Top Mortgage BellinghamI have worked with Top Mortgage several times.  Top mortgage has many loan packages, whether you are looking to refi, build a home, consolidate your dept, or simple purchase, its recommended that you consult with Top Mortgage.  Trust is a big thing in this small community, I know when I send my best clients to Top Mortgage that their going to get taken care of.Check out Top Mortgages Website, you can even apply for a loan. Or Call 360-733-9898 Eric Badgley is leading expert in Bellingham WA Real Estate sales. Working with buyers and sellers throughout Bellingham and Whatcom County, Eric, along with his partner Angela Gardner,were the leading sales team at Prudential Kelstrup Realtors in 2006. For any information about Bellingham Homes contact Eric Badgley at 360-9... 05/07/2007

We are so fortunate to live in such a wonderful and beautiful place.  Bellingham is constantly changing and as a Real Estate Professional it is imperative to keep up on all of the changes.One of the best places to start is the City Of Bellingham's website.  There is a ton of information about neighborhoods, zoning, zoning changes etc. etcHere is a link for neighborhood services information:http://www.cob.org/pcd/planning/neighborhoods/neighborhoods.htm For neighborhood Planning, Zoning and Map Info information  go to:http://www.cob.org/pcd/planning/Neighborhood-plan-zone.htm http://www.cob.org/gis/maps/neighborhoods.htm For Planning and Community Development Info go to:http://www.cob.org/pcd/index.htm For detailed info go to the Planning Divison:http://www.cob.org/pcd/planning/index.htm... 05/07/2007

Bellingham Loan Officer  When people hear the name Security First Mortgage, they think trust, honesty, dependability, and longevity.With some of the other mortgage companies going out of business, you can bet we’ll still be here. We’ve been here in Bellingham for 20 years and still going strong.We are reliable, hardworking, driven, and dedicated. When the times are tough on everyone else, we’re still stable and dependable. Bellingham Loan Officer 05/06/2007

Based on a survey of National Association of Home Builders conducted last year by between 40% and 50% of the homes built in 2010 are expected to be green, containing at least three of five green building elements. That represents a major upsurge of activity in the green market.Last year, according to McGraw-Hill estimates, an estimated 2% - or $7.4 billion - of the residential construction market was green.There is an enormous market for sustainable, environmentally friendly and recycled building products, along with the greater availability of educational opportunities for builders, has accelerated green building's acceptance rate. By the end of 2007, more than half of National Association of Home Builder's members, who build more than 80 percent of the homes in this country, will be i... 05/06/2007

As an active member of NACHI I abide by a strict code of ethic.  My commitment to excellence shows in the quality of my work. Code of Ethics  1.  Duty to the Public The NACHI member shall abide by the Code of Ethics and substantially follow the NACHI Standards of Practice. The NACHI member will not engage in any practices that could be damaging to the public or bring discredit to the home inspection industry. The NACHI member shall be fair, honest, impartial, and act in good faith in dealing with the public. The NACHI member will not discriminate in any business activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, sexual orientation, or handicap and shall comply with all federal, state and local laws concerning discrimination. The NACHI member shall b... 05/06/2007

Here is another one of "The Action Principles" by the American Success Institute that I thought I'd share with you.  I hope you find this as useful as I did. Write a Personal Mission Statement Create for yourself an evolving document that outlines your purpose in life.  Who are you?  What are your values?  What do you intend to do with your time to make your one life meaningful?  Excepting acts of God, it is you who determines your future.  You don't have to listen to those who say you are too old, too young, too poor, too unattractive, too uneducated, or the wrong color, gender, or nationality.        When you read an inspirational passage in a book, magazine or newspaper, write it down or clip it out.  Put everything together in a folder or box.  This will serve as your motivational r... 05/04/2007

Bellingham Listing AgentMy new SELLERS CHOICE® Plan gives you an opportunity to take advantage of the sterling reputation and powerful marketing clout only Prudential Kelstrup can offer, without paying outrageous real estate commissions.Now you get to choose from three intelligent home marketing plans, each at a different price.And there's a plan to fit every budget.If you're selling, don't sign anything until you call me, I'll show you how SELLERS CHOICE® can save you  thousands when selling your home!Money that might just come in handy for college.You work hard for your money.You have a right to choices.Now you say what you paySellers Choice BellinghamEric Badgley is leading expert in Bellingham WA Real Estate sales. Working with buyers and sellers throughout Bellingham and Whatcom Co... 05/04/2007

For homeowners, a real estate appraisal is the linchpin to buying or selling their home. It allows the property transactions to occur among the buyer, seller, real estate agent and mortgage lender.Before an Appraiser arrives, there are a few things you should know. By law, an appraiser must be state licensed to perform appraisals prepared for federally related transactions. Also by law, you are entitled to receive a copy of the completed appraisal report from your lender.To facilitate the appraisal process, it's beneficial to have these documents ready for the appraiser:Written property agreements, such as a maintenance agreement for a shared driveway Title policy that describes encroachments or easements Most recent real estate tax bill and or legal description of the property Home ins... 05/04/2007

Wow the housing market is defineltly fluctuating within it's different sectors!  The National Association of Realtors (NAR) just released its annual report on the sales of what we will call "additional homes," that is vacation residences and residential investment properties.According to NAR's Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, the sale of vacation homes rose 4.7 percent to a record 1.07 million units last year. In 2005 1.02 million vacation homes were sold. However, the sale of investment homes fell a stiff 28.9 percent to 1.65 million units from 2.32 million in 2005. The latter figure is even starker when compared to the sales of primary residences which were down 4.1 percent from 5.02 million in 2005 to 4.82 million last year.It will be interesting to see if Bellingham falls... 05/04/2007

Saturday, May 5th, Bellingham will be hosting a most unusual parade, The Procession of the Species.  Fun loving environmental friendly folks will be wearing self made costumes of birds, salmon, owls and others. The fun has actually begun about 6 weeks ago at the Community Art Studio on Grand Ave where the nature-inspired costumes have been in the process of being made for the big day. There are said to be more than 300 this year including "Moby Junior" a 25 foot long whale sitting on a large tricycle. Bellingham's version of the event has been going on since 2004, nationwide since 1995 to bring attention to the Endangered Species Act.  Come out and join the fun. The procession will begin at City Hall at 5pm The local Chinese Community will hold a Qing Ming Festival At the Library 11am- ... 05/04/2007

I have benefited from reading "The Action Principles" by the American Success Institute and thought I'd share them with you.  Set Goals   Unless you shape your life, circumstances will shape it for you. You have to work, sacrifice, invest, and persist to get the results you want.  Choose them well.  You can't start your planning until you know where you want to go.    You are the sculptor of your own image.  Have others already done what you want to do?  Study them and do what they did.       Start anywhere, at anytime, and persist.  Stop worrying what others think about what you can or can't do.  Believe in yourself and your abilities.  Have the self-confidence to challenge your current situation.  This is your life to live; it's day by day and step by step.  Write down your goals.  On... 05/03/2007

March Bellingham Condo StatsLooks like Condo prices dropped some compared to March of last year. And what's even more telling is the number of sales 24 this year compared to 60 last year, that is 2.5 less condos sold March of 2007 than March of last year.What does this all mean?There sure are lots of condos on the market 379 in Bellingham as of today. 05/02/2007

Whatcom County gets an A from American Lung Association in thier latest American Lung Association State of the Air: 2007 report.  Washington State as a whole did pretty well. We are so lucky to have good clean air here. I remember when I first moved to Mountain View, CA in 1970 and live there several months before I ever saw the mountains and then realized where the cities name came from.You can check out your state and county at The American Lung Association web site 05/02/2007

Here is an image of the Peace Pole dedication at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center and the new Firehouse Cafe in Fairhaven. This is the latest edition of over 200,000 Peace Poles in 180 countries around the world. Peace Poles are like silent meditations for world peace. This makes 3 Peace Poles in Bellingham that I know of. 05/01/2007

Here is a graphical view of April's residential Real Estate Sales for Bellingham as compared to last year. Looks like we had a slight increase in average sales price. 9 fewer homes sold this year and they took 12 more days to sell. I will have a similar chart for condo's in Bellingham coming soon. 05/01/2007

Bellingham MortgagesThe first step in purchasing real estate is finding a home loan that meets your needs.  There are many loan packages available.  It's important to get pre-approved before looking at homes, you don't want to waste your precious time looking at homes that are out of your price range. No-one wants to find a home they fall in love with, then find out later that the payments are not affordable. Perhaps you might even find that you can afford more of a house than you thought.Bellingham Home LoansHome mortgage interest payments can fluctuate daily, a slight increase can be a matter of a few hundred dollars.  A loan officer can offer a rate lock, which secures the rate.There are many company's in the Bellingham Mortgage area,  I recommend Security First Mortgage as a locally... 04/30/2007

Hard money is just that....money when you need it that is hard to get...mainly because someone or something does not meet the normal loan requirements. But needs to get something done...at any cost to avoid loosing everything. This could incluse low or no credit scores. real property that does not qualify for a loan. Example...Client is building his own house...got a loan for the property and has built the frame and most of the house...maybe 50 to 65%, but wants to refi to finish the house. This is past a loan for consrction, but no one wants to loan on a house that is not finished. We did a hard money loan for one year. Paid off the previous loan and credited owner with an equity loan to finish the house. He finished it within 8 months and refinanced to loan at 5.250 when the house was... 04/30/2007

The debate on the best way to modernize and revitalize the FHA (Federal Housing Administration) is up and running. There could be a significant increase in FHA lending if these changes do occur.  Last month there was the introduction of two new bills in the House and one in the Senate designed to help the Agency effectively carry out its mission of increasing housing opportunities for America's working families.On March 29, 2007 Bill H. R 1852 was introduced to the House.  It would boost FHA loan limits, permit zero down and lower down payment loans and permit FHA to underwrite loans to borrowers with higher credit risk than currently permitted.  It would also permanently eliminate the statutory volume cap on FHA reverse mortgage loans.On the same day bill HR 1752 ,the Expanding America... 04/30/2007

Lake WhatcomLake Whatcom is the Bellingham area's recreational area, plus habitat to several beautiful lakefront communities. The lake Whatcom begins at Bellingham's eastern perimeter, and extends southeast extended on the Cascades, offering a immense doorway point into the scenic depopulated areas of central Washington. Lake Whatcom offers great fishing, home to Small Mouth Bass, Silvers, Cutthroat Trout. Lake Whatcom, which serves as Bellingham's reservoir, is also bordered by attractive parks, such as Bloedel Donovan  as well as a waterfront golf course, the Sudden Valley Golf and Country Club.Lake Whatcom Bellingham There are many Lake Whatcom Homes, in and around the lake.  From small homes that are in silver beach to Multi-Million Dollar Homes.If you are looking for lake whatcom r... 04/29/2007

Sudden ValleyNestled among 1500 acres of trees and located along the banks of Lake Whatcom, Sudden Valley is a growing community just 10 minutes from downtown Bellingham. Amenities of Sudden Valley Real Estate owners consist of community clubhouse and barn, swimming pool, tennis courts, playgrounds, numerous parks, lake access and an 18-hole golf course. The small shopping center consists of a mini-mart with gas station, pizza parlor, Bob's Burgers and Brew and a post office. Sudden Valley Homes vary in size, price, age and style from small cabin style homes to large waterfront masterpieces. Sudden Valley BellinghamIf you would like More information on Sudden Valley Real Estate, Contact Eric Badgley Sudden Valley Realtor 04/29/2007