Does the Earth Quake in China hit home, you bet!To see all the death and destruction in China does bring things home for me. Why? Because I have a wife that fears the big one that is always being promised to us here in the Pacific Northwest. The news talks about the destruction in these foreign countries and then immediately they start to talk about when it will happen here and how soon. I love my wife, but sometimes her fear of the big one (and spiders) worries me. I know there is nothing I can do if the big one hits, but I think she is doing better this time. I'm not sure if that is because she is learning to handle it or if she is not showing her fear to protect the kids from the fear that she feels when she sees the news. Does anyone have any suggestions for me and how to calm my wife's fear?
Washington County, Oregon home sales week in review by neighborhood (5/16/2008)Today is Friday, May 16, 2008 and it is time for another breakdown of homes sales in the Washington So, if you have a family home that you are thinking about selling, this is a great time to get it on the market! Here is a breakdown of homes sales for the week by neighborhood. Just click on the link to your neighborhood for the complete breakdown of what the average of homes that are on the market, how long they have been on the market, how many have sold, what their average price was, and how long they were on the market. As always, if you are looking to buy or sell in the Washington County, Oregon area, I would love to show you how you can save the most money by being on your side during the negotiations.
Neighborhood # of Active Listings
Beaverton Oregon Real Estate: Investors, the best answer maybe let’s find outI am amazed at how many investors hire an agent that seems to have all the answers, but really great agents will always say, "Let's find out." The reason I say this is because the biggest and most expensive mistakes made in real estate investing are the ones that are made on someone else's knowledge instead of your own due diligence. Laws are constantly changing and what might have been the correct answer last week could be the wrong answer this week. That could cost you thousands of dollars, and to me that just isn't worth it. When an investor asks me a question about zoning, and what they can do with a property, I always answer the same way, "Let's find out." Then we drive to the county together and hear the answer at the same time. I never go get the answer for them. We always get the answer together. So, how does your agent answer your questions to very important zoning changes? Remember it is your money and you shouldn't let someone else spend it!
Beaverton Oregon Real Estate: Buying a bank owned property or in pre-foreclosure
Why do I say, that you have to be prepared to wait for it? Two reasons, if a home is in default, there is a possibility that the bank may need to approve a short sale, and that can take months. The other reason is usually when a person goes into default on a home, for the first couple months, even if they have equity, they are in denial and may not want to sell to you. When I sit down with someone in my office that wants to save money buying a property that is in default, we first discuss what they are looking for and what their timelines are. Second, we discuss how they are going to finance the home. Is it through a traditional mortgage or if the bank will allow it, can they just assume the mortgage of the person in default if they catch up any back payments? This option can be the best and quickest sometimes for both the buyer and seller, if the bank approves it. What I do is tell people to go to my website and download the NOD list from the county they are looking in, that I post each week on my Pre-foreclosure page and see if there is a home there that fits their needs and is in a neighborhood that they desire. Then, call me and tell me the property they are looking at and I will contact the owner and see if we can work out something on your behalf and make it a win-win situation for all. For more secrets on short sales, please download my special report "Short Sale Secrets Revealed" and you could quickly be realizing a very large saving on the purchase of your next home.
Guest Post – “My Puppy Midge” by Meesha ClarkA week ago I wrote about a deal I made with my nine year old daughter and you can read about that here. But, here is her guest post as promised and I hope you enjoy. When we first got Midge she was super little and calm so we took her home so we could keep her. Now she's a whole lot bigger and jumps a lot higher and much more energetic then she was when we got her. She also knows how to fetch a ball (sorta, she plays chase sometimes) she can sit, she can also lay down, she can run way faster than any of our family members, maybe even if we were all combined! She's only nine months old. She's very fun to play with, but she is not fully trained yet so she still jumps up on you, she doesn't always drop the ball when you play fetch with her. She sometimes even bites your ankles. But she's still a puppy and has a lot to learn. That is Midge our puppy. Meesha Clark (2008) Knowing who is behind the scenes: Gifts of appreciation
Why can I say that none of you have ever heard of this Activerainer? The reason I can say this is because this Activerainer is the woman behind the man. You have heard that behind every strong man is an even stronger woman? Well, my mentor and friend, has this woman in his corner. Her name is Arlene Paukert and she is usually the one that puts posts here in the rain for her husband, and my mentor, George Paukert. The reason I have such respect for Arlene is in the past couple months, George despite trying to be strong, has been hit pretty hard with cancer and this has left Arlene to run a very successful coaching institute AND still take care of George. I talk to Arlene at least twice a week and her strength amazes me. I think George is very lucky to have found someone who is so strong on the outside as well as on the inside. Arlene, thank you for showing me an inner strength that inspires me to do better, and like you, live everyday with the get by giving philosophy.
My tribute to my mom – I.O.U.
My mom is a great woman and has the patience of a saint! As she put it, she had to put up with doing my laundry, and from time to time, finding frogs and snakes in my pockets. I guess I made doing laundry as exciting for her, as it was to me as a six year old, by putting those items in my pockets. She has been a wonderful grandmother to my kids, and has been a great teacher to thousands of kids as a Kindergarten teacher in the Tigard Tualatin Schools. My tribute to mom was said best by Jimmy Dean in his song called I.O.U. So here is to you mom.
Washington County, Oregon home sales week in review by neighborhood (5/9/2008)Today is Friday, May 9, 2008 and it is time for another breakdown of homes sales in the Washington So, if you have a family home that you are thinking about selling, this is a great time to get it on the market! Here is a breakdown of homes sales for the week by neighborhood. Just click on the link to your neighborhood for the complete breakdown of what the average of homes that are on the market, how long they have been on the market, how many have sold, what their average price was, and how long they were on the market. As always, if you are looking to buy or sell in the Washington County, Oregon area, I would love to show you how you can save the most money by being on your side during the negotiations.
Neighborhood # of Active Listings
Foreclosures still rising and so are the scams
Recently, I met a person that fell for one of these scams and I advised them to contact the Oregon Attorney General to hopefully get their money back and to hopefully help protect others from the same fate. What happened? The person claimed to be a mortgage broker and befriended the home owner with the false hope of helping them. Over the next couple months, he got all their information, including social security #, in the hopes of refinancing the home and lowering the payments. What they were really doing is setting them up for an elaborate identity theft, as well plans to steal their home. After months of not getting the home refinanced, and building trust with the home owner, they called the home owner and said, "We can't get you refinanced, but we do have another option for you!" The owner was so excited about hearing another option that didn't involve them having to move and the chance to keep their home. This is where it went from bad to worse! They charged the seller $2000 for a title transfer, so they could put the house in the new company's name. Then you would pay rent to the company that would cover the difference between your rent and the payments on the house. At the end of two years when they "fixed your credit", they would sell your house back to you the same price you sold it to them for, plus the difference between the rent and the payments, plus another $10,000 for them. Seems to good to be true, and it was! The title transfer never actually happened, they kept the $2000, and the checks for rent never went toward the mortgage. They were pocketed by the owners of the company and the house ended up going into foreclosure anyway. So not only was this person out $2000 for the title transfer that didn't happen, they were also out $2000 a month for rent, and then still ended up having a foreclosure on their record. Now, you think this would be the end of the story, but from what I understand, early in the process when they took all the credit information they opened up credit cards in the home owners name and racked up an additional $15,000 in debt for the home owner. So, if you are in default, make sure you know who you are working with, because this person didn't and ended up getting fooled and lost more than everything!
Could I be giving up my blog for a very special posting?
Last year she said she wanted to be a writer because she does enjoy it, but in school, they force her to write on a certain subject, instead of what she wants to write about. This time, she has to have a composition on a topic done by 4pm. I told her if she can get the school composition done, I will let her take over my blog for one day and give her the chance to write about whatever she wants! It was a deal or no deal offer, if she accepted, she has to get her school work done by the scheduled deadline, then I will give up my blog on the day of her choice and let her right about what ever she wants. So, hopefully this week you will see a guest post from my daughter on a subject that she finds of interest to her. Stay tuned! UPDATE: Here is a link to my daughters special post
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Todd Clark (Realtor), GRI (Washington Co, Beaverton, Oregon) Beaverton, OR More about me… Kastings & Associates, Oregon Office Phone: (503) 667-7000 Cell Phone: (503) 524-9494 Email Me
Helping Families Home is a blog set up to teach you to invest your money and maximize your profits in Real Estate. Starting with your first home all the way to you 150th investment property. Creating wealth through real estate is the best way to financial freedom.
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I get this question almost every day and what I can tell you is yes, sometimes you can save money on a home that is in default. But, you have to know what you are looking for and be prepared to wait for it.
Sometimes in life you find your true inspirations by seeing how someone else handles a situation that you hope to never find yourself in. This post is to show my appreciation to a fellow Activerain contributor that none of you have ever heard of.
When someone gets that first notice of default from their bank, it really can be heart wrenching and break a person's spirit. At this point some people are looking for anyway possible to avoid a foreclosure and the embarrassment of losing their home.
My daughter is in the 4th grade, and as many of you know, my wife and I homeschool our kids. However, my daughter has started to not like a certain subject...Compositions! I have to admit, in school, neither did I, but I told her that everyday, when I blog, that is exactly what I'm doing. I'm writing a new composition. Everyday, she sees how much I enjoy it, so I made a deal with her.
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