site updates

Membership in the Virginia Homeowners Alliance just got even better.

Now, registered members can get access to special deals with BJ's, Costco and Sam's discount clubs.  Once logged into VaHomeownersAlliance.com, visit the members only page to download the materials you need to take advantage of the special offers. Here's what you can get:

• $50 worth of free stuff from Costco, which covers the cost of your new Costco membership.
• $10 gift card from Sam's Club when you join or renew using the form found in the members only area of VaHomeownersAlliance.com.
• $10 discount on your membership fee at BJ's PLUS 15 months of membership for the price of 12.

Maintaining your home just got a little less expensive. Join the Virginia Homeowners Alliance today, or if you're already a member, click here to start taking advantage of this new benefit of membership.

There's a new feature on the Virginia Homeowners Alliance Web site: A comprehensive index of real estate assessment information for every Virginia city and county that publishes assessment information online.

Because of the swings in the Virginia real estate market over the past few years, many homeowners are concerned about their property assessments. Some think they're too high. Others think they're too low.

This new section on the Virginia Homeowners Alliance Web site gives the Commonwealth's homeowners a single starting point to begin the process of appealing their real estate tax assessments. Most importantly, you can find links to each locality's assessor's office Web site (if available), but you can also find links to county or city government Web sites and other useful resources as you consider appealing your Virginia real estate tax assessment.

It's part of our Real Estate Assessment Guide, which also includes step-by-step instructions on how to appeal your assessment, as well as answers to frequently asked questions about property tax assessments in Virginia.

Check out our today, or bookmark it for future reference.

How's the value of your home holding up? What's the real estate forecast for your hometown and the rest of the state?

Those questions and more are answered in our review of the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR) recent report of housing sales, values and trends in the Commonwealth for the second quarter of 2009.

Our recap is only available to our registered members. Registration is quick, free and easy.

Once you've logged in, check out the report.