An early look at the budget shows a shortfall of $30 million dollars.  Thats a lot of money to come up with in 2009.  Of course this is before everyone looks at the budget and decides what has to go.  There is still another 5 months to go before the actual budget shows up but this is a good indication of things to come.  The budget is is based on no change in the real estate tax rate, nearly flat state funding and an additional $10million in pay as you go funding.  Lets see what the next few months bring. 09/29/2007

First its' no cursing, blocking intersections, no feeding the birds and now its no watering.  Guess we are in some kind of a water crisis.  I just thought the gators were drinking to much of the water in the canals.  Whats next? 09/22/2007

"Tighter credit for home mortgages will measurably dampen home sales in the short term and postpone an expected recovery for existing-home sales until 2008, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®.Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, said unusual disruptions in the mortgage market are dampening the outlook for home sales, notably for August and September."How is tighter credit affecting southside Hampton Roads home sales? Let's take a look at August sales statistics. Residential sales in Virginia Beach dropped by 16 percent in August compared to August 2006, causing the average market time to increase 30 percent, from 46 days to 60 days.The median price remained unchanged and the average sale price decreased 3 percent to $308,482.VirginiaBeachSold Listin... 09/20/2007

Our RE/MAX Team has a new Great Neck Area website.  Please visit http://www.greatneckroad.com. The highly desirable Great Neck area of Virginia Beach is located in the Northeast quadrant of the city.  The Chesapeake Bay borders the northern end of Great Neck and the Atlantic Ocean is a 5 minute drive to the east of Great Neck.  Great Neck Road runs North South between Shore Drive and Virginia Beach Boulevard.  Great Neck public schools have an excellent reputation in the city of Virginia Beach.  Cox High School is located on Shorehaven Drive and First Colonial High School is located on Mill Dam Road.  Many excellent restaurants are located in the Great Neck area and along the Shore Drive area near the Chesapeake Bay.  09/19/2007

First its' no cursing, blocking intersections and such at the beach.  Now you can't even feed the birds.  In an effort to cut down the bird popluation at Mount Trashmore the city is launching a campaign to not feed the birds.  If they are fat and happy they stay and don't move on.  The problem is they eat all the forage food for the migratory birds and there isn't always enough food in the winter so you end up with dead and or malnourished sickly birds.  Even though it may seem like a good idea it is never a good idea to feed any wild animal. 09/12/2007

Great home in a new subdivision.  2900+ square of living space, with dual zone heating and cooling for energy efficiency.  Master Bedroom Suite includes large bedroom, separate sitting room and a custom master bath with a jetted tub and separate shower, his and hers vanity.  There are three full baths in this home.  To view this home you may visit one of my websites:  http://www.edwinrucker.com  http://www.edwinrucker.sell4.com  or http://www.edwinrucker1.poing2agent.com The front and back lawns are easy to keep green using the zoned and timed in-ground sprinkler system.  All of your lawn equipment can be stored in the large custom storage.  Like outdoor living, the big back yard features a custom deck and lots of space to entertain and relax.  You will never have to woryy about neighbo... 08/09/2007

Hello, I wanted to post my newest podcast information. I live in The Lake Smith Terrace area of Virginia Beach. I wanted to be able to offer to my area community news and information. This podcast will allow you to check on area sales and listing any time of the day. They are updated weekly. Contact me if your a FSBO and you would like to be included in the podcast.Visit Coastalpads.com and it is right on the front page. you can subscribe as well and it will auto update for you as I add weekly updatesAlison CreamerRealtor, ABRwww.coastalpads.comwww.alisoncreamer.com   08/02/2007

Stay with nostalgia or go with whats happening?  The city council will vote on replacing the great little red trolley with a gleaming new hybrid diesel electric bus that all the cities can use.  Too bad you can't have the best of both worlds.  Let's see what happens Tuesday night. 07/18/2007

Homes for sale Woodbridge PointeAbout Woodbridge Pointe neighborhood  Woodbride Pointe of KempsvilleNew Homes for sale Virginia BeachIf you are looking for a new home in Kempsville Woodbridge Pointe is a great placeto start looking. Woodbridge Pointe is conviently located in Kempsville and is only minutes from Greenbrier mall using the Lynnhaven parkway extention to Volv parkway. There are many shopping and dining locations within minutes of Woodbridge Pointe.  The developers have partnered with four builders to provide an impressive array of homes on  cul-de-sacs, lake front and privatewooded lots.  With the 4 builders comes a variety of floor plans, and price3, 4 and 6 bedroom homes are availalbe from the high 200's to the mid 500'sTallwood high school, Brandon Middle school and Cente... 07/08/2007

The seventh annual "Compassion for Africa" benefit dinner will be held Sunday, July 15, 2007 from 5:30 pm to 9:00pm at the Founders Inn and Spa.  The address is 5641 Indian River Rd, Virginia Beach.  Tickets are $150.00 per adult and you get to rub elbows with Ambassador Young, co-founder of GoodWorks International.  Tim and Daphne Reid, stars of several TV series as well as co-founders of the New Millennium Studios.  Founder of the Black Family Channel, Alving James will also be there.  Don't miss this exciting dinner and remember it is for a good cause.  07/05/2007

Indigo DunesWell for now L.M Sadler will not be developing one of the largest stretches  of open shore line. I can tell you taking a Sunday drive up over the Lesner Bridge this past weekend was a night mare. No longer a nice ocean breezy drive it was more like being in the big city with all the cars and stop and go traffic. For now the 69 acres will remain undeveloped. Of course the Sadlers have 10 days to appeal. Well have to keep our eyes on this news.  Alison Creamer Realtor , AbR Remax Allegiancewww.coastalpads.comwww.alisoncreamer.com 06/30/2007

Indigo DunesWell for now L.M Sadler will not be developing one of the largest stretches  of open shore line. I can tell you taking a Sunday drive up over the Lesner Bridge this past weekend was a night mare. No longer a nice ocean breezy drive it was more like being in the big city with all the cars and stop and go traffic. For now the 69 acres will remain undeveloped. Of course the Sadlers have 10 days to appeal. Well have to keep our eyes on this news.  Alison Creamer Realtor , AbR Remax Allegiancewww.coastalpads.comwww.alisoncreamer.com 06/30/2007

What a name for a 110 pound loggerhead turtle but thats what the people at the Virginia Aquarium's stranding center named him.  He was pulled out of the water around Gloucester with two skull fractures.  He would spin in a circle, float, flap his flippers weirdly and not eat, then eat.  One thing he couldn't do was dive.  Eventually with care from the stranding center Crack Head Fred got better and is being released into the wild once again.  This time he is going to have a transciever on him so scientists can see where he goes.  Lots of luck Crack Head Fred. 06/29/2007

A secluded park just off Laskin Rd is getting a face lift courtesy of Virginia Beach Public Schools.  The Beach Garden Park will get some multipurpose fields, playground equipment, picnic shelters and and all the rest.  The students at Virginia Beach Middle School will use the fields while they await their new school to be built over the next two years.  It should be quite nice when finished. 06/21/2007

 Lynwood Powell didn't play a lot of golf but when he moved into his house in Lotus Creek, a luxury golf course community in Virginia Beach, he's ready for his game to take off. Lotus Creek is located next Lago Mar and the Hell's Point Golf Club, just off Sandbridge Rd and Atwoodtown Road. The community with single-family condominium ownership has 45 homes. Considered off-the-beaten track, most people don't know it's there unless they stumble upon it. The semi-custom homes were built by Beco Construction and Chesapeake Atlantic Development. Not only are you close to Sandbridge Beach but the oceanfront is not far away.  Tucked away in this small community is quiet and more quiet.Some of the homes back to Atwoodtown Road, while others on the backside of the development have the openness o... 06/12/2007

While the rest of America is seeing a slowing or stalled real estate market - sales clip ahead in Hampton Roads.   Virginia Beach, Chespeake, and Norfolk are all still seeing gains in certain areas.   The market is not what it use to be 3 years ago,  but has normalized to about the pace I saw during the 1995-2000 period. 06/10/2007

Just helped settle on a great home in the The Orchards at Glenwood in Virginia Beach. Community that is built by Chesapeake homes and Centex. I must say one builder was a lot easier to deal with then the other ! Over all it was better transaction then when the builders were having an extreme heyday with the buyer money.     See my website Coastalpads on how I can help you find your next home. Alison Creamer 06/06/2007

The neighborhoods around the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, including Rock Creek, have grown so much in recent years that Landstown High School opened in 2001 to help accommodate that population increase.                                                                                                                  The community is approached from Princess Anne and Salem roads, and is near both interstates 64 and 264, as well as Ferrell Parkway. City services are nearby, as the Virginia Beach Municipal Center is a short drive up Princess Anne Road. Pungo, Sandbridge, Lynnhaven and the Oceanfront are all close by, providing recreation, shopping, and employment accessibility. Gene Allen, a local Realtor, likes to market homes in the area as they hold thier value well and t... 06/01/2007

!!!It’s Here; It’s Here!!! The Pungo (Virginia Beach) Strawberry Festival Of Course May 26th-27th 9am-7pm The parade will begin 10am May 26th Why will the one-traffic light hamlet of Pungo have a population boom this weekend of over 120,000 people? Three words explain it: Pungo Strawberry Festival. For the past 24 years, the village has hosted the annual two-day celebration honoring it s sentimental favorite fruit. From a small grass roots festival of 50,000 guests at the inaugural Memorial Day weekend fest to last year's 120,000. No money comes from the city and proceeds go back to the community. "It 's a great, family-friendly, fun event," said Sheriff Paul J. Lanteigne, a longtime festival volunteer and this year's honorary mayor of Pungo. "This is an old-time event that brings ever... 05/25/2007

May 11, 2007   Chesapeake - City Council voted this week on a $0.05 per $100 reduction in the real estate tax rate.  The new rate is $1.04 per $100.  Norfolk - City Council voted this week to reduce the real estate tax rate by $0.16 per $100 to $1.11 per $100.  This results in the majority of Norfolk homeowners having either a flat or decreased real estate tax bill.  Portsmouth - City Council passed a $231 million budget this week that includes a $0.10 reduction in the real estate tax rate, which will now be $1.26 per $100 of value.  The Council also raised utility rates by $7.90 per month.  Transportation - This week the City Councils of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg voted in favor of allowing the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority to levy a variety of tax ... 05/22/2007