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Mt. Hood Mortgage Problems?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

by Liz Warren

If you are a homeowner in Brightwood, Welches, Government Camp or Rhododendron and are having some problems making your mortgage payment you may want to visit this site. It's called MakingHomeAffordable.gov This site will guide you through options if you have a second mortgage or line of credit that is making your current mortgage unaffordable.

This is part of the government's programs to help the housing crisis and make loans more affordable for homeowners by getting them out with short sales (selling for less than is owed on the home) or by loan modifications (lengthening time frame or reduced interest rate).

Use this site as a resource to guide you through the process.

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Mortgage Problems

Looking for a Hike on Mt. Hood?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

by Liz Warren

Although we are closing in on almost the 4th of July, the current snow level is 3100 feet depending upon sun and other factors. If you are looking to take off on a hike in the Mt. Hood area, please stay on the lower trails and don't attempt to travel snow covered trails because they are easy to loose in these conditions!

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Hiking on Mt. Hood

Morning Coffee

Monday, June 22, 2009

by Liz Warren

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life.
They take the images outside them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself."

~ Hermann Hesse

JUST ASK DOROTHY!

You've probably seen it a dozen times - "The Wizard of Oz." It's a delightful tale of fantasy, complete with munchkins, a scarecrow in need of a brain, a yellow brick road, a wicked witch and a mythical wizard with the imagined power to send Dorothy back to Kansas.

Regardless of the fantasy, the beautiful color, the unusual characters, and the whimsical plot, there is a powerful message that comes as one of Dorothy's last lines as she prepares to leave Oz. She says, "If ever again I go looking for my heart's desire, I won't look any further than my own backyard." It's such a simple statement, yet it carries a lesson for all of us.

How often do we look outside our own world of home and family for "our heart's desire?" There are so many distractions that lure us out of our own backyard: careers, shopping, powerful people, sports, clubs, TV, committees, the Internet, and the list goes on. There's so much to do and so little time. Then one day we look and our own backyard no longer seems to exist.

We should take time to smell the roses in our own garden, rather than looking over the fence and down the yellow brick road to see the roses of others. We need to let go of the imagined - the tin man, lion, and scarecrow of our own making - and appreciate the real Auntie Em's in our lives. If we don't, we may wake up one day to realize we're "not in Kansas anymore."

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Morning Coffee on Mt.Hood

Renovating An Old House On Mt. Hood?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

by Liz Warren

If you own a historic home or just an older home on Mt. Hood you may want to attend the 3rd annual Old House Fair. Pass this info along to other historic or vintage home owners please.

Here are the details:

The Greatest Gathering of Old House Expertise in the Northwest!
Free Admission!
Saturday, June 27th
10:00am - 5:00pm
Architectural Heritage Center
701 SE Grand Ave. @ Alder St. Portland, OR

Bring your questions and photographs to the experts who love vintage homes and understand period-authentic renovation. See truly useful demonstrations and get new ideas you can apply to your own old house projects.

The Architectural Heritage Center is a non-profit resource center for historic preservation, located in Portland, Oregon. Owned and operated by the Bosco-Milligan Foundation, The AHC hosts dozens of programs, workshops, and exhibits each year, helping people APPRECIATE, RESTORE, and MAINTAIN vintage homes, buildings, and neighborhoods. We are also caretakers of one of the largest collections of architectural artifacts in the United States.

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renovating old homes Mt. Hood

Still Creek Road Is Closed

Friday, June 19, 2009

by Liz Warren

Not far from the West end of Still Creek Road in Rhododendron the road has some severe winter storm damage from this winter. Although not passable by car at this time, cabin owners may use Road 20 for access to their cabins. Bikes and walkers can pass through the area but the road is undercut so it's a bit damgerous. Reports are that the road will be closed indefinately but if I hear of an update, I will pass this along. The Mt. Hood National Forest roads are maintained by the forest service.

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Still Creek Road

Fabulous One Level Home

Monday, June 15, 2009

by Liz Warren

Hit the brakes! This is a great one for retirees or first time home buyers. Priced at $200,000, this is a very affordable home in today's market. The seller has done all the expensive updates including a hot water heater, a propane stove for the living room, paint, landscaping and ten solar tubes to add lots of natural light. Three bedrooms and two baths with a huge back deck perfect for entertaining. The backyard is completely fenced with a wonderland of paths and great sitting areas.

The seller loves to grow roses so the path to the front door is lined with her best smelling roses. Everyone loves the huge boulders that add to the ambiance of the yard! This home will qualify for the USDA 100% loan.

take a tour here even more details on this home here

Timberline Rim, subdivision located only one hour from Portland has many amenities include a lodge, swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts and paths and picnic areas along the Sandy River.

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Mt. Hood One Level Home

Mt. Hood Foreclosures

Sunday, June 14, 2009

by Liz Warren

We are reading daily about the increasing numbers of foreclosures hitting the market. Take a look at the Mt. Hood area sales since January 1, 2009 for Rhododendron, Government Camp, Welches and Brightwood. There have been 31 total sales and I uncover 2 foreclosure sales and 3 third party approvals or "shortsales". That's about 16% of sales for the Mt. Hood area so far this year. In comparing our area to others our foreclosures and shortsales are substantially lower.

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Mt. Hood foreclosures

What about Sandy Oregon Sales?

Saturday, June 13, 2009

by Liz Warren

Nationally 50% of home buyers in the first quarter of 2009 were first time home buyers and nearly half of sales were foreclosures and short sales. Take a look at Sandy Oregon's sales for the past six months. You'll find of the 103 total sales for residential properties 83 were under $250,000. If this isn't affordability, I am not sure what is! The $8,000 tax credit is helping a lot of buyers get into their homes.

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Sandy Oregon Sales

What sold on Mt. Hood in May 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009

by Liz Warren

Cash is king. Of the seven sales in May, four were cash transactions, two were seller held contracts and one was a conventional loan. The banks are a necessary evil in completing most primary home transactions but when it comes to second homes, which the majority of our transactions have been in May, cash is king.

Three Mt Hood National Forest cabins changed hands. Two of those sales were owner contracts since conventional financing is not possible on leased land. I expect we will see more seller held contracts for forest cabins in the future.

One Collins Lake Condo changed hands, which is amazing since the entire project is shut down for major reconstruction after the law suit was settled!

Here are the details: