Local Stories Of Loan Modifications
Loan modifications are tough, be prepared in case you can’t qualify.
Why Loan Modifications Are Rare
I talked to a friend who wants to keep his house and he asked me for advice. I told him that a previous client had gotten a loan modification at the final hour but that there were companies that could help him if he didn’t have the time. I have no idea how good they […]
July 2009 Portland Real Estate Market Action
Here were are at the end of Summer almost. For a lot of people school controls home buying. Unless you are moving a small distance, if you buy now you will have to move your kid just after school starts. Parents don’t often like that. This is in part why June and July are the […]
How Much To Borrow To Buy A Home?
Fortunately Debt-to-Income ratios allowed by banks have been lowered. At one time people could have 62% of their income paying debt each month. Take out the taxes at just 25% and you have 13% of your income to pay for utilities, food, and gas. Doesn’t make much sense does it. Typical ratios now are 43%. […]
Getting Rid Of Ants and Other Bugs
How to get rid of Ants without an Exterminator. First, pick up some boric acid powder (available at most drug stores) and mix a small amount of it 50:50 with table sugar. There’s nothing particularly scientific about this ratio, so it’s fine to just eyeball it. Next, put some of this mix into a small container […]
Real Estate News Bits
Hugh Hefner sold his personal residence next to the Playboy mansion for 64% of it’s original list price. 1 in 13 properties in Las Vegas are in foreclosure. Phoenix has 1 in 22 homes with foreclosure filings. America’s Abandoned Cities. Here’s a floating home with a different look. Okay, it’s a yacht but wow. A […]
One Trillion Dollars Visualized
Since last fall when the first bailout talk started, billions and trillions of dollars have been talked about until it has lost it’s impact. This video puts it back into perspective.
Good Fortune
Just after I listed her home my client told me about the fortune she had pulled from a cookie. She said, “We will sell this home in three months.” As you can see above she wrote the date just to prove it. We got an offer quickly and we joked that we were beating the […]
June 2009 Market Action Report For Portland
The Portland Real Estate Market Action We have an uptick in sales price but are still down 14% compared to June 2008. Same-month pending sales were up for the first time since December 2006, and inventory reached its lowest point since August 2007. New listings are down 18.3%. That certainly helps our inventory numbers. RMLS […]
Apartment Vacancy Rates Highest Since 1987
When the foreclosure crisis started I wondered if this would mean families moving back in with each other. It seems that may be the case. With record foreclosures across the country and vacant homes it almost seems implausible that rentals should be darn ner full. From Realtor.org, The vacancy rate for U.S. apartments rose to […]
Home Tip: Extension Cord Storage
No matter how careful I am I never get my extension cords in a perfect ring that unravels without a knot. Here is the solution. It’s 1:30AM so I haven’t verified how easy this is but it looks great.
Video – Not Safe For Lunchtime
Ron Ares had a cool sewer video recently with a couple of celebrities. I just see roots and dirty pipes on my sewer inspections. In North Carolina they found alien-like life forms in a sewer line. Don’t watch this during lunch. Mashable.com has the story on what is in the sewer while this video has […]
“I Begged For Foreclosure”
From the Washington Post, “I have even begged them for a foreclosure,” delinquent mortgage-holder Charlotte Jensen said. When she realized she couldn’t save her Glen Allen home last year, she filed for bankruptcy, packed up her family and moved out. Nearly a year later, Bank of America has yet to take back the home. I […]
Friday Fun
I always found this commercial to be funny. “It’s a sellers market. It’s a buyer’s market.”
Buyer’s Agents And Ethics: Is Your Agent Hiding Houses From You
A couple of years ago an agent and I were laughing because his client asked him if he was showing him all of the listing. “Of course, why would I not show you all of the listings?”, he replied. Yes, indeed, why not? When the market was hot this was even more common because inventory […]
Names and Naming Stuff
Should Portland rename streets in honor of people?
