Thursday, September 20, 2007
more on homestead exemption application
Well, I returned to the courthouse with the homestead application and my mother's drivers license, only to be told that since her home is in a revocable trust, I need to have a copy of the deed and trust agreement. The good news is that I can return her driver's license to her because they've already noted it.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
homestead exemption
I tried to submit some helpful comments to the auditor's office about the statewide homestead exemption information on their website. After writing out my comments on the e-comment form on the auditor's website and pushing "submit", nothing happened. Tried again...nothing happened. So I called the auditor's office and wasn't too happy with the response.
My concerns are several: The website says you have to bring the forms to the courthouse, not mail them (contradicted by information in the FAQ about mailing and postmark dates). But it doesn't say that a picture ID is required... I'm going to have to make another 35 mile round trip to Perrysville to get my mother's ID and bring it in. The second problem is the confusion between the 2 1/2 percent Homestead Rollback (HRB) on the auditor's tax itemiztion vs. the Homestead Exemption (HOM). People will confuse these and think they are already enrolled, missing out and not applying for the automatic, over 65 exemption.
The response from "Amy" at the auditor's office (third person I was redirected to) was that this was a state mandated program, that people are calling in if they are confused and they are answering their questions about whether they are enrolled already or not, and that they addressed the issue of bringing in a picture ID with an article in the News Journal.
I'll just say from a common sense point of view that there will be a lot of people missing the Oct. 1 deadline for these reasons and I don't think Richland County is doing its best with this. Just the fact that everyone over the age of 65 living in their own home in Richland County must drive to the courthouse is pretty incredible. It was up to the county how to implement this. Crawford County allows you to mail in the application with a copy of your photo ID... very clearly laid out on their website. Ashland, Knox, Morrow, and Huron Counties have nothing on their sites about applying for this...they have the kind of static websites that never get updated with current information.
My concerns are several: The website says you have to bring the forms to the courthouse, not mail them (contradicted by information in the FAQ about mailing and postmark dates). But it doesn't say that a picture ID is required... I'm going to have to make another 35 mile round trip to Perrysville to get my mother's ID and bring it in. The second problem is the confusion between the 2 1/2 percent Homestead Rollback (HRB) on the auditor's tax itemiztion vs. the Homestead Exemption (HOM). People will confuse these and think they are already enrolled, missing out and not applying for the automatic, over 65 exemption.
The response from "Amy" at the auditor's office (third person I was redirected to) was that this was a state mandated program, that people are calling in if they are confused and they are answering their questions about whether they are enrolled already or not, and that they addressed the issue of bringing in a picture ID with an article in the News Journal.
I'll just say from a common sense point of view that there will be a lot of people missing the Oct. 1 deadline for these reasons and I don't think Richland County is doing its best with this. Just the fact that everyone over the age of 65 living in their own home in Richland County must drive to the courthouse is pretty incredible. It was up to the county how to implement this. Crawford County allows you to mail in the application with a copy of your photo ID... very clearly laid out on their website. Ashland, Knox, Morrow, and Huron Counties have nothing on their sites about applying for this...they have the kind of static websites that never get updated with current information.
Friday, September 14, 2007
my questions
Here are the questions I have submitted to Main Street Mansfield for the mayoral debate:
1. Do you support the upcoming school levy?
2. We’ve heard more than one candidate advocating stepped up demolitions of vacant and abandoned properties. Do you plan to direct any city resources, tax rebates, grants, or other incentives to homeowners or investors to encourage rehab of existing older properties? If so, will that approach be your primary focus or do you think demolitions are more important?
3. How important are smaller downtown retail and service establishments to the health and vitality of the city? Would you rate their issues and concerns as low, medium, or high priority?
4. Are there any models of cities in similar situations as
5. Do you have any thoughts about the concentration of sexual offenders in downtown at the VOA?
Thursday, September 13, 2007
mayoral debate
A mayoral debate will be held on the subject of downtown revitalization on Sept. 27 (Thursday) at 5:30 pm at the Richland Academy. Questions submitted for the candidates must be received by Sept.19 at Main Street Mansfield.
I have been hearing about the same thing from all three candidates regarding demolitions. The vacant lots multiply year after year and the process of creating empty lots hasn't slowed the further deterioration of surrounding houses. Yet all of the candidates seem to be emphasizing that they would make demolitions a top priority, as if this process would work if we just did it fast enough.
I would just once like to hear someone in the city administration or a mayoral candidate admit that demolitions haven't worked any magic in the past and maybe there are better ideas out there in similar communities around the country for encouraging the maintenance and restoration of existing housing. It seems the combined benefits of restoration, maintenance of the tax base of a property, and eliminating the wastefulness and high cost of demolition would make it far more cost effective in dollars spent, or tax benefits bestowed on homeowners or investors than this single-minded approach that isn't working!
I have been hearing about the same thing from all three candidates regarding demolitions. The vacant lots multiply year after year and the process of creating empty lots hasn't slowed the further deterioration of surrounding houses. Yet all of the candidates seem to be emphasizing that they would make demolitions a top priority, as if this process would work if we just did it fast enough.
I would just once like to hear someone in the city administration or a mayoral candidate admit that demolitions haven't worked any magic in the past and maybe there are better ideas out there in similar communities around the country for encouraging the maintenance and restoration of existing housing. It seems the combined benefits of restoration, maintenance of the tax base of a property, and eliminating the wastefulness and high cost of demolition would make it far more cost effective in dollars spent, or tax benefits bestowed on homeowners or investors than this single-minded approach that isn't working!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
back from o.a.r. in columbus
Ohio Assoc. of Realtors annual convention in Columbus ended today. The highlight for me was attending the Legislative Committee where Ohio Treasurer of State Richard Cordray spoke, outlining the state's approaches to handling the mortgage foreclosure crisis.
One of the initiatives I hadn't heard of before was a bill passed in December '06 which mandates that students entering high school in 2010 receive personal financial education. Cordray co-chairs the Treasurer of State Committee that is working to implement the bill. About 300 Ohio teachers have already been trained in the program and it is already implemented in about 200 schools.
Cordray is working with the Franklin County Save Our Homes task force, an established leader in foreclosure intervention training for homeowners and professionals , and he is working with them to develop a SOH starter kit for implementation in other counties.
Another initiative in the state mentioned in the Legislative Committee was the Montgomery County Auditor's efforts to work through recorded mortgages and identify ARMs that will reset so that homeowners can be made aware of their impending situation. The work is difficult, but is being looked upon as a possible model for around the state. In our Richland County Predatory Lending Task Force that I've been attending, I have previously suggested this approach.
On the federal level, HR 1825 would eliminate the statutory 3 percent minimum down payment on FHA mortgages and give them flexibility to offer varying down-payment terms. This bill has been voted out of the House Financial Services Committee for a floor vote likely in Sept. This bill has Presidential support.
SB 1394 and HR 1876 would eliminate treating the forgiven indebtedness resulting from a short sale as income. Voinavich is a co-sponsor of the the Senate version and this bill also has presidential support.
In other sessions I attended, the effects of foreclosures are a major source of concern.
What's bad news for some may be good news for others because there will be an increased supply of tenants moving back into rentals. In the recent past, renters who were being turned down for apartments based on their poor credit, could turn around and be approved for a home mortgage.
One more related thing: at our Directors meeting we unanimously approved a committee recommendation to fund the completion of a Vacant Property Costs Impact Study in Ohio Cities that is being undertaken by ReBuild Ohio.
One of the initiatives I hadn't heard of before was a bill passed in December '06 which mandates that students entering high school in 2010 receive personal financial education. Cordray co-chairs the Treasurer of State Committee that is working to implement the bill. About 300 Ohio teachers have already been trained in the program and it is already implemented in about 200 schools.
Cordray is working with the Franklin County Save Our Homes task force, an established leader in foreclosure intervention training for homeowners and professionals , and he is working with them to develop a SOH starter kit for implementation in other counties.
Another initiative in the state mentioned in the Legislative Committee was the Montgomery County Auditor's efforts to work through recorded mortgages and identify ARMs that will reset so that homeowners can be made aware of their impending situation. The work is difficult, but is being looked upon as a possible model for around the state. In our Richland County Predatory Lending Task Force that I've been attending, I have previously suggested this approach.
On the federal level, HR 1825 would eliminate the statutory 3 percent minimum down payment on FHA mortgages and give them flexibility to offer varying down-payment terms. This bill has been voted out of the House Financial Services Committee for a floor vote likely in Sept. This bill has Presidential support.
SB 1394 and HR 1876 would eliminate treating the forgiven indebtedness resulting from a short sale as income. Voinavich is a co-sponsor of the the Senate version and this bill also has presidential support.
In other sessions I attended, the effects of foreclosures are a major source of concern.
What's bad news for some may be good news for others because there will be an increased supply of tenants moving back into rentals. In the recent past, renters who were being turned down for apartments based on their poor credit, could turn around and be approved for a home mortgage.
One more related thing: at our Directors meeting we unanimously approved a committee recommendation to fund the completion of a Vacant Property Costs Impact Study in Ohio Cities that is being undertaken by ReBuild Ohio.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
convention in columbus
The OAR annual convention will be held in Columbus this week. Foreclosures will be high on the agenda, along with the general state of the markets. If I can get on line this time from the hotel, I will try to post some updates.
home of tomorrow etc.
The Westinghouse Home of Tomorrow on Andover Road is still for sale (bank-owned after foreclosure). The listing office has changed this week and the price has been dropped to $199,900. According to the listing, the roof has been replaced, which was what the previous listing office was promising.
My listing at 317 Park Avenue West has been reduced to $104,500.
My listing at 317 Park Avenue West has been reduced to $104,500.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
historical video
This is an historical video I made for the Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center. I wanted to see how the new Blogger video feature worked. Hope you enjoy.
river
The sidewalks were like the canals of Venice outside the bookshop after the cloudburst Monday. It's strange to watch how this happens...about the time the heavy rain starts to let up and the storm is abating, the water jumps the curb from Park Avenue and comes around the corner on Main Street. I guess the buildup of water coming down the slope of Park Ave takes about the time of an average cloudburst to reach the Square.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
other issues
Complaining about parking in my opinion is an excuse used for not shopping downtown by people who feel vaguely guilty about not supporting local businesses. It's an issue high up on the agenda of merchants, but not really very significant to the customers compared to other issues, like what kinds of stores are downtown, what their hours are, and what there is to do otherwise.
Mansfield needs a couple more downtown restaurants to make it a mealtime destination.
We need more browsing shops (like more bookstores, or an army surplus store, or antique shops). And we need to capitalize on the Carrousel, Central Park, Rennaiscance Theater, North Main Street shops, in advertising outside our local area! Local people do not spend money downtown to any significant degree from my experience. At least in my bookshop this is true. It's out of town visitors who bring armfulls of books to the counter and gush about what a great store it is. And they are also just as likely to gush about how cheap the parking is! Local people tell me they just can't spend much time in a shop like mine or they would buy too much, or they have to come back when they have more time, and walk out the door empty handed.
I think this is true everywhere. If you're in you're own town, you don't have the urge to buy on impulse because you can come back any day you feel like and buy what you just saw in the shop. Or you can go look for the item on eBay and if you don't find it at a better price, come back later for it. The other factor is the monkey see monkey do effect. If the shop is crowded and people bringing things to the counter to purchase, it's more likely other people in the shop will spend some money also. Extend this theory to downtown, outoftowners making purchases would stimulate the MSMD effect with local people who happen downtown.
So the bottom line is that local advertising is wasted unless it's targetted to your specialized customer base. Cooperative advertising by groups of merchants or promotions by the city have to be directed to bringing in the tourists, not wasted on local shoppers.
Mansfield needs a couple more downtown restaurants to make it a mealtime destination.
We need more browsing shops (like more bookstores, or an army surplus store, or antique shops). And we need to capitalize on the Carrousel, Central Park, Rennaiscance Theater, North Main Street shops, in advertising outside our local area! Local people do not spend money downtown to any significant degree from my experience. At least in my bookshop this is true. It's out of town visitors who bring armfulls of books to the counter and gush about what a great store it is. And they are also just as likely to gush about how cheap the parking is! Local people tell me they just can't spend much time in a shop like mine or they would buy too much, or they have to come back when they have more time, and walk out the door empty handed.
I think this is true everywhere. If you're in you're own town, you don't have the urge to buy on impulse because you can come back any day you feel like and buy what you just saw in the shop. Or you can go look for the item on eBay and if you don't find it at a better price, come back later for it. The other factor is the monkey see monkey do effect. If the shop is crowded and people bringing things to the counter to purchase, it's more likely other people in the shop will spend some money also. Extend this theory to downtown, outoftowners making purchases would stimulate the MSMD effect with local people who happen downtown.
So the bottom line is that local advertising is wasted unless it's targetted to your specialized customer base. Cooperative advertising by groups of merchants or promotions by the city have to be directed to bringing in the tourists, not wasted on local shoppers.
parking
Some plans were finalized this morning for downtown parking. Primarily the meters in the core business district will be reset uniformly to two-hours with 25 cents per hour. This is hoped to eliminate the confusion of where to park and give ample time for visiting a restaurant. Other things discussed at the meeting this morning between merchants and the city included putting stickers on the meters to indicate when you need to feed them (like they had on them in the old days).
Regarding people who habitually camp at meters, we learned that the city can give them a red warning tag when they are found over the two hour limit, which gives the violator the opportunity to move the vehicle before the meter person makes the next round. It was agreed that using these might be better to give fair warning rather than slapping the $25 ticket on them.
Regarding people who habitually camp at meters, we learned that the city can give them a red warning tag when they are found over the two hour limit, which gives the violator the opportunity to move the vehicle before the meter person makes the next round. It was agreed that using these might be better to give fair warning rather than slapping the $25 ticket on them.
Friday, August 10, 2007
mansfield data
Check out www.dataplace.org to map an incredible amount of statistical data on Mansfield or any other US municipal area. Here's an example: Poverty level by census tract in percentage in 2000.
I've been working with data on subprime lending. Here's another example...: Percent of Conventional Home Purchase Mortgage Loans by Subprime Lenders in 2004
I made my own map of current foreclosed properties that are listed, and was surprised that most are on the south side of the city, not in the lower income tracts. Then, looking at another map from dataplace makes the reason clear. The rate of home ownership is so low in the high poverty tracts, so the number of mortgage loans is very low in those areas as well.
I've been working with data on subprime lending. Here's another example...: Percent of Conventional Home Purchase Mortgage Loans by Subprime Lenders in 2004
I made my own map of current foreclosed properties that are listed, and was surprised that most are on the south side of the city, not in the lower income tracts. Then, looking at another map from dataplace makes the reason clear. The rate of home ownership is so low in the high poverty tracts, so the number of mortgage loans is very low in those areas as well.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
sogbety diomande's west african celebration
The 2nd Annual West African Celebration is coming up August 24-26 at Camp Avery Hand, 3766 Orweiler Rd. Visit the website for the celebration at www.freewebs.com/sogbetydiomandefor information about all of the weekend activities and tickets. The highlight of the weekend will be the Saturday night performance at 8 p.m. featuring West African dancing and drumming. Tickets for that event are $25. You can also purchase a weekend ticket for $165 adults or $45 Children 6-12, that includes food, camping, all classes, all performances, and the lecture. Contact Highlands of Ohio for tickets at 419-522-5058 or email highlands@neo.rr.com
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