Informative Tidbits

· The Transportation Agency Monterey County (TAMC) Board approved an action plan to increase public outreach over the next year and a half including mailing an Agency 2007 Annual Report to all households. Another outreach activity will be to guide the preparation of a new transportation expenditure plan for a proposed ½ cent sales tax to be placed on the November 2008 ballot.

· According to the National Association of Home Builders: Ninety-two percent of new homebuyers want a separate laundry room.

· Thanks to Monterey County Assessor Steven Vagnini, homeowners were given a heads up about a firm that was soliciting homeowners to pay $59.50 for a copy of his/her deed. Important fact to make note of is the assessor’s office already sends original deeds to property owners at no charge.

· A telephone survey of 300 of Pacific Grove’s 9,000 registered voters showed 35% opposed a tax increase, and 47% would support a tax increase for essential city services.

Wooing the Buyer

In an effort to woo buyers to buy, homebuilders are pulling out all the stops. According to an article by the Washington Post, homebuilders are hiring interior designers to “create house lust.” In short, “house lust” is a quick way to try to entice buyers by making the most popular spaces, such as the dining room and family room seem more livable, the Post says. The theory behind the model home decorating is that a buyer will likely buy a home if it is decorated than if it is not, says the Post.

The Post interviewed, JoAnn McInnis, vice president of the Great Falls interior design firm Carlyn and Co., who said she is getting more calls from builders who want their model homes redecorated. “They were done without necessarily the intent to sell as hard as they needed to.”

Anyone who has toured model homes knows what this article is talking about. A child’s bedroom decorated for a little girl in pink and ballet slippers and every unique item perfectly placed gets the attention of every mother and little girl. Or, the boy’s room with a car made into a bed and a basement that resembles a movie theatre. Who wouldn’t want that?