Summer Lunch Programs in Oregon

Little Girl Having Food & Fun

I was listening to Think Out Loud on OPB this morning and they were talking about how many programs are out there right now for kids to enjoy fun and games and food for little or NO CHARGE.  Thought I would try and put the word out a little bit.

It is a sad comment on our society that many children in our community do not get enough to eat or eat a very unhealty diet.  Thankfully, a lot of these children are eligble for, and take advantage of, free or subsizied breakfast and lunch progams offered through public schools.

These programs are undoubtedly a worthwhile addition to the lives of local kids, but what happens when school is out for two months as it is right now?  Studies would suggest that the diet of these kids takes a turn for the worse when they don’t attend school.

It is also true that children who are not sent to “Science Camp” or other educational and fun programs during the summer break may actually have slip backwards in their educational abilities when they return to school in September. 

Well, there are programs out there that cost nothing and fill this gap, they just might be a little harder to find.

So let’s hear it for Summer Lunch Programs.  Find summer fun and food and take advantage of the wonderful activities that are available for children of all ages.

What?  You don’t have children? Then volunteer or donate and feel good about yourself.

 - Maria

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Ends Soon!

If you, or someone you know, has been thinking about purchasing their first home, now’s the time to buy!

A free $8,000 tax credit, soft real estate values and low interest rates makes this one of the best markets EVER to become a homeowner.

To qualify for the credit, you must close on your home purchase by November 30, 2009 – at the latest!

Start your home search using our interactive neighborhood map.

Swap Out Your Lightbulbs? What a Great Idea?

What A Great Idea

Have you heard about the light bulb exchange Puget Sound Power is doing?

Maybe PGE can come up with something like this too.

The 2009 Rock the Bulb Tour – Unplugged

Puget Sound Energy presents Rock the Bulb Tour – Unplugged, a true bulb-rockin’ chance to have some fun and save some energy this year.

Bring up to 10 old-fashioned incandescent bulbs and exchange them for a variety of free, energy-saving CFL bulbs.
Enjoy snacks and family games – ride the energy comparison bike, spin the wheel of lights and participate in fun energy-efficiency games and activities for the whole family!
Get tips and learn more about saving energy and money from PSE Energy Advisors

- Maria

RMLS Market Action Report – June 2009 Stats

The market IS picking up in the Portland Metro Area!  The June 2009 stats were released earlier this week reporting that June 2009 pending sales were up 8.4% over June 2008 – that’s right, we have seen an increase in activity not only month-over-month but we are starting to see year-over-year numbers on the rise again.

Inventory levels decreased by two-months, from 10.2 months of inventory in May 2009 to 8.2 months of inventory in June 2009.  What this means is that at our current activity levels (new listings, pending sales and closed business) it would take 8.2 months to sell everything that is currently on the market. 

The scales are starting to tip more rapidly towards a “balanced market” – not a buyer’s market, nor a seller’s market – a market where both parties need to be negotiable.  A balanced market is defined as six months of inventory.  Just an FYI, at the height of the decline states that were hit the worst were holding 48 months of inventory or more.  Portland Metro Area hit 19.2 in January 2009 (partially due to ”Arctic Blast” in my opinion based on the fact we jumped from 14.1 in December 2008 and dropped to 16.6 in February 2009).

I have personally felt the upswing on both the buying and selling side.  A client of mine, had been looking for a home for almost four months - we made three different offers (when we even got a chance before the house went pending) and happily closed on her new home yesterday.  The house she purchased, on the edge of Peidmont, was on the market for less than 24 hours. 

On the listing side, after a couple months of preporation – making sure the house was 100% ready to go to market and that we were the best priced home in that area – a client of mine got an offer on his home in Aloha in less than 12 hours yesterday.  The buyers have been looking for months and their agent had the same story I mentioned earlier – they’ve been beat out several times or simply not quick enough.

It’s a great time to be in the market!  If you’re a first time home buyer and qualify for the tax credit of $8,000 - you need to get moving because the tax credit ends in 4.5 months!  You have until November 30, 2009 to find your home and close the transaction.  It’s time to get moving and rates are still great!  I spoke with a leader friend of mine last night, Chris Jordan of Hyperion, and his feeling (from watching the market on a daily basis) rates are going to pop back up a bit.  So, if you’re waiting for rates to drop that last half of percentage point, you might want to re-evaluate so you don’t miss out on the opportunity all together.

Have a great day!  And as always, Maria and I are here to help you with your real estate goals – please give use a call or drop us an email - we get results!

~Kori

Sears Tower or Big Willie

I was not born in Chicago nor anywhere even close, but ask me I have heard of the Sears Tower and my answer would be, of course, who hasn’t?

Well, as of today, it is the Sears Tower no more.  The name has been changed by it’s new tenant, Willis Insurance, to the Willis Tower, or more colloquially, Big Willie.

Of course, life goes on and things change but sometimes, a change just hurts.

Sears moved out of the tower many years ago but the name remained the same. 

However, Willis Group Holdings of London took a lease on three floors this year and included in that agreement is the right to rename the building.

I wonder how many Chicagoans will make that change in their vocabulary?

 - Maria