February 17th, 2011
Each day, if you pay attention to news media, you may find yourself either riding a roller-coaster or pulling at an old fashion taffy pull when it comes to the housing market.
The Wall Street Journal had an article “Home Prices Sink Further”: Declines Reported in All 28 Major Metropolitan Areas; Unsold Inventory Piles up”, stating that Portland home values went from approx. 6.25% down in the 2nd Quarter to 12.1% down in the 4th Quarter. As stated in the article, “Falling prices are a reflection of weak demand and tight credit conditions that reduce …
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February 10th, 2011
Click the Image Below for the Full News Letter: A Look at the 2011 Housing Market
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January 31st, 2011
Click the Image Below for the Full Newsletter about Remodeling and More!
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January 28th, 2011
The Mortgage Insurance companies don’t seem to think so (at least not in Portland).
So what is Mortgage Insurance (MI)?
Contrary to what it sounds like, MI it is not insurance that your mortgage will be paid if you lose your job. In fact, it is not insurance for you at all, even though you may be paying it every month.
Mortgage Insurance is for the lender holding the loan on the property. The lender will typically require MI on any loan where there is less than an 80% loan to value ratio (LTV). For instance, if the down payment is less than …
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Tags: Housing Market, Mortgage Insurance
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December 9th, 2010
Click the Image Below for the Full Newsletter about the Holiday Season and Much More!
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October 25th, 2010
Would You Like a Free Home Energy Review for Your Home?
Oregon ranks 3rd in the nation for energy efficiency according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) http://www.aceee.org/sector/state-policy/scorecard.
Are you doing your part?
Did you know that the Energy Trust of Oregon will provide a Free Home Energy Review for your home? It is a great service! I had one done on my home and they give you tips on ways to improve your energy efficiency and save on energy bills.
…
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June 23rd, 2010
Beginning August 1, 2010, if you are selling a home that contains an uncertified wood stove, you will be required to remove this device from the home and contact the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
As it turns out, the smoke that is emitted from the cozy and warm fire that you enjoy on cold winter evenings can be harmful. Uncertified woodstoves produce more of this smoke than the DEQ deems as acceptable for people to inhale on a regular basis. They argue that the particulates in the smoke can potentially contribute to respiratory disease, asthma attacks, heart …
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April 29th, 2010
By now, many savvy first time home buyers have taken advantage of the $8,000 tax credit that ends Friday, April 30th. The program was designed to stimulate the economy and revive the housing market and it appears to have worked. According to the National Association of Realtors, existing home sales rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units in March from 5.01 million in February, and are 16.1 percent above the 4.61 million-unit level in March 2009. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said …
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March 29th, 2010
Today I got a call from a client that I sold a house to in August of 2007. They were first time home buyers at the time and were able to take advantage of the Oregon Bond First Time Home Buyers 100% loan program. It is a great program and was a perfect fit for them.
This couple is now struggling with reductions in pay and hours at work and are barely making ends meet. They called me today to see what their options would be and if I thought they could refinance.
I plan to run the comparables market analysis for …
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Tags: loan programs
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