Eugene, OR

BETHEL - DANEBO

New Listings may include properties previously listed by the same or a different brokerage.
Cancellations or Expired Listings may, therefore, by duplicated in the active category.
Pending Sales are those subject to a new sale agreement within the month.
Active Listings are those for sale on the last day of the month.
Closed Listings are those that closed in escrow within the report month.

Karen Church, your "Go To" gal at RE/MAX Integrity at www.eugenehomesgal.com discusses the question of "Dealing with Credit Challenges.".

Unfortunately, a person with a bad credit is often in this position because he or she lacks the discipline to pay bills on time. Of course, there are exceptions where unforeseen circumstances come into play, such as health complications, or loss of employment.

There are a few things that may be able to bring up your score so that you can secure a better interest rate on your mortgage loan.

Example 1: Distribute debt from revolving credit.

Our borrower, Mr. Jones, has a credit score of 664. He has five credit cards, but his Visa account is almost maxed out. His other four credit cards have relatively low balances. Mr. Jones moves par of the debt from the Visa account to the other major credit card accounts, thus distributing the debt more evenly over ht five cards. This changes the ratio of debt to available credit (which has a 30% impact on the overall credit score), and Mr. Jones successfully raises his credit score by 20 points with very little effort.

Example 2: Transfer outstanding balances to new accounts.

Our borrower, Mr. Smith, has only two credit cards, but both are pushing the limit of available credit. Mr. Smith opens two new credit card accounts, each with a credit limit of $5000. He transfers part of his existing balances to he new accounts. While he has acquired two new cards, that have no established history, the greater impact is the change in the ratio of debt to available credit.

Ultimately experts say that is the best to have one or three major credit cards, and no more than that. You should keep your balances as low as possible. If you have a credit account with a zero balance, do not close the account.

Instead, make a small purchase to the card shows up as an active account on your credit report and you will be awarded points for your long term credit history.

This information has been obtained through the Real Estate Lending Group. Be sure to contact me if you need further assistance. If you wish to get a free credit report go to www.annualcreditreport.com

Stay tuned for Part 9: Dos and Don'ts During the Loan Process.

Have you ever met someone for the first time and knew how they treated their clients? Well, yesterday, while on a family outing to Eugene, Oregon, I got to meet Jim Hale, a broker with ActionAgents.net and boy did he impress me!

THIS MAN DOES HIS HOMEWORK!

You see Jim, read my blog and he knew my kids’ names, what they like to do, and what they liked to eat and planned the next 3 hours around that! First he took us to Strike City bowling and my kids had a blast. He walked up to each of them, knew each of them by name and a little bit about each of them. (That was impressive!)

Then, after our ventures in bowling, he took us to a little old fashioned hamburger place that my kids loved! Not only was it filled with memorabilia, but it had great food on top of it! (The toilet seats lids were guitars and that was really cool, my son laughed at that one.)

If you are looking for an agent that clearly does his homework and will work hard for you, call Jim Hale, because I can’t see anybody going out of their way more for you. Jim really aimed to please and he succeeded!

Karen Church, your "Go To" gal at RE/MAX Integrity at www.eugenehomesgal.com discusses the question of "What if I have no Credit?

On occasion, a borrow will not have enough credit references to obtain the loan they wish to secure. If this is the case for you, start by opening small lines of credit that report to all three major CRA's, and make purchases that can be paid off easily. If you do not already have a checking or saving account, open one. Your bank or credit union may be able to provide you with a credit card account once you have established a history with them as a customer.

It is also wise to start saving money for the down payment on your home. The lender will look at your application more favorably when you are able to come to the table with a 20% down payment. Bear in mind, there are certain loan programs available that permit a percentage of gift money for down payment, which can come from a relative, or even the person selling the home.

This information is has been obtained through the Real Estate Lending Group. Be sure to contact me if you need further assistance.

Stay tuned for Part 8: Dealing with Credit Challenges

Was it Todd Clark, the biggest heavy hitter in the RAIN and the legendary BEAVERTON/TIGARD, OR Real Estate Expert?

Was it Todd's wife Samantha - who fires a ball down an alley at near-98 mph?

Was it Meesha, age 11, who clearly uses the same adult form when she bowls as when she writes her weekly Book Reviews for her dad's AR blog?

Was it Natascha, age 5, who puts a spin on the ball that a major league pitcher would envy?

Well, I'll tell you:

We all had fun. We all had hamburgers at Buddy's Diner on Coburg Road in Eugene, OR ...a great burger joint with a classic car motif and a way-classic burger basket (in classic cardboard cars for the kids).
We all talked shop and families and even some baseball.

We have a lot in common. And a few houses, too.