Stuart Campbell

I would second Jim Reed. We serve on a couple committees together at the Board. - Thu Jun 5 2008, 11:43

In my opinion, non-disclosure does little to benefit the average homeowner, and instead is a boon to commercial and luxury home owners. Personally, I think that property taxes in Texas are too hight to begin with, but because we are a non-disclosure state, appraisal districts have to "guess" the value of homes. That's a lot easier to do when you are looking at middle class neighborhoods where the homes are largely the same. But it is a lot more difficult to do the same in high-end, luxury communities. As a consequence, higher end homes and commercial properties may not be taxed at their true values, and guess who picks up the slack for that? Middle class homeowners, that's who. So even though some say that they value the privacy of keeping the purchase price of their home undisclosed, until we do away with property taxes and unless they are in the "upper brackets" themselves, those same people are potentially paying higher taxes than they would be if we were a full disclosure state. - Mon May 12 2008, 12:36

When selling your home, you always want the property to look its best. Most buyers have a difficult time visualizing what a home may look like when they are confronted with stained carpet or even exotic decorations or "loud" colors on the wall. I believe that making your home shine is the most important thing to do when you are putting it on the market. Also, if you advertise a "carpet allowance" up front, buyers already have a negative impression of your house even before they set foot in it. - Thu May 8 2008, 09:19