Sunday, December 7, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Great News!!!
It's a Buyers Market!!!
The great irony of a buyers' market is that even though the opportunity to buy is high, buyer urgency tends to hit an all-time low. What are we waiting for? Before you know it the prices will go back up, the market will be scarce and we will be sitting around saying, I WISH!!!
Did you know that in "the Couve" at the end of September there were 2014 homes for sale from $100,000 to $300,000...the interest rates are now below 6% and with 3% down you can be in a home for an average of $1,200.00 a month...
Buying in a "Buyers Market" is the smart buy...you cannot predict the bottom, just as you cannot predict the top. Ask only "Has the market dropped enough now to make a sensible purchase?"..Too much information or homes on the market can also cause confusion...call your Real Estate Expert for information on sorting through your needs and wants.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Make a Disaster Plan
Your Community is depending on you to be ready. By preparing now you improve your chances of surviving an earthquake, flood or hazardous spill. Here are three (3) steps to take.
l. Make a Disaster Plan. (Check out: "Plan in a year" http://www.emd.wa.gov/)
- Create a family communications plan so everyone knows how to reach each other, including an out-of-area phone contact and where to meet if it's not possible to go home.
- Learn about the available resources and what types of disasters are most likely to occur where you live and play.
2. Build an Emergency Kit. (Check out: http://www.redcross.org/)
- Assemble or buy a disaster kit with at least three (3) days of supplies in an easy to carry container, like a backpack
- Check stock every six (6) months and replace expired items.
3. Get involved. (Check out: www.cityofvancouver.us/prepare)
- Learn how to Map Your Neighborhood
- Take a Community emergency Response Team Training (CERT)
- http://www.preparetogether.org/
- http://www.cresa911.org/
- http://www.vanfire.org/
prepared by: Vancouver Fire Dept. and City of Vancouver Washington
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Home Price for 2008 Market
Housing values still up from ’05
Thursday, July 31, 2008
By JULIA ANDERSON, Columbian staff writer
If you own a home in the Vancouver-Portland metropolitan area, do you have a profit or a loss on
the purchase? According to a Portland economist, if you bought before May 2006, you probably
still have a profit.
That’s because average home values in the Vancouver-Portland market have risen 75.5 percent
since June 1999. So, despite the more recent housing market downturn, your net equity is ahead.
But, according to Bill Conerly in his most recent Businomics blog item, if you bought after May
2006, you are most likely looking at a loss on the purchase. But even there, you have good news:
Your loss is probably less than homeowners’ in most U.S. metropolitan areas.
This conclusion, Conerly says, is based on analysis of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices
released this week, reflecting a three-month moving average of regional housing data through
May.
Case-Shiller’s index tracks the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas.
In the Vancouver-Portland area, Case-Shiller shows home values were down 5.2 percent in May
from May 2007. While lower than a year ago, the local index appears to have bottomed in
February and slightly improved since then.
Seattle-area home values, meanwhile, continued to decline in May, falling 0.5 percent from April.
They were 6.3 percent lower then than in May 2007, according to Case-Shiller. The nation’s
weakest housing markets are in Las Vegas, Miami and Detroit.
Vancouver-Portland has generally fared better than most other major metropolitan areas.
Local median price
In Clark County, the median price of homes sold in June was $249,900, down 4 percent from
June 2007, as reported by benchmarks, a service of Riley & Marks appraisers in Vancouver. But
housing sales remain weak, off 38.2 percent in the second quarter from last year as mortgage
credit has tightened and buyers hold out for bargains. Economist Conerly said that people seem
to be feeling worse about the region’s economy than the numbers actually suggest.
“I don’t see it as quite as bad as the talk I’m hearing,” he said recently of the local second-quarter
economic indicators.
To that point, while the dividing line between profit and loss on a home purchased in this market is
May 2006, nationally in the 20 largest metropolitan areas, that point came in July 2004, he said.
That’s because prices zoomed higher in other markets and have fallen back more dramatically.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
By JULIA ANDERSON, Columbian staff writer
If you own a home in the Vancouver-Portland metropolitan area, do you have a profit or a loss on
the purchase? According to a Portland economist, if you bought before May 2006, you probably
still have a profit.
That’s because average home values in the Vancouver-Portland market have risen 75.5 percent
since June 1999. So, despite the more recent housing market downturn, your net equity is ahead.
But, according to Bill Conerly in his most recent Businomics blog item, if you bought after May
2006, you are most likely looking at a loss on the purchase. But even there, you have good news:
Your loss is probably less than homeowners’ in most U.S. metropolitan areas.
This conclusion, Conerly says, is based on analysis of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices
released this week, reflecting a three-month moving average of regional housing data through
May.
Case-Shiller’s index tracks the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas.
In the Vancouver-Portland area, Case-Shiller shows home values were down 5.2 percent in May
from May 2007. While lower than a year ago, the local index appears to have bottomed in
February and slightly improved since then.
Seattle-area home values, meanwhile, continued to decline in May, falling 0.5 percent from April.
They were 6.3 percent lower then than in May 2007, according to Case-Shiller. The nation’s
weakest housing markets are in Las Vegas, Miami and Detroit.
Vancouver-Portland has generally fared better than most other major metropolitan areas.
Local median price
In Clark County, the median price of homes sold in June was $249,900, down 4 percent from
June 2007, as reported by benchmarks, a service of Riley & Marks appraisers in Vancouver. But
housing sales remain weak, off 38.2 percent in the second quarter from last year as mortgage
credit has tightened and buyers hold out for bargains. Economist Conerly said that people seem
to be feeling worse about the region’s economy than the numbers actually suggest.
“I don’t see it as quite as bad as the talk I’m hearing,” he said recently of the local second-quarter
economic indicators.
To that point, while the dividing line between profit and loss on a home purchased in this market is
May 2006, nationally in the 20 largest metropolitan areas, that point came in July 2004, he said.
That’s because prices zoomed higher in other markets and have fallen back more dramatically.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Great resource....
Whether buying, selling, or planning to stay put for a while, you can use the information o CostHelper.com to start budgeting for projects around the home and beyond. The site provides free cost estimates on almost everything you can think og-- from building a deck to having windows cleanded to adding a swimming pool, and more. the site isn't limitd to home related topics, though. It includes information on things like travel, cars, child care, and more.
http://www.costhelper.com/
http://www.costhelper.com/
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Here's Looking at 2008 in the "Couve"
The Pacific Northwest is a great place to live and play!!
as presented by the Columbian, January 27, 2008
Jobs: in 2007 employment grew by 3,000 jobs, or 2.2 percent. 2008 looks for slower growth, around 1,600 jobs.
Chip Production: expansion that began in 2007 is expected to continue, growing 9.3 percent.
Housing: It is an excellent time to buy and sell. There will be a small amount of appreciation, up possibly 4 to 5 percent.
Energy: In 2008 there should be little upward pressure on electricity prices int eh Pacific Northwest. With the possibility of a warm winter gas prices in 2008 could lead to reductions in natural gas prices.
Retail: New retail space will add 821,000 sq . ft. to the market. New national apparel stores will commit to Clark County retail developments.
Mortgage Banking: All indications are that mortgage loan rates will stay as they have in 2007 with possible increases toward the end of the year.
Travel: Visitor spending in Clark County reached an extimated $400 milling last year. In 2008, at least an 8 percent increase is projected.
For more details go to: http://www.columbian.com
as presented by the Columbian, January 27, 2008
Jobs: in 2007 employment grew by 3,000 jobs, or 2.2 percent. 2008 looks for slower growth, around 1,600 jobs.
Chip Production: expansion that began in 2007 is expected to continue, growing 9.3 percent.
Housing: It is an excellent time to buy and sell. There will be a small amount of appreciation, up possibly 4 to 5 percent.
Energy: In 2008 there should be little upward pressure on electricity prices int eh Pacific Northwest. With the possibility of a warm winter gas prices in 2008 could lead to reductions in natural gas prices.
Retail: New retail space will add 821,000 sq . ft. to the market. New national apparel stores will commit to Clark County retail developments.
Mortgage Banking: All indications are that mortgage loan rates will stay as they have in 2007 with possible increases toward the end of the year.
Travel: Visitor spending in Clark County reached an extimated $400 milling last year. In 2008, at least an 8 percent increase is projected.
For more details go to: http://www.columbian.com
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Tips To Save At The Pumps...
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the
ground temperature is still cold Remember that all service stations
have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the
more dense the gasoline, when it ge ts warmer gasoline expands, so buying
in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon
. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of
the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products
plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal
for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature
compensation at the pumps.
When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast
mode . If you look you will see t hat the trigger has three (3) stages:
low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed ,
thereby m inimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All
hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast
rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those
vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so
you're g etting less worth for your money.
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF
FULL . The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the
less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you
can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This
roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it
minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work,
every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon
is actually the exact amount.
Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage
tanks wh en you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline
is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up
some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Hope this will help you get the most value for your money
ground temperature is still cold Remember that all service stations
have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the
more dense the gasoline, when it ge ts warmer gasoline expands, so buying
in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon
. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of
the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products
plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal
for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature
compensation at the pumps.
When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast
mode . If you look you will see t hat the trigger has three (3) stages:
low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed ,
thereby m inimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All
hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast
rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those
vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so
you're g etting less worth for your money.
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF
FULL . The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the
less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you
can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This
roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it
minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work,
every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon
is actually the exact amount.
Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage
tanks wh en you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline
is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up
some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Hope this will help you get the most value for your money
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Garden Thoughts
If you are beginning to think of your garden already, check out these spots...
http://naturallybeautifulbackyards.org/
http://naturescaping.org/
http://berrybot.org/
http://naturallybeautifulbackyards.org/
http://naturescaping.org/
http://berrybot.org/
2008 Resolution for your Home
Make your home more comfortable in 2008...Your home should be a refuge, so make it comfortable...
Try one or all of these ideas:
- Add a comfy couch and seating
- Add a splash of color with a splash of paint, fabric or flooring
- Get rid of clutter and organize closets and storage
- Create a place in the garden for a retreat. Add a water feature, it can be very therapeutic.
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