Cleveland City Council to Consider Banning Cell Phone Use While Driving

This article on male infertility because of cell phone use aside, I think most of us consider our cell phones a way of life. As a Realtor® I cannot imagine not having one. I know that Brooklyn, Walton Hills and North Olmsted don't allow me to use it while I'm speeding, er, driving down the road - may as well stay within the letter of the law! Of course common sense has to come into play even when I'm in a community that DOES allow it. I know the State of New York passed a ban; I wonder how that is working there?
Why am I bringing this up now? Well, Councilman Dolan (Ward 21) has introduced legislation to ban cell phone use while driving, in the City of Cleveland. You could spend a couple of months in jail (probably unlikely) or many hundreds of dollars in fines (much more likely). My opinion? There are people who pay too little attention to their driving, be they on the cell phone, applying makeup, fishing for some mysterious file under the seat (is it not amazing how frequently we see that?). Banning cell phone use still does not preclude someone from being stupidly distracted in a different way. I would have loved to link to the City Council page here but their site is still not working (I will add it if that changes anytime soon). OK good news, the City Council Website is now up and running.

My last bit about cell phones is a shout out to Michele Connors post on Active Rain today regarding the Do Not Call Registry. You can get all the details from her post, but the synopsis is this. You may like telemarketer calls, but if you don't, or don't want to pay for cell phone minutes while listening to a telemarketer, you can call the Do Not Call Registry at: 888-382-1222.

In less than two weeks, telemarketers will legally be allowed to solicit on cell phones and that is a big change in policy. So this is a heads up. When you call the number above, make sure you are calling from the phone you want to register. The registration is good for five years. The website has complaint forms you can use when telemarketers call you (once you are on the Registry List of course). If you would like information on the general Do Not Call Registry for land line phones check the FTC site here.

A little music to lighten things up, thanks to Travis Tritt.

Peace Out - 3C

Net Neutrality,The FCC & John McCain...What a Combo!

I wrote a blog post on John McCain's Bill (HR 1606) which is aimed at regulating the Internet (it's a House Bill that he supported and now I am doing what the media does, saying it is his bill). The main 'hot button' is the issue of on line child predators, with a little copyright infringement thrown in. What happens too often when the government gets involved? The issue has now become one of Net Neutrality . There was an Amendment proposed, which got defeated last month. Final vote on this Bill is to take place in June 2007. Do we want the government involved in regulating the Internet? We know how well the FCC does with it's regulations (yes I am being sarcastic). The FCC would of course be responsible for policing this legislation. I give a big shout out to the CNET article I highlighted above. They discuss all the amendments to this Bill (which when all is said and done will have a new SB number). Quite a few of these amendments are still 'in committee.' People as diverse as movie stars and Vint Cerf (who helped invent the Internet) all believe in net neutrality, which really means equal treatment of all sites on the Internet. The question isn't really should all sites be considered equally (blogs and websites, for example), but should it be self policing, while adhering to the existing laws (copyright infringement for example), or should the government get in the middle of it with new laws and enforcement rights. At the last minute, an amendment was introduced by Lamar Smith of Texas that said none of the Anti Trust laws would be changed in a way that would interfere with District Court oversight of Anti Trust Laws. For some reason this makes those who want Net Neutrality to remain nervous, because the proposed law keeps getting reworked to make it more palatable to all Memebers, which means it keeps becoming more and more likely that they might vote Net Neutrality out of existence.

Many are saying that large companies like broadband providers will be able to provide website content that smaller providers will not - sort of like digital versus basic cable? The consumer rights group Public Knowledge feels that this will allow companies like AT&T and Cox Cable and Com-cast to control the content of the Internet. Unlike FCC control which of course brings to mind the words tweedle dee dee and tweedle dee dum. The Internet has up to this point, allowed all users and providers to decide what applications they want to use and what content they want to view or write. Google uses this analogy: ".....Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online...."

A second point, and one that got my boxer shorts in a knot (even though I don't wear them), is that the FCC loves to control what comes across the airwaves, be it television or radio. John McCain spouted off about how political blogs can say what they want and maybe if there were some changes made, they wouldn't be allowed to be so free with their tongues (ok I paraphrased, but that is the crux of his statement). This sounds like a slap at Free Speech to me, and he is cloaking it all in regulation of sex predators on the internet. Political bloggers and sex predators are apples and oranges. And as so often happens with government, there are already laws on the books that sites like MySpace.com have to obey. If a sexual predator is found to have a personal profile or image on Myspace, they are required to take it down. Why more laws? I can't come up with a good reason, if you can, explain it to me. In the meantime, I think anything increasing FCC police powers over the Internet and blogging is a bad idea. Congress is trying to wrap this up for a June vote.

How do you feel about Net Neutrality? Do you want to take action? Let your voice be heard by going to InternetFreedom where you can either sign an online petition, or contact your Representatives.

Did you know actor Kevin Spacey sings? Decide for yourself if he should quit his day job with his version of The Freedom Song.

Peace Out -3C

Tax Abatement: Does it Help More Than it Hurts the City of Cleveland?

The City of Cleveland authorized a Tax Abatement Program for new construction and rehab projects in 1991. 100% tax abatement on a 'for sale' property has been alluring to buyers, something I have seen first hand. In 2006 I had several clients move here from other States and they specifically chose homes that included the 100% abatement over others that were similar but lacked the tax relief. The question comes up for debate again because City authority for this Abatement Program ends this July; they have to decide if they are going to continue it, change it or end it.

City Council is holding a series of hearings on the issue. Last week's hearing brought out some of the prominent builders in the area. Developers like Sutton Builders, Rysar Properties, Zaremba and The Ferchill Group all asked the City to continue the Abatement Program. I thought the most telling comment came from Chris Ferchill of The Ferchill Group. The Ferchill Group developed The Villa Carabelli Town Homes which occupy space in both Cleveland and Cleveland Heights. He pointed out that "....the six units within City of Cleveland limits sold quickly [and they had 100% tax abatement for 15 years]. ...the fourteen units in Cleveland Heights took two years to sell...." and the tax abatement for those units was 65% for 7 years. (quote is from the Crain's article linked above)

Councilwoman Fannie Lewis discussed the fact that tax abatement had helped turn her neighborhood around (although Fannie Lewis deserves a lot of credit herself, she is a dynamo for her neighborhood, IMHO). And Councilman Cummins from the Old Brooklyn neighborhood pointed out that his area doesn't have much land to assemble for new construction projects, but that rehabbed and new homes on vacant lots should get 12 % abatement. This discussion, regarding whether or not the abatement amount should change, was a key part of the hearing. Overall it sounds like the majority of the builders requested that The City give them a year at the status quo while they rethink a strategy.

Personally and professionally, I see the advantages of tax abatement, and stories like Fannie Lewis' tell me we need to keep some form of it. But the City of Cleveland is losing money on the type of abatement structure set up currently. It was necessary, but now I'm thinking a change in focus might be good. Why not apply the total 100%/15 year tax abatement to Smart Growth rehabs or new builds; or homes that are built near public transportation (TOD's)? Or reach a certain level of energy efficiency? Other layers of abatement could still be applied but at smaller percentages for different types of rehab projects. The storefront abatement program seems like a winner to me too. I would tell you to keep an eye on the City Council website for information on more public hearings, but I will have to call on Monday to find out -- the City Council website seems to be in 'reconstruction' mode this week. I will edit this or add a short blurb in a new post when I find out details. Peace Out - 3C

2/27/07 - I have an update - Cleveland State University did a study involving 400 homebuyers who purchased homes in Cleveland over the last few years. The majority of them (60%) said tax abatement was a big reason they chose Cleveland over someplace else. I think that's great, it just proves abatement works. What it does not do however is prove it should stay in the same form it is in right now. Regardless, here is the Crain's Cleveland Business article in it's entirety.

Preparing Your Home to Sell

Homes are selling, even in Cleveland, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. What is helping them sell, over the many others buyers have to choose from? I believe it's Price,Condition and Amenities. I am going to focus on a home's condition and how little you may have to spend to make it appeal to a buyer over and above all the others out there.

A professional Realtor® (like myself!) can help you - but this is what I suggest as a first step: walk your house from room to room, look at your yard, your garage, your basement. Use a critical eye. Pretend this is not your home, but a house for sale. Here are a few things you might notice that can be corrected inexpensively:

1. Wash your windows, inside and out. Yes, even in cold weather. OK, you can't do it when the water would freeze to the glass, but get someone lined up to wash them for you on a day when the temps are above freezing. A cloudy window may make a buyer think your windows are in need of repair because they are so dirty. Sparkly windows increase your chances to sell. If you need a good recommendation, try a membership with Angie's List. Consumers recommend the people on Angie's List, that's the only way they get there.
2. Clean and Uncluttered, that is how your house should be when someone walks through it. This is not expensive. Store things in one room of your home, or in a basement room; Start packing things up and put things in the garage, in a POD, or if you really have a lot of things and it's making your rooms look smaller than they are, rent a storage space for a few months. As for cleaning? We need that critical eye of yours again! Do you always have the door to your extra bedroom open because you use it as an office? Has it been years since the door has been closed? Does that maybe also mean the dust bunnies behind the door have multiplied better than real bunnies? In each room, clean things that you don't normally clean. Moldings on doors, baseboards, window sills, closet floors, under beds, inside kitchen cabinets. Wash the curtains; keep your counter tops clean.

**The key is this; if a potential buyer walks through your house and the windows are dirty, the rooms unkempt, they may subconsciously think you have not cared for the home well enough and worry about repairs they might need to make that are unseen to them now. Even if there are no repairs to make, it's a subliminal thing, a comfort level they want.

Amenities. Should you remodel something? Can you recoup the costs? Can it help you sell your home? The National Association of Realtors (NAR) discusses this issue in a video on their website. According to NAR and other experts, a bathroom remodel can give you a very high return. You might want to consider remodeling an average sized bathroom by replacing the flooring, installing a new sink, freshening up the paint with modern colors. Another thing you can add for under 5k in most any house, is a deck or air conditioning. Or a fence. Are your funds limited? How about adding that disposal you always wanted but never got around to in your kitchen. Again, you might get an on line subscription to Angie's List and get an idea what repairs or upgrades might cost you. Find something you can do within your budget. The NAR site also offers you How To Remodel Your Home on A Budget.

I checked homes sales for the past 8 weeks in my Cleveland market areas, and I found the ones that sold while others sat on the market, had A/C, or a fenced in yard, or both - and at least a one car garage. If you have the funds available to add on one of these items, it might be just the thing that tips the scales in your favor while others sit on the market. At the very least, perform some easy steps like washing windows and replacing cracked outlet covers, getting rid of those growing dust bunnies behind the doors, little things that just might make a buyer pick your home over someone else's home.
Peace Out- 3C

Jobs For Our Grads That Don't Include French Fries

You might think I'm on a rant about jobs. Hmm, I guess I am. I wrote a post the other day on the Cleveland Hub Initiative which could bring 6500 jobs to Ohio once the project gets off the ground. Today I'm still on jobs because, well, because we all want more jobs in Cleveland. I was lucky enough to talk with Rebecca Kusner, Vice President of the Workforce Development 'arm' of WIRE-NET, which is a cool acronymn for Westside Industrial Retention and Expansion Network. WIRE-NET has been around since 1988, doing things like helping manufacturing companies experience economic growth. There are over 200 member companies under the WIRE-NET umbrella (who knew there were THAT many manufacturing companies on the west side of Cleveland!)

What else does WIRE-NET do? Industrial Real Estate. They work with redevelopment corporations, city governments, individual companies. For example, Rebecca pointed out that WIRE-NET was involved in the recent successful efforts to implode the old Trinity Building (on Detroit in Cleveland) where a factory sat vacant. The City and well, all of us, now feel as if that land can be utilized for viable and much needed economic growth. WIRE-NET was instrumental in working on the brownfield remediation efforts there.

Rebecca oversees programs that help our companies with a pool of good job applicants. Their literature states that over 1800 people have been placed in jobs since WIRE-NET programs got started. They have Work Source, which places adults in jobs. Recently they have expanded their involvement to include continued supervision with the ability to provide job counseling for people placed in those jobs to help better ensure long term placement, and, as Rebecca said, overcome any barriers to job success. WIRE-NET has an on site program at Max Hayes High School, corporate sponsored and called School-to-Career. Rebecca Kusner told me WIRE-NET has been doing this for ten years. It includes training as well as job shadowing, paid work experience as an apprentice. There is also an Accelerated Introduction to Manufacturing (AIM) summer camp, opoen to 25 students. There is a recent graduate from John Marshall I am hoping to interview soon on this blog.

As an aside, manufacturing companies have been worried about replacing current workers as they retire. I remember reading that a majority of the machinists in our area are in their fifties. The WIRE-NET connection for these 200+ companies has been helping them replace that job force to keep the industry stronger.

Everyone wants to keep 'brain drain' from being a problem here, so a program like this can help keep our high school graduates off the streets and happily employed with a solid future. For more information: http://www.wire-net.org/ There is also a WIRE-NET blog with some insightful stories about manufacturing and manufacturers.

Enjoy this somewhat related music video by Bush :-)

Peace Out - 3C

Where to Buy the Cheapest Car Fuel In Cleveland

In my gut I knew I should have stopped to buy fuel for my car today. The sun was out, the price was under $2.00 and who knows what will happen tomorrow. This reminded me that I had heard about a website updated daily that tracks the best fuel prices each day. It's called Cleveland Gas Prices (I googled). They list the top (bottom?) least expensive stations discovered at 8am this morning. $1.89/gallon was the lowest price and Twinsburg Ohio was the winner at that price. You could buy it at $1.94/gallon at the Circle K in Berea or BP in Cuyahoga Heights. $2.25 was the highest price listed and they were all Speedways.

The site is more than just where to find good prices. Today they had a Poll: when you go on vacation, do you tend to take toll roads, divided four lane hwys, 2 lane roads, etc. (Would it not depend on where you are going?) There is a section on the latest fuel or car technology news (today an article on General Motor's work on hydrogen fuel).

It also led me to another cool site: Fuel Economy, where you can find the most fuel efficient cars - and they even cover a few cars from 1985. Mostly it's the 90s to the present.

And lastly, if you yearn for us to be less dependent on petrol, you can check out Willie Nelson's Bio Diesel site. He has outlets (mostly in the south) but his bio diesel is distributed Nationwide. You can imagine it's not a stale, dry site! Willie is even selling bumper stickers and hats that say Bio Willie :-) Peace Out 3C

Good 'Read' About Tremont

When I lived in Rockville Maryland I volunteered to put together a newsletter for my neighborhood. We were big on civic associations in Rockville, and they were not like homeowners associations. Most neighborhoods in my city had a civic group. We were called the Twinbrook Citizens Association(TCA), with about 1500 homes, a yearly party, lots of attendance at planning commission and council meetings, and monthly meetings. Here in Cleveland, if you are paying a monthly homeowners or condo fee, you have regularly scheduled meetings. But Tremont comes the closest to my experience in Maryland. They have block clubs, very active ones. I just read the best neighborhood newsletter I have read in years. which is what prompted me to write this blog. My shout out goes to the Tremont West Development Corporation(TWDC) for this 12 page newsletter, pointing out new businesses, restaurants, events, a yearly round up, updates on the Christmas Story House, reminders of Block Club and TWDC meetings. Tremont is a great model for neighborhoods around the City. The newsletter shows why it's such a coveted place to live. If you read the newsletter you might just feel the energy coming through the pages like I did. Peace Out - 3C