About Montgomery County, VA

Homes sales in Montgomery County Maryland increased a 31.73% this September over September 2007, but that was due in large part that the price of the average prices of homes has also fallen from the peak of the market in September 2005. This is a 4 year comparative chart meant to show the real estate trends in pricing and days on market needed to sell homes in Montgomery County Maryland.

768 Montgomery home sold in September 2008 - compared to 1415 in the peak of the Montgomery County real estate market in September of 2005. That is a - 46% drop in sales, but a 31.73 sales increase in sales from September 2007 The net sales price to seller is also lower due to seller paying buyer incentives. It's a great time to buy homes in Montgomery County Maryland.

Have you heard? There are a few things happening in the financial sector that are probably giving you cause for concern. Truth bet told, they've given a lot of us cause for concern ...

Just a quick note to let you know that there are home loans currently being funded, just as Mark Weddle and Dennis Duncan said there were. I'm not going to blow smoke and say that there a lot of companies out there that are having trouble providing credit to buyers, and the stock market is absolutely a scary place to be right now. BUT ... the mortgage market is not mirroring Mountain Lake.

In order to make it happen, you'll need three things:

• good credit. There are differing opinions of what "good" credit is, so let me help connect you with someone who can tell you exactly how you stack up.
• money to put down (and it DOESN'T have to be 20%).
• proof of monthly income. Gone are the days of what we called "no doc" loans (thank God).

If these items look familiar, it's because they're all things that lenders have looked for in the past, and that they'll continue to look for in the future. The mortgage market isn't gone ... in fact, we're closing two properties THIS WEEK that were funded by a local lender just within the last two weeks. Let me know if you'd like to review your individual situation. It's not going to be the right time for everyone to buy, but if you can meet the three criteria above it just might be worth your while.

Blowing smoke.

They've determined how to cross Route 114, they've determined the route ...

But they need the money. You can help the Friends of the Huckleberry by writing to express your support. Brad Stipes tells us how ...

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The bailout bill - also called the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 - has been passed, and I know you've been itching to get your hands on a copy.

You can read the full report here.

But if you'd like a summary (and I'd suggest it might be a bit easier to digest) you should check out the Financial Planning Association's site.

Thanks to Eric for sending this in.

Perhaps. From Blacksburg Alert today:

The Town of Christiansburg in conjunction with Blacksburg Transit, the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech, and Montgomery County* are working together to increase public transportation and commuting options within the Town of Christiansburg. The first step in this process is the completion of a survey that will be mailed to Christiansburg residents to determine the use/need of expanded bus service in the Christiansburg area.

The bus survey offers a unique opportunity for each citizen to contribute and help design the future of bus service in Christiansburg. The results of this survey, which will be sent to every household in the Christiansburg area, will serve as the foundation for the new service; hence every response is critical. Christiansburg Town Manager Lance Terpenny, commented "The great thing about this survey is that it allows our citizens to contribute to the planning process; ultimately building their own service."

The survey will be mailed early October 2008, with the estimated implementation of the routes set for late 2009.

For further information regarding the survey contact Erik Olsen, Transportation Planner at (540) 961-1185 or email eolsen@blacksburg.gov.

* Survey funded by the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Montgomery Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

Christiansburg residents ... be on the lookout for these surveys. Better public transportation options are likely going to be more and more important to our communities in the coming years.