A recent blog post by Felix Salmon (Reuters) attempts to answer two questions regarding the omnipresent taco truck in American cities— 1. where did they come from?2. why is the food at food trucks better than the food in restaurants, at least when it comes to tacos?” Tyler Cowan, an economist and author, presented the best theory explaining the origin and need for a taco truck I have seen to date, suggesting: “Taco trucks are mobile, and they often serve construction workers, who are themselves mobile in terms of choosing various workplaces over the course of a year, and thus they require mobile sources of food.  This encourages the taco truck, but not the stationary restaurant, to invest in better and more authentic food.” Using his theory, we can see Harrisonburg, Virginia was at its ... 05/14/2012

An intriguing opportunity exists for businesses that own the real estate they occupy. The weakened economy of the last several years has left many businesses seeking additional sources of financing for a myriad of uses ranging from acquisitions to operating capital. As of July, applications for commercial financing had reached the highest levels in three years. Although standards have been easing, this demand has largely been met by stricter requirements that have eliminated many prospective borrowers. Yet, businesses seeking capital may not have needed to look any further than their own building by using a strategy called a sale-leaseback. In its most basic form, a sale-leaseback occurs when a company sells its real estate to an investor, who rents it back to the seller in return for m... 05/11/2012

In 2005, the traffic count on E. Market Street was fairly uniform. Approximately 25,000 vehicles travelled down the commercial corridor on a daily basis. However, over the past five years, that has changed with traffic on the east side of I-81 increasing 59% while the west side has shed about 33%. The root cause of this is undoubtedly connected to the increased residential development on the east side of Harrisonburg and JMU’s growth, but it can be safely assumed that there is a little more to the story. Over this same period of time, a number of national retailers have located (or relocated) to the stretch of E. Market street between I-81 and University Boulevard. In my conversations with national and regional chains, it still remains the most desirable section of Harrisonburg. Convers... 05/11/2012

Once upon a time, the most important influence in selecting a site for businesses, retail centers and new developments was described in one simple phrase: location, location, location. While location is still an essential consideration, increasing competition and a disjointed consumer marketplace have necessitated a change in site selection techniques. In a competitive environment, a simplistic adage is no longer sufficient. Every site selection decision should be made based on a unique set of criteria related to the users’ needs including proximity to clients, building or lot size, population density, spending levels and a host of other factors while also attempting to minimize acquisition costs. Even when tools slightly more advanced than an old motto are utilized in the process, they... 05/11/2012

Harrisonburg is an IMBA Ride Center (Photo Courtesy of HarrisonburgTourism.com) Mountain biking in the Harrisonburg area continues to be recognized, most recently by the International Mountain Biking Association identifying Harrisonburg as just one of seven Ride Centers® in the WORLD! (OK, there's only one city not in the USA, but we call it the World Series in baseball, don't we?). Specifically about Harrisonburg, IMBA says there is a diversity of trails for every type of rider. "Want to take a novice rider for a spin in the center of town? Head for the Rocktown Trails at Hillendale Park and follow the green loops. Step things up with the blue- and red-blazed trails and you'll find more gnar than you'd expect in a city park; it's the embodiment of IMBA's "stacked loop" approach to prov... 11/03/2011

The Kai Degner Homes Team is pleased to have Aaram Millones, a Harrisonburg REALTOR ready to help clients buy and sell homes. Aaram Millones, REALTOR (540) 810-8744 - Aaram.Millones@KlineMay.com Aaram Millones has years of experience serving the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area.  A man of many talents, Aaram is fluent in Spanish and English, an avid soccer fan, and the founder of Earth & Tea Café, a popular restaurant in downtown Harrisonburg. Millones invites customers and clients to call him for all of their real estate needs.  Aaram’s education is in accounting and business management.  Aaram can be of great assistance to both buyers and sellers of homes in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area. SPANISH Aaram Millones, Realtor con años de experiencia sirviendo las áreas de Harrisonburg y Roc... 09/27/2011

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and the City of Harrisonburg have granted several businesses with facade enhancement grants this year. This grant program supports property improvements and has been able to stay in place, despite the state of the economy. In 2011, eight grants were awarded for a total of $20,000 in improvement funds. These businesses will use the money to enhance the exterior of their businesses, which adds to the overall aesthetic of downtown Harrisonburg. Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine Court Square Coffee Duo MOD Displays Newman Ruddle, LLC Resource Network Virginia Quilt Museum Whitesel Music Want to learn more? Visit Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance or the City of Harrisonburg. Image Credit: allisonmseward12 on Flickr 09/15/2011

There is a Harrisonburg Craigslist scam underway that relies on current real estate listings.  I'm filling in for a fellow real estate agent while she is on vacation and fielded two strange inquiries today about a property she is helping sell.  Two people sent emails asking whether this 4-bedroom, 3-bedroom home in Harrisonburg is indeed for rent for $500/mo, as advertised on Craigslist.  It is not, and it is clearly a scam.  Be alert - here's how it works: An advertisement is placed on Craigslist, soliciting inquiries for a home on the market at a "too good to be true" rental rate. Someone responds, and receives an answer like this: Hi   Thanks for your e.mail, it is in [address omitted], Harrisonburg VA 22802pet friendly! LOCATION! - Impeccably maintained This Fabulous Property Better... 09/14/2011

Valley 4th in downtown Harrisonburg is largest Independence Day celebration in the Shenandoah Valley. Come downtown on July 4, 2011, for a full program including the reading of the Declaration of Independence, a 4th of July Parade, food, and fireworks. I'll be in the dunking booth from 3:00-3:30 for anyone wanting to try their aim!   Valley 4th is organized by the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and sponsored by a number of community businesses and organizations. See the full schedule for July 4th in downtown Harrisonburg at KaiDegne.com! 06/27/2011

The Harrisonburg Housing Market Report for 2010 is here!  Thanks to Karl for the good work. 2010 is now behind us. As we look at the year and ask “How did the local real estate market do?”, our initial response is probably something like “Not too well!”. Local Realtors will tell you 2010 was a tough year, one in which Buyers, Sellers and agents had to go to (sometimes) extraordinary lengths to complete a deal. It was a year in which distressed properties exerted a heavy influence on our market and lenders continued in their attempts to refine their Short Sale and Foreclosure processes. 2010 was a year in which, despite falling prices, historically low interest rates and plentiful inventory, Buyers seemed reluctant to buy. However, 2010 also appears to have been a continuation of the slo... 01/07/2011

Yesterday, we looked at townhouses under $150,000, and today we'll highlight single-homes under $200,000 in Harrisonburg. Many of these homes are available for terrific prices in today's buyers market, so it's quite possible you can get more than you pay for by being a savvy home buyer or investor. Many of these could be good options for starter homes for people interested in entering the world of home ownership! Interested in seeing a property or learning more? I'm happy to talk with you! Contact me today. 09/04/2010

If you are in the market for an affordable townhouse in Harrisonburg, you're in luck: there are dozens of townhouses for sale under $150,000 right now! Most of these multi-story townhouses have at least 2 bedrooms and bathrooms and ready for a new owner. While there are also townhouses priced higher, there a number of great values available $150,000 at this moment. Use the map below to see where they are, and click on any icon for more information. 09/03/2010

I've spoken with a number of peope over the last few weeks who say, "I've been searching online forever," but they are never satisfied with their results.  However, when I do a custom search using the super-duper property search tool I have access to as a real estate agent, there is always a handful of properties that the self-searcher has never found. Searching alone online can be a frustrating experience - but it doesn't need to be!  Hire a buyer's agent like me, and I'll do an custom search for exactly what you need and give you a full report with information and pictures about what properties fit your interests.  Then, we can wittle down the choices and put together your own personal tour of homes! Just fill out this short form and we'll get started today - yesterday, someone filled... 09/03/2010

Thursday night has become synonymous with "Salsa Night" for many dancers seeking an outlet for their talents. The Artful Dodger attracts the range of novice to seemingly professional salsa dancers ($5 cover charge). And there are free salsa lessons from 8:30-9:30pm each night! This lets you learn the basic steps at a slow pace before the music and fun starts to speed up. And, if you're like me (i.e. can't dance salsa!), it is still entertaining to watch those who know what they're doing. The best ones show up sometime after 10pm. See www.SalsaBurg.com for information about special event. 09/02/2010

I recently watched an episode of Sesame Street with my toddler, and on it was a bird real estate agent, Freddy Flapman, doing business with Big Bird. The show was all about habitats, and this bird real estate agent was trying to sell Big Bird on moving to a different habitat than Sesame Street. Watch this clip on Sesame Street's website to see what I'm referring to. To sum it up, Freddy Flapman was showing Big Bird different habitats that birds live in, and trying to convince him to move away from Sesame Street. The beginning of the clip shows Big Bird having fun and enjoying his day on Sesame Street. He was then approached by the bird real estate agent, Freddy Flapman. At first, I was put off by how the agent was portrayed... as a pushy salesman. But later, I realized that he was just ... 03/23/2010

Normally here on ActiveRain, we like to post about issues geared towards agents, since that is a large portion of the audience here -- for our local commentaries, statistics, and musings, go to Harrisonblog -- but this local tidbit couldn't go unpublished! For those of you who don't know all the restaurants in Harrisonburg like the back of your hand, especially those who have just relocated, you will find this restaurant guide extremely helpful. It is filterable, too, which makes it so easy to find the restaurant of choice on any given day. In the mood for Greek food on a small budget? Fine dining in Downtown Harrisonburg? Fast Food by the Mall? The possibilities are endless, and the developer of this tool is continually adding more to it. We're impressed. Check out the Harrisonburg Foo... 02/09/2010

It is amazing how relatively easy it is to get a real estate license. Okay, so there is a lot of studying and testing, but then what? When you pass, are you automatically qualified as a good agent? In a word... NO! Agents should have systems in place for gathering referrals, leads, forms to use (and when to use them), checklists for getting things done between contract signing to closing and beyond, listing presentations, advertising campaigns, social networking, blogging, the list goes on. Not all agents have these systems in place, and those that do, aren't always able to implement them well. So if you are looking to buy or sell a home, do your homework! Search for the right agent for you. Make sure they "know their stuff," have some experience in working with both buyers and sellers,... 01/27/2010

The Harrisonburg area is blessed with lots of online activity, meaning that highly tech savvy folks in our area have devoted much of their lives to providing locals with up-to-date news, happenings, issues, events, etc. in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. If you are looking for this type of information at your fingertips (instead of, say, waiting around for the evening news), head on over to www.hbblogs.com (Harrisonburg Blogs) -- a real-time feed of a variety of blogs in the area. When someone puts up a new blog post in the area, it will feed into this site! A very small sampling of blogs that feed into Harrisonburg Blogs: Harrisonblog - The Harrisonburg Homes Team blog HburgNews - Harrisonburg News We Will RockDem - A discussion page for free-thinking individuals throughout the She... 01/05/2010

Whether you've been using Twitter for a few days, or a few months, or a year, you know that it is important to strategize who you follow on Twitter. Why follow people that will offer you no benefit? Here are some folks that we follow on Twitter, and we've found them to be extremely helpful, influential, and inspiring in one way or another. -------------------------------------------------------- @mashable: The hottest Twitter news, Twitter tips and Twitter help. Plus, the best social media links around! This Twitterer is constantly sending out helpful blog posts about social media, networking, and the latest news with both. The posts are written by different experts in the social media field, and every post is helpful and informative in one way or another. You will get lots of great tip... 12/03/2009

April is always one of the busiest months of the year for new residential real estate listings. (Which is why you haven't seen much of our team online for a few weeks!) Harrisonburg and Rockingham County -- including Massanutten Resort -- put 153 new residential listings on the market in April thus far. The Harrisonburg Homes Team alone had 9 new residential listings and 2 new land listings in April so far. Wow! The next few months will also be busy with new listings, more buyers, and gorgeous weather, so we're not looking to let up. We love helping buyers and sellers with their real estate endeavors! With interest rates at record lows, tax credits, and other incentives for buyers, we are looking forward to a great Spring and Summer. April is just the beginning of a wonderful time of ye... 04/27/2009