EDITORIAL NOTE: YES, I KNOW IT'S NOT YET THE END OF THE MONTH. THIS IS A PROTOTYPE POST. THE CHARTS WILL BE UPDATED ON OR ABOUT JUNE 1....JIM)   What's really happening to single family homes for sale in Eugene, Oregon's FERRY STREET BRIDGE RMLS market area? Just how big a factor are distressed properties? How much of the current real estate market (closed sales and available inventory)is made up of Bank-Owned (i.e. foreclosed) homes for sale?How many real estate listings are Short Sales?How many are good-old, true-blue Regular Sales? How much of the "active" inventory is really made up of those confusing "submitted" Short Sales - those that are truly pending but hiding amidst the officially-reported "active" inventory? Those that have been submitted to the underlying lender for short-... 05/29/2011

If not now, when?  Take advantage of LOW Mortgage Rates in Eugene Oregon   Mortgage Rates in Eugene Oregon are LOW  - - if you don’t purchase or refinance now, then WHEN? According to Freddie Mac, this is the lowest Mortgage Rate in 2011. If you’ve been waiting to buy or refinance, now is the time.  When Mortgages rates in Eugene Oregon strike the yearly low, it’s the time to buy! We do not know how long these low rates will stay around, OR when they will come back.  So GET THE LOAN LOCKED WHILE YOU CAN, at this LOW Mortgage Rate time. Are you Pre-Approved?  If not, I’m in Eugene Oregon and I can help you catch this low Mortgage Rate with a quick and easy pre-approval process. Pre-approval gives you peace of mind while you’re shopping for the home of your dreams during this low Mortgage... 05/28/2011

(EDITORIAL NOTE:  YES, I KNOW IT'S NOT YET THE END OF THE MONTH.  THIS IS A PROTOTYPE POST.  THE CHARTS WILL BE UPDATED ON OR ABOUT JUNE 1....JIM)   What's really happening to homes for sale in Eugene, Oregon's Bethel - Danebo RMLS market area? Just how big a factor are distressed properties? How much of the current real estate market (closed sales and available inventory)is made up of Bank-Owned (i.e. foreclosed) homes for sale?How many real estate listings are Short Sales?How many are good-old, true-blue Regular Sales? How much of the "active" inventory is really made up of those confusing "submitted" Short Sales - those that are truly pending but hiding amidst the officially-reported "active" inventory?  Those that have been submitted to the underlying lender for short-sale approval.... 05/27/2011

Helping a Senior with a Reverse Mortgage One of the most gratifying parts of my job as a Loan Officer is when I get to help a Senior tap into the equity in their home through a Reverse Mortgage. It usually starts this way: I get a call from a Senior, they are at least 62 years old, and they are worried, maybe scared; each Senior has their own reason for being worried and/or scared.  I’ve had one Senior who became ill and couldn’t afford the medical treatment he needed; I had another Senior who lost her job – and she was in great shape and wasn’t planning on retiring anytime soon; another example is the man whose wife passed away, and with that went her pension, and he was left with much less to live on than he was expecting. After hearing their story (every story is fascinating) I get s... 05/27/2011

How many times do you run my credit report and verify my employment when I get a mortgage? Question:  I’ve just been informed that at the end of August 2011 I will be layed off.  My husband and I have been thinking about selling our home and purchasing another home, but it may not all happen before I’m layed off.  When getting a mortgage, how many times do you run my credit report and how many times do you verify my employment?  Thank you, Karen Answer:  Karen this is a great question, and in this economy I’m asked this more often than you might think. We run your credit report one time, and that is at the time you make loan application.  There could be situations where we run your credit report again; an example would be if debt was paid off prior to running the credit report, and it’s... 05/27/2011

With this post I pass 400,000 points on ActiveRAIN. It's been two years this week.It's been just over 1000 posts - most of which have been local market data...for the 19 MLS areas here in Lane County, Oregon.It's been a lot of comments given and received.It's been a lot of fun.It's been a lot of learning. It's been worth it.   Thank you, RAINERS!     With this post my monthly AR fee goes down to $9.00.  Sweet! By Halloween, I hope to be up another 100,000 . . . and fee free!   Thank you, ActiveRAIN!   05/24/2011

How To Pay Off Your Credit Cards In today’s economy credit card use is rampant.  It is sometimes used as the purchase method of choice because of the inherent built in protections (item warranty, identity theft protection), but often it is used to buy that ‘one thing’ you’ve had your eye on for a while, or to make ends meet until payday. Whatever the reason for credit card use, the credit card balances, if not paid off monthly, can easily become overwhelming, and you might be wondering what is the best or quickest way to pay off your credit cards? I have two different methods that can help you pay off your credit cards.  They both take discipline, and they both work.  One method is the Smallest Amount Method, and the other is the Interest Rate Method.       ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~ ... 05/16/2011

  THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the WEST EUGENE RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the   Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for Homes in Eugene, Oregon for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median for homes sold would ... 05/15/2011

THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the SOUTHWEST EUGENE RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:     And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011: These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median would make for a better comparison but is unava... 05/15/2011

THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the EAST EUGENE RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:     And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median would make for a better comparison but is unavaila... 05/15/2011

  THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the RIVER ROAD RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:     These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median would make for a better comparison but is unavaila... 05/15/2011

THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the NORTH GILHAM RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of APRIL 2O01 - 2011:   And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the Months of APRIL 2O01 - 2011:   These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median would make for a better comparison but is unavailab... 05/15/2011

  THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the FERRY STREET BRIDGE RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   05/15/2011

    THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the SANTA CLARA RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011: And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the   Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median would make for a better comparison but is unavail... 05/15/2011

  THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the BETHEL - DANEBO RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the Months of APRIL 2001 - 2011:   These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median would make for a better comparison but is unava... 05/15/2011

Antiques Roadshow follow-up - DID I GET TICKETS??? I said I would let everyone know if I was lucky enough to be selected from the random drawing by Antiques Roadshow to get tickets, and the answer came in the mail today... I GOT "2" TICKETS TO THE ANTIQUES ROADSHOW coming to   Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, June 4th, 2011, for the 3pm entrance time slot!   I'm so excited.  My husband and I are making a 'date night' out of it.  It says on the ticket that each ticket holder must bring 1 item to be admitted, but no more than 2 items per ticket holder.  So between my husband and I we will be going through our ancestors' belongings and digging up the most interesting, precious and intriguing items we can find! A note: on the ticket it notes that no vehicles, stamps, paper currency, coins, bicyc... 05/11/2011

Home & Garden Feature:      Sustainable Landscape Training     I am happy to say that the Lane County Extension Service is alive and well in our local community!  After their loss of funding during a recent election, I was very concerned that we were going to lose a tremendous resource to our community.  The folks at the extension service have moved mountains to continue to provide fantastic services to our local community including:    The Master Gardener Program and associated hotline provides not only sustainable landscaping training, but hotline & walk-in services to help you identify pests & invasive plants, provide garden advice and training in composting & pruning ~ Hotline hours & walk-in service provided       from 10-1 & 2-5 Monday-Thursday     The extension office is located ... 05/04/2011

You may be wondering what simple and affordable changes you can make to your home to make it increase in value, whether you plan to sell now or later. According to Realtor Magazine, the estimated return for simply deep cleaning and removing personalization and clutter is $1,990. That is, if you truly organize and create a sparkly clean feel to the home. I would say that is a good return, wouldn't you? Next, brightening up. From old curtains and dirty windows to outdated light fixtures and anything that blocks natural light--they need to go. Windows should be cleaned inside and out. Updated lighting fixtures are a small investment, approximately $375 for a return of $1,550. Not every improvement you think of will add value to your home. Ask your professional Realtor for proven suggestion... 05/03/2011

Eugene, Oregon Real Estate Market Statistics April, 2011 Report        A comparison of real estate market statistics for Greater Lane County, Oregon from March of 2010 to March of 2011 shows closed sales down 17.5%, pending sales down 30.9% and new listings down 33.8%.  That being said, the increase in sales from February to March in our current year proved formidable, reducing the active residential inventory from 12.4 months at the beginning of the year, to 8.6 months ending the month of March. Real Estate Market Statistics    A review of  local real estate market statistics over the past few years gives the appearance of a carnival ride.  Sale prices continue to be affected by the influx of shortsale and foreclosed properties coming onto the market, but folks looking to purchase have... 05/02/2011

  THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   So for the WEST EUGENE RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:     A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the   Months of MARCH 2001 - 2011:   And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for Homes in Eugene, Oregon for the Months of MARCH 2001 - 2011:   These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The mix of homes sold varies over time.  The average price for some months is drastically affected by an unusual number of homes selling at the TOP or BOTTOM of the range of prices.  A history of the variation in the statistical median for homes sold would ... 04/24/2011