Useful Road Trip Tool - Gas Buddy!

When you are out on the road it's sometimes good to have a tool that will travel with you.  Along those lines, there is a mobile text & web product that will help you find the lowest gas prices.  The site is called GasBuddy and it provides the lowest gas prices in whatever zip code you are traveling.  It even has mobile versions that will allow you to text or go to the mobile web.  When you're on the road, just text 368266 (it's free) along with the city & state OR the zip code.

 

Also, you can use their mobile website GasBuddyToGo.com to do the same.  More importantly you can notify them of a great gas price you have found so that we can all benefit.  The reporting of gas prices does require a login id and password.  Since we might be using this as Spring Break as a stay-cation, or to scout new neighborhoods for investment property or to move closer to family in other areas, keep the Listed2Sold team in mind for all your relocation needs.

Spring Break, Wine, and Real Estate--what do they have in common?

Since the day I started blogging about a month ago, I found it hard to come up with new content.  So in the process, I started following some interesting blogs. Mostly around my passions: Real Estate, Oregon State Sports, Career Search, and Wine.  When I ran across a blog post about Why Oregon is a great place to grow grapes.  Since maps have also been interesting to me, it was cool to know that the climate and soils lead many wine makers to the area.  So the real estate person in me started thinking (I know, don't hurt yourself!).  If people are coming to Oregon to grow, then that will lead to tourism and jobs.  That of course will lead to purchasers of real estate (for growing & perhaps visiting) in wine-concentrated areas like Newberg, Dundee, etc. Also, with Spring Break coming up, it's a challenge to always come up with ideas.  So, why not combine a nice drive through wine country with the family?  March 27th & 28th a number of vineyards will be open for family friendly events. If you have any questions about Real Estate in Oregon, Wine or any of our other passions, don't hesitate to contact our team at 503-770-0707.

USDA is running short EARLY on loan funds for 100% financing program

Well the USDA is looking at running out of funds early this year.  By the end of April 2010, the Department of Agriculture is projected to run out of funds according to a bulletin posted by the USDA.  Art Marine at Academy Mortgage states that loans should be submitted ASAP to ensure you have the availability of this great program for rural property.  Please contact our team to find out more information about 100% loan programs like USDA.

This message is to notify you that program funding for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program will likely be exhausted by the end of April, 2010.

Once funding is exhausted, the Agency will not issue Conditional Commitments “subject to receipt of appropriated funds.”  This is because it is not certain when additional funding will be available. 

Limited funding may become available for disaster areas declared in 2008, or in disaster areas declared for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Limited funding may also become available as prior Agency commitments are de-obligated, however, such funding will be very limited. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.  Should you have any questions, you may contact the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Division at (202)720-1452.

Get PAID to leave your home on a Short Sale?

Didn't really believe it myself, but it appears the current administration in Washington DC is looking at it seriously.  As reported in the NY Times a short sale program is being considered to replace the triple-M (mediocre mortgage modification) program that has very few mortgages being modified.  The proposed program would pay out to investor, mortgage servicer, the seller, and even a 2nd mortgage holder.  Short sales have the possibility to be sources of fraud (i.e. can a borrower really not pay back? how much is the home really worth?).  However, there are several resources and protections for Oregonians facing foreclosure from the State.  For more information about foreclosures and short sales, and their potential pitfalls, feel free to contact the Listed2Sold team at 503-770-0707.

Spring Break with the Family

The clouds have finally parted for school-aged children around the state—Spring Break is here! There are countless options to do with the family, from the coast to the desert, for toddlers, teens and grandparents—gamble at an Old West saloon, take a picnic to the coast and watch the gray whale migration, sort through precious gems.

There’s fun to be had around that state and it’s educational, but don’t worry, we won’t tell.

Peek into the seedy underbelly of the Wild West at the Sin in the Sage Brush exhibit at Central Oregon’s High Desert Museum. Get a firsthand account on how the barkeepers and “working women” of the Old West saloons survived; and see how well you fare amongst the sordid cheaters at the roulette or poker tables. Looking for something a little less seedy? Follow an adventure map to find hidden treasures. Play like a wild animal at the Dig, Craw and Climb exhibit where kids shoot down rock slides, swing from a spider’s web and crawl through an owl’s hole. See resident wildlife such as wild cats, otters, lizards, scorpions and snakes (oh my!), just a few of the creatures you’ll find here. There is no shortage of activities for all at this natural history museum.

March marks the beginning of spring season whale watching (gray whales to be exact), with majority of traffic occurring at the end of the month—just in time for spring break. Head to the Oregon Coast and post-up on a towering coastal bluff for a front-row view of the action. From Ecola State Park to Brookings, there are 28 prime spots to catch the migration. Settle in with a picnic and be sure to bring along extra binoculars; you’ll want to look out for blowing spouts, diving tails or a breaching whale leap from the sea. To get more information about the migration, visit Depoe Bay’s Whale Watching Center.

Even in the city you can get your hands dirty. Just a few miles from downtown Portland and covering over 5,000 acres, Forest Park is unlike any other urban park. The Forest Park Conservancy hosts a number of programs that help to keep the trails and natural habitat of the park enjoyable and healthy; this is a great spot for the budding botanist in the family or anyone who likes to romp in the woods. Pull invasive species like ivy, help plant a tree or explore the habitat on a guided hike.

Discover natural wonders at the Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals. Their collection includes crystallized minerals, colorful copper, quartz and gypsum and rare gem crystals like emerald, ruby and aquamarine. Before you go, be sure to check out Grant McOmie’s recent trip to the museum.

For even more Family Friendly Getaways, check out Trips We Love…

Posted using ShareThis, courtesy of the Travel Oregon Blog

Real Estate Recovery in Oregon

Having been around real estate for about 6 years, and involved in a networking group for career seekers, it's clear that a real estate recovery will come when we have strong job creation.

Along that note, my curiosity was peeked when Facebook made an announcement to add a data center in Prineville, Oregon (home of Les Schwab Tires if you remember, which moved their HQ to Bend a few years back).  Why was this curious?  Well inspite of the recent tax measure (66 & 67) and other bleak economic news, Oregon still has unique characteristics for business:

• clean, cheap power - compared to some other states with major coal or gas generation equipment, Oregon still has some of the least expensive hydroelectric power in the US.
• great location for disaster sites for large datacenters (like those for Facebook & Google)
• with high unemployment, employers have a large pool of highly qualified candidates to chose from, including senior managers.
• quality of life--with so much to do in Oregon, companies and workers will continue to live here regardless of cost to do business or to relocate here.

So what can we learn from this?  Well, it's clear that jobs come and jobs go.  Positioning yourself to take advantage of the shifts in economic variables will allow you to do more than survive.  And, when you do make that shift (normally every 3 years) then please phone our team to help you with the relocation decisions.

Interest FREE, NO Payment Loans to buy & fix Foreclosed Homes.

You heard me.  The US Department of Housing & Urban Development (aka HUD) has put together an INTEREST-FREE, NO PAYMENT loan program for repairs on bank owned homes (aka REO properties).  The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) was first introduced in 2008 as part of HERA (Housing & Economic Recovery Act) and was later added to under the Recovery Act of 2009.  Essentially NSP is a grant program provided for by the US Congress to get these properties off the market.  



One of the unfortunate side-effects of REO property is the condition scares some buyers.  To alleviate that concern, the NSP program has allocated $19.6M for NSP1 and $6.8M for NSP2 grants to buyers for repairs up to $50,000.  On top of repairs, the NSP would allow for the $50,000 to be used for down payment & closing costs.  In Portland Metro area, Clackamas County officials have been at the forefront of implementing the program.  There are income & educational requirements so please review them carefully.  For more detail on how to navigate this program, contact the Listed2Sold Team at Prudential, 503-770-0707, or take a look at the list of FORECLOSED HOMES in Clackamas County that qualify for this program.