and others will feel the impact of reduced community services. Schools, police forces, libraries, and more can be affected. Ultimately, deep reductions may lead to a lowered quality of life, which can negatively impact property values.

Virginia homeowners can provide input on statewide housing policies

Would you like to have a say in the future of Virginia's housing regulations? You can.

Gov. McDonnell recently appointed a Housing Policy Advisory Committee to develop the Commonwealth's first statewide housing policy. The policy is expected to guide the Commonwealth's approach to issues such as healthy neighborhoods, effective coordination with transportation, environmental issues, homelessness, affordable housing, workforce housing, economic development, and other housing related opportunities.

The Advisory Committee is currently taking comments from citizens on what shape the statewide housing policy should take.

To receive your suggestions, the Advisory Committee has set up an online form. On July 9, the suggestion box will be closed. If you'd like to provide input to the Advisory Committee, act now.

Posted on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - 10:14am

Localities struggle to replace funding withdrawn by Richmond

Virginia's budget -- pared down to 2007 levels -- stripped counties, cities, and towns across the commonwealth of funds that would have gone to schools, community services, and road construction projects. In order to balance their budgets without the anticipated money, most localities had to cut services, raise taxes, or both.

State budget issues can have a profound impact on homeowners, especially when those issues affect local community budgets.

Virginia homeowners have new rights and protections effective July 1, 2010

It's not exactly Independence Day, but July 1 is a great day because it marks the day that Virginia homeowners earned a few more rights and protections. Click on any of the links for more information about these new laws, effective today, July 1, 2010.

More fairness for homeowners who appeal their property assessments
Upon your request, your real estate assessor must provide you with information about how your assessment was determined. If the assessor doesn’t provide you with this information five days before a court or board of equalization hearing, the information can’t be introduced at the hearing by the assessor. This law also increases the training and experience standards assessors must meet in order to be certified to conduct assessments in Virginia.

More protection for your home improvements
Under this law, your local government can’t force you to remove improvements made to your property as long as you followed the rules in effect at the time the improvements were constructed, even if it has adopted stricter rules in the meantime. You also now have the right to replace an existing wastewater disposal system for an existing building even if a new system wouldn’t otherwise be permitted in that location. However, if your system fails and access to the municipal sewer is available, you’ll be required to connect to it.

Temporary family health care structures permitted on properties
If you have a family member who needs assistance with daily living activities (like bathing, eating, or dressing) due to a mental or physical impairment, the local government can’t prohibit you from installing a complying temporary family health care structure on your property to help you care for them. There rules about the size and specifications of the structure, who can live in it, how to get approval from your locality to install it, and more.

Homeowners associations must adhere to complaint procedures
If you bring a complaint against a homeowners association, by law the association must:

Provide you with a document that includes
- the address and telephone number of the association or its manager,
- the address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman, and
- a description of your right to appeal the association’s decision to the Common Interest Community Board if you feel the decision violates Virginia laws or regulations.
Maintain a written record of the complaint for at least one year after the association acts upon it.

New restrictions on homeowners association rules about displaying the American flag
This law specifically gives Virginians who live in homeowners associations the right to fly the American flag in accordance with federal law. It also restricts the kinds of rules homeowners associations can enforce against flag displays. The rules are limited to size, placement, and duration of the display of the flag. If the association wants to enforce its rules against a homeowner, it must prove that the flag display harms its interests.

Statewide

Posted on Thursday, July 1, 2010 - 8:55am

Piles of tires dwindling across Virginia

Hundreds of piles of tires -- totalling millions of tires -- have been slowly disappearing as Virginia officials undertake a state-wide cleanup effort. The cleanup started in 1993, and there are now about 130 piles remaining, containing some two million tires.

Heaped tires pose an environmental hazard and can negatively impact area homeowners. The tires can harbor disease-carrying mosquitoes and are also highly flammable. (In the 1980s, a tire fire in Frederick County burned for nine months and became a 17-year Superfund site.)

Read more in the Lynchburg News & Advance....

Posted on Monday, June 28, 2010 - 3:42pm

$12 million in federal grants awarded to communities across Virginia

Governor Bob McDonnell announced that 24 projects across the commonwealth will receive funding from Community Development Block Grants. The grants will be used for downtown and economic revitalization, broadband deployment, health care, and improved housing and wastewater treatment. The awards range from $200,000 to $1,400,000, with some projects eligible for more funding down the road.

According to a press release from the governor's office, many of the projects are targeted for the prevention or elimination of blighting conditions. That's good news for local homeowners, who may see an increase in home values due to the improvements.

Read the press release and a full list of the grants....

Posted on Friday, June 25, 2010 - 7:03pm