I love fall.

I love cool weather and the change of the leaves. I personally find fall energizing.  There is just this incredible beauty in fall trees.  I guess I think it's natures way of giving us one last chance to admire it's beauty before heading into "hibernation" for the winter months. 

Harvest festivals.  Apple cider.  Pear bread. Such wonderful things happen in the fall.   I constantly get asked by people considering relocating to the Salem Oregon area about the weather. Now I have talked about our snow...and the city’s one snow plow, but people considering moving here from the east coast typically want to know “do you have four seasons?”

We do. Granted we get rain in the winter instead of snow, but I think the shift from fall to winter happens here. I was out walking around yesterday morning and just took a few shots of our Salem fall. Personally October in Oregon is one of my favorite times of year.

"I've been trying to talk to the bank about a loan modification for 8 months.  I give up," said the caller on the other end of the line.

With unemployment still high many Salem Oregon area homeowners are in a dire predicament these days. The letter that comes in the mail stating their home is headed for foreclosure is not happy news.   In the 2009 Oregon Legislature, a bill was passed…Senate Bill 628 for the curious. This bill requires lenders to meet with borrowers facing a foreclosure and see whether or not they qualify for a loan modification. It doesn’t guarantee a loan modification because sometimes people just can’t stay in their homes.

When the notice of default comes in the mail, along with it will be information about loan modification.  As of yesterday, if the borrow requests a meeting, either in person or on the phone, the lender MUST meet with the borrower OR show that they evaluated the borrower for a loan modification and the buyer didn’t qualify.  They need to do this process before foreclosing on a home.

According to the State of Oregon:

Oregonians who are seriously behind on their mortgage payments should watch their mail for the new foreclosure notice. Once they receive the notice, they should immediately take the following steps:

1. Call their lender to set up a meeting to discuss a loan modification.
2. Fill out the loan modification request form provided in the notice.
3. Call 1-800-SAFENET and ask to be referred to a nonprofit foreclosure counselor. The coun­selor can help homeowners request a loan modification.

Homeowners should act fast – they have 30 days from the date of the foreclosure notice to request a loan modification.

Read that part in bold.  If you are a homeowner in trouble this is not a means to stall your foreclosure.  You can’t request a loan modification the day before auction.  This law is meant to hold lenders more accountable and be responsive to the many homeowners that have requested help with no response in sight.

So, if you are one of the many weary Salem Oregon area home owners that are facing a short sale or foreclosure… call the Department of Consumer and Business Services at 503-947-7854 or call 1-800-SAFENET to be referred to a foreclosure counselor.

This post was first published on the Salem Oregon Real Estate Jumble.

Relocating to the Salem Oregon Metro Area

One of the hard things about moving to a new area is trying to decide if that area is right for you, or if you are moving for a job relocation, trying to find things out about what a city has to offer.  Here is a snippet of what the Salem Oregon area has to offer residents that are thinking about moving to our area.

Dog Lovers

Salem Oregon does have leash laws.  Dogs are expected to be on leashes and make sure you have your bags available to scoop the poop.  That’s not to say we don’t love dogs here, I have one myself, but we do have designated off leash areas at some local parks for your dogs to run around and have a good time. Dog Parks in Salem Oregon

Downtown Salem

Salem Oregon is the capital city so you can’t help but be downtown and see the state buildings.  The gold man on top of the state building is the pioneer.

Salem Oregon Historic District

Capitol Mall

Employment

With Oregon’s high unemployment right now, I’m constantly asked about the job outlook here.  This is some information about the area’s largest employers.

Employment

Unemployment

Hazards

Landslides

Produce

Organic CSA’s

Saturday Market (Salem Oregon)

Strawberry Picking

Salem Metro Area Parks

Read a little bit about my thoughts about some of our local parks and what our area has to offer in terms of heading outdoors!

Minto-Brown Island Park

North Fork Park

North Santiam State Park

Riverfront Park

Silver Falls State Park

Schools

How to find a good school

Salem Metro area private school choices

Things to do/Festivals

Salem Oregon is a city of about 150,000 people. If you are relocating here from a larger city you will find that with all of the small cities that surround Salem, there is a local community event occurring often.  There is no lack of things to do in the Salem area if you are willing to get out and about.

Art Festival (Salem Oregon)

Bite of Salem

Iris Festival (Keizer Oregon)

Oregon Pinor Noir

Tulip Festival (Woodburn Oregon)

Western Days (Monmouth and Independence Oregon)

Things to do/kids

Family Fun

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Riverfront Splash Fountain

Weekend Getaways:

Smith Rock State Park

Weather

Sshhhh…don’t tell anyone but it rains in Oregon.  There I said it!  If you are wondering about our local weather and my thoughts on it.  Read on.

The Rain Myth

Snow in Salem Oregon

Tornadoes

If you are wondering about the state of the real estate market here in Salem Oregon just read my most recent market reports for information.  Then give me a call to talk about your relocation needs.