Planting a seed

My good friend, Mark Rylant, who is the co-founder of Method Homes made a cut as one of the 7 entrants for the USGBC(U.S. Green Build Council) IMPACT award. Entry with the most LIKES wins, so please go like Planting a SEED if you have a facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.487497017951658.111387.183380328363330&type=1 This is what SEED does: The SEED (Sustainable Education Every Day) is a modular living building classroom that meets the 20 imperatives of the Living Building Challenge. Each SEED comes with a curriculum packet to become a living laboratory. These learning spaces that can be placed anywhere in the world will have the ability to connect with one another. They will teach children the importance of...

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Market condition in Bellingham

I get a lot of questions about the market condition. The following graph shows what is going on in Bellingham market. To sum it all, we have less inventory but more Sold than last year. Less supply and more demand will move the price up eventually. We have seen small rise this year already. Historically low interest rate makes homes more affordable for sure. (WECU's today's posted 30 year Fixed rate for a primary home purchase is 3.125% without points. ) You can find investment homes that will cash flow easily with this interest rate.                    Curnt vs. Prev Month      Curnt vs. Same Month 1 Yr Ago    Curnt vs. Same Qtr 1 Yr Ago For Sale...

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Fall/Winter Check List

Are you ready for winter? Here are a few helpful hints on preparing your home for the fall & winter months. Courtesy of Pillar to post Roof Structure Remove moss from roof. (Avoid pressure washing as this often causes more damage than good. Solutions & instructions can be found at most home improvement centers.) Check condition of flashing & repair any loose or damaged shingles. Clean gutters. (Even small amounts of debris can clog downspouts) Keep trees & branches trimmed 6 feet from roof & off power lines. Exterior Items Trim all vegetation 12 inches away from siding. Keep earth 6 inches below/away from siding & all other wood while maintaining a gentle slope away from the home. Remove all debris away from...

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Case-Shiller home price index

Our trusty loan officer, Cathy Digby let us know that Case-Shiller home prices index is looking good. Today's 30year fixed rate is 3.5%. It can not get any better. All 20 cities in the Case-Shiller home price index had monthly increases from May to June. This marks the second straight month in which all 20 cities have posted monthly gains. Of the 20 cities Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago and Atlanta had the biggest monthly gains. June also represents the first year-over-year increase in 21 months with a 0.5% gain from June of 2011. ...

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Waren Buffett

"Buffett conceded in his letter released Saturday that he was dead wrong to predict the housing market would recover by now. He said Monday that he believes conditions will improve this year." -Heraldtribune published Feb 28th, 2012 "Confidence among U.S. consumers soared in February to its highest level since February 2011. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index jumped from 61.5 in January (revised slightly upwards from 61.1) to 70.8 in February. Economists polled in a Bloomberg News survey had anticipated an increase to 63.0. " -Yahoo Finances published Feb 28th, 2012 In my office at Windermere, we had the best month in terms of sale pending in February in four years. We don't have enough inventory to sell. Interest rate is...

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Posted in: Real Estate

Bipartisan bill might boost the US real estate market

My client in Korea told me about a news he read from Korean media that might boost American real estate market. Of course I was intrigued so I googled to see what it is about and found LA Times article: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-visas-home-buyers-20111021,0,6715779.story "Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill that would allow foreigners who spend at least $500,000 on residential property to obtain visas allowing them to live in the United States."" The legislation would create a new homeowner visa that would be renewable every three years, but the proposal would not put them on a path to citizenship. To be eligible, a person would have to buy a primary residence of at least $250,000 and spend a total of $500,000 on residential...

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Posted in: Real Estate

Pumpkin time

Pumpkin time is here. I go to Stoney Ridge Farm in Everson every year on my kids' school field trip. It is the best place in Whatcom county! When you are done taking a wagon ride, picking apples and pumpkins, having fun in corn maze, feeding goats, checking out queen bee & animals, taking millions of pictures with all the cute display of pumpkins, make sure to drop by Rusty donut shop for mini donuts and coffee. Yum! After I dropped my camera the other day, Hubby came home and he made it to work again(I hate when that happens :). Well, it works but is not taking great pictures. I'm not sure if it has more to do with cloudy weather and wrong auto setting I had on but let's just blame on the camera for...

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Posted in: Bellingham event