News & Issues: News Brief

Bucks County
Chester County
Delaware County
Montgomery County

General News

Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC)

The implementation of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) on May 1, 2009 has created issues with some appraisals that are causing deals to be delayed or canceled altogether. The HVCC establishes standards on solicitation, selection, compensation, conflicts of interest and appraiser independence. However, according to NAR, the current appraisal process remains largely intact. The following link is to a paper developed by NAR that discusses how the HVCC impacts various participants in the mortgage transaction. NAR is also seeking input from members on the impact of the HVCC regulation by encouraging members to complete a survey. The National Association is continuing to monitor its long term effects on real estate and we will report on any future updates. For more information, click here.

 

Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act goes into effect July 1

The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires that all contractors who perform home improvements valued at $5,000 or more a year must register with the Attorney General's office. All contractors who qualify must register before July 1, 2009 or may face penalties for performing work after the deadline. RELATORS will be able to verify that contractors are registered on the website after July 1. The Alliance encourages REALTORS who use or refer contractors to their buyers and sellers to verify that they are included on the list. To learn more, click here. To register your company, click here.

 

Region's future plans for Route 422 unfold

Tuesday evening, when planning officials sought input on their recommendations for the fast-growing Route 422 Corridor, five out of the 10 questions fielded were focused on the familiar issues of rail service, the possibility of tolling Route 422, or both. No decision has been made on the idea of a toll, said Montgomery County transportation chief Leo Bagley. But without a toll, Bagley added, it could be years before any improvements are made on Route 422 and “without it there will be no rail service." Presenters from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission said a variety of factors will determine the future of the corridor, which will see 25 percent growth in the coming 25 years. Presenters said traffic volumes on Route 422 have increased by as much as 35 percent over the past decade.

Source: Daily Times; 6/25/09

 

Suburban REALTORS Alliance office closed on July 3

The Suburban REALTORS Alliance office will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day. Members seeking assistance are encouraged to use the Alliance website.

Bucks County

Centennial raises taxes by $165

Residents of Centennial School District will pay on average $165 more in taxes, after the board passed a $92.6 million budget for the 2009-2010 school year. The millage rate will increase from 96.45 to 102.7, or 5.2 percent, costing the average homeowner $2,711 in property taxes.

Source: The Intelligencer; 6/24/09

 

Perkasie locks-in rates for additional two years

Perkasie Borough Council has extended its contract with American Municipal Power-Ohio through 2015 with a slightly lower rate than the current contract. In its attempt to stabilize electric prices for the borough, an agreement was reached with the energy provider for $88 per megawatt-hour in 2014 and 2015. Last year, the borough signed a five-year contract with the provider to purchase wholesale electricity at $94.06 per megawatt-hour, an increase of about 81 percent from its previous contract.

Source: the Intelligencer; 6/24/09

 

Council Rock approves $194 million budget with 2.42 percent tax increase

The Council Rock School Board voted 8-1 to adopt the final $194 million budget for next school year, which will include a property tax increase of 2.55 mills. For property owners with an average assessment of $37,800, the higher millage rate will translate into about $100 more in property taxes.

Source: The Intelligencer; 6/23/09

 

Warminster approves purchase of WREC tract

After more than two decades, the Warminster Recreation and Education Center tract may finally become township property. The board of supervisors approved a motion that would give the township free-and-clear deed to the former elementary school owned by Centennial School District. The 60,000-square-foot building and the surrounding 15 acres will cost Warminster $1 million, $727,000 of which will likely come from funds through the Bucks County open space program. The remaining $273,000 will be covered through an arrangement between the township and the school district by which the township will waive fees for permits and other costs related to district building projects in Warminster.

Source: The Intelligencer; 6/26/09

Chester County

Land development proposal roils Phoenixville planners

The Phoenixville Planning Commission is considering a proposal to build an 81-unit senior housing project, funded by the U.S. Bureau of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The proposal recently moved one step closer to approval — but only with the evident reluctance of the planners. The project is located on property at the northeastern gateway to the borough, at Starr and Bridge streets. Reeves mansion, home to the family that owned Phoenix Steel, once sat on the property. The planners were left to wrestle with a number of concerns attached to the project, not all of them specifically related to planning, including a letter reporting the site is home to a “station” on the Underground Railroad.

Source: Daily Local; 6/25/09

 

Sewer agreement solves a persistent problem

According to Lower Oxford Township Officials, the problems with sewage systems in Lincoln Village have persisted for 40 years. Now, an agreement between the township and Lincoln University has paved the way for a solution creating a separate sewer district within the Oxford Area Sewer Authority. Under the terms of the new agreement, the Oxford Area Sewer Authority will accept the lines and the pump station. There are 63 homes and three vacant lots in the affected area. The homeowners will have to pay a one-time tapping fee of $2,000 to hook up to the sewer system, with another $100 charge for connecting and a $25 administrative fee.

Source: Chester County Press; 6/24/09

 

Tredyfrin BAWG looks for resident input on township budget

Tredyffrin Township’s Budget Advisory Working Group (BAWG) met earlier this month with residents to get feedback on the latest budget problems. The BAWG is committed to coming up with ways to reduce budget concerns, with input from committed Tredyffrin residents, without lowering the standard of living locals have come to know and rely upon. Input can be submitted through the group’s website, www.tredffrinbawg.com.

Source: Main Line Suburban Life; 6/24/09

Delaware County

Upper Darby School District budget calls for tax hike

The Upper Darby School Board approved the 2009-2010 budget, which calls for a 3.4 percent tax increase. The $151.4 million budget calls for a 0.98 mill increase from 28.74 mills to 29.72 mills. The average homeowner with a house assessed at $100,000 will pay $2,972, an increase of $98 over last year’s amount in school taxes.

Source: Daily Times; 6/25/09

 

Newtown Supervisors balk on Ellis Preserve vote

Newtown Township supervisors once again delayed a vote on the construction of a town-center development on the 205-acre Ellis Preserve. Attorney Greg Adelman, representing Berwind Properties Group, presented the builder’s proposed planned residential development to supervisors Monday, but the matter was ultimately continued to the board’s July 13 meeting. Adelman’s goal was to paint a planned residential development tentative plan and a planned residential development ordinance as the mirror image of the Ellis Preserve town-center settlement agreement that supervisors had approved by a split vote in October. Adelman noted that county planners, the township’s engineer and planning commission had all reviewed and recommended approval of BPG’s proposed planned residential development sketch and zoning overlay ordinance.

Source: Daily Times: 6/24/09

 

Springfield School Board approves 2009-10 budget

The Springfield School Board’s 2009-10 budget calls for a rate of 26.291 mills in real estate taxes, which is a 3.98 percent increase. For the average assessed property of $146,155, the total is $3,843, an increase of $148. Property owners who qualified for the homestead exclusion, or tax rebate from the state’s Act I, will receive a $168 reduction of their tax bill. For those taxpayers only, the net effect is having a tax bill $20 less than last year. However, not all taxpayers applied or qualified.

Source: Daily Times; 6/22/09

 

Newtown residents: Builder is negligent

About 30 Springton Pointe Woods residents came to the township supervisors’ recent meeting to vent four years of frustration. The homeowners want the board to force Pulte Homes into finally completing a punch list of improvements that was drawn up in 2005. Township intervention in this case is complicated by a lawsuit the Springton Pointe Woods Homeowners Assocation has filed against Pulte, but supervisors seem more than willing to join the fray. The board unanimously backed a motion to form a resolution committee consisting of homeowners, Pulte and township representatives to spur action. Supervisors agreed that the progress of the joint committee will be reported every month, starting in July, until all the residents’ issues are addressed.

Source: Daily Times; 6/25/09

Montgomery County

Upper Dublin to consider point-of-sale inspection ordinance

The Upper Dublin Board of Commissioners is considering an ordinance that would require an additional home inspection at the point-of-sale. The proposed inspection will cost homeowners $45 and will include:

  • Sidewalks (not including curbs)
  • House numbers clearly displayed on home
  • Smoke alarms properly located
  • Sump-pump discharge lines
  • Zoning violations

Of particular concern to the Alliance and REALTORS® who live and work in the municipality is the sidewalk requirement at the point-of-sale.  REALTORS® are encouraged to attend the Upper Dublin Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, July 14, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the issue with township officials. Please contact Kate Brown at kbrown@suburbanrealtorsalliance.com or (610)981-9000 if you plan to attend, or if you have any questions.

 

Upper Gwynedd, Montgomery Townships join storm water consortium

Officials from Upper Gwynedd and Montgomery Townships voted unanimously to join a consortium of Montgomery and Bucks County municipalities working to prevent the implementation of storm water standards proposed two months ago by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The consortium hopes to fend off “excessive regulations proposed by the DEP.” The consortium is led by Montgomery Township officials, and plans to ask the DEP to relax the strict storm water standards that are scheduled for implementation next year. The proposed standards would force Upper Gwynedd to regulate everything discharged into surrounding creeks, including grass clippings. The consortium also plans to provide alternative ideas to DEP that would not require municipalities to monitor their residents so strictly.

Source: The Times Herald; 6/23/09

 

No tax hike included in Norristown’s 2009-2010 budget

The Norristown Area school board adopted the final 2009-2010 budget with no real estate tax increase. The $125.7 million price tag will not warrant an increase in the millage rate, which currently stands at 28.417 mills. The owner of the average home assessed at $128,651 will continue to pay $3,636 in school taxes.

Source: Times Herald; 6/23/09

 

Colonial passes budget, 3 percent higher than last year

The Colonial School Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt the final 2009-2010 budget totaling $92.5 million. The budget represents a $2.7 million increase in spending from last year, about 3.01 percent higher. District property taxes will increase 4.1 percent from 16.57 mills to 17.249 mills. The average homeowner’s property tax bill will increase about $99.82 for a property assessed at $147,010.

Source: Times Herald; 6/21/09

 

Upper Moreland taxes increase 5.5 percent

After trimming $1.5 million from the preliminary budget in January, the Upper Moreland school board passed a final budget that will include a $169 property tax increase for residents. Under the new $52.3 million budget, the property tax rate will increase from 23.99 mills to 25.32 mills, a 5.5 percent increase from the 2008-2009 budget. For the average property owner in the district, the tax bill will come in around $3,211.

Source: The Intelligencer; 6/24/09

 

Souderton hikes taxes 2 percent

Souderton school board officials passed a $99.9 million final budget this week that includes a 2 percent property tax increase. The tax rate increased from 24.46 mills to 24.95 mills, which will translate into $73.50 more in property taxes for the average homeowner in the district with a property assessed at $150,000. Residents who are eligible for state gaming revenues will receive a property tax reduction of $190.72 this year, lowering the bill by $117.22.

Source: The Intelligencer; 6/26/09

Take Action Now!

Find your Elected Officials by entering your zip code below:

Note: You’ll will be taken to the PA Realtors® website.

Municipal Information

Select a Municipality:

Municipal Database: As an added service to our shareholders, local governments and consumers of real estate, the Suburban REALTORS Alliance has created a municipal database that provides a comprehensive snapshot of the real estate-related regulations and ordinances that have been enacted by the 238 municipalities in the Alliance's four county territory. The database is frequently updated by staff, in cooperation with municipal authorities.