Displaying blog entries 1371-1380 of 1876
One of the very few remaining Alpenglade lots in Government Camp closed in July, 2010 for $230,000 cash. Lot sales have been few and far between with the slowing down of the real estate market. I am pleased to report that I was the marketing agent for this property.
If you've kept up with recent reports you will find that the majority of sales for 2010 were pushed up to the first half of the year due to the first time home buyer's credit. Sales plummeted since that time. Buyers who may have bought later in the year pushed their plans forward leaving a 30% drop in sales for Jully.
Brightwood, Rhododendron, Welches and Government Camp saw three closed sales for residential properties for the month of July. Two of these homes were foreclosures. Here are the sales:
The Portland Metro RMLS data has been released for the Mt. Hood Area market place from Government Camp, Welches, Brightwood and Rhododendron. This compares numbers from 2009 to 2010. Here are the numbers:
Total listings and inventory is increasing. Pending sales hit 45% less than 2009. Marketing times are increasing. For these three properties, despite the fact that they were foreclosures hit 232 days for a sale.
This is the perfect time to find a beautiful creekfront home in the Mt. Hood area. If you've been considering a waterfront getaway in Welches, Rhododendron, Brightwood or Government Camp, these are the creekfront single family homes that are available. These all should qualify for conventional loans to take advantage of the super interest rates currently offered. Here are the kid and pet friendly creek homes available:
Unique opportunity for Mt.Hood riverfront home buyers! There is an excellent selection available. We haven't seen this many choices in over a decade with many choices on the Salmon and Sandy Rivers. Prices are lower than we've ever seen before. These properties should all be bank financeable. Take a look at these great values. They many never be this low again so take advantage of today's rates and inventory. Here are the waterfront stars:
If your purchasing in the Mt. Hood area it's a good idea to buy before September 7th, if you are using an FHA loan. New rules are coming down the road which will actually increase your monthly payment potentially making it harder to qualify. The "idea" is that FHA is trying to reduce the upfront costs of getting buyers into loans by reducing the Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) from 2.25% to 1%. This can be financed into the loan at the back end so there is really no "upfront cost". Technically this reduces your monthly payment slightly.
Meanwhile back at the ranch the MMI- the Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premium is getting raised from .55% to .85%-.90% depending upon the loan to value of the loan. This means your monthly payment will go up and you will be paying more for the same loan thereby potentially not qualifying for as much loan as you did prior to September 7th. With this rise in payment it essentially means a decrease in the loan amount by 4-5% to get the same monthly payment (a lower purchase price so the loan amount is lower).
Why is HUD doing this? To cover their operating costs and to cover anticipated losses. As a buyer, there are pluses to having an FHA loan. The main benefit is when you decide to sell your home these loans are assumable if the new buyer qualifies. This is an attractive prospect if they, HUD, doesn't increase the interest rate for the assumption. They seem to change the rules as administrations come and go. I'm not sure if this is a locked in guarantee or not!
ELIMINATE THE BOX!
It was refreshing to read the article entitled "Thirty Under Thirty" in the REALTOR(r) magazine. Thirty agents under the age of thirty talked about their approach to real estate, and most seemed to "think outside the box." They didn't appear to be bound by conventional rules of marketing conduct. Think back to when you were a young child. You were totally uninhibited by rules, so you weren't afraid to try new things.
Back then, there wasn't even a "box" to confine your thinking or actions. You did whatever worked for you. Then, you began to grow up and your parents, then your teachers, began building a box for you. "Stay in line, be quiet, don't touch this or that," they admonished. "Good little girls and boys don't talk back, eat snacks between meals, or chew with their mouths open. "The rules got more sophisticated as you got older, and you began to conform. Now you're all grown up, comfortable in the box the world built for you, and it's not so easy anymore to "think outside the box".
Not so for the newcomers - the youth of the real estate industry. They are enthusiastic, energetic, and with their "no rules" thinking, they're going to mop up on those competitors who are too comfortable in their box. If you've been in the business for more than ten years, you have one powerful advantage over the newbies - real estate wisdom. You're a survivor and know your way around the business. Now it's just a question of combining that base of knowledge with some of the unfettered new thinking of the under 30 crowd. Old dogs CAN learn new tricks, after all!
There's a new chef in town up at Timberline Lodge, Jason Stoller Smith. He recently put together a great Northwest meal at the While House. Enjoy this news story on channel 12.
http://www.kptv.com/local-video/index.html?grabnetworks={videoid:4302506}
GIVE YOURSELF A LIFT!
Have you ever aspired to be deeply depressed? On your list of major life's achievements, have you included becoming an itinerant ne'er-do-well? Does your daily task list include hanging out at the local pub, gossiping over the back fence with nosy neighbors, or spending time with a loser who does nothing but grouse about how the world has dealt him a lousy hand?
Did that first paragraph seem to pull you down? Did you say, "Ridiculous! Who would want to do those things?" If so, congratulations, you've already received this week's message.
Now, let's give this message a lift.
Have you ever met someone with a bright inspiring spirit about them, and thought to yourself, "Wow, I'd like to know them better!" Have you noticed that when you attend a community education course, you leave with many fresh new ideas and a powerful boost in your attitude? A well-known quote says, "You are what you think about all day long." If you hang out with the losers, your thoughts are likely to be dark and depressing. Spend time with those who possess magic in their attitude and enthusiastic vitality in their work ethic, and your thoughts are likely to soar.
Take a close look at your list of goals for this year. Have you included the addition of positive new personal relationships in your work and play environment? Remember that "to have a friend, you must first be a friend." Consider expanding your sphere of contacts to include those who would inspire you to greatness!
Music lovers on the mountain are disappointed to hear the news that the Timberline Mountain Music Series of free concerts has been cancelled this season.
Guess what! The forest service has received 4.25 million dollars of stimulus money. Some of this money will be used to work on the infrastructure of Timberline Lodge. Some of this work will be done this summer at Timberline therefore halting the concert series due to construction.
Displaying blog entries 1371-1380 of 1876
