Sherwood Oregon Real Estate Update

September 2009

Sherwood has been and continues to be a desirable place to live. 

In 2007 Money Magazine voted Sherwood as the18th Best Place to Live. " Like much of the Northwest, Sherwood is home to an array of beautiful parks and natural beauty. But the quickly growing commercial sites of Sherwood offer true insight into the town's character: a juxtaposition of old and new, with reverence toward both the city's historic past and its bright, expanding future. The community events calendar is always full and the town's location makes for a fairly easy commute to nearby Portland. A.B."

In August of 2009 Family Circle declared Sherwood as one of the Top 10 Best Cities for Families. The Sherwood Gazette wrote "The magazine stated that each of the towns honored contained forward-thinking leaders, parents, teachers and students who are passionate about their hometown, dedicated to bettering their children's futures and involved in advancing their local school systems as exemplified by the implementation of such programs as partnering with local government in providing recreational amenities, private medical groups to ensure treatment for students who don't have health insurance and integrating dual language classes in grade school."


Sherwood has seen some of the fastest growth in the state of Oregon, and most of it has been residential homes. People moved to Sherwood to live, not necessarily to work. With the economy tanking, many homes went into foreclosure and people moved out. This left us with a lot of stagnant properties that until recently, weren't moving.

But there seems to be some positive news according to Zillow. Below is a chart of their estimated home values from June of 2008 through May 2009. From what I have seen, we can expect even better numbers for June and July.

It's interesting to note that the Sherwood, excluding the more expensive homes, saw an across the board decreaase in value this month. I don't place a lot of stock in it as our market is small enough that 1 or 2 sales can skew the numbers. Plus, what I am seeing is that the under $250,000 market is still hot. Look for an increase in next months values as sales close.

But the good news is that each of these segments has less deterioation Quarter Over Quarter. While we aren't positive this month, it still beats double digit depreciation!.

It appears that the worst is over in Sherwood!!

Buyers, you better get busy!! 100% financing is still available through the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan program, as well as 3.5% down with the FHA. For more information on both of these programs cllick on the above links, or follow this link to an article on First Time Home Buyer Financing in Sherwood.

The $8000 Tax Credit is disappearing in a few months, so there is no better time than now to buy a home!! We are having an Oregon First Time Home Buyer Seminar soon, so ya better call!!

Whether you are a First Time Home Buyer, or moving up to your next home, call me to get started, or click here to fill out a short form and I'll call you right back..

I work with some of the BEST Realtors in Sherwood!!

There is not a business alive that can succeed without sales. That is how revenue is driven. I don't care what your business is. You have a product, or service, and your success is driven by how well you deliver that product or service to your clients or prospects. Do you know who your customers are? How do you follow up with them?

It doesn't matter if you are in a traditional sales oriented business like car or insurance sales, a retail shop like a Beauty Salon or Book Store, a professional like a CPA or Attorney, a Realtor or Mortgage Broker, you cannot exist without customers. How do you follow up with your customers?

You also cannot exist without the assistance of other, third party companies. There are others who provide essential services to you as you do your job. Some of these are essential to your success, others provide services upon which you rely upon. Do you know who your key partners are? How do you follow up with these key people?

Even within a large corporation or government entity, there are people without whom your job would not exist. The payroll department is reliant upon every other employee. Without them their job would not be necessary. The Insurance claims analyst has an external client (the policy holder), and many internal customers (all of the other employees whom he or she works with on the policy or claim). Do you know who your customers are? How do you follow up with them?

My point is that every one of our jobs is reliant upon the assistance of others. Whether it's the end customer who uses our product or service and pays the bill, or the various co-workers or vendors who help us do our job in order to satisfy the end customer. Our success is tied to how we respond to others and how they respond to us.

I'm a mortgage broker as well as a referral marketing coach. I have an end customer, the homeowner who is looking to purchase or refinance. But in order to do my job, I am reliant upon a variety or internal co-workers, a wholesale lender with who knows how many people influencing my loan, an appraiser, possibly a Realtor, inspector, Title & Escrow company, and possibly verification of income, rent, assets and who knows what else...

While it's easy to say I have 1 customer, there are a lot of people reliant on me and that I am reliant on to get the deal done.

Here is how I followup with my customers and key partners.

I have found that it is always better to be proactive and nice in order to get new clients and loans through the system. This takes more time, but the payoff is worth it. It also helps to have a system to spread that honey.

I use a combination of high tech and low tech services to bring in new business and facilitate the work flow on existing business.

Here are a few:

• In Person: Usually best for cementing relationships, but most time consuming. You also need to be concerned about your appearance and that of your meeting place.
  
• Telephone: Also very good as long as you are a good listener and can convey your thoughts. I use my office phone, iPhone and RingCentral for fax and 800#.
  
• Internet: Great for attracting new clients and transferring information easily and effortlessly. I have several websites that allow prospects to find me, easily leave information for me to get back in touch with them. I use facebook, ActiveRain and twitter, as well as others sites to attract new clients and make my work easier. In fact, my mortgage and Referral Marketing businesses could not exist without the Internet.
  
• Email: I have a love hate relationship with email. I need it, but about 50% of what I get is SPAM. Chalk it up to my success on google... I have also found limited success using email to draw in new clients. It is to easy to leave a bogus email address or for a well intended email to end up in the SPAM folder. Trust me, it happens.
  
• E-Newsletters: I send out several e-newsletters and know that they work, but they also can easily end up in the SPAM folder or wear out their welcome.
  
• Personal Greeting Cards: Everybody loves a personal greeting card. We are bombarded with email, junk mail, bills... But when we get a personal letter or greeting card, we get excited. I use SendOutCards to easily, and cost effectively send personal greeting cards. It takes a couple of minutes to create the card, push send and it's printed at our factory, delivered to the Post Office and within a few days delivered to the mail box. I can even send a gift.

How do you followup with your clients? Do you know who your clients and key partners are?

What I suggest is to take a good look at your business or job.

• Identify where your revenue comes from. Who are your clients who bring you money or what were you hired to do?
  
• Identify the different steps involved in providing that service or attracting new revenue sources.
  
• Identify who else is involved in the process of assisting you in meeting the needs of that revenue source.
• Identify the steps where communication is best served and the method best for the situation. This should involve a variety of resources including personal visits, telephone, Internet, e-newsletters and personal Greeting Cards.
• Setup a plan and put it into action. It doesn't have to be complicated. Just intentional.
  

If you would like assistance in this, please give me a call.

Larry

New Bill Seeks to Extend, and Expand, the $8000 Tax Credit for Oregon Home Buyers

Janet Guilbault posted an interesting, and somewhat expected, post today. There is a new bill before Congress (Home Ownership Moves the Economy Act of 2009 HR 2801) that is set to extend the $8000 Tax Credit and to expand it to more home buyers. This is good news for Oregon Home Buyers!

While I have mixed feelings about more Govt. spending, I do agree that we are still not out of this economic mess. I have also seen first hand how the first time home buyer market in Oregon has increase property values due in large part to the $8000 tax credit.

We have also seen Builders adapt to the Oregon First Time Home Buyer market. The majority of homes being built now are aimed at this segment. This has helped stimulate our local economy in Newberg to a small degree. Combined with low rates and the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan, there has been continued building in some of our areas.

What we need, is help for the "Move-Up" market. The $250,000 to $400,000 market in our area. These are the homes that are going into foreclosure the most. Many homeowners are sitting on the fence afaid to buy a new home. They have lost a lot of equity in their current home and are unsure about the future.

With a resurgence in the First Time Home Buyer market here in Oregon, many of these sellers could sell with a reasonable profit. With the addition of a Tax Credit, they just might get off the fence and take advantage of many wonderful opportunities for nice homes in the $250,000 to $400,000 range.

It will be interesting to see what Congress does, and to what degree it will stimulate the economy.

We are having a First Time Home Buyer Seminar in September. Click HERE for information

Here is Janet's post

Oregon First Time Home Buyer Seminar
and the
$8000 Tax Credit

On December 1, 2009, the $8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit is set to cease. In order to receive this credit, the home purchase must be finalized. This means that we have roughly 90 days in order to get pre-approved, find a home and get it through underwriting. While this sounds like a lot of time, it's not.

If you are at all interested in purchaing an Oregon home, and are a First Time Home Buyer, and want to take advantage of an $8000 cash refund from our government, then you need to make it to our Oregon First Time Buyer Seminar on the $8000 Tax Credit.

Scheduled over 3 consecutive Tuesday evenings, and costing just $25 for an individual or $40 for a couple, you will learn what to look for in a property, what to expect in our market, the various types of mortgages available in Oregon for First Time Home Buyers. You will receive a 'game plan" and work book to help you move forward. We will analyze your credit report and documentation and by the end of the 3 week course, you will receive a pre-approval decision letting you know how much home you can afford to purchase.

If you are a First Time Home Buyer and motivated to purchase an Oregon Home before now and December 1st, 2009, the date the $8000 Tax Credit is set to expire, you cannot afford to miss this important seminar.

Following is the monthly "Planning for Eldercare" article from the National Care Planning Council, of which I am a member. This month's article focuses on local and state senior services. Read the article to find a link to services per state and for a link to Oregon Community Aging Services and Service Centers.

There is a lot of good information in this article, so I encourage you to read it and pass it on to those you feel would benefit from it.

Larry

Community Aging Services and Senior Centers

Community Aging Services and Long Term Care
There are many private, religious and government organizations across the country that provide supportive services for older people. Many of these services center around helping people stay in their homes and avoid having to go to live in an institution or perhaps move in with family. Because of the emphasis on helping people remain independent, many community aging programs could be viewed as long-term care programs. In fact it's probably just a matter of semantics; long-term care and community aging services are just two sides of the same coin. Other community services may provide socialization or training opportunities. Community aging programs might include:

• Meals served in community centers or delivered to the home
• Community Senior Center activities and training
• Transportation and shopping services for people who can't drive or leave their homes
• Home repairs, snow shoveling, telephone support, caregiver support, care management, legal services, energy and weatherization services, housing subsidies, home health care, counseling and much more
• Adult day care
• Protection from abuse
• Help with health insurance and government entitlement programs

Private support groups might be the Red Cross, women's auxiliaries or foundations. Many religious communities support activities for their elderly members as well as nonmembers. Both private and religious groups often provide services for free to people with little income and few assets. They may, however, charge people for services who have adequate income or assets. Many of these groups may also operate nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

Senior centers are often the focal point for all aging services in a community. Experts or contact people are housed in senior centers and can provide many services in the center itself or refer out to other organizations that can help. The community served meals or congregate meals in senior centers are a means for attracting older people into the centers. Seniors can then be exposed to the many services that are available.

Government support for aging services comes from the Older Americans Act, passed in 1965. This act, over the years, has produced a large network of care providers and local government managers called Area Agencies on Aging. This network also includes federal agencies, state agencies as well as local area agencies and is called the "national aging network".

The National Aging Network
The Older Americans Act establishes an effective interrelationship between the federal government, State aging units and local service coordinators called Area Agencies on Aging. All three centers of service, the Federal, the state and the local engage in detailed future planning in order to accomplish their jobs. Input at the local level is received from diversified advisory boards representing stakeholders in the elder community. Community meetings and feedback from patrons of senior centers are also used in the planning process. Over the past 44 years, a great deal of thought and energy and research has gone into devising a delivery system that is both efficient and cost effective. In fact, the 29,000 service providers nationwide providing care under the act are the largest single network of long-term care providers in the country.

Local agencies on aging represent geographic areas in a state that can be serviced effectively by that local unit. Area agencies on aging normally contract with local for profit or nonprofit or public providers to deliver benefits. An agency may be allowed to provide directly, supportive services, nutrition services, or in-home services if it can prove a case for providing these services more effectively. An agency may also provide directly, case management services and information and assistance services depending on the methods used for such services in that state. Agencies may also use employees from cooperating or sponsoring counties or cities to staff and administer programs such as senior centers. Much of the work performed comes from dedicated volunteers who are both individuals and employer sponsored teams. This entire aging network system seems to work very well in accomplishing the goals of the Older Americans Act.

Why Is the Older Americans Act Important?
The decade from 1960 to 1970 was a period of social unrest and change. We lived through an unpopular war which resulted in student protests and mass demonstrations. Hippies, it seems, were everywhere and we were experiencing the so-called sexual revolution. It was a exciting time when civil rights were being extended to all Americans.

During this same period a number of organizations were lobbying Congress for the rights of older Americans. An outcome of this effort was not only the 1965 creation of Medicare and Medicaid but also the passage of the Older Americans Act. The act was designed to protect elderly Americans, including Indians, from unfair discrimination in the workforce as well as providing protection and services to help older people stay independent and remain in their homes.

Although the initial emphasis was directed more towards civil rights and recognition of the dignity of the elderly, over the years, new provisions of the Older Americans Act have become more focused on providing long-term care services for older Americans. These benefits are designed to help frail, memory-impaired, disabled, poor and socially needy elderly remain in their homes and avoid the cost of elder care institutions. And more recently, funds were provided under the act to support caregivers of the elderly and elderly grandparents babysitting or raising minor children at home.

The OAA provides benefits to all Americans over the age of 60. And employment benefits are available for all Americans over the age of 55. The act itself stipulates re-authorization or amendment on an ongoing basis and since 1965 the OAA has been changed and updated 14 times. The year 2005 is designated as a re-authorization year and Congress is busily working on additions to the act. Because of the constant additions, the Older Americans Act has become a giant mishmash of thousands of words, redundant sentences and hundreds of rules and procedures. It's our guess that the complexity of the act probably requires states to hire attorneys to run their aging departments. Notwithstanding, members of the care community who provide administration and services with the Older Americans Act work around the complexity of its rules in serving the aging community.

Funding for the services required under the OAA is provided by Congress yearly. These funds are then distributed to states, territories, the District of Columbia , Indian tribes and native Hawaiians on a formula basis which provides minimum funding levels to small population groups and sparsely populated states and proportional funding levels based on state elderly populations of the majority of the other states. Because of its large elderly population, as an example, California receives almost 10% of the money. And because of its high proportion of older people, Florida is next. Ten states receive 52% of the money.

Funds are provided in the form of grants for various programs authorized under the act and states have some limited latitude in administering these monies in local areas. Certain of the mandated programs require matching funds from state and local governments. Other program funds do not require matching dollars. Many states chip in additional funds to maintain their programs and these funds often exceed matching requirements. States, counties and cities recognize the value of these services and are often generous in providing additional funds, buildings, office space and other in-kind economic benefits. For every dollar provided by Congress local governments provide about two dollars in direct money, in-kind services from volunteers, community voluntary contributions and cost sharing funds.

The federal appropriation for 2005 was $1,369,028,000 and the breakdown for specific spending categories is listed below. Notice that over half of the dollars goes towards nutrition services which are typically weekday meals provided in community settings or delivered at home as well as incentive programs to help the elderly maintain proper nutrition.

• Congregate Nutrition Services, Home-Delivered Nutrition Services, and Nutrition Services Incentive Program (money from the Department of Agriculture), 52.1%
• Home & Community-Based Services, 25.9%
• National Family Caregiver Support Program, 11.7%
• Grants for Native Americans, 1.9%
• Program Innovations Grants, 1.7%
• Preventive Health Services, 1.6%
• Protection of Vulnerable Older Americans, 1.3%
• Program Administration, 1.3%
• iAging Network Support Activities Grants, 1%
• Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants, 0.8%
• White House Conference on Aging, 0.3%
• Senior Medicare Patrols (HCFAC), 0.2%

Find your state Area Agencies on Aging or State Aging Services

Link for Oregon State Agencies on Aging or State Aging Services

Senior Citizen Centers
The first Senior Center in the country opened in 1943 in the Bronx, New York and was called the William Hodson Community Center . By 1961 about 218 senior centers had opened all across the country. The first Senior centers were operated by cities or nonprofit or religious organizations. Funding came from government, community donations and fees from people using the facilities. In the early days some federal funding came from Title XX of the Social Security act but funding for Title XX has been decreasing and much of that money today is being used for other programs. In 1972, the Older Americans Act was amended to provide funding for senior centers as this was considered to be an important piece of the aging network. Today, there are estimated to be about 15,000 senior centers across the country serving about 10 million older Americans annually. About 6,000 of these centers receive part or all of their funding through the Older Americans Act.

Senior centers act as a focal point for older Americans to receive many aging services. They are a vital part of the aging network. For Area Agencies on Aging, the senior center has become a place where many AAA services can be provided, where outreach and targeting can occur and where feedback can be received from the elderly. The most common services offered at a senior center are:

• Health and wellness programs
• Arts and humanities activities
• Intergenerational programs
• Employment assistance
• Community action opportunities and social networking opportunities
• Transportation services
• Volunteer opportunities
• Educational opportunities Information and referral
• Financial assistance
• Senior rights counseling and legal services
• Meal and nutrition programs
• Leisure travel programs

Larger senior centers in major cities may offer additional specific services because they serve a large and diverse group of patrons. Here are some examples:

• Education classes, perhaps through a local college
• Foot care
• Health clinics
• Haircuts
• Daily exercise
• Telephone friends
• Support groups for Alzheimer's caregivers
• Support for Parkinson's disease
• Low vision and diabetes services
• Weekly health speakers
• Grocery shopping
• Many and varied classes for personal growth and learning
• Special events and fundraisers such as auctions, raffles, sales, bazaars, rummage sales, bingo, special meals and parties, fashion shows and facility rentals

Most elderly people are aware of senior centers in their neighborhoods but for those who are not familiar with the program, senior centers are listed under that title in the Yellow Pages.

For more information about community resources go to the National and State Care Planning Councils websites http://www.longtermcarelink.net/a15state_councils.htm

Link for Oregon State Agencies on Aging or State Aging Services

Nestled in the hills above Newberg, with a spectacular view of the Tualatin Valley and Mt St Helens, this stunning  home is waiting for you.  Oregon has some spectacular views and properties, and this Tualatin Valley View Property ranks up there with the best.

This 3083 sq. ft. day light Ranch has 4 bedrooms and 3 baths, a gorgeous sunroom with a HotTub, a Redwood Sauna, a beautiful stone fireplace and spectacular views from most of the rooms.  This Tualatin Valley View Property is fully landscaped with low maintenance and a 1/2 mile walking trail through the beautiful grounds. It also has a 30x48 ft Barn.

When the weather is grey and raining, enjoy the view and lifestyle from the fully enclosed sunroom. When it’s nice out, you get the same living experience from a beautiful deck. Either way, the view from this Tualatin Valley View Property is stunning.

Close to Newberg, Hillsboro and Portland, this property is a great commute to your job and to PDX or Hillsboro airports. Nestled within the famed wineries of Yamhill and Washington counties, this Tualatin Valley view property is near the arts and culture of Portland, entertainment at Spirit Mountain and Chinook Winds Casinos  and the Oregon Coast.

Live in your own personal resort in this Tualatin Valley View Property!!

This isn’t just a home, it’s a lifestyle!!

19180 NE Jaquith Rd, Newberg OR
$650,000
RMLS Listing # 9033992

Call today to start your new life in this spectacular Tualatin Valley View Home.

Rick Talbott  - 503-348-9625

Payment Options for this Tualatin Valley View Property

Financing available through Larry Morris with

American Nationwide Mortgage Company
307 E 2nd Street, Suite 230
Newberg, OR 97132
503-421-0096
lmorris@americannationwide.com
www.PDX-Mortgage.com

Click to get Pre-Qualified

Sherwood Oregon Home Value Update

August 2009

Sherwood has been and continues to be a desirable place to live. It has seen some of the fastest growth in the state of Oregon, and most of it has been residential homes. People moved to Sherwood to live, not necessarily to work. With the economy tanking, many homes went into foreclosure and people moved out. This left us with a lot of stagnant properties that until recently, weren't moving.

But there seems to be some positive news according to Zillow.com. Below is a chart of their estimated Sherwood Oregon home values from June of 2008 through May 2009. From what I have seen, we can expect even better numbers for June and July.

It's interesting to note that the hottest markets in Sherwood are the condo and the 4+ bedroom market. The condo market doesn't surprise me, but the 4+ does. I guess this just shows that those with money are able to take advantage of market opportunities. The market that is still seeing the slowest growth is the 3 bedroom home. These are often just out of price of First Time Home Buyers. This segment also seemed to have been hit especially hard by foreclosures and short sales..

But the good news is that each of these segments has seen positive month over month growth.

A question though is if a recent rise in Foreclosures filed will affect these values.

Buyers, you better get busy!! 100% financing is still available through the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan program, as well as 3.5% down with the FHA. For more information on both of these programs click on the above links.

The $8000 Tax Credit is disappearing in a few months, so there is no better time than now to buy a home!!

Whether you are a First Time Home Buyer, or moving up to your next home, call me to get started, or click here to fill out a short form and I'll call you right back..

I work with some of the best Sherwood Realtors.

Newberg Oregon 1st Time Home Buyer Financing

Newberg is a wonderful place to live. In close proximity to Portland, the mountains, the coast , wine country, among others.

Newberg is also very attractive for 1st Time Home Buyers.

While one of Yamhill county's largest towns, Newberg is still small enough to qualify for financing under the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan program. This great program provides for 100% financing based on the appraised price, not the purchase price. This means that if a property appraises for more then the purchase price, the difference can be used to help offset closing costs. Sellers can also contribute up to 6% of the sales price to help cover closing costs. This allows many 1st Time home buyers to get into a home with little or no money down.

There are income qualifiers though.

• Your mortgage payment (Principle, Interest, Taxes and Insurance) generally needs to be 29% or lower, and your total debt to income should be below 45%.
• You also can't make too much money. This amount varies by county and the number of people in your household. It also includes income from all members of your household whether or not they will be on the mortgage or Title. It's best to call and talk with me to see if you make too much money.

The FHA also has several programs that are perfect for Newberg Oregon 1st Time Home Buyers.

FHA programs are generally more flexible for home buyers with higher debt to income ratios and income. It does require 3.5% down payment, but this can be gifted from a family member. Non-occupant co-borrowers can also co-sign for the loan. This can be used for income qualification purposes.

The FHA has a wonderful program to help that project house become a home that you would want to live in. The FHA 203k loan allows you to purchase a home and finance the costs of the repairs. You close at escrow, the seller gets their money and then the remodel work starts. You generally have up to 6 months to complete the work.

There are 2 programs within the 203K loan program.

• Streamline - up to $35,000 of repairs, generally cosmetic or fairly straightforward work. This loan is perfect for the foreclosed home that was stripped or trashed.
• Regular - This is a full blown construction loan and can be used for major remodels as well as the cosmetic items.

These 3 loan programs help make Newberg an ideal place for a 1st time home buyer to purchase a home.

I work with some of the best Realtor's.

Click here to search for Newberg homes.

Let me help you get pre-approved for your new home.

 Forest Grove First Time HomeBuyer

The USDA has loosened their guidelines recently to allow Forest Grove to qualify under the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan program


This Home now qualifies for 100% Financing!!
 
Remodelled 1910 Farm House
in Forest Grove, Oregon

 2503 A St, Forest Grove, OR 97116 

Check out more pictures of this house by

CLICKING HERE!

Beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath home close to Pacific University, downtown, quaint shops and parks. Pictures and words do not do this home justuce.
This is a MUST SEE.

Forest Grove is a beautiful, small town at the base of the Oregon Coast Range. It is not that far from Portland or the Oregon Coast.

 Listed by:

Todd and Leslie McCabe
John L Scott Real Estate 

Contact Broker 

Forest Grove First Time Home Buyers are now able to purchase a home with:
100% Financing with NO monthly Mortgage Insurance
$0 Down Payment
Up to 6% Seller Concessions that can be applied towards your Closing Costs.
Simplified Appraisal Process

There are Income Qualifiers. You can't make to much or to little.

Find out if YOU qualify.. 

Get Pre-Approved today!!
OR
Local Clients Call: 503-421-0096
Not in the Area? Call: 1-888-660-2842 and Ask for Larry

View all of our FEATURED HOMES here!!

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