Nationwide Open House Weekend, April 28th - 29th

It's Nationwide Open House Weekend this Weekend...

April 28 - 29th..

Find a House, Call, Text or EMail  and I can assist you with your move...

Great tips for your smaller space...

Making your new smaller space feel wonderful!!  Things you can only do if you own your own home...

Here are more design trends taking hold in 2011:

• Outdoor amenities such as grills, sinks, showers, and entertainment areas.
• Freestanding tubs with a separate stand-up shower in the bathroom.
• Color schemes – Earth tones, blues and blue greens, chocolate browns.
• International design influence, especially Asian design in both décor and functional products.
• Ceiling details accenting rooms within open floor plans.
• Media space for flat screen TVs and gaming systems, and living areas wired for technology.
• Organizational features, built-ins, and smart storage areas throughout the home.
• Universal design features incorporated in subtle ways.
• Artistic tile in kitchens and baths, often emulating organic patterns found in nature.
• Energy efficient products – washing machines, dish washers, toilets, and showerheads.
• LED lighting incorporated into sinks, showers, and medicine cabinets.

Call today, we can turn your house into a home...

Tags: bath, color trends, design, International Builders

Free Lunch!!

Let's all join in and reach out to our Community here in Portland, Oregon and SW Washington.  What a great idea to offer a free lunch to someone in need.  Panera is doing just that in the Portland Area.  We need more activity like this in these days of less.  So, when you plan on meeting up for lunch next time, go and do something for the good of all and leave a little extra so the next person can have a little to eat that day. 

Free Lunch?...there is one...   and you can be the benefactor of it...:)

50 Plus in "The Couve"

If you are 50 Plus and living in Vancouver, Washington this is a great resource for you.  Click on the Link for the December Catalog.

.http://www.cityofvancouver.us/seniormessenger.asp?issueID=79085

Cleaning your fireplace with Used Coffee Grounds

Got a fireplace that actually burns things up? If there's a significant amount of ashes to clean out, you can cut down on the mouth-covering and coughing with used coffee grounds, which mix with the ashes into an easy-to-clean whole.

The tip comes from Networx, which claims that the weight and slight dampness of coffee grounds, when sprinkled around a fireplace bottom, makes ashes less likely to fly and easier to clean out. We found the coffee grounds/ash connection in a few other places online, too—along with a number of suggestions on making your own long-burning logs out of coffee grounds, so it seems worth at least a try.

Why Buy a Home?

You're a Homeowner, what now...

Homeownership provides a sense of stability and security. Instead of wondering when the landlord might decide to sell the home, you are in control of that decision. Additionally, homeownership provides immeasurable values of belonging to a social community. Also, as a homeowner, you'll have a greater influence on community affairs. Renters, being usually more transient, have less influence on policymakers.




What it comes down to is how long you plan on staying in a particular home and area and what you can afford. Owning your home weds you to a property which some people feel limits them. However, many others see a home as their life and the legacy they'll leave behind... a place where they raise children, enjoy company, experience life's ups and downs, and eventually pass on their home to loved ones.

Vancouver Washington Libraries..

If you are living or working around the Vancouver, Washington area, you have just got to visit your FVRL..November is full of great events for all of the Family...Laura Bush is coming to town for a fundraiser for the Library...It's not all about Green Eggs and Ham...

FVRL

Vancouver-Clark County Parks Seasonal Closings

If you are out and about in Clark Co, Vancouver/SW Washington and running, walking or just a family outing check out this list for seasonal restroom closures...

Vancouver Parks and Recreation

An upswing in home Sales are expected...

All indicators show that the Sale homes are going to continue to grow over the next two years.  Don't give up, stay in the Market and you will be poised to take advantage of this activity.

Home sales predictions for 2011 and into 2012

Washington's Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) Program.

Looking for Tuition Money...here is a link to sign up for information seminar regarding this program in the State of Washington...The times and dates are for SW Washington...

 Washington'g Guaranteed Education Tuition Program Schedule 

Do you have a new home wish list?

Wish-list worksheet.

Creating a Wish List on paper will help you decide which home you should buy! There are many things to consider when thinking of your new home and making a wish list. You can create check boxes to help you weed out the less than satisfactory homes. Be sure to prioritize your list so that each item will not count as much as other items. A few Things To Consider: CommunitySelect a community that will allow you to best live your daily life. Many people choose communities based on schools. Do you want access to shopping and public transportation? Is access to local facilities like libraries and museums important to you? Or do you prefer the peace and quiet of a rural community? When you find places that you like, talk to people that live there. They know the most about the area and will be your future neighbors. More than anything, you want a neighborhood where you feel comfortable in.SchoolsYou can get information about school systems by contacting the city or county school board or the local schools. Your real estate agent may also be knowledgeable about schools in the area.Resale ValueYour real estate agent can give you a ballpark figure by showing you comparable listings. If you are working with a REALTOR, they may have access to comparable sales maintained on a database. You should consider new developments and if the community is growing in a fasion that will increase the value of your hoem in the years to come.PriceIt is always advisable to purchase a home within your means. Use one of our calculators to be confident that your new home purchase is within your budget!

Freddie Mac: Sales bottomed in Q1, By: Inman News

Freddie Mac analysis think home sales bottomed in the first three months of 2009 at an annual rate of 4.46 million per year, and will post steady gains each quarter to reach a pace of 5.85 million sales per year by the fourth quarter in 2010.

Sales of both new and existing detached single -family homes are expected to bottom this year at 4.72 million -- down 37 percent from the 7.46 million transactions closed in 2005 -- before rebounding to 5.5 million next year, Freddie mac said in its July 2009 Economic and Housing Market Outlook.

Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are expected to continue rising from their low of 5 percent in the second quarter of this year, reaching 5.5 percent in in the final quarter of 1009 and 6 percent by the end of 2020. At 5.8 percent, however, the projected average for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages will still be low by historic norms.

Vancouver...A community that grows with trees...

This is an exciting time to live in Vancouver! Our community is experiencing growth and development that is breathing new vitality into our neighborhoods. However, we must all take steps to preserve and enhance the urban forest today to ensure a high quality of life for future generations. Because Vancouver is a city that cares about its trees, it has been designated as a "Tree City USA, since 1989..
Trees provide important environmental, social and economic benefits for all of us:

One tree:

• Intercept 760 gallons of rainfall
• Produce 260 pounds of oxygen
• Absorb 10 pounds of airborn pollutants.
• Sequester 100 pounds of carbon dioxide.
• Provide food and habitat for wildlife.

Some Vancouver tree regulations and Permit information:

see Ordinance (VMC 20.770) and (VMC) 12.04)

• before removing any tree call Urban Forestry at 360-619-1132 to check if a permit is required.http://www.cityofvancouver.us/urbanforestry

Other good links:

http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/

http://www.friendsoftrees.org/

http://www.pnwisci.org/

http://www.ticfortrees.info/

http://www.treelink.org/

http://www.treesaregood.com/

Wine Event in the Gorge...

http://www.columbiagorgewine.com/

As seen in the WSJ, 13 March...


Wine Event in the Gorge...

Columbia Gorge region, Washington and Oregon
The Columbia Gorge AVA is about an hour east of Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, WAsh. and spans 40 miles. The region was granted appellation status in July 2004. This will be the inaugral passport weekend and 25 wineries will participate. Wineries are waiving basic tasting fees and some are offering discounts on purchases. Erin Glenn Winery will sample eight wines and the winemaker will give tours of the cellar (the winery is housed in a historic building constructed during the gold rush) Naked Winery will pour a vertical teasting of Merlots in teh VIP tasting area. Winery list and ticket information at Columbiagorgewine.com.

WHEN: March 27-29 most 11am to 5 pm
WHERE: Washington and Oregon's Columbia Gorge
HOW MUCH: $15.00 for the weekend

Christmas Ships on The Columbia River

Come and view the many activities in and around "The Couve" for this Holiday Season...

History and Rose Tour

Fulfilling your visions of wonderful homes and great gardens, is as simple as taking a tour of Vintage Portland Homes, Landmarks and Gardens...

From the tombstone of one of Portland's founding fathers, to a restored 20th century pub, to the blooming roses at Washington Park....

As seasons change so do your real estate needs...Whenever we can be of assistance please call on us!!! The Bridge Team

Come Walk With Us!!!

If you have been thinking about getting out and getting some great exercise, come join us...we walk all over Portland and Vancouver...we are training for the 2007 Marathon, however, it is not a requirement...

Go to our website and see who and what we are about...we would love to have you!!!

Must-Have Features forToday's Home Buyer...

Boomers or Bust!

1. No Stairs - Single story homes, first-floor master suites and /or personal elevators. As baby boomers age, they'd rather not do stairs .
2. Fireplaces - they've always wanted to have one. "It's a reward for their station in life:
3. Low maintenance surfaces - such as granite, quartz and Corian.
4. Pedestrian friendly communities - with walking trails and amenities conductive to fitness and social interaction in the neighborhood.
5. Emphasis on quality and detailing - more than square footage. It's the McMansion theory in reverse. Baby boomers are willing to trade some space for (better) features.
6. Flexible floor plans - Rooms and spaces that can adapt to changing needs and circumstances, that are multi-functional, perhaps with sliding doors and movable partitions.
7. A keeping room - Living rooms are giving way to great rooms, a keeping room provides and intimate space for families to gather near the kitchen are. "You can put a sofa and a couple of chairs in there and a fireplace.
8. Private outdoor space - this could be a deck or patio, "Someone coined the phrase, "Does it pass the smooch test?"
9. Accessible storage - Cabinets and shelves placed at heights that can be reached without a stepladder and that have pullouts, lazy susan's and shallow shelving to keep them within easy reach.
10. Ample wall space for photo gallery - of all the kids, grandkids, siblings, and parents who may have passed away is helpful.
11. Radiant floor heating - Baby boomers may have more health issues like asthma or emphysema. "Forced air becomes problematic - you don't want dust blowing around."

Professional Builder surveyed six experts - architects, home industry trend experts, and real-estate brokers and designers - to get their take on the must-have features for today's home buyers.

Come Walk with Me!!!!

A new year and a new beginning...do you want to train to walk the 2007 Portland Marathon or just get some great fellowship and walking training....Come walk with us we begin again this month....click on the highlighted area or photo and fill out your registration form...

Vancouver, Washington Attracts with Natural Beauty. (source: Real Estate News and Advice)


The natural beauty of Vancouver, invites a variety of outdoor recreations, making it one of the most desirable cities to live in or visit in Washington...Vancouver is situated along the Columbia River just North of Portland, Oregon. Vancouver is the oldest city in the State of Washington.

We invite you to come and experience what so many are loving about living in this fabulous, rich in adventure part of the United States.

The Bridge Team