Unemployment Rate Virginia

2/25/2021

4.9% is the November 2020 unemployment rate in Virginia. The state’s unemployment rate is significantly lower than the national rate and has improved relatively quickly.

Virginia Economy

2/23/2021

8,100 is the number of jobs added to the Virginia economy between October and November 2020. This is the 7^th consecutive month of job gains in the Commonwealth. More than half of the jobs lost last spring have been gained back. The Richmond region led job growth with about 6,000 jobs added between October and November 2020.

Unemployment Benefits

2/18/2021

19,530 is the number of Virginians who applied for initial unemployment benefits during the week ending January 2^nd. New claims for unemployment had been falling for months before an uptick in December. With an extension of Federal unemployment benefits, it is likely we will continue to see this number rise in early 2021.

Happy Birthday President's Day

2/15/2021

Chicken and Quinoa in Mustard Sauce

2/11/2021

Ingredients

4–5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
8 oz. white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup dry quinoa
1 3/4 cup water
1 dried bay leaf
6 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves
Fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes, for serving, optional

MUSTARD SAUCE

3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

In a 3-quart sauté pan or large skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter shimmers, add the mushrooms, and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste, stir, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender and browned, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add remaining butter. When butter shimmers, add chicken, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 7-10 minutes.
Stir in quinoa, water, bay leaf, and salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, about 15-17 minutes. You want quinoa to be completely tender and most of the liquid absorbed.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the mustard sauce by whisking together the Dijon mustard, maple syrup and lemon juice. Set aside.
When quinoa is tender, discard the bay leaf and add the spinach. Cover the pan and let the spinach cook for about 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Then using a pair of tongs, toss the spinach with the quinoa and chicken.
Stir in mushrooms and mustard sauce. Serve garnished with parsley and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Final Drone Rules Released

2/8/2021

On December 28, 2020, the FAA released new final rules for certain uses of Unmanned Aerial Systems, (UAS, or drones), the result of a multi-year undertaking. These new rules build upon previous rulemakings which expanded UAS operations to allow for commercial use and eased restrictions for those operators, along with creating the small-UAS (less than 55 lbs) and micro-UAS (4.4. lbs or less) categories of vehicles. The new regulations do several things: 1) they require remote identification technology for UAS; 2) they expand UAS commercial operations to allow for over-crowd flights, creating different restrictions based on the category the UAS falls into (more below); and 3) they establish a system for allowing operators to conduct UAS flights at night.

Previously, the FAA had allowed commercial UAS flights only over people on the ground who were participants in the operation itself. Under the new regime, certain types of UAS will be able to fly over crowds regardless of their knowledge or participation in the operations; others will have more restricted abilities. To accomplish this, the FAA created new categories for UAS.

HAMPTON ROADS HOUSING INVENTORY IS LOW

2/4/2021

THINGS HOMEBUYERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FLOODING

2/1/2021

By:

REBAC Staff

Flooding is the most common and expensive natural disaster in the U.S. It affects homeowners in every state, including properties that aren’t on coastlines or interior waterways. If you’re interested in buying a home or already own one, here are five facts to know regarding flooding.

1. The cost of flood damage can add up quickly.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), just one inch of water can cause $25,000 of damage to your home.

Even if your home’s lowest levels are unfinished spaces, your furnace, water heater, washer and dryer, and other expensive appliances often located in a basement could be damaged.

Additionally, water inside your home ofter triggers mold issues, which is hazardous to your health and can cause structural damage to your home if left untreated.

2. FEMA flood maps only tell part of the story.

Since FEMA flood zone studies are expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming, they do not include two-thirds of U.S. stream miles, half of the coastline, or inland areas where heavy rainfall can cause flooding.

To view and download FEMA’s flood zone maps, visit MSC.FEMA.gov.

3. New mapping tools are filling in some of the gaps.

New flood simulations use high-resolution topographic maps and advanced modeling techniques to understand where water flows during heavy rainfall and spring thaws.

For example, realtor.com® now includes a risk visualization tool developed by the First Street Foundation called Flood Factor. It behaves similarly to the site's other mapping filters, like Schools, Noise, and Crime. The tool also displays FEMA’s flood zone risk score for individual properties.

Bear in mind that these models don’t always know the precise location and elevation of buildings on a property. But they can give you an indication of whether further research is warranted on a home’s flooding risk.

4. It’s up to you to do your due diligence.

If you’re concerned that a home has a flooding problem, do your homework and enlist the help of experts who can help you make an informed purchase decision. In most states, sellers must disclose any known flooding issues. But specific disclosure requirements vary, and buyers should do their own due diligence.

Your Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) can help you identify local flood experts and other helpful resources. While your buyer’s rep is an excellent source of other resources, they cannot offer flooding advice since this is beyond their area of professional expertise.

5. Consider flood insurance, even in low-risk areas.

If you buy a home in a FEMA-designated high-risk zone, your lender will probably require you to purchase flood insurance. The current owners may be able to transfer their policy to you, providing uninterrupted coverage from one owner to the next.

Even if flood insurance isn't required, you might want to buy a policy anyway since most homeowners insurance policies do not include coverage for flooding. Plus, flood insurance is relatively inexpensive in low-risk areas.

Flood insurance is offered through the National Flood Insurance Program and private insurers. FloodSmart.gov also provides additional details on understanding flood risk, flood insurance, and other useful resources.

Congress Approves COVID-19 Relief Package

1/28/2021

Rental Assistance Part of New Relief Measure

Congressional leaders struck a deal Sunday on a nearly $900 billion coronavirus relief bill that will bring a new round of support to millions of Americans before year’s end.

The agreement contains many priorities championed by NAR, including rental assistance, a fresh round of funding and simplified forgiveness for SBA loans, and more direct payments to Americans.

“Through this bill, our members will continue to have access to unemployment and small business assistance. But perhaps one of the biggest wins is rental assistance, which we have fought hard for since the last major COVID-19 bill was passed in April. It will bring instant relief to both mom-and-pop property owners and American families in danger of going over a financial cliff at the end of the year,” says Shannon McGahn, chief advocacy officer for NAR.

“While this bill hit more traditional political obstacles than the ones passed earlier this year, it was always a must-pass bill,” McGahn says. “One in five of our members took out a PPP loan. We made sure that Congress knew these items were critical to America’s 1.4 million REALTORS® and the economy as a whole.”

Specifically, the agreement reportedly:

Provides a new round of direct stimulus payments of $600 to most Americans including dependents
Extends all unemployment assistance, including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), through April 19, 2021, with a $300 weekly boost in payments through March 14.
- Unemployment benefits are extended to the self-employed
Provides an additional $284 billion for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and $20 billion for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) grants
- Allows certain eligible businesses to receive a second PPP loan
- Creates a simplified forgiveness process for most PPP borrowers
- Allows for deductibility of business expenses paid for with PPP funds
Provides $25 billion to the states through Sept. 30, 2022, for rental assistance and allows landlords to apply for funds on behalf of tenants
- Includes payments for rent in arrears as well as utilities and other expenses related to housing
- Extends federal eviction ban through the end of January
Provides $7 billion to states for broadband expansion, including $300 million for rural broadband
Provides new money for schools and vaccine distribution

Congressional leaders will begin consideration of the agreement Monday alongside a $1.4 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 2021.

The government funding bill reportedly contains several items of importance to NAR, including:

Extension of a group of tax breaks known as tax extenders, some permanently or for multiple years
Increase in fair housing funding
Two-year expansion of the business meals deduction
Extension and expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit
Permanent extension of the Section 179D deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings, with some enhancements
Five-year extension of the mortgage debt forgiveness exclusion
Expansion and improvement of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit

Enhance Your Life and Home with Lighting

1/25/2021

Using Light to Alter Moods and Stay Healthy

If you’re feeling blue, it may be the light. Light can affect our moods and, ultimately, our health. Just ask anyone with seasonal affective disorder. Known as SAD, it’s a type of depression characterized by low energy and poor concentration. It’s estimated that 10 million Americans have SAD, according to MedlinePlus. The therapy? Exposure to more daylight or to artificial lights that mimic the properties of natural light.

The health- and mood-altering properties of light haven’t been lost on lighting manufacturers, who’ve come up with a variety of new home lighting products that claim to have health benefits. Although clinical proof of most claims is hard to come by, the products themselves are intriguing.

Dynamic lights vary between warm white (2600K) and cool light (5600K) so that the natural rhythms of daylight are reproduced indoors — helping keep you happy in the depths of winter. Several manufacturers make dynamic light bulbs — also called full-spectrum bulbs.

The Definity Digital Awake & Alert bulb from Lighting Science is touted as a “blue-enriched” LED biologically-corrected lighting solution that’s “proven to boost energy, promote alertness, and enhance performance.”

The Withings Aura sleep monitoring device measures heartbeat and breathing patterns to adjust light levels in your bedroom, providing deeper sleep during the night and gentle alarms and raised light levels to bring you gently awake in the morning. Multi-colored LED dimming and brightening technologies help regulate the body’s melatonin — the hormone responsible for the body’s sleep/wake cycle.

Kohler’s Underscore Bathtub with Chromatherapy bathes you in underwater light as you soak. Choose from a variety of light colors to suit your mood.

Page: of 000 |

My Blog

Unemployment Rate Virginia

Virginia Economy

Unemployment Benefits

Happy Birthday President's Day

Chicken and Quinoa in Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

MUSTARD SAUCE

Instructions

Final Drone Rules Released

Final Drone Rules Released

HAMPTON ROADS HOUSING INVENTORY IS LOW

THINGS HOMEBUYERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FLOODING

1. The cost of flood damage can add up quickly.

2. FEMA flood maps only tell part of the story.

3. New mapping tools are filling in some of the gaps.

4. It’s up to you to do your due diligence.

5. Consider flood insurance, even in low-risk areas.

Congress Approves COVID-19 Relief Package

Rental Assistance Part of New Relief Measure

Enhance Your Life and Home with Lighting

Using Light to Alter Moods and Stay Healthy