Taxes - Some Perspective in Cumberland County

The headline in Cumberland County's Sentinel Newspaper this morning reads: County may raise taxes

The byline mentions a possible 3% tax hike.

The county's median price range is steady at right around $180, 000. The proposed increase in taxes would mean an approximate additional ELEVEN DOLLARS a year for someone with a home value in that range.

While it's important to be informed, I hope there is some perspective presented on tonight's evening news.

What may be a bigger topic is that the county apparently spent $60, 000 on consultants to figure out to raise the taxes. It will be easy to think they over spent, but if the best solution was found by a third party -- I'm all for it.

What do you think?

Land, Views, and Garages

In today's hectic world, a number of people are looking for some room to breath and relax. This might mean a house on a couple of acres. It might mean mountain views. It might mean a giant detached garage w/ it's own furnace. Sometimes, with a little luck, you can find all of those things in one location .

Housing Shortage or Thought Scarcity?: A Common Sense Proposal

Photo by Roberto Nickson from Pexels With low inventory, BOTH buyers and renters are having a challenging time getting into a home. A solution, one would think, is creating more available homes. A gut reaction would be to build big developments, with large homes or maybe a condo complex. But what if you could build a home on your current property and rent it out? I see small towns around me push back, and a common reason is "parking" . Meanwhile, a quick drive down their streets will show plenty of parking. And get this, the people that would shop in the now almost empty stores in their town wouldn't need to drive there - they would walk. Another pushback I hear is that a new structure will create too much non-permeable space . It's always an interesting thing to hear from a sector that listens and smiles - but does nothing - when I talk about clean water bills, riparian buffers, and other common sense solutions to a healthy local environment. The more I learn a...

Warm Up -- Add Value --- Get Money

Save some big bucks on your heating bill and get $300 credit from the federal government if you install a wood burning fireplace insert by the end of 2011. Read all about it here . You may not be ready to sell now, but when you do --- it's a good idea to have a leg up on your competition. Most people prefer to have an alternative heat source. Many of us found that out over the weekend during the "Halloween Snow Storm".

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