Brett Tousley | Tacoma WA Real Estate | (253) 820-2745

Last August I wrote a blog post using this pic as a clue to see if anyone still remembered Never Never Land. Gone but not forgotten Never Never Land still exists in the hearts of some of us.

While cruising through the Internet today I stumbled across a rare find. It seems that an intrepid reporter from the Tacoma Sun named Morgan Alexander has found the figurines that once graced Never Never Land in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park. Follow this link to see the pics "Click Here"

For those of you that didn't grow up in the area, Never Never Land was on every kid's wish list when visiting Point Defiance. Located on the 5 mile drive near Fort Nisqually, Never Never Land was a place where fairy tales came to life for children.

Maybe there is still some hope that Never Never Land will someday be rebuilt?

$8,000 first time home buyer tax credit is now a reality. Designed to stimulate the first time home buyer market, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law yesterday. One of the key features that will provide immediate impact to struggling first time home buyers is the $8,000 first time home buyer credit.

What is it? It's an actual tax credit of up to $8,000 dollars given to first time home buyers. It's based upon the purchase price of your new home and will pay 10% or up to $8,000 whichever is less. Unlike the former $7,500 program, the new plan does not require repayment if the purchaser holds the property for 3 years.

Who qualifies? First time home buyers or new purchasers of owner occupied homes who have not owned a home in the past 3 years. Eligible purchase dates are Jan 1 2009 to November 30 2009. Hint, now may be a nice time to call your local lender and get yourselves approved for a home loan?

Do I really get a check? Yes, the $8,000 tax credit will be applied to your 2008 or 2009 tax liability. If you normally overpay and get a refund, this credit will be issued on top of that refund. If you normally owe taxes, the credit will be applied against your obligation and you'll receive the remainder.

How do I claim it? Make sure you tell your tax preparer or accountant about your new purchase while filing your taxes. If you've already purchased a new home in 09 it may be possible to file an amended return. Check with your tax professional for the best course of action to claim your $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit.

Additional help for Pierce County Washington first time home buyers is available as well. Down payment assistance programs, zero down loans, and low down payment government loans are still readily available. Follow this link to begin searching for the best first time buyer deals on the Pierce County real estate .

I have no illusions that banks or investors will heed my advice, but I've got to get this off my chest. The financial institutions are in a tough spot with the rising number of foreclosures and REO's they are burdened with, I understand that.

What I do not understand is their lack of business sense used to deal with this problem. The solution seems to collect as much TARP money as possible in hopes of buying up weaker competitors while not addressing the issue at hand.

So Mr. or Mrs. Fat cat Banker, since I am now footing the bill for your lack of business acumen, here's some advice from the trenches.

Virtually every home I've helped my clients buy here in Pierce County WA over the past few months has been an REO. Even with the onerous bank addendum and sometimes slow response, the buyers are flocking to the bank owned market.

My advice to the banks and investors that are currently saddled with a large inventory of REO's and potential short sales is hire more staff.

Get aggressive in providing loan mods, staff your loss mitigation dept adequately and hire a cleaning crew/trash out for every reo you put on the market.

Loan mods will save a bank money over foreclosure in some cases, hire the staff to actively contact troubled homeowners and work with them if it makes financial sense.

Staff the loss mitigation dept. Short sales are the bane of most buyer agents and buyers currently for one reason. If they close at all it often takes 2 to 6 months. Speed up that process and you'll move more inventory and net more on each transaction. Many buyers are just waiting for the properties to be foreclosed in hopes of buying reo.

You are losing 10's of thousands of dollars on your reo's for no reason. Clean them up, make minor repairs and leave the power on! "Presto" you've got the best home on the block priced below the competition. Your reo's will sell quicker and for far more money by following this tried and true advice.

Of course these actions won't be taken. We'll see the continued erosion of housing prices due to the downward pressure in our neighborhoods from poorly marketed, filthy reo's and short sale listings that close 48% of the time.

What can the average citizen do? There's one way I know of to profit from this situation, buy an reo, replace the carpet, paint, landscape and you are one of the few that will profit from these interesting times we are living in.

If you'd like to learn how to find the best deals in Pierce County bank owned real estate, please follow the link to my website.

Hey, while I was wandering around downtown Tacoma today I ran across this interesting bit of history.

Ever wonder why it is that we all stand and remove our caps for the star spangled banner? Of course we do it out of reverence for our country, but I actually stumbled across the man that is responsible for the custom while roaming the streets of Tacoma.

It seems that Rossell G O'Brien actually started the custom in 1893 right here in the Bostwick building in Tacoma WA. This info was new to me, so upon returning home I did some research on the web and found that Rossell was quite an accomplished man.

Not only was he a Brigadier General, responsible for the custom of standing and removing your hat during the National Anthem, but he was also the mayor of Olympia for a short time.

Just goes to show you, you really can learn something new everyday...IF you pay attention!

If you'd like to read more about General O'Brien I found this interesting blog while researching him here.

If you are interested in finding a great home in Tacoma, please visit my Tacoma real estate site.

I was out touring several Tacoma condos on a foggy, gray morning here in the city of destiny. Wading through the months of inventory available to find the "deals" has become a weekly exercise that I've really started to enjoy.

With the high end finishes, 10 year tax abatement, lower prices, cheap rates and so much to do now in the city, Tacoma condos are starting to look like a good buy again. Something I've learned to really focus on are the resales in the newer buildings. Great deals can be had if you know where to look.

I ended my tour at the Marcato to meet with a prospective listing client. Unlike much of the higher end condos available in Tacoma, the Marcato seems to be moving pretty well. Units are priced more reasonably than some of the other buildings, but offer the same or better features and benefits than the competition.

If you'd like to explore buying a Tacoma condo, give me a call and I'll show you the top ten deals I've found this week!