city government

Jean-Paul Villere: Napoleon’s Dynamite Ain’t So Super

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Skipping for now over the Big Game hoo-ha that’s about to consume our nation’s attention (and glossing over the ample high dollar unlicensed daily rental scofflaws at the local level), I recently gave a glance to the proposed parade routes for this Carnival and raised my right eyebrow.  The traditional upper Napoleon route (read: where Rex rolls) is apparently still going to remain in effect this season despite the massive sandbox it has become a la a Michael Bay movie.  With all the chainlink, piledriving, construction equipment, and urban setting to me it looks like what I would imagine any given day shooting Transformers 4 would look like.  (I’m looking around for Mr. LeBouef but quickly remember Mr. Wahlberg will be assuming the lead in this next excursion into pseudo-future robotic mayhem, which in and of itself is funny because the theme song to the original cartoon film released in the theater in the 80s, which I saw in said theater BTW, was covered by Marky Mark when he starred in Boogie Nights.  Digressive nerdgasm accomplished.)

Anyway, Napoleon is a wreck, a nightmare, a veritable adult-sized Tonka truck meltdown.

Featured

Jean-Paul Villere: Enjoy Yourself

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A week ago I said goodbye to someone too young at 42 to leave, the uncertainty of life smacking me still when my wife told me of his passing. Brian Fazekas had had a heart attack New Year’s Day, surrounded by family and friends, awaiting of all things a hot chocolate.

opinion

Jean-Paul Villere: The Absentee Attendee (20-Year High School Reunions and Social Media)

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“Da-aad?” called out my 3-year-old in a singsong, next-room voice as the Sunday sun crept up over the horizon, “This morning (pause) I didn’t pee in your bed.”  I respond, same singsong and with a slight smile, “O-kay, thank you.” And while I was pleased to learn for at least one night my mattress went urine-free, I had to laugh a little.  The night before, 4 hours away, and a state over, my 20-year high school reunion had taken place without me, and frankly I’m OK with that.  But after waking up before the sun and seeing the ample Facebook posts from those in attendance I quickly wondered how many therein also woke up to a urine-free slumber and based upon the pics I wouldn’t say it was a lock.  Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves, maybe some more than others, and maybe others more than some.

city government

Jean-Paul Villere: To Boil Or Not To Boil?

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Yet another rhetorical pop quiz from the Sewerage & Water Board this past Monday left Orleans Parish residents (read: me and likely you) wondering if our one and only water supply was safe for consumption.  And the solitary answer everyone can agree on equals “Maybe.”  Forget that it’s the 21st century, forget that Roman aquaducts remain a marvel to humanity and civilization on the whole, and forget too that over the next five years an Orleans Parish water bill will grow incrementally like a film of algae from a broken fire hydrant to the nearest street drain.  But remember this: your vote still matters.  And why this will always be important remains a let-me-speak-to-your-supervisor line of thought.  The S & W B does not answer to much, or do they?  So who’s in charge? The city.  Kinda.  And therefore (y)our city government reps.  According to the S & W B website “The Sewerage and Water Board consists of the Mayor, the two at-large members of the City Council, one district councilman selected by the Council, two members of the board of Liquidation, City Debt, and seven citizen members appointed by the Mayor, in accordance with the law, for overlapping terms of 9 years. The Board holds committee and regular meetings once each month, to which the public is invited.”  Reads like standard corporate copy, no?  Wonder when that next meeting is?  Wonder how many of our citizenry will attend?  Ordinary and sincere meeting planning might be published somewhere or at least adhere to some sort of schedule like the 2nd Tuesday of each month.  But then that would be sensible. The cosmic joke of a boil water advisory on Columbus Day escapes me not.  At least when ol’ Chris sailed the ocean blue, the uncertainty of water sources happened to be known.  What have we gained over 500 years later?  And cue the chirping crickets.  Not much.  You could start with one of my neighbor’s (some might say humorous) observations, “What’s big and yellow and sleeps up to 6?”  Pause.  “A Sewerage & Water Board Truck.”  Rimshot.  Laugh track.  Rub your eyes from the hope of a dizzy dream or tears, and alas ladies and gentlemen, it’s funny because it’s true.  The work ethic of any organization trickles from the top down.  The hustle of a government funded labor force peaked in 1935 WPA, when a day’s labor meant something.  Today?  Insert raspberrying here.

blight and demolition

Jean-Paul Villere: The Campaign Name Claim

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The other day my 10-year old says aloud to me as I scrawl something somewhere with my trusty ink pen, “Hey, I have that pen too!”  I respond quickly, if not a little gruff, “You do?  Well, it’s mine, so give it back to me.”  To which she closes me down, “Well, it has my name on it soooo – – – ”  She spins her (my) pen in her hand and holds it horizontally toward me, and sure enough there’s her full name spelled out.  And there you have it!

business

Jean-Paul Villere: So you wanna be a landlord (A top 10 list)

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In a day and age when both rents seem outta wack (read: way high) but loan rates seem equivalently outta wack (read: historically low), to follow are the pros and cons, or the likely benefits and potential headaches, of landlording.  

Personally my journey to becoming a landlord was fairly accidental and organic.  My (then fiance but shortly thereafter) wife and I purchased a little single shotgun Uptown in the late 90s only to move out of state within the year.  We didn’t want to re-sell so we leased it out, and for 3 years we kept the same tenant which in turn paid our note and then some for miscellaneous upkeep.  When we returned to re-occupy the space in 2001, a little while later we felt we kinda missed managing an income producing investment.  In short order we made the leap proper and bought a duplex in early 2002, and we’ve been in the business since.  So if you wanna be a landlord…

blight and demolition

Jean-Paul Villere: The art of the flip (a case study)

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Seven years ago the Crescent City got tossed on its backside, the likes of which many believed just might be too much for the Big Easy to really rebound from; why would anyone reinvest in a little troubled city below sea level?  Logic and heritage debates aside, today the tone of recovery happens to be very much on the uptick, despite folding into it an oil- and dispersant-crippled Gulf as well as the dizzying highs and lows of our beloved sports teams.  Even a massive implosion of the lending market in the last four years did not shake the steadfast commitment to rebuild from newbies and returnees alike.  In short, not only are home values stable and improving, investors seeking a viable flip are doing so and how.  Case in point: 2505 Napoleon. In less than six months in this calendar year of 2012, this once bank-owned Uptown duplex sold for 11% over its asking price, got renovated, and then promptly re-sold for well over twice its initial sale from the bank.  From an asking price of $168,300 and a sale price of $186,000 in the spring to an asking price of $435,000 and a sale price of $414,000.  For the record, I am a licensed agent and investor too but had no involvement whatsoever in facilitating any of these listings or sales; further full disclosure, I did have a client write an offer in the spring, but the bank chose otherwise.  Nonetheless I followed the path of this property for a couple reasons, primarily because I live two or so blocks away, and this piece of Napoleon happens to be at the foot of Freret.  And if you don’t know what’s happening on Freret these days, you’re probably not reading this either. So I recently asked my next-door neighbor Sharon Goodson her thoughts on this, shall we say, chain of events, especially in light of the recent hubbub over higher assessments the city over.  She replied:

“Our property tax is now two and a half times what it was in 2011, however when I bought my house in 1987 40 percent of the neighborhood was abandoned houses.  Higher prices mean higher rent, which equals a better quality of renters and lower crime.  Improved property excites future owners to invest and the quality of neighborhood increases.  No one wants to be the first to renovate on a block, but if they see renovation activity, it stirs interest.  Generally, high investment properties are maintained better over the years to safeguard their investment.  Even seeing houses with new porches on them two blocks away energizes me to do improvements on my own house.  No one wants to be the ugly house in the neighborhood — weird, OK; run-down, no.  We don’t know if the house was occupied before and I assume after the sale that it will be fully occupied.  New Orleans is no longer the blight capital of the US and I would like to continue our descent on that list to about 1,000th!”