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G2G Real Estate
Featured Agents
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Questions and Answers!
What is the first step in the home buying process? Find a Realtor in the area you want to buy in. A Realtor can lead you down the road to buying a home. From getting pre-qualified for a mortgage to obtaining home owners insurance, you will be guided through the entire process. This site can serve as your first step to find a gay realtor or a gay real estate agent.
Who pays the Realtors commission fee? Typically this is paid for by the seller. The listing agent charges the seller a fee for selling the home, it most cases, the listing agent shares the commission with the buyers agent. Make sure to review all documents signed with your agent. Find out in advance what you are responsible for paying for. This applies whether you are selling or buying.
Which day of the month is the best day to close on my new home? Typically, if you are looking to reduce closing costs, the best day to close on your new home is as close to first day of the month as possible. For example if you close on the first day of the month you would have $0 interim interest, if you close on the 15th day of the month you would have 15 days of interest. On a $100,000 home this would add around $350 to what you would have to bring to closing and depending on your interest rate. Ask a Gay Realtor to recommend a lender.
Thank you for supporting gay owned businesses!
Real Estate Agents and gay Realtor s are almost always self employed, independant contractors. Most do not "work" for companies but are merely associated with them. Each agent is essentially their own company. Gay Real Estate Agents and Gay Realtors need your support. Gay 2 Gay Real Estate along with the Gay Realtor (s) and Gay Real Estate Agents here support the gay community.
Through donations of money, time and support from you, Gay 2 Gay Real Estate not only helps the gay community buy and sell homes, but also enrich the communites in which we live.
Posted 6/24/2008
Top Cities for Young Adults Reported By
Carolyn and Rob Abbott
Youthful spirit and economic vitality go hand in hand. Communities with large concentrations of young adults are more likely to prosper, according to a new bizjournals study. The correlation is driven home by the study's comparison of metropolitan areas that skew young or old.
Group No. 1 consists of the 11 major markets where more than 25 percent of all residents are 18 to 34 years old. Group No. 2 contains 14 metros where fewer than 22 percent are young adults. Here's how they match up:
-- The young markets have been experiencing population growth of 2.1 percent per year since 2000. That's seven times the growth rate of 0.3 percent for the old markets.
-- The annual rate of job growth is 1.9 percent in the young metros compared to 0.4 percent in their older counterparts.
-- Personal income is climbing at a median pace of 3.4 percent per year in the young markets. The corresponding figure is 2.8 percent on the old side.
It's clear that having a high percentage of young adults can be an indicator of economic success. It tells marketers where to concentrate their efforts, entrepreneurs where to start businesses, and college graduates where to look for work.
But which markets offer the best prospects for people in the 18-34 age range these days? Bizjournals sought the answer by analyzing growth patterns, income levels and other key statistics to rank the nation's 67 largest metros as BEST PLACES FOR YOUNG ADULTS. These are the five places currently offering the best job opportunities for young adults:
-- 1. Raleigh: This is the only market to finish in the top 10 in three key categories: population growth, job growth, and the percentage of young adults with college degrees. Raleigh is also blessed with a relatively low cost of living.
-- 2. Austin: Twenty-nine percent of Austin's residents are between the ages of 18 and 34. That's the heaviest concentration of young adults in any major metro.
-- 3. Washington: The District of Columbia can be an expensive place to live, but paychecks for workers in their 20s and 30s are among the highest in the nation.
-- 4. Las Vegas: The economy has slowed in Las Vegas in recent months, yet it remains the national leader in job growth since 2002, averaging 4.9 percent per year.
-- 5. Phoenix: The unemployment rate for 18- to 34-year-olds in Phoenix is 5.4 percent. That's three full percentage points below the U.S. average for the same age group.
Rounding out the TOP TEN in bizjournals' rankings of employment prospects for young adults are Salt Lake City, Charlotte, Seattle, Orlando and Houston. Bizjournals analyzed 67 major metropolitan areas, searching for qualities that would appeal to workers in their 20s and early 30s. THE FORMULA gave the highest marks to places with strong growth rates, moderate costs of living, and substantial pools of young college-educated adults with jobs.
The Sunbelt dominates the upper echelon in the national rankings. Eight of the 20 best markets for young adults are in the South, and seven are in the West.
Four of the five remaining slots are occupied by Eastern communities, while Minneapolis-St. Paul is the only Midwestern metro to make the top 20. The competition to attract new and recent graduates to these labor markets is intensifying, partly because young adults are getter choosier. "College-educated young people are looking for greater control over where they live," concluded a 2006 study by The Segmentation Co., a national research firm that surveyed 1,000 adults between the ages of 25 and 34. All of these respondents held college degrees and had lived in at least two communities since leaving school.
Quality-of-life issues are of prime importance to these mobile young workers. They told The Segmentation Co. that they're looking for places that offer strong professional opportunities, have good schools, and are affordable and clean. The same factors were important components of bizjournals' 10-part formula, which analyzed each market's job-growth rate, education levels, and median rents, among other indicators.
The least desirable market for young adults, according to bizjournals, is New Orleans, sitting dead last in 67th place. New Orleans, which is still struggling to recover from the damage inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, has the worst long-term rates of job and population growth in the study.
From: bizjournals - by G. Scott Thomas
Posted 6/17/2008
CNBC Touts Gay Marriage as California's Economic Savior
'Squawk on the Street' segment praises court decision for potential of miniscule financial impact on ailing state.
By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
6/16/2008 3:54:39 PM
Even financial journalists have found a way to promote a liberal social agenda, as CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” showed in a June 16 segment praising the California Supreme Court for legalizing same-sex marriage.
“This time around, one study expects over 100,000 gay couples will tie the knot, providing a boost to California’s ailing economy hit hard by the real estate foreclosure meltdown,” CNBC Silicon Valley Bureau Chief Jim Goldman said.
Goldman cited data from the pro-gay Williams Institute, a division of the University of California Los Angeles School of Law. According to its Web site, the Williams Institute “advances sexual orientation law and public policy through rigorous, independent research and scholarship, and disseminates it to judges, legislators, policymakers, media and the public.”
“Overall, they’ll have about a $684-million boost to the economy over the next three years,” Williams Institute Research Director Lee Badgett told CNBC.
California’s gross domestic product was $1.55 trillion in 2007. The potential “boost” – an average of $228 million annually – would add a little over 1/100th of 1 percent (0.0147 percent) to the California economy. That’s not exactly the economic salvation the Williams Institute has been touting and which has been reported by U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Associated Press and others. The New York Times even called it a “potential windfall” on June 14.
“New partnerships, new revenue – as California prepares to say ‘I do’ to a flood of same-sex weddings,” Goldman added.
Still, Goldman warned the state could miss out on this economic impact if Californians decide to amend the state constitution on November 4 to reverse the court’s decision and limit marriage to a union between one man and one woman.
“And indeed, the celebrations and ceremonies will begin later today, but all of this could come to a screeching halt come November when a ballot measure seeks to reverse all this,” Goldman warned. “But, in between now and then – we’re talking big-time bucks – lots of money for a lot of vendors looking for a host of new ways, well, to generate some cash.”
Posted 6/10/2008
Northern Trust to finance new Gay & Lesbian Community Center 'Campus' in Wilton Manors
News release:
GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY CENTER (GLCC)
The GLCC Board of Directors is pleased to announce receipt of loan commitment from the prestigious banking institution, Northern Trust, to finance the purchase of the property being referred to as "The Campus". This remarkable property, located at 2040 North Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors, Florida will be the new home for the GLCC (Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida) and is now scheduled to close on June 27, 2008. Loan commitment and completion of thorough inspections by the GLCC mark the end of the "due diligence" period in the contract and sends a clear signal the GLCC is proceeding to close on the purchase of this property.
This historic transaction and contract is being managed on behalf of the GLCC by attorney William Karney, of Moraitis, Cofar, Karney and Moraitis on a pro-bono basis, as a service to our LGBT community. The GLCC recognizes and thanks the efforts of its Finance and Building Committee members, particularly Nicole Mannarino, GLCC Treasurer; Tyler Healis, GLCC Building Committee Chair; and Dale Russell GLCC Board Member and our lead pro-bono realtor on the project whose Century 21 Hansen Realty commission will be donated to the GLCC. This project has required a tremendous amount of time and effort on the part of a dedicated team, which will have a profound and positive impact on our community for years to come.
The seller and current owner of the GLCC's future Wilton Manors home is operating a "federally mandated secured facility". The seller's security process prevents the public from visiting the property prior to closing, without prior approval. Please respect the seller's need for security and do not trespass-- for property tour information please contact Paul Hyman, GLCC Executive Director at 954-463-9005 or phyman@glccsf.org.
The GLCC Board of Directors expresses their overwhelming appreciation to the entire community for its ongoing support and will continue to provide updates-- as frequently as possible, given contract restrictions-- until the successful closing on this property is completed.
Posted 5/15/2008
Agents focus on serving the gay community - GAY REALTOR
By Eric Veronikis - From the Central Penn Business Journal
Some real estate agents in Central Pennsylvania have developed a niche market within the gay community, with the hope of tapping into a profitable market.
"The gay community is intelligent and financially stable. They know what they want. They are straight-forward," said Kate Uholik, an agent with Jack Gaughen Realtor ERA in Lower
Paxton Township, Dauphin County.
Uholik, an agent in the Harrisburg area for 25 years, said she depends on word-of-mouth referrals to garner business in the gay community. She also is a sponsor of an annual golf tournament organized by members of the gay community and run by a gay staff. Uholik could not estimate how much of her business comes from the gay community.
Gay clients don't gravitate to specific parts of the region, she said. They look for real estate all over Central Pennsylvania, she said.
The gay community chooses real estate based on economics, the type of houses they want and, in some cases, the school district the house is located in, said Ray Davis, an agent who works with a significant base of gay clients. Davis is an agent with Camp Hill-based ReMax Realty Associates Inc.
"As the general population has become more accepting of gay men and women in recent years, the gay men and women I have worked with have been much less concerned about ‘what the neighbors think' than they may have been 15 or more years ago," Davis said.
Davis markets to gay men and lesbians the same way he gets his name out to every other community. For example, if agents want to build clienteles of people who love historic houses, they should get involved with an organization such as The Historic Harrisburg Association, Davis said. The same applies to the gay community, he said.
He advertises in his church's bulletin and hosts regular events, such as neighborhood yard sales.
"Support events that support the gay community," Davis said. "Advertise or be a sponsor at those events. Advertise in publications that target the gay and lesbian community."
Gay men and lesbians want real estate agents who understand their needs and can get the job done, which is no different than any other customer, he said.
They want to find agents they can develop a comfort zone with, Uholik said.
"Then they don't have to explain anything about their lives," Uholik said. "They want someone to treat them equally."
Sue Waldner and Joy Verner didn't search for a real estate agent who markets to the gay community when they bought their house on North Fifth Street in Harrisburg. It just turned out that he was gay.
The partners found Ray Davis through word-of-mouth and saw his name on for-sale signs throughout the city. Davis has been their agent ever since.
Waldner and Verner have lived in the city for more than 10 years, but they want to move to the West Shore for their kids, Waldner said.
"I think we moved here originally because it was less expensive. We liked the city because there was more to do in the city," Waldner said. "We are leaving the city specifically for another school district."
Amanda Hankey, a 28-year-old lesbian, bought a house four years ago in West York. She wants to sell her house and look for another in two to three years, she said.
Hankey and her gay friends buy real estate based on their finances, job locations and other typical factors, she said.
However, Hankey may try to move to an area where there is a larger gay population. She is considering Washington, D.C., she said.
"Gays do congregate to a certain extent," Hankey said. "I will consider using a gay Realtor or one who markets to the gay community in the future. I think they have a better grasp on locations of more gay-friendly areas."
Posted 4/23/2008
Cleaning house
Sharing a home requires special legal maneuvers for gay couples
From the Washington Blade - Gay Realtor News
STEVEN M. SUSHNER
Despite recent declines in home values, most Americans still have the majority of their wealth tied up in their homes, and gay and lesbian couples are no exception. As a gay real estate attorney, I have handled thousands of refinance and purchase transactions, many for gay and transgender clients. Because federal, and many times state, laws do not protect our relationships, I see some common errors in dealing with gay and lesbian property ownership. The following are the four most common mistakes gay and lesbian couples make and how to fix them.
It’s all in the title. By far the biggest mistake a gay person can make with property is thinking that your house will pass to the person you want.
Gay and lesbian couples can title properties two different ways. The first option is “tenants in common,” in which, upon the death of the first partner, the first partner’s share of the property passes pursuant to the will of deceased partner, or if there is no will, pursuant to a pre-determined state formula (which likely does not include your partner).
The second option, the one nearly every gay couple should use is called “joint tenants” or more formally “joint tenants with right of survivorship.” If you own your property as joint tenants, upon the death of the first partner, the property automatically and instantly becomes the property of the other partner.
Be careful, however. If you own the home as joint tenants, the IRS assumes that the value of the entire home falls in the estate of the first person to die unless the surviving partner can prove their contribution.
Take Action: Confirm how you hold title. If you are uncertain, it’s important that you do not delay and find the original deed or a copy (your local title company can obtain one for a nominal fee) and read it. If you do not see the words “joint tenants,” then you own the property as tenants in common. Consult a local real estate attorney or title company and have a new deed drafted and recorded in the local recorder of deeds office. If you own more than one house, make sure that you do this for each property. But be advised that many jurisdictions charge transfer taxes.
Don’t take it for granted. Most couples purchasing houses require the income of both partners to afford the monthly payments. In the event that one partner dies, the other is often forced to sell the property. The best way to prevent the surviving partner from having to sell the property is for each partner to purchase life insurance.
Take Action: Purchase a life insurance policy to cover the balance of the mortgage. However, because we cannot marry, it may make sense for estate tax reasons to own the policy on each other. Consult a financial adviser for details. In addition, every time you refinance or purchase a new property, make sure that you revisit life insurance needs to ensure that you have enough coverage and for a sufficient period of time.
MANAGING UNCLE SAM. For married couples, determining which partner’s account the mortgage payment comes from simply doesn’t matter. For gay and lesbian couples, however, the decision can be worth thousands of dollars. The partner who actually makes the mortgage payments and property taxes is the one who may take the deduction.
Take Action: Have the partner with higher income (and higher tax bracket) pay the mortgage payment and property taxes. For estate tax reasons, it’s important that the partner paying the mortgage payment and property taxes do so from an account that is solely in the higher income-earning partner’s name. The other partner can contribute by paying for non-tax deductible expenses. (As an aside, this same strategy works for charitable deductions as well.)
Reviewing your safety net. Do not presume that because you both own the house your insurance automatically covers you both in the event of fire or other claim. Insurance companies do not discriminate in adding additional owners to property insurance, but you won’t be covered if you don’t ask.
Take Action: Dig out your homeowner’s insurance policy and make certain that both partners’ names are listed as insureds. This is particularly important if one partner has come into the relationship after the house was purchased or if the mortgage is only in one partner’s name. If you cannot find your policy or are uncertain, call your insurance agent for a copy. Ask the agent to identify where you can find both partners’ names in the policy. Make sure to check every time your policy renews and every time the insurance company sends a rider.
Posted 3/31/2008
Out Gay North Carolina Canidate Runs in North Carolina - Not really real estate related but an intersting read anyway.
Neal takes campaign one voter at a time By Mark Binker
Staff Writer
Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008 3:00 am
Credit: Joseph Rodriguez/News & Record
Jim Neal at a meeting in Statesville in March.
Jim Neal
Age: 51
Family: Divorced, two children
Education: Bachelor’s in business administration, UNC-Chapel Hill; MBA, University of Chicago.
Hometown: Born in Greensboro; lives in Chapel Hill.
Occupation: Investment adviser
Favorite movie: “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Exercise: Tennis. “I didn’t play for years, then last summer I took it back up.” Related Links
Hear more from Neal (Mmedia)
GREENSBORO - Between stump speeches and coffee stops, Jim Neal spends his campaign day folded into the front passenger seat of a Ford Escape hybrid, shoes off and feet on the dash.
"I hate shoes," Neal said as the small truck pulled out of a parking lot and onto Market Street, hitting the road for a recent event in Davidson .
To some degree, all candidates for statewide office spend time on the road, talking to gatherings large and small. But Neal has embraced a road warrior mentality as a hallmark of his campaign.
The Chapel Hill Democrat is one of two leading contenders for his party's nomination to take on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole this fall. To beat Dole, Neal said, he needs to practice in-person campaigning on a grand scale, winning over voters one at a time, hoping they will, in turn, win over their friends and neighbors.
"People joke, 'Oh, that Jim Neal, he'll drive and go talk to any group of three people.' You're damned right I will," Neal said.
To be fair, it doesn't have to be a group of three. Neal chats up just about anyone who will shake his hand , regular folks such as cashiers at a coffee shop, janitors taking a smoke break and individuals he happens to meet along the street. His campaign plans appearances in at least 70 counties across the state before the May 6 primary.
"It's very heartfelt," said Michael Lawson , a Democratic official from Charlotte who l eads the state party's African American Caucus . Neal asked Lawson to introduce him around the CIAA tournament in Charlotte.
"He insisted upon shaking the last person's hand everywhere he went," Lawson said.
* * *
Neal is a first-time candidate, but he's not new to politics. He has been a fundraiser for presidential candidates and raised money for the likes of Erskine Bowles , now president of the UNC system who six years ago campaigned against Dole himself.
Although he jokes with audiences that "If you want a politician, for goodness' sake vote for someone else," Neal has honed to a fine point the most quintessential of political skills: the stump speech.
Almost always it features early on the fact that his mother's family worked in Revolution Mill in Greensboro, that because of his grandmother's asthma his family moved into the McAdoo Heights neighborhood and his mother switched from the mill school to the city school system.
There, he recounts, she was teased as a "linthead," a derogatory term for mill workers.
"That incident in my mom's life is one I've never forgotten," Neal told the seven people gathered at Summit Coffee and Tea in Davidson a couple of weeks ago. "It's kept me rooted to where I came from."
For much of his adult life, Neal has wandered from his roots. His father moved the family to South Carolina when he was 16. Neal returned to North Carolina when he attended UNC-Chapel Hill.
After graduation in 1978, he went to Wall Street, worked for Goldman Sachs, got an MBA from the University of Chicago and later worked as an investment banker at firms such as Salomon Brothers, Bear Stearns and E.F. Hutton.
Neal plays up this experience in business, telling audiences he has insight into how the "real world" works and credentials as a problem solver.
He also talks about a less financially secure time in his life.
"I've stood in an unemployment line and had to look up and say, 'How am I going to get out of this hole?' " Neal told a gathering at Charlotte Energy Solutions, a store that hawks rain barrels, Segways, compost grinders and the like.
"That's something that a lot of people in this country have done," Neal said the next day, talking to Democrats in Catawba County. "But not a lot of people running for office would talk about it."
Back in his truck, he explains that those hard times came when he was in his 30s, after his divorce. Real estate investments he made lost their value, and he was a single parent, a stay-at-home dad raising two kids. Eventually a federal tax lien was placed against his home that took years to satisfy.
Although he laughs at being called a "wealthy investment banker," Neal is financially secure enough to loan his campaign $120,000 — the last such loan he can afford to make, he said.
His campaign operates hand-to-mouth, spending most donations that come in within days. He says it's unclear whether he'll be able to do the kind of television advertising that can be critical to a statewide campaign. T he presidential primary has pushed up the price of television advertising, and voters' attention is focused elsewhere.
Neal insists that he's investing instead in an "old-fashioned, grass-roots campaign," one that seems predicated on shaking every hand he can find as he crosses the state.
* * *
On his way out of the coffee shop in Davidson, Neal gets a reminder from his volunteer staffer, who was worried they would be late for their next three stops of the evening.
"This next one we can only spend 15 minutes," pleads Harrison Jobe , a Greensboro native and a UNC-CH sophomore.
"OK," said Neal, tossing his suit jacket into the back of his truck.
"Are you going to promise me — 15 minutes?" Jobe asks.
"I never make promises I can't keep," Neal replies, a smile crossing his face. It's a well-worn routine. Neal has become notorious with his staff for dragging out visits even when the campaign schedule demands punctuality.
Some of the time seems to get made up in missed meals. Neal claims to have lost 15 pounds since hitting the road in earnest late last year.
"I didn't have 15 pounds to lose," he mused. "Today, I've had one meal and too much of this," Neal said, holding up a freshly filled cardboard coffee cup at eight minutes past 8 p.m.
He makes up for the missed calories with stops at Bojangles. His penchant for the fast-food chain's ham biscuits might serve not only to bolster his calorie count but also to help establish his local culinary cred, fighting the carpet-bagging accusation that opponents can level at him.
"Well, you know, he just moved back here in '06," Greensboro state Sen. Kay Hagan, Neal's chief Democratic rival, told a Triangle television station this month. "I think I will have the name recognition. I've served in the state government for 10 years now."
The topic is a sensitive one because all Democrats in the race say the incumbent, Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, has spent too little time in North Carolina.
Neal brushes off the criticism, saying he's always been rooted "in North Carolina values." And were he any other candidate, this might be the most challenging part of the campaign for him to navigate.
But the fact that he has a shot at becoming the state's first openly gay U.S. Senate candidate might just be trickier.
* * *
"It's the oddest monicker to have wrapped around your neck," Neal said of the "openly gay" reference.
Neal doesn't hide his sexuality, but it's not something he gets asked about during appearances much, if at all. And he would like to avoid being a "cause candidate," celebrated only for his sexuality rather than his policy positions.
The initial flurry of attention that being an "out" candidate brought him in the fall seems to have died down in North Carolina, but it's something that out-of-state reporters pick up on when he travels for fundraisers.
In one interview with the Village Voice that has become infamous — Neal says he was misquoted and his comments taken out of context several times — Neal acknowledges that he was married to a woman long before he came to terms with being gay.
"Yes, I was a breeder," he said, using a slang term popular in gay culture for heterosexuals.
Neal has told interviewers with gay media that he doesn't want people to vote for or against him because he's gay.
"It's not a good reason," Neal told the online site QUEERTY .
Still, the headline of a news release touting a group of house party fundraisers for Neal was titled "New Poll Shows Gay Candidate in Dead Heat for U.S. Senate."
Further down in the news release, he said:
"I've traveled all over the state. Voters want to know where I stand on the issues and how I'm going to represent North Carolina. They don't ask about my sexual orientation."
Whether Neal's sexuality will be a liability for voters is an open question , perhaps one only the May 6 primary can answer in full.
Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker @news-record.com
Posted 3/24/2008
'Will & Grace' star's home listed for $9 million
Agents say slump not hurting L.A.'s Hancock Park
Ruth Ryon, Los Angeles Times
Sunday, March 23, 2008
(03-23) 04:00 PDT Los Angeles -- Sean Hayes, who played Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace," must have gotten word that the housing slump hasn't hurt sales in the upper tiers of the market. He has listed his Los Angeles home at close to $9 million, according to area real estate agents.
The house, built in 1930, has four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 5,700 square feet. The gated, English Country-style home in the Hancock Park section also has an English garden, manicured grounds and an outdoor fireplace - great for alfresco dining.
There is a living room with bay windows, a formal dining room with walnut floors and crown molding, a cook's kitchen with a butler's pantry, and a family room/media room and library/study overlooking the pool.
The master bedroom suite has a fireplace and French windows. The master bathroom has white marble floors and a Juliet balcony. There are two other en suite bedrooms, a separate guesthouse and an office.
Hayes, 37, appeared in the recent comedy-drama "The Bucket List," in which Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman portray two men dying of cancer who meet when they share a hospital room.
In "Will & Grace," Hayes played a gay friend of lawyer Will Truman, played by Eric McCormack. Debra Messing played interior decorator Grace Adler, Will's roommate, and Megan Mullally played Karen Walker, a tipsy socialite.
Each of the stars won an Emmy (Mullally won two), and the show won 17 Emmys during its 1998-2006 run.
Posted 3/23/2008
Carrollton mayor faces anti-gay challenger
By John Wright of Dallas Voice
Photo provided by Dallas Voice
Mayor Becky Miller is again under fire for riding in Dallas’ gay Pride parade in 2006.
Miller’s appearance in the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade led to a petition signed by 75 residents that was submitted to the City Council last year. The petition, which demanded that city officials refrain from such appearances in the future, was never acted on by the council.
Now, Miller’s only challenger in the May 10 election, former City Councilman Ron Branson, has resurrected the issue on his campaign Web site.
“I guess I could participate in a controversial parade, but I would never plaster ‘Carrollton Mayor’ on the side of my vehicle,” Branson’s Web site, www.runwithron.com, states under the section titled, “Why Run For Mayor?”
Contacted this week, Branson said he believes city officials should be free to participate in any parade they want as individuals, but not as representatives of Carrollton.
“I think it’s pretty important to stay away from controversial issues like that,” Branson told Dallas Voice. “It’s just not a lifestyle that I endorse.”
Branson, who left the council for health reasons in 2006, reportedly has attracted little support for his mayoral bid, and he isn’t accepting campaign contributions.
Miller, who’s seeking her second term as mayor, said she’s secured all the big-name endorsements in the race. Miller said Branson was divisive when he served on the council and is running because he personally dislikes her.
What does this mean for me?
“I just don’t think that he really has a chance of winning,” Miller said. “I have the support of the people.”
Miller’s support includes those who rallied around her after the petition was submitted to the council last April in response to her appearance in the parade. About 50 people showed up at City Hall to express their opposition to the petition, while only one spoke in favor of it.
“People have been supportive of me because I’ve said that I represent everybody in the community, and I will not judge people,” said Miller, who has a lesbian aunt. “I think everybody’s moved past that [the parade issue]. I don’t understand why some of them don’t want to let it go.”
Miller said she didn’t appear in Dallas’ 2007 gay Pride parade because of a prior commitment. She said she’d like to be in the parade again but may not due to threats that were made against her and her family following her appearance in 2006.
“I just don’t know whether it’s worth the hassle of having to deal with people who are so hateful,” Miller said, declining to elaborate on the alleged threats. “They were some scary times for me.”
Miller was asked to appear in the parade by friend and supporter Bob McCranie, an openly gay Carrollton real estate agent.
McCranie started the Carrollton Project, an LGBT equality group, in September 2006 after his sexual orientation became a contentious issue in that year’s city elections.
McCranie said he was kicked off the campaigns of two City Council candidates in 2006 because he’s gay. When another candidate McCranie supported won, the loser criticized his opponent in an e-mail for accepting help from “gay Bob” and the “big sissy.”
The Carrollton Project, which organized the opposition to last year’s petition, now has 35 to 40 members and meets monthly, McCranie said.
McCranie said the fact that Miller hasn’t drawn a more formidable opponent this year is a positive sign for Carrollton. Three other incumbent councilmembers are running unopposed.
“This election didn’t bring in the opposition like we thought it would,” McCranie said. “I think the city is going in a really good direction.”
McCranie said he believes the 2009 Carrollton city elections will attract more candidates, because there will be three open seats vacated by sitting councilmembers due to term limits.
“I think most people who are eyeing a seat on the council are going to wait until next time, when it’s a free-for-all,” McCranie said. “I hope in the next election we can change the face of the city and have a lot of diversity.”
Posted 3/19/2008
Surprise development aims at gay retirees
Tony Lombardo
The Arizona Republic
Like a lot of baby boomers, gay and lesbian retirees are looking for a safe, fun place to live out their autumn years.
But Arizona's retirement offerings might not cut it for many, because of a lack of like-minded residents or a fear of coming out to the neighbors.
Out Properties LLC, a St. Louis development firm, hopes to change that by marketing a unique lifestyle to this niche group it calls "gayby boomers," or gay baby boomers. It plans to build a resort community, Marigold Creek, in Surprise catering to gay retirees.
"For some people, this might be the very first time in their entire life they've been able to live somewhere where they can be themselves," said Debi Purvis, principal with Out Properties.
The group is a division of Aventurs Development, and Marigold Creek is its first gay and lesbian retirement development.
Such communities exist or are in the works in Florida, California and New Mexico. But Marigold Creek is considered the first community of its kind in Arizona.
It will sit on 32 acres on San Ysidro Road east of 163rd Avenue northeast of Grand Avenue and will include 190 condos and homes ranging from $249,000 to $850,000. The first units are expected to open by fall 2009.
Mayor Lyn Truitt is a fan of the concept.
"We're not a community that puts up barriers," he said. "Rather, we take them down."
Purvis said Surprise had the best combination of location and community in the Valley.
"We knew it was an emerging, vibrant community and got such great feedback from people that said the community was growing and interested in the arts, and lots of different types of people living in the community," she said.
Though anyone will be able to buy at Marigold Creek, it is being designed with gay retirees in mind.
Tucson resident Frances Coleman, 53, understands the need.
"The really big advantage is, you don't have to go back into the closet and squish yourself," she said. "You can live with your partner and not have to pretend you're roommates."
Coleman launched a senior group four years ago for Wingspan, a Tucson-based outreach center for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. She said she has encountered many retirees who chose to settle down in gated communities but kept their sexuality a secret.
"As a gay person, you're constantly coming out to people in every single venue - or constantly hiding, if that's how you live," she said.
Doug Beckwith, 56, lives in Chandler's Sun Lakes. While he enjoys the community, he sees the advantages of a place like Marigold Creek.
"We spent our whole lives always being different and being outcasts," he said. "It would be kind of nice to live in a place where everyone else had gone through the same experience."
Marigold Creek's sales pitch hits on that very point.
"Imagine a place where your neighbors are just like you. They share your interests and have similar lifestyles," an online statement reads. "Everyone is welcome, accepted and safe."
In many ways, Marigold Creek mirrors other upscale retirement communities like Surprise's Sun City Grand. The gated development will have a fitness center, a spa, pools, a poolside bar and grill, a travel club and walking trails. It will also feature a theater and cabaret, and a spiritual center.
But existing communities don't always work for gays, said Steve Donovan, a local Realtor and member of the Arizona Gay Realtor Alliance.
Donovan said he has known many members of the gay community who moved into existing Valley retirement developments, only to be disappointed and move away.
"They realized that wasn't the best choice, because it was not really geared toward that lifestyle," Donovan said.
Beckwith, dean and executive director of Axia College of the University of Phoenix, said he has talked for years with friends about the benefits of a gay retirement project.
"It would be nice to have neighbors who you wouldn't have to explain to why you weren't married or didn't have grandkids," he said.
The "buzz" has been building about Marigold Creek, said Scott Jeffery, chairman of the Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
"We'll see how the market responds, to see if there is a specific need for it," he said.
Purvis said the company is ahead of projections, securing commitments on 40 units.
And while Donovan said many of his past clients tended to gravitate to homes near downtown Phoenix, he could see Surprise as a viable place for more mature clients.
"Surprise is a great area, and it's up-and-coming," Donovan said.
Like all retirement communities, it won't be for everyone.
Commercial real estate broker Tom Snyder, 64, said he will remain in central Phoenix.
"I could never live in a Sun City or anything . . . it's just too far out for me," said Snyder, treasurer of the gay and lesbian chamber.
Out Properties is only in the early planning stages with the city, Surprise senior planner Janice See said. The City Council eventually must sign off on zoning and land use changes to allow a higher density, she said. But based on preliminary talks, the project sounds favorable, See said.
Veronica St. Claire, chief executive of the Gay & Lesbian Association of Retiring Persons Inc., is pushing for a similar development in Palm Springs, Calif.
RainbowVision Properties Inc. is nearing the second anniversary of its community in Santa Fe, N.M. Similar to Marigold Creek, it features mixed housing options and assisted living. Roughly 70 percent of residents are from the gay and lesbian community, the rest "allies," said Jane Steinberg, its national director of marketing and sales.
RainbowVision is nearing construction on a condo project in Palm Springs, and is working on developments in San Francisco and Vancouver.
Posted 02/01/2008
Time to move to Midtown?
Economic trends make gayborhood more affordable, real estate experts say
By MATT SCHAFER
FEB. 1, 2008
More from this author
MATT SCHAFER
Atlanta’s allure of a slick, Midtown lifestyle draws hundreds to the city every month, but with many incomes affording only a postage stamp-sized apartment, some gay men and lesbians choose homes in suburbia and commute into town. With a slacking economy and shrinking national housing market, now may be the time to consider that move into Midtown, some real estate experts say.
Housing prices across the country are down 1.8 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors, as home inventories skyrocket due to a slow down in the economy, failure of the sub-prime mortgage industry and the resulting effect of lenders tightening their credit rules. The resulting buyer’s market offers a better chance to find that dream apartment, condo or home in the heart of the city on a budget.
It’s not that that Atlanta home market is in a shambles, said Brandy Miner, director of community and marketing for the Georgia Association of Realtors. But interest rates and inventory levels could mean a window of opportunity.
“I think it is a great time to move to Midtown,” Miner said. “Interest rates are at a historic low and home prices are holding steady, and those things almost historically never happen at the same time.”
The association reported seeing buyers with good credit qualify for loans in the 5.75 percent range. That could drop lower depending upon the actions of the Federal Reserve, which controls the rates that banks lend money to each other.
“For Sale” and “For Rent” signs pepper the streets surrounding Piedmont Park, the heart of gay Atlanta. Signs that didn’t linger in this sought-after neighborhood two years ago now stay longer.
“I personally think that single family homes in Midtown are undervalued. If you were to buy the same house in a place like Virginia Highlands, Ansley Park or Morningside, you would probably pay 15 percent more,” said Adam Ellis of Harry Norman Realtors. “I believe that will change this year, but right now I would say they are undervalued.”
Others, like Andy Scarano, hope low-interest rates might attract more buyers. Scarano is selling his 1920s brick bungalow on Monroe Street by himself.
“I’m not in a hurry to sell,” Scarano said. “I don’t have to move for a new job or anything like that, our family has just outgrown the house.We decided to try our luck without an agent for a while and see if we can sell it ourselves.
“Also because we don’t have an agent it gives us a little room to negotiate,where once I get an agent I’m not willing to come off my price,” he added.
While Midtown as a whole saw a 4 percent price increase in home value last year, there are bargains to be had.
“I’m single, and I bought a one-bedroom, one-bathroom two years ago after doing a lot of looking,” said Miner of the Georgia Association of Realtors. “Today, there are two-bedroom units in my complex [Terraces at Peachtree] that sold for what I paid for a one-bedroom.”
While the few units available in the gayfriendly Metropolis and Spire Midtown, both located on Peachtree Street, don’t come cheap, values change on a buildingby- building basis, especially on Midtown’s northern borders. A small studio in the 1280 West high-rise at the corner of West Peachtree Street and 16th Street went on the market initially listed at $165,900, according to MLS Information, a real estate resource. Currently that property is listed for $99,900.
A unit in the established Buckhead condo Peachtree Battle, within biking distance of Piedmont Park, went up for sale in January last year listed at $107,000, according to MLS Information. The owners slashed the list price to $87,500, and after 176 days on the market finally accepted an offer of $85,000. In total, eight of 12 units that stayed on the market or sold in 2007 in that complex sold for an average of $7,000 less than the initial asking price after 71 days on the market.
Georgia ranked seventh in the nation when it came to foreclosure rates in 2007, according to RealtyTrac, a nationwide datatracking company, with the bulk of the foreclosures coming in Metro Atlanta. A total of 99,578 homes, or nearly 1.6 percent of all homes in Georgia, reported being in some state of foreclosure last year.