Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

Attention to all Buyers or potential buyers of homes!  What a time we are in! With all the negative news and the stock market being in the shape it is in, no wonder we all stressed to the hilt!

There is a gold lining however (not silver, but gold) with interest rates at 5.15%. Prices of homes are down and selection is absolutely great here in the Tri-Cities! This is the time for those who have no fear about their job position being solid for them. (here in the Tri-Cities we are fortunate our employment situation is very good).

So if you have good credit, this is a golden opportunity to increase your wealth that does not come along very often. Opportunities are all around us and we are just too buried in the negative news coming out of other parts of the nation, to see what the Tri-Cities truly has to offer! Let’s turn off the negative news and move forward with a piece of life you CAN control.

If your opportunity is a new home or investment property in the Tri-Cities area (Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Finley, or Burbank), call us and we will advise you competently and completely, to make the best move for your best interests!

Christa Sasser, Broker for Distinctive Properties, Inc.

In the Tri-Cities, there have been many new and beautiful condominiums built in the last few years. Some take in the beauty of the Columbia River or the scenic views of the ridges and hillsides of our desert paradise. These condo units provide ease of living for folks of many age ranges, and especially for older folks who are downsizing from large family homes. These condos offer an ease of lifestyle and most are maintained by the develops of the communities. No muss, no fuss, no maintenance! What else could you ask for? 

If you’re nearing the age of 50, then you’ve probably already heard about a type of design in housing called “universal design”. Universal Design allows for the day in which mobility and energy of Baby Boomers may be reduced. For example, designers can create easily accessible, functional and beautiful bathrooms by integrating a large turning radius, wide doorways and level handles allowing those in a wheelchair easy access.

While is may not sound like much of a difference in traditional design, universal eliminates “steps or floor-height differentials and incorporating broad doorways and hallways throughout that take into account the potential for future lifestyle changes, says Nanette Oberly, VP of Epcon Co. A well-designed universal dwelling is one that anyone would be happy to call home.

Interest rates here in the Tri-cities are dropping and it’s time to consider buying a home!!  It was recently announced that financial industry lobbyists are urging the treasury Department to take steps to lower mortgage rates in an effort to stabilize the housing market.

Under the proposal, Treasury would seek to lower the rate on a 30-year mortgage to 4.5 percent. That’s about one percentage point below the current rate of 5.6 percent. Treasury would do so by purchasing mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Treasury is strongly considering the proposal and could announce a decision as early as Monday. In recent weeks, a diverse set of industry groups from real estate agents to carpet makers have called on lawmakers and the incoming administration to subsidize lower mortgage rates and beef up tax credits to help stimulate housing demand.

The National Association of Realtors has been pushing a plan under which the federal government would spend $50 billion to lower mortgage rates. It says doing so would yield about 500,000 more home sales.

The National Association of Home Builders is leading a new “Fix Housing First’ coalition to push for aid to the ailing housing sector, including a tax credit of up to $22,000 for anyone who buys a home before the end of 2009. The goal is to drive mortgage rates so low that home prices not only stop falling but begin to rebound.

While the plan, if enacted, will help anybody looking to buy or sell a home, or refinance out of an expensive mortgage, it may not help those whose credit is so damaged that banks don’t want to lend to them. It may change the number of borrowers seeking loans but it won’t change the qualifications for who gets those loans.

HAPO to hold open house at new Kennewick Location!

HAPO Community Credit Union will hold an open house and a ribbon cutting ceremony December 18th at its new location in Kennewick. The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. at 4851 W. Hildebrand Blvd off Highway 395.

The new branch, the third HAPO opened this year, will help credit union members living or working near the Southridge area, and those commuting from Oregon.

7 homes, winery to open their doors to the Mid-Columbia public -by Loretto J Hulse, Herald Staff Writer

Need some holiday cheer? Or perhaps some seasonal decorating ideas? The Dr. L.G. Spaulding Guild’s Christmas Home Tour will be held December 6.

Owners of 7 homes ad one winery in Kennewick and Richland will open their doors and show off priceless family treasures and family keepsakes. “They’re all very different with decor ranging from cherished antiques to red hot chili peppers to Tuscan,” said Christine Grantham, tour co-chairwoman.

I’m especially happy that we have three condos on the tour this year. That’s something I’ve been working on for a while now,” she said.  The Christmas Home Tour runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be entertainment at each home ranging from the Broadway Babes to a harpist.

Tickets and a tour book cost $15 and tickets are available at Beaver Bark & Rock, 607 Aaron Drive in Richland; Gadgets & Goodies, 5724 W Clearwater, Kennewick; and HL2 Accents, 6311 Burden Blvd, Pasco. A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase at the houses.

What a great operunity for the people of the Tri-Cities to go see how other people live.

Nancy Walsh is our Certified Negotiation Expert at Distinctive Properties, Inc.

Nancy has gained confidence in dealing with any negotiation situation in real estate. She understands the “tough” approach to negotiating, when to use it and how to handle that highly competitive hard bargainer across the table. She has learned collaborative negotiation techniques and why this ‘win-win’ approach leads to better outcomes for the buyers and sellers.

She has a marketing plan, an open house plan and lead generation plan; she now has a negotiation plan to give her new clients. E-mail Nancy Walsh at: nancy@distinctiveprop.com.