We've just launched our Beta version of www.realestatenugget.com.  This is our free real estate listing service.  It's a lot like craigslist, but in my opinion it's better....because your listings stay on for 60 days. It's new, so there aren't a lot of listings on the site yet, but the reality is for those of you who understand the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, posting your listings on www.realestatenugget.com will give you greater exposure. You're able to link to your website in our description box, which pulls your own personal websites higher and higher up google searches. We've also figured out how to accomodate those of you using Postlets and other HTML generating flyer services.  If you have the HTML code from Postlets, you simply go to our description box and click... 03/12/2009

I was asked a question today...can a first time home buyer get 100% financing and are the banks even loaning any money?   So, the answer was...it depends.  With our federal government offering $8000 as a tax credit to a first time home buyer (have not owned a home in the last 3 years), this can be a decent down payment for many.  I communicated that if they had not filed their 2008 taxes yet (I haven't and I know I'm not alone...I do that about April 13 every year, it's tradition) they could elect to take the tax credit now as long as they purchased a home by 11.30.09 and they would have their down payment.  With the sellers paying the closing costs, this is like 100% financing.  The other option was to consider homes in a rural setting.  In my area, rural is not far, you can be 15 minu... 03/11/2009

I was reminded recently of an important mental lesson I'd forgot when a loan's funding was delayed several days.  I was a little stressed.  Then, someone asked me how work was going.  I expressed that it was frustrating not being able to deliver for this client the experience I had wanted to, feeling like something was out of my control.  I, the borrower, the escrow officer and the real estate agent had all done what the lender has asked of us, yet it hadn't funded. I initially thought my stress stemmed from a lack of control.  Eventually I realized that my stress actually stemmed from the false premise that I had control to begin with. Without getting too spiritual, I realized that the world and the universe don't ever really ask my permission to do anything and the sense of control I ... 03/11/2009

Where is the Salem Oregon real estate market headed in 2009?   You really don't need me to tell you that.  I think we all can guess that it is heading down.  How far...well that depends on the status of those state jobs that employ so many Salemites... This February market snippet is for the single family, non-acreage property, homes real estate market here in Salem Oregon. 30 Day Absorption Rate 74 Down Inventory 19.6 months Up Average Sold Price $204,245 Down Median Sold Price $179,589 Down DOM 131 Up Salem’s inventory increased 4% over January 2009. I would not be surprised to see Salem hit the 20's next month for inventory.  Just a reminder...inventory fluctuates on a daily basis and has seasonal highs and lows. The average home price dropped 2.8% in February over January, which is... 03/11/2009

I like Luke Wilson as an actor. I was on netflix and I saw a movie entitled Henry Poole Is Here. Kind of a an indie film that is slow at times and inspirational. I don't want to give the whole thing away but in the first scene Henry is shown a house and he proceeds to buy it no inspection or negotiation. A Real Estate Professional represents him and she is apprihensive about his waiver. The house needs some work so she has a someone paint it and do a little landscape work. The painter messes up on one wall and the "Face of God" appears. Check it out if you want to, but look at what we can do for our clients. The "Face of God" heals many and Henry terminal illness is healed. So, the is proof that what we do heals people or at least in Hollywood's eyes. Salem homes for sale is not much di... 03/11/2009

The presence of oil tanks is an issue that can rear its ugly head on an inspection every now and then.  Thankfully the Oregon DEQ is doing something to help. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) here in Oregon, has a program to help keep track of those oil tanks that may have been forgotten.   The site is:  http://deq12.state.or.us/fp20/ If excavation or redevelopment is planned you can find information on known and suspected Heating Oil Tanks (HOT).  Information on: if the site has received a closure letter for the decommissioning, assessment and certification of a HOT is available.   If a HOT is present there may be contamination of the surrounding area and a cleanup may be required.  Decommissioning, assessment, and cleanup must be performed by a DEQ licensed HOT Service Pro... 03/10/2009

Let it be known I am a nice husband. I went with my wife to yet another chickflick. This time is was He's just not that into you. Overall pretty good and fairly clean. The reason for my post is one of the character is Real Estate Broker, I am always interested in seeing how we are portrayed. This time it was pretty good. A little hoaky in some spots like branding on a frisbee and pens, but maybe the best part was the specific advertising to alternative lifestyles. Overall I would say it is worth seeing, it entertains but the Real Estate Broker in the move does not save the day with a deferred exchange or 1031 but he may have secretly set up a couple on a referral basis. Check it out if you love explosionless, gunfireless films. So if I was portrayed in a movie I would seem pretty borin... 03/10/2009

News travels fast and I opened a can of worms or should I say fish. I got a follow up call and Maria knew about my post here. Salem homes for sale is for sale for a small fee. I told her that I didn't believe in the site. I told her I had not seen in my market or heard about it in my sphere. Looking at it as a tool though it is great. I especially like how going to the next page it brings you back to the top. I also like that there is no search button. It seems to be a great tool, but for the sponsored link I am not sure it is worth the money. Salem Oregon Real Estate was also an option. I may be alone on this but when I search on google I usually skip over the sponsored links because they are trying to sell you something. I would rather see a link to a blog post or something to that na... 03/10/2009

Manufactured homes are wonderful if you know what you are getting.  They are supremely efficient.  They are so tight you actually have to be aware of this to ensure indoor air quality is not compromised.  They do have some downsides apart from the obvious fact of poor appreciation.   The roofs of many manufactured homes are relatively low slope and the interior ceilings are often vaulted.  Both of these conditions add up to shorter than average roof life.  Failure to the roofing materials and leaks can be chased and individually repaired if they can be located.  Without an accessible attic space finding and fixing leaks can be tricky.  Enter thermal imaging.                   The other day I had the benefit of doing a Pest and Dry rot inspection here in Salem, Oregon after a different i... 03/09/2009

Maria from Leapfish called me about buying a spot on the top and bottom of Leapfish. Does anyone have experience or results from this.   Seems to make sense but who has heard of Leapfish and who uses it? I am thinking about Salem homes for sale or Salem Real Estate . Please advise. 03/09/2009

The FHA loan limits have increased to $295,000 for a single family home in Marion and Polk counties.  This new level of $295,000 is a return to the limit established last year in the Economic Stimulus Act.  The limits were previously $271,050. FHA loans have more flexibly underwriting guidelines than conventional loans and require less of a down payment.  I'm hopeful that these new limits in conjunction with the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit will stimulate activity in our housing market. You can check the FHA loan limits for any county on the HUD website here. 03/09/2009

Last week I blogged about phase 1 here of a recent volunteer project and I promisted you an update on phase 2 of the H.O.M.E. Youth Resource Center... so here it is.The following weekend, January 31st, three members of Mid Valley Professional Stagers (MVPS), along with the generosity of one community member and three men from the National Guard, we tackled the removal of carpet and the pad throughout the main and upper level of the resource center. Two local contractors also contributed services by relocating the washer, dryer and 2 refrigerators as well as installing a wonderful storage solution for the teen's backpacks.With hammers, pry bars, gloves and masks... we were ready. Over the years, a different carpet had been added to each room, giving it an eclectic mix. Much of the carpet... 03/08/2009

At the end of 2008, the members of Mid Valley Professional Stagers (MVPS) decided to take on a community service project. There were many worthy organizations to choose from, but in the end the H.O.M.E. Youth Resource Center was selected. H.O.M.E. is a day shelter and outreach center for at-risk teens. The shelter provides assistance with homework, meals, a place to wash clothing, obtain needed clothing as well as serves as a refuge and safe haven. Prior to the project starting, there were several meetings to discuss how the staff and teens utilized each of the spaces as well as how we could help them improve the day shelter. The combined goal was to improve function and maximize the home's potential to best serve the teens. PHASE 1: A volunteer crew of Salem Area Professional Organizer... 03/06/2009

This past weekend, 2 colleagues of mine from the Mid-Valley Professional Stagers (MVPS) group and I had an opportunity to do a community service project.  The Salem Art Association had its annual fundraising auction and dinner, ClayBall.  We professional stagers recommended the layout for the festivities, hung the art for auction and "staged" displays for 3-dimensional art and the many non-art items up for bid.  Where plain paper describing a weekend in Ashland laid, we placed medieval candlesticks, a book of Shakespeare's works, a framed photo of the playwrite and of course, a rose.  Beach stays were highlighed with sea shells, beachbags and sandals and cooking classes drew attention from bidders with colorful kitchen accessories and cookbooks.  The staging, which I've done for the Art... 03/05/2009

Listings are the life blood of our business, but after increased market times and abnormally large inventory taking a listing is a chore. Getting it sold is a job. So, when contacted to list a property the usaual glee is now gloom. So, how did a house sell in two weeks in this market? Price and Condition. So, we had some showings the first day and that weekend. We had good traffic at the Open House but no offers. Then out of nowhere an offer and pretty good to boot. It can be done. Salem Oregon Real Estate lives! The media said it was risky and could not be done. There was no bailout and no special congressional hearing. The buyer will be taking advantage of a tax credit I think.  03/05/2009

Many of you know I was recently elected to the Salem Association of REALTORS Board of Directors. That appointment has opened my eyes to the many facets of Real Estate as well as what the association does. Because of this I was excited to attend REALTOR Day at the Capitol. In past years attendance has been around 200 for the state. Oregon Realtor Membership is around 16,500. This year we represented with 600 REALTORS from all over the state. Amazing numbers and the largest number for any trade orginazation in the state. What kind of impact does that make on our Senators and Representatives? Well, it shows that even though the market is struggling we are pushing for more affordable housing for our clients, we are opposing a transfer tax that would cost buyer and sellers additional funds. ... 03/05/2009

When most people think of Oregon they think of gloom. It rains all the time... Beside the fact that it really doesn't rain all of the time, there are benefits to rain. When I moved to Oregon about 18 years ago now, one of the hardest adjustments was the fact that it could be sunny and raining, then sunny and raining all during an 8 hour day.  I felt like I was constantly taking coats on and off trying to figure out what to wear outside.  I have been surprised many a time leaving my house with my sunglasses and forgetting my rain coat, only to be hit with rain two hours later... I was interviewed by a local news station, KATU, the other day about the chicken ban here in Salem Oregon.  As I was waiting for the news crew, I was reminded about great things that happen when sun and rain comb... 03/05/2009

President Obama unveiled his plan to help stabilize the housing market and keep millions of borrowers in their homes. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan includes two initiatives to help struggling homeowners. One is a refinancing program for homeowners with less than 20% equity in their homes, or who owe more than their home is worth. The second program attempts to lower monthly payments for homeowners at risk of losing their home. In addition, the plan includes a third initiative to support low mortgage rates by strengthening confidence in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Many of the plan’s details are still being worked out and will not be announced until March 4, here is an overview of the plan’s main components. Refinancing Initiative Under current rules, those families who ... 02/24/2009

  Residential building is an ever evolving science that is improving upon previous knowledge and materials continually.  A new home is a series of systems and components that rely on one another to perform properly.  If the previous component is installed improperly all of the other systems that are built upon that component will not live up to their potential.  I recently had the opportunity to inspect a beautiful new home here in West Salem, Oregon that was like a display home for just why you need a home inspection on a new home.     Cosmetically this home was very attractive.  Vaulted ceilings, custom built-ins, crown molding and of course the ever present Brazilian cherry floors and granite counters.  Under the fancy façade were a few very important details that the builder screwed... 02/22/2009

Tax Credit for Homebuyers First-time homebuyers who purchase homes from the start of the year until the end of November 2009 may be eligible for the lower of an $8,000 or 10% of the value of the home tax credit. Remember a tax credit is very different than a tax deduction – a tax credit is equivalent to money in your hand, as opposed to a tax deduction which only reduces your taxable income. The tax credit starts phasing out for couples with incomes above $150,000 and single filers with incomes above $75,000. Buyers will have to repay the credit if they sell their homes within three years. Tax Credit Versus Tax Deduction It’s important to remember that the $8,000 tax credit is just that… a tax credit. The benefit of a tax credit is that it’s a dollar-for-dollar tax reduction, rather tha... 02/20/2009