Tigard - Annual Tualatin River Discovery Day - June 18, 2011

Annual Tualatin River Discovery Day - June 18, 2011 - Cook Park to Brown's Ferry Park


Family Friendly!
The Tualatin Riverkeepers have designed a trip that’s very special for families with children. It's a little shorter than their normal trips but they will have family nature activities at Brown's Ferry Park. For those who want to paddle more, there will be a side trip to the Lake Oswego Canal. Bring your own boat our rent one of ours for $30. Click here to reserve your space and/or rent a boat.

Mortgage After a Short Sale?

How to obtain a mortgage immediately after a Short Sale..read on…

By far the easiest mortgage to obtain is a FHA loan:

Purchase Another Home

1) 3.5 percent down payment, based on the purchase price of the home (e.g., $7,000 on a $200,000 home), or a gift of that same amount;

2) 3 percent to 6 percent of the purchase price, on top of the down payment, for closing costs, or a credit from the seller of the same amount; and

3) 640 FICO credit score — the middle score of those generated by the three credit bureaus (some banks will lend to borrowers with middle scores lower than 640, but will require more than the minimum down payment).
Lenders will want you to document income, asset and job history documentation, current paycheck stubs, two months’ bank statements and two years of W-2 forms or tax returns, and:

• a minimum of two years have passed since the discharge of a bankruptcy;
• a minimum of three years have passed since a foreclosure;
• anywhere from zero to three years have passed since a short sale, depending on the circumstances surrounding the short sale.

from: Real Estate Insider News

Outdoor Appliance Guide: Gas Grills

By: Douglas Trattner

With models priced from $29 to $5,000 and up, outdoor gas grills offer convenience and ease-of-use to fit any budget.

Cost range: $29-$5,000 and up
Likely additional costs: Assembly, natural gas hookup or propane tank, cover
Average life span: 2-16 years

Sub-$50 range

Grills in the sub-$50 range are often of the tabletop propane variety. These units are constructed of thin painted sheet metal and cheaply fabricated components, all but guaranteeing a short lifespan. Brief 90-day warranties don't offer much of a safety net.

Tigard area - 7 Smart Strategies for Kitchen Remodeling - over next 7 days

 By: John Riha
Kitchen remodeling can turn a ho-hum room into your home’s pride and joy. Here are strategies to help your project run smoothly.

Value Added High $28,300

Effort High 6-12 mos (including planning)

Investment High $40,000 (nat'l g)

#1   ....It's wise to spend about six months planning a kitchen remodel, so you know what your priorities are.
Home owners spend more money on kitchen remodeling than on any other home improvement project, according to the Home Improvement Research Institute. And with good reason. Kitchens are the hub of home life, and a source of pride.

The Ten Best Cities to Buy In

Cities that had been hard-hit by the housing market crash now offer some of the best buys in real estate and where it makes much more sense to buy than rent, according to a new report from Deutsche Bank. The bank’s study measures affordability by the share of income that Americans are paying to own a home as well as the cost of owning vs. renting.

Tigard - Many Buyers Lack Credit Score Knowledge

Many Buyers Lack Credit Score Knowledge

Some consumers lack the knowledge about credit scores, and most importantly, how you can boost it to get better deals on home loans or other type of loans.

A survey of 1,000 consumers conducted by Opinion Research asked consumers 22 questions about credit scores. On average, consumers got 60 percent of the questions right, revealing several gaps in credit score knowledge.

"They did not understand the financial cost of a low score," says Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America, an association of nonprofit consumer organizations. For example, a person with bad credit trying to take a $20,000, 60-month car loan, might have to pay about $5,000 or more in interest than someone with a good credit score, according to a survey by the Consumer Federation of America and VantageScore Solutions.

Tigard - Appliance Maintenance: Heating, Venting, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Keep your HVAC systems running efficiently and reliably with this simple maintenance routine. Here’s a list of maintenance tips to keep your heating and cooling system running efficiently and reliably:

• Every 90 days, install a new one-inch pleated furnace filter. Families with shedding pets should replace the filter every month. Expect to pay $10 to $25 per filter.
• Always maintain at least two feet of clearance around outdoor air conditioning units and heat pumps.
• Weekly in summer, brush or blow off fallen debris from top and sides of outdoor air conditioning units and heat pumps. Do not allow the lawn mower to discharge grass clippings onto the unit.

Tigard - Many Buyers Lack Credit Score Knowledge

Some consumers lack the knowledge about credit scores, and most importantly, how you can boost it to get better deals on home loans or other type of loans.

A survey of 1,000 consumers conducted by Opinion Research asked consumers 22 questions about credit scores. On average, consumers got 60 percent of the questions right, revealing several gaps in credit score knowledge.

Tigard - The 6 Most Vacant U.S. Cities

The recession and economic woes caused once-booming cities to never reach the potential that some builders had forecast in housing. Overbuilding during the housing boom era and some cities' high unemployment has left several cities across the country facing a high number of vacant homes that are blanketing their landscapes.

Forbes recently released a list of America’s Emptiest Cities, analyzing single-family and rental vacancy rates of the 75 largest metro areas across the country.

The top most vacant cities, according to the Forbes.com list are: (Note: The vacancy rates listed below are from the fourth quarter of 2010.)
1. Orlando
Home vacancy rate: 4.3 percent
Apartment vacancy rate: 23.6 percent

2. Las Vegas
Home vacancy rate: 5.5 percent
Apartment vacancy rate: 13.5 percent

3. Memphis, Tenn.
Home vacancy rate: 4.7 percent
Apartment vacancy rate: 16.1 percent

4. Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
Home vacancy rate: 6.4 percent
Apartment vacancy rate: 10.4 percent

5. Dayton, Ohio
Home vacancy rate: 3.3 percent
Apartment vacancy rate: 26.4 percent


6. Phoenix
Home vacancy rate: 3.4 percent
Apartment vacancy rate: 15.5 percent

Nationwide, the single-family vacancy rate ended the year at 2.7 percent while rentals were at 9.4 percent.
Source: “America’s Emptiest Cities,” Forbes.com (March 2011)

Buyers Ready to Snatch Bargains This Spring

     Bargain prices on housing combined with low interest rates below 5 percent may bring the real estate market its busiest spring season in years, economists say.

    Distressed sales continue to put downward pressure on home prices, which may lure more buyers off the fence and ready to snag a deal during the typical prime-time buying season.
    Some builders are ramping up discounts on new homes as well as boosting commissions to brokers to try to spark more transactions.

What Buyers Want in Homes Today!

Buyers have a long list of what they want when home shopping, but one of their biggest desires: A good deal.

"And no matter where a seller prices their property, they're looking to negotiate," says Patricia Szot, president of the MetroTex Association of REALTORS®.

But that’s not all they want. Bankrate.com recently asked real estate professionals to chime in on the top desires of their buyers when home shopping. Here are four things that made the list of top home buyer preferences:

Tigard, Tualatin, Sherwood, etc Real Estate Statistics through mid-March!

   It is still a buyer's market with many bargains to be found. Interest rates are still a bargain, too, but with promises to rise and more hoops to jump through this year. Click here for the latest Portland Metro Market Action.

   More homes sold this past month than a year ago and prices are lower than they were a year ago. The average sale price dropped 10.7% and the median price is down. 8.9% Check out the above link for specifics and for your area!