THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 2, 1996 TAG: 9610310243
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: About the Outer Banks
SOURCE: Chris Kidder
LENGTH: 91 lines
In response to my recent article about North Carolina residents who commute to work in Virginia, I received the following e-mail message from David Rudiger, an attorney who represents the Tidewater Association of Realtors.
In the story, I mentioned that most commuters who move from Virginia to North Carolina list lower taxes as a primary motivation for the move. I compared a Currituck County, N.C., property tax rate of 73.5 cents per $100 of assessed value with a tax rate averaging $4 per $100 for neighboring Virginia cities.
``You made a substantial error in your story,'' he wrote. ``While it is true that the personal property tax rate in the southside cities averages about $4 per $100 of value, the real property tax rates are substantially lower.''
Rudiger then provided the real property tax rates which, he tells me, he got directly from The Virginian-Pilot OnLine (it's bad enough to be wrong, but to find out the correct information was easily accessible from my own publisher is pretty embarrassing): Norfolk, $1.38; Suffolk (Nansemond district), $1.03, and the others fall in between.
On the Outer Banks, real and personal property are taxed at the same rate, although that rate varies by town and county township.
For a $100,000 house, Rudiger points out, the difference in real property taxes between Virginia Beach and Currituck County would be approximately $400 a year.
``If the average commuter travels an additional 20 miles each way, five times a week, 50 weeks a year (accounting for vacations, but ignoring weekend trips) and gets 25 miles to the gallon of gas at an average rate of $1.10 per gallon, that person will pay an extra $440 per year in gas,'' he says.
``There are many appealing aspects of North Carolina, but it is important that people evaluate the relative merits of different options based on correct information,'' says Rudiger.
A Virginia reader was interested in a recent column about building hurricane-resistant houses. ``I live at Cape Henry, which exposes our home to some pretty extreme weather. Can you point me to some sources for practical measures on how to `harden' my home for the big one?''
Blue Sky, a construction program funded by government and private industry and headquartered on the Outer Banks, is currently developing methods and materials to retrofit existing homes and construct new houses for wind resistance. This program - the only one dealing with wind hazard for single-family homes that I know of - began work in 1994.
Fixes for roofs that fly away, window walls that collapse and other common building failures during windstorms are still under development. Program managers don't want to release information until it has been thoroughly tested - and that takes time.
Their national model construction center is being built and some recommendations for wind-resistance are being incorporated into the building. You can arrange a tour by calling the Blue Sky office at 919-255-0381 or writing to Blue Sky, 5 Skyline Road, Southern Shores, N.C. 27949
You might also check back issues of ``Journal of Light Construction,'' a national trade magazine that regularly publishes detailed articles on building problems and solutions. It should be available at any large library.
In response to the same column, another reader wrote, ``Thank you for an interesting, informative and timely article. You gave us many ideas to incorporate in the construction plans for a home either at Kill Devil Hills or Sandbridge.''
``Another idea that we've discussed is the inclusion of a wood stove to use when the power is out,'' he adds.
``For use when hurricanes take out the usual methods of cooling, heating and lighting,'' the reader says, he's considering: a wood stove with a 12-volt water-circulating pump attached to a heat exchange unit, a 12-volt emergency lighting system, and a small, independent circuit, electrical generator to power the refrigerator.
And, while we're on the subject of building, in a column several weeks ago, I praised the practicality of outdoor lights governed by motion detectors.
Although these gadgets can be touchy and require voodoo to be reactivated if accidentally switched to the wrong position (I put masking tape over my switch to keep uneducated hands from rendering the light inoperable), they are wonderful when working properly.
A Virginia Beach reader wrote to share her experience with other specialty light switches. ``There are motion detector switches available for indoor use,'' she writes. ``They replace the switch and require no special wiring or box. I have one installed in a hallway and one in my garage. They are adjustable for time on sensitivity, plus they have an over-ride.''
The same company has a switch which works via radio relay. I use that one for special lighting in my bedroom dresser. No wiring is required, just a battery which lasts about 1.5 years with regular use.''
Both switches are available at major home building supply stores.
I'm working on an article about using the Internet to buy and sell homes. I'd like to hear from any readers - including real estate agents - who've tried this. MEMO: Send comments and questions to Chris Kidder at P.O. Box 10, Nags
Head, N.C. 27959. Or e-mail her at realkidd(AT)aol.com by CNB