Chocolate Fantasy       Art with Heart: A Benefit for The Arts Center & ArtsCare FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Reser Stadium, Club Level SW 26th St.&SW Western Blvd. 541-754-1150 Price: $75 LIVE AUCTION - SILENT AUCTION - FINE ART SALECHOCOLATIERS - LIVE MUSIC ***BUY ADMISSIONS ONLINE NOW!*** Master of Ceremonies: John Hope-Johnstone.Learn about our ArtsCare program. Questions? Visit the FAQ page Presented by Market of Choice All profits benefit The Arts Center programs. Enjoy an elegant and glamorous evening celebrating the arts. Admire and acquire from the: Live Auction with celebrity auctioneer, OSU Men’s Basketball Coach Craig Robinson! Silent Auction featuring gift certificates & packages from area businesses & organizations. Fine Art Sale with 40-50 high quality art pieces. ... 02/07/2012

Crazy Eight 5K/10K and Play-a-Thon 02/25/2012 Time: 9am-1pm BentonCountyFairgrounds- Carriage House 110 SW 53rd Street,Corvallis 541-758-8292   Join in the race against child abuse! Parent Enhancement Program's Annual Fundraiser will feature a family friendly 5K/10K run/walk, yummy food, and a variety of fun family activities. Enhancement Program's Annual Fundraiser will feature a family friendly 5K/10K run/walk, pancake brunch, and a variety of fun family activities, even if you are not a runner. Visit www.pep.peak.org to pre-register and for more information. 02/07/2012

ANNIE - the Musical 02/23/2012 - 03/11/2012 (see showtimes below) 541-750-7990 Corvallis High School Main Stage Theater 1400 NW Buchanan Ave Price: $10 Adults & Seniors, $8 Students, $5 Youth 12 & up Great attraction for: Families, Pets, Art Appreciation   "Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre).[1] It spawned numerous productions i... 02/07/2012

Join The Whiteside Theatre Foundation in celebrating all things "love" the weekend before Valentine's Day, February 11th. SATIN LOVE ORCHESTRA will be in the house, getting things funky for all ages from BABIES to EIGHTIES!   Whiteside Theatre 361 SW Madison Ave. Corvallis, Oregon 541-207-6952 7pm (Show begins 8pm) Beer/Wine for 21 ADA accessible, all ages Price: $16 advance $20 day of show Parking: Street Parking   All proceeds will go toward our current "Lighting of the Marquee" project, to rehabilitate the circa 1950 neon sign! Join us in this first time ever appearance of Satin Love Orchestra in the Historic Whiteside Theatre! Tickets are $16 in advance and for WTF members, $20 day of show, and kids 10 & under are free. Purchase tickets         02/07/2012

'Happy' movie screening: UpBeat Cafe 02/11/2012 Time: 7-10 pm (Movie: 7:30-8:30, music/dancing after) Location: Dennis Community Hall 114 Southwest 8th Street  Corvallis,Oregon97333 916-492-2841   Feb. 11th is World Happy Day! Join us for a screening of 'Happy', the Mmovie, with popcorn & snacks for the showing. Music and fun after! The UpBeat Cafe is the perfect place to relax on a Saturday night, talk with friends, get into the flow with live music with a positive vibe, even dance or sing if you like, and just be … happy! The UpBeat Café is designed and delivered by two Oregon State University Psychologists, and their Gratitude Jazz Band and Friends, who know what it takes to be happy and want to share that with YOU.   02/07/2012

Corvallis           Price Range Active Listings as of 1/30/2011 Sold Listings Last 6 Mos. Average Sold Per Month Months of Inventory Av. Days on Market Solds $0 - $99,999 2 1 0.17 12.00 112 $100,000 - $149,999 4 6 1.00 4.00 237 $150,000 - $199,999  15 28 4.67 3.21 118 $200,000 - $249,999 35 72 12.00 2.92 100 $250,000 - $299,999 30 50 8.33 3.60 119 $300,000 - $349,999 18 28 4.67 3.86 177 $350,000 - $399,999 22 21 3.50 6.29 132 $400,000 - $449,999 5 11 1.83 2.73 137 $450,000 - $499,999 6 3 0.50 12.00 191 $500,000 - $599,999 6 5 0.83 7.20 105 $600,000 - $699,999 4 2 0.33 12.00 200 $700,000 + 3 3 0.50 6.00 186   150 230   3.91 151 01/31/2012

Do you love a certain restaurant for its specialty? Buy a certain brand of cheese again and again? Watch a certain show religiously? Love a certain coffee house for its wonderful coffee? The reason why you do, after falling in love in the first place, is CONSISTENCY! It means you can be sure to find the same thing again and again in the same way. It is dependable, reliable, trust worthy. As real estate brokers, this thing called consistency in service is what brings us repeat, happy clients. It is the foundation of your career as an agent. "One swallow does not make a summer". We all have heard this. So doing well once, maybe twice, is not enough. You need to show the same performance level again and again to found and continue your career. Clients do not like surprises. Buying or selli... 01/30/2012

01/27/2012

What you pay for your home owners insurance differs greatly depending on where you live and of course the Florida Coast has much higher premiums (if you can get insurance at all) than we here in the Mid Willamette Valley in Oregon. But there are other factors than location that you might not have thought about when you bought the new home that all of a sudden make insurance skyrocket, unaffordable or even worse, unattainable. Here are a few "items" that will make your premium shoot up: ·     Trampoline: Even if using a trampoline is a healthy activity, for insurance companies it personifies evil. When the agent drives by and you have one in the backyard expect a hefty surcharge, especially, when you do not have one that is surrounded by a net. ·     Dog: Certain dog breeds are considere... 01/22/2012

FEMA has created a list of things to do before and during a major flood. With continued rain and wind expected, the following tips are good to keep in mind and discuss with your family: If a flood is likely, listen to the radio or television for information. If you must prepare to evacuate, you should do the following: Secure your home. Collect your pets so that you can take them with you and/or leave them in a friend's or relative's care or at an emergency animal shelter If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. If you have time, move essential items to an upper floor. Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water. If you have to leave your home, remem... 01/21/2012

The 64th annual Celebrate Corvallis is a highlight of the year. Join us as we recognize the outstanding individuals, businesses, and community organizations that make Corvallis such a great place to live, work, and play! From the Celebrate Corvallis website: "Corvallis citizens, businesses, and organizations do remarkable things that make our community special. Each year we pause to recognize those outstanding accomplishments of our community’s public officials, volunteers, community organizers, business leaders, and citizens at the annual Celebrate Corvallis gala. "In 2012, we will hold the 64th installment of this great event on Friday, January 20. We are also moving from our long-time Alumni Center venue to the Club Level at Reser Stadium. We hope you will join us as we recognize our... 01/20/2012

  Valentine's Day Amazing Race Complete challenges, solve puzzles and play games at downtown businesses and memorable locations to win prizes and celebrate Valentine's Day with a twist. Grab your sweetheart and gear up for the first ever Corvallis Valentine's Day Amazing Race. Tour memorable locations and businesses to win prizes and celebrate Valentine’s with a twist. The start and finish line will be at the Majestic Theater. Be ready for indoor and outdoor activities. Athletic shoes are suggested. Cost is $20 per couple or $30 per family (up to four, $5 per additional member). For more information check out the event website. Event Information Dress for the weather Event starts at The Majestic Theater (Directions) Check-in and packet pick-up at 1:30 pm Event begins at 2 pm with 1:30 c... 01/18/2012

Turning a problem into an asset can be an art. If a property has a huge problem that lowers the value, is there a way of making lemonade out of those lemons? Not always but sometimes a bit of creative thinking can do just that. Years ago I took a listing that was at the end of a narrow, tiny side valley, 40ac surrounded by state forests, absolutely beautiful, with a gorgeous, modern house on it, great architecture, all amenities, a little pond, in short a dream coming true. BUT: to get there you had to use a Right of Way through a property of a collector of antique appliances and cars, aka rusty fridges, equally rusty cars and trucks in various stages of decay, an ancient house that had lost it's attraction decades ago to a sagging roof, peeling siding and a backlog of maintenance as lo... 01/18/2012

Perception is reality.  Different perspectives and experiences determine what value we attach to things. This phenomenon shows extremely when it comes to property values.       Where the seller sees his home along a creek with lovely views of the water and a pretty bank I see flood plain and sky high flood insurance. Where the seller sees three levels in his house that gave him privacy and different spaces for his teenagers, a buyer sees a lot of stairs. Where the seller sees beautiful landscaping, grown over years with tons of TLC and investment, the buyer sees WORK. It is a delicate balance to pop the balloon of high expectations from the seller's side which is based on their perception of their property and make them understand that most likely a buyer will see a very different and p... 01/18/2012

There is a huge difference between TRYING to sell and actually SELLING. The difference is commitment. Tryers are not 100% committed to sell a property. There are things that are holding them back. 1.They want to achieve a certain price, whether it is achievable or not. 2.They do not want to be inconvenienced by staging, changing, decluttering, untimely showings 3.They drag their feet with any kind of decision asked from them 4.They do too little, too late 5.They do not register maintenance issues nor are they willing to do repairs 6.They do not tackle a move, packing, finding a new home, getting organized A seller will 1.price a house according to market or slightly below it 2.accept changes, enhancements and staging 3.start moving by packing non-essential things away 4.accommodate show... 01/16/2012

Are you an analytic mind? Nothing wrong with that. Analyzing options, features, financing etc. can help to make decisions more streamlined and realistic. But data has limits and there is a point where interpretation supersedes bare data. That is the point where analysis goes over the cliff and becomes more of a hindrance than a support system. And in real estate, unless you compare the same house model in a new subdivision next to the other with the same or very similar features, land, size, you are always comparing apples and oranges. Analyzing data of such a fragmented subject can only lead to failure. You cannot make decisions about property based on compiling data. We all had visitors at Open Houses who come with a clipboard, asking a lot of questions, painstakingly note them - and ... 01/16/2012

Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series - College of Business  Finding Balance w/ Diane Paddison Author of Practical Wisdom for Young Professionals Author and Chief Strategy Officer, Cassidy Turley   01/18/2012 LaSells Stewart Center, Oregon State Univ. 875 Southwest 26th Street Corvallis 7pm   Diane Paddison has held several executive positions for corporations, including chief operating officer for two fortune 500 companies, Trammell Crow (now CB Richard Ellis) and ProLogis. She is currently the chief strategy officer at the commercial real estate firm Cassidy Turley and serves on two other corporate boards, Behringer Harvard REIT Opportunity Fund II and AirAdvice. She serves at Oregon State University as a Trustee for the Foundation Board and the Dean’s Circle of Excellence for the Colle... 01/16/2012

One of the things we try to do is keep you aprised of interesting things happening in the area. One of the things we came accross recently is a birding class for kids.   Join Audubon Society of Corvallis on an epic adventure in all things bird! For the next six months, we will be offering a step-by-step class series on birding- for kids! (ages 6-14) In each class you will learn five bird species found at that park, and one specific bird watching skill. We will be playing games and searching for birds all over Corvallis. Come to one, or come to all of them and collect six stamps on your birding adventure card, which you can fill up and trade in for a fantastic prize! For more info or to rsvp email Michelle athesthavneducation@gmail.com orcheck our website! Class Schedule: 1/15: 2pm - 4pm... 01/15/2012

In case you are not already thoroughly convinced that Corvallis, Oregon is a truly livable, accomplished city, see the short summary below of facts you may not be aware of. Green power According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency report on its “green power communities,”Corvallis buys more power from renewable resources than any other city in the nation. Corvallis purchases more than 100 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which amounts to 13 percent of the city’s total purchased electricity. 2008: A September 2008 report revealed that Benton County, of which Corvallis makes up the majority of the population, is ranked 5th for longest life expectancy at birth of all counties in the         United States, at 80.93 years.[61] 2008: Corvallis is ranked among the top ... 01/10/2012

I am not talking Nosy Neighbor kind of neighborhood watch, but rather something proven to keep us and our homes safer. Be glad she's not your neighbor! A Corvallis Police Department Crime Prevention Program Neighbors Watching Out For Neighbors… It Works! Welcome! What is Neighborhood Watch? Neighborhood Watch is a program where neighbors help neighbors keep their homes and families safe. It is aimed at reducing crime in our community by stopping crime before it happens. Crimes are least likely to occur in neighborhoods where people are alert to the potential of crime and are willing to look out for one another's interests. Why Start a Watch Group? Residential crime is serious. No area of town is immune, and a typical month in Corvallis sees about fifteen home burglaries. With the averag... 01/10/2012