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How Are Land Sales on Mt. Hood?

Sunday, January 11, 2009
by Liz Warren

How were land sales on Mt. Hood over the 2008 year? Well, slowing to a snail's pace for the second half of the year! Sales totaled eight from Government Camp to Brightwood. Two sales closed in Government Camp with a high of $258,000 and the other at $186,900. As the economy went into a slump starting in July, there has been only one land sale for the second half of 2008.

There is only one pending sale for land in area 153. This is a Summit Meadows lot listed at $75,000 and well covered by tons of snow at the moment.

There are 43 parcels and lots currently offered for sale in our area! There are motivated sellers out there and deals to be had. Take advantage of today's opportunities and get your lot before they are all gone. With Portland's increasing population coming, there won't be any land left to purchase so now is the time to make your investment!

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Weather Beaten Market

Wednesday, January 7, 2009
by Liz Warren

No doubt about it, the crazy snow pilling up, melting snow and rain, falling trees and branches and a general lack of accessibility will be reflected in fewer pending and sold properties showing up in January. From Government Camp, which was buried with snow and constantly battling power outages closing down local ski areas to Welches, Brightwood and Rhododendron, it was a rough winter holiday season. People just couldn't get around on the roads let alone view properties.

The clean up has begun and most roads are easy to navigate so showings are happening and buyers are back. Rivers and creeks are dabbling at high water levels. Many basements are flooded and finally, everyone has their power back on.

As we shake all of this off, 2009 should be one for adjustments as major price reductions are rampant in the multiple listing service. Some owners have dropped their prices nearly 40% chasing the market down.

Buyers have rarely had so much inventory to choose from and with rates hovering around 5%, opportunity knocks!

FHA loans have increased their down payment qualifications to 3.5% down. FHA loans numbers have increased significantly from the past couple of years.

Speaking of incredible rates, this is currently causing a rush to refinance. Mortgage brokers are busy getting folks into incredibly affordable loans. If you have a lot of equity in your home, this is  a great time to pull that down payment out for a second home purchase.

Well, it's back to work for me now that the power and internet are working again!

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Oregon Trail School Bond Passes

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
by Liz Warren

Dr. Shelley Redinger , superintendent of the Oregon Trail School District sends this thank you:

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Negative Equity Numbers

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
by Liz Warren

wHow does the Mt. Hood area fair compare to other areas of the country as far as negative equity in homes? Well, I can't say specifically what happens on the mountain but it is a reflection of the general Oregon market. Sources such as First American CoreLogic says 18.3% of properties with mortgages are underwater. Most of these states are Nevada, Arizona, Florida and hard hit Michigan with the Detroit carnage.FAC says Oregon mortgages are at 7.5% underwater which, believe it or not is the 6th lowest percentage of all states. Washington is right behind us.

So, if you think it's bad around here-it isn't! It's GREAT compared to the rest of the U.S.!

Here's a little more info mapping the negative equity states from the Wall Street Journal.

 

 

 

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More Updates On Foreclosures on Mt. Hood

Thursday, November 6, 2008
by Liz Warren

Looking to purchase a foreclosure in the Mt. Hood Area? foreclosures are popping up in Welches, Government Camp, Rhododendron and Brightwood.

Foreclosure and Short Sales Info

 

Over the last 24 months, Oregon went from number 2 to having the 23rd highest foreclosure rate on a national basis. As of September 2008 there have been 2,344 foreclosure filings which equivocate to 1 filing for every 644 housing units. Foreclosure filings are up 26% from August 08 and up 139% from September 2007. The majority of these distressed properties are located in the greater Portland metropolitan area. 

 

In comparison, the state of California, which accounts for ~60% nationally of all foreclosure activity has 69,548 properties with foreclosure filings, equivocating to 1 in every 189 housing units.  Washington has 1 foreclosure filing out of every 1,383 housing units.

 

Below are some comments from our partners that actively work in this arena.

 

  • Most properties in foreclosure are so debt laden that they are reverting to the banks. 
  • An investor interested in buying a foreclosed property on the courthouse steps is not likely to get a good deal.
  • Banks have not been discounting the debt on these properties in order to sell them. 
  • It can cost a bank anywhere from $30K-60K plus, to take back a house.  This doesn’t include the cost of capital, refurbishment, marketing and sales costs.
  • So why are banks taking the homes back?
  • Some banks have been bundling multiple properties, with varying degrees of debt-to-market value ratios and selling them to large, institutional buyers.  This seems to be easier and more profitable for the banks right now.
  • In Multnomah County, who is buying foreclosed properties at this time? There are a few larger, private equity buyers and some individual investors.
  • The SE & NE corridors have the greatest percentage of foreclosed properties at an average value of $125K-225K.  However, more expensive properties are now entering the picture.
  • So where are some of the opportunities now?  Short Sales.

Short Sales - An option for those who have money & the time.

 

A short sale is where a property owner wants to sell their home but they have a higher mortgage debt on the property than the price they can sell the house for. First, seller and buyer must agree on a price and then they go to the lender with comparable homes sales data to support the decline in value plus a compelling story and documentation that proves the seller does not have the funds to pay off the entire mortgage due.  Sound simple?  Not really.  Short Sales on average take 90-120 days to complete if successfully negotiated.  Clients and real estate brokers should work with a professional who knows the ropes. 

Investment property owners who sell under a Short Sale agreement should be aware of the new exclusionary rule coming that will tax all or a portion of the ‘gain’ the home seller realizes from a short sale closing.

 

 

 

A big thanks for sharing this information Kim:

Kim Dodge at Usher Financial (503) 595.1600

 

 

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Foreclosures on Mt. Hood

Thursday, October 23, 2008
by Liz Warren

Many buyers are searching for foreclosures in Government Camp, Welches, Rhododendron and Brightwood. The Mt. Hood area has relatively few foreclosures compared to other areas near the Portland metro area and Portland itself. The majority of homes that have shown up as foreclosures have been in the Timberline Rim subdivision.

Most of these foreclosed homes in Timberline Rim are under $300,000 and the majority fall in the low $200,000 range or less. When compared to subdivisions closer in such as in Sandy and the Happy Valley area, we have really not had the hard hits that many of these newer subdivisions have had. Lack of available land to develop with"new subdivisions" in the past couple of years has caused an escape from this problem.

foreclosures do bring  values down. Banks price these homes to go out the door. These foreclosure sales will be used as comparable for conventional loans. New lending rules require home sales in the past two to three months to be used as the comparables whether foreclosures or not.  They will help establish values for bank loans to buyers.This s the bad news.

The good news is that once the inventory of foreclosed homes are gone, existing home inventory gets adjusted to "market" and gets sold, values will stabilize and eventually we will be back to a more equal market for buyers and sellers.

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Recession on Mt. Hood?

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
by Liz Warren

Sales for Welches, Rhododendron, Government Camp and Brightwood in September hit a total of 10 accroding to the Market Action section of the RMLS, multiple listing service. Pending sales were down 33% and our total sales hit a decline of 11.5% for the year. 

On the ground we are seeing an average sale price decline and the upper end of the market from $500,000 on up has disappeared and completely flattened. This comes from a combination of things. A massive inventory, high interest rates for jumbo loans, the credit crunch taking lots of buyers out of this market and slower economic times.

The chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, Lawrence Yun and others see a recession through at least the next three quarters. Some areas of the country have already corrected back to 2002 and 2003 pricing levels. There is no doubt about it, our area needs to make this correction too in order to reduce inventory levels.

The biggest hoop to jump through as a seller and agent is the bank appraisal. foreclosures will be used for comparables and these sale prices will quickly adjust the market downward. This is a difficult pill to swallow for many sellers who are still thinking in terms of 2004 and 2005 but reality will strike so the sooner the adjustment is made the quicker the market will equalize.

It's an incredible time to buy properties if you qualify. Rates are still very low and with the amount of inventory available it's a feast of opportunity. We are fortunate to live in one of the most desirable areas of the country with a predicted quicker recovery than most states. The increased population to Oregon alone makes this a no brainer opportunity.

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Interest Rate and Economic Growth Predictions

Monday, August 25, 2008
by Liz Warren

 

Wonder what will happen with interest rates for the rest of the year and into 2009? Check out this chart for the NAR, National Association of Realtor's, and Freddie Macs predictions for the rest of 2008 and into 2009. Interest rates are still fantastic so it is a great time to buy.

 

Here are NAR's predictions for economic growth through 2009. See Chart Below--As far as real estate goes in the Mt. Hood area, Welches, Rhododendron, and Government Camp, things should be staying pretty much the same in our area as far as market conditions are concerned unless credit loosens up. Do I think that will happen soon? Honestly, no I don't.

Yes, there was a bill passed to help first time home buyers to receive a tax credit to help get them into homes. Unfortunately, most first time home-buyers are not starting out in our area due to commute and gas prices so this will not have an impact from what I can tell.

 

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July 3rd Report: Inventory is way up!

Thursday, July 3, 2008
by Liz Warren

Summer has finally hit the mountain with warm temps and hazy Northern California smoke interrupting our Mt. Hood views. Along with the smoke rolling in we are seeing increasing inventory of properties rolling in.  All price ranges are seeing jumps in active numbers. Take a look at the info below to see the current numbers.  Average days on market have hit 106 with a  22 month supply of homes currently for sale.  Of course some price ranges are moving better than others. The majority of the homes sold in the past twelve months were in the $225,000-$235,000 range.

If there was ever a great time to purchase on the mountain it is right now. Interest rates are historically screamingly low hovering at 6.3-6.5% and a large choice in inventory. It’s a buyer’s paradise.

We suspect as the 4th of July weekend moves on we will see the bargain hunters emerge.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

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Credit Crunch Changes The Game

Thursday, May 1, 2008
by Liz Warren

What will the credit crunch bring to today's market in the Welches, Rhododendron, Government Camp and Brightwood area?

1. Reduced equity lines of credit.

2.Removing subprime and Alt-A loans completely

3.Higher fees for loans that lenders do make.

Lending practices of the years 2002-2007 are over.

Results:

Builders will be building smaller homes.

Lenders will be lending much less money.

Buyers will be saving home and borrowing less.

Fewer buyers, fewer loan products, and higher loan costs create an even more competitive market for sellers and lowering  prices through that competition to sell.

 

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Displaying blog entries 721-730 of 738

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Liz Warren
Merit Properties Group - Keller Williams Realty PDX Central
Box 131
Welches OR 97067
Direct: 503-705-3090
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