Distressed Sale Percentage by State
Thursday, March 24, 2011
NAR, the National Association of Realtors has provided this map showing what percent of distressed sales make up each state's sales.
Real Estate Information
Mt. Hood Real Estate Blog
Liz Warren
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Morning Coffee
Monday, March 21, 2011
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"Just because you're the lone voice in the wilderness, it doesn't mean you're wrong."
- Ghandi
ME, MYSELF & I - A GROUP OF ONE!
Remember this tune from the protest era? "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do." The poignant lyrics call attention to the reality that being alone, being a group of one, can be a very lonely, uncomfortable, and sometimes challenging situation.
When it comes to the important issues in your life, it's much more comforting to know that others are standing with you. You stand up for a student issue at a PTO meeting, and others stand with you. You call attention to a social injustice, and are backed by a majority of the members in your organization. Together, the group gives strength and credibility to the views of its leader.
What, then, if the leader and followers are a group of just one? What value is there in taking a position with no one to back you up? What's more, acting alone often stimulates inner questioning, self-doubt, and ultimately self-defeat.
So, where do you stand when it comes to defending your own principles of living? When you witness cheating, dishonesty, or unfair criticism of others, do you stand up as a group of one when no one else cares to stand with you? Do you then feel like the "lone voice in the wilderness?"
Our world has few leaders and many followers. The stand you take alone may provide the inspiration needed by followers who agree, but who do not have the ability to speak out on their own. As Ghandi counseled, just because you're "the lone voice . . . doesn't mean you're wrong."
Morning Coffee
Monday, March 14, 2011
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"Your imagination is the preview to life's coming attractions."
- Albert Einstein
YOU'RE THE STAR!
Do you believe Orville & Wilbur were first to fly because they had a hammer, nails and a free weekend? Think the television was created by accident? Did Bill Gates just stumble upon the software code that has changed the world? Not a chance!
The Wright brothers created the previews of their first flight in the theatre of their minds. Naturally, there were no limitations to their imaginings as they dreamed of flying. Who knows how the dream of television became reality . . . how it was transformed from a mere visualization into vacuum tubes, knobs, and channels?
What went through Bill Gates' mind prior to his early experiments? Surely his first visions were not of a colorful package entitled "Windows 2000." Nevertheless, his vivid imagination took us all from the concept of "1's" and "0's" to today's monumentally complex world of computer software and internet browsers.
What about you? What goes on in your mind's eye while no one is looking? What do you see yourself doing in one, three, or five years? Do you hear a special future beckoning you to create an action thriller from the previews running through your imagination? Is there a stirring inside you that begs to be brought to fruition?
Why not grab some popcorn, a soft drink, and settle quietly into your favorite chair to enjoy the previews of your own imagination? Then, with a clear picture fresh in your mind, create the main attraction - your life!
Mt. Hood Pending Sales
Friday, March 11, 2011
March snows brought a big dump in Welches, Rhododendron, Brightwood and of course Government Camp. At least 16 inches of snow fell in the Cascades with much of it still on the ground. This cut buyer access for showings down for many days as side streets were nearly impassable if not plowed. Elevations of 2,000 on up are still not easy to get to.
Here are the current pending sales for our area below. Out of the ten pending sales, five are bank foreclosures. Although nationally we are hearing less foreclosures are coming on the market right now, they are only delayed and will actually slow the housing recovery. Once the paperwork has been righted, these properties will be on the market.
Morning Coffee
Monday, March 7, 2011
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"If thou wouldst keep money, save money;
if thou wouldst reap money, sow money."
if thou wouldst reap money, sow money."
- Thomas Fuller
HOW'S THE FAMILY PURSE?
In George Classon's classic "The Richest Man In Babylon," he urges readers to "set your purse to fattening." His other advice? Pay off your debts - live debt-free. With those two simple bits of advice, he lays out a wealth of financial advice guaranteed to keep the wolf away from the front door - forever.
He has the audacity to suggest that a part of all you earn is yours to keep. Put $100 a month into your "purse" beginning at age 20. Invest it at 10%. At age 65, you will have a purse filled to the brim with $1,048,000. How difficult is it to convince yourself to put away $100 each month?
Poverty is not our fear. It is the insecurity of being vulnerable that we fear - of not being able to meet our obligations. The "fat purse" does not pay our bills. The amount we earn over and above the part "that is ours to keep" does that. The part we keep - our "fattening purse" - is what gives us the confidence that we are okay.
By the way, according to "The Millionaire Next Door," the "haves" spend twice as much time planning their financial success as the "have nots." Forget setting aside $100 a month, the "haves" set aside up to 40% of their pre-tax income for fattening their purse. That also means they live on just 60%. The "have-nots" are hyper-credit users who do no budgeting whatsoever.
Want to set your purse to fattening? Want to give your children a heads-up on being financially independent? Pick up a copy of Suze Orman's best-seller "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom". More importantly - put her financial roadmap to work. Don't worry - be happy!
Oregon Foreclosures Halted
Monday, March 7, 2011
Many foreclosures in Oregon have been halted due to recent court actions involving MERS. If you have a loan that was run through MERS it is highly possible your foreclosure has been stopped in Oregon as this gets sorted out in Oregon courts. What is MERS?
Read this article about recent foreclosures events in Oregon.
Morning Coffee
Monday, February 28, 2011
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere . . . else."
- David Campbell, PhD
WHO ARE YOU?
In the book "Unstoppable" by Cynthia Kersey, a cartoon appears showing a ship loaded with unkempt, bearded galley slaves rowing their life away at full-tilt. One of them says to another, "I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific!"
Chances are good that you work 8-10 hours each day, have 6-8 hours of discretionary time, and sleep 8 hours each day. Whether or not you choose to be specific about your direction in life, it's highly likely that the sun will come up and go down every 24 hours anyway. In other words, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere . . . else."
The alternative is really so much easier. In fact, it's downright exciting to think that you can be any "somebody" you want, just by deciding who that somebody will be. Really.
Instead of just fantasizing or daydreaming about the person you'd like to be, start acting like that person. Ask yourself how that person would act, talk, and walk. Begin taking on the characteristics of that person in your daily life, and then be passionate about it.
So often, we create our own limitations but simply fail to be more specific about our direction. We're like the farmer who placed a small growing pumpkin in a mason jar, then rediscovered it at harvest time. When the farmer broke the mason jar, he had a pumpkin which had grown to the exact (limiting) shape of the jar.
We are as limitless as our imagination will allow. When we break the mold - the mason jar - in which we have contained our growth, we will finally learn to fly. In the words of Richard Bach from his book Illusions, "In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."
Wall Street, Banks and White Collar Crime
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Baggage of the financial meltdown:
Mortgage loans are getting more difficult to get these days. Mortgage broker compensation is under attack by the Feds with difficult interpretive regulations. Community banks are failing left and right reducing a buyers choice for a lender. The big four banks are making the majority of loans these days. Less competition means less choice for the consumer.
Here is a recent statement made by the Kansas City Fed president at a financial meeting about our post economic crisis:
What is the Volker Rule? This link will give an explanation.
For the less squeamish, here is a new article on our financial mess and how Wall Street crime goes unpunished, here is a link to the latest Rolling Stone article Why Isn't Wall Street in jail? coming out in March 2011. This article is about compensation packages, investor fraud, accounting fraud, symbiotic relationships of the criminals and the enforcers and how nothing happens to the perpetrators.
Ok, I'm off my soapbox for today!
Home Affordability Numbers
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Did you know that the last quarter of 2010 had the greatest home affordability for the US in the past 20 years when records were started for this index! No misprint! Taking the average income of a family, this is the most affordable time to purchase a home. It looks like 2007 was the least affordable time to purchase a home. Indianpolois-Carmel, Indiana is the most affordable location in the US to buy a home today with 93% of the average income earners in the area able to purchase a home. At the other end of the spectrum, Santa Cruz, California was the least affordable for the average income earner at a 45% rate able to purchase. If you can qualify for a loan, this is the best time to purchase a home!
January Multiple Listing Stats for 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The regional multiple listing service has released the numbers for January 2011. The glaring number is the 50% increase in pending sales from this same month last year. This reflects the huge decrease in sales at the end of 2009 that would have been closing in 2010. The days on market is an eye opener at 253 days. This shows it's much better to have your home priced competitively on the market rather than churning up marketing time which will produce a lower price in the long run.
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