Jamie Carroll ~ S&B Real Estate Team ~ Vancouver, WA ~ Clark County

There's so much to do in and around Vancouver this weekend that if you try do it all you'd have to sleep all day Monday! (Probably not the best idea!) Here's a rundown of three great outings:

Home & Garden Idea Fair

When: April 24, 25 & 26

Where: Clark County Fairgrounds, 17402 NE Delfel Road in Ridgefield

What: Free admission to this annual event featuring hundreds of booths of the best in home and garden services, the region's largest plant sale, beautiful landscape displays, presentations on home and garden topics and fun kid's activities. (Parking is $5)

Learn More: www.clarkpublicutilities.com

International Discovery Walk Festival

When: April 25, 25 & 26

Where: Registration, walks and bikes begin at the Hilton Hotel, 301 W 6th Street in downtown Vancouver. Swim is at the Hough Pool, shuttle is provided.

What: Celebrate Vancouver's Heritage at this annual event! There's a children's culture parade, three walks and a choose-your-distance triathlon. Registration is only $10 per event and parking is available at several lots around Esther Short Park.

Learn More: www.discoverywalk.org

Ceramic Showcase 2009

When: April 24, 25 & 26

Where: Oregon Convention Center, 777 MLK, Jr. Boulevard in Portland

What: The nations largest show and sale of pottery, sculpture, garden art, home accessories and other works in clay exhibited in 150+ booths! Displays by the artists themselves. Free admission, continuous demos, adult & kids clay-play areas, high school & college booths, sculpture garden, interior display, garden exhibit. A fabulous show & display of exceptional creativity.

Learn More: www.ceramicshowcase.com

Whatever you choose to do, have a great time! Thinking of buying or selling real estate? Call Jamie at 360-609-6775, or visit the "Contact Us" page at www.MyRealtorIsJamie.com. We are here to help!

I was in a seminar this morning led by a very successful and inspirational person - Gary Keller. The guy who puts the "Keller" in Keller Williams Realty, the third largest real estate comapny in North America! You don't reach that level of success by accident so I know he knows what he's talking about! Here are a few nuggets from the seven pages of notes I took:

• Economic history always repeats itself - that's why it's called an economic cycle.
• Economic "down" cycles are 50-70 years apart. We will never see a downturn like this one again in our lifetime!
• According to economic history, we should have had a recession in 2000-2001.
• Instead we had a longer "up" economy, essentially borrowing the "up" of the future (which is now!)
• Because we had a longer "up" economy, it stands to reason it will be followed by a longer "down" economy.
• During the most recent "up" economy people over-borrowed, over-paid and under-saved. Now we'll over-save and under-pay. Which would you prefer?
• Real estate markets are driven by five things: home sales, home prices, inventory, mortgage rates and affordability.
• This is the most affordable market we've had in decades when you consider the relationship between median home prices, mortgage rates and median income!
• Home sales rates are the same today as they were in 1998.
• Six states had an increase in home sales in the last quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009!
• Even if we reach a 10% foreclosure rate, that still means 90% of homeowners are doing fine. And that's GREAT!
• Higher interest rates and inflation are coming! We only know when they come in hindsight.
• Never buy a piece of real estate you aren't able to hold onto for at least seven years.
• If a property doesn't sell within 90 days of listing, there's only a 4-6% chance it will EVER sell at that price!
• It's always the right time to buy the right piece of real estate!
• If you buy the "wrong" piece of real estate, you still have a piece of real estate. If you buy the wrong stocks you can have a nice day!
• HUD designates a certain number of homes for K-12 teachers to buy at 50% of their value!

To take advantage to today's awesome home buying opportunities, call Jamie at 360-609-6775. Or visit the "Contact Us" page at www.MyRealtorIsJamie.com. We are here to help!

I am a huge fan of money guru Dave Ramsey. His Financial Peace series completely changed the way I look at money and personal and business finances and I can (almost) shout his "Debt Freeeeeeee!" warrior call! This Thursday, April 23rd, Dave is holding a nationally simulcast event called Town Hall for Hope. Here's what his website says about the event:

"Town Hall for Hope is your opportunity to sit down with people in your community for a nationwide town hall meeting led by Dave Ramsey. Thousands of venues across the country will host the event, broadcasting Dave's live presentation. In the opening half hour, Dave will offer straight talk about the economy, recession, foreclosures and more. He'll carefully explain where we've come from, where we are now, and what we should be doing with our money during this time. Then, Dave will spend an hour answering your questions live!"

They will be taking quiestions via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, email and the good old-fashioned phone. There are literally thousands of locations across the country - over 40 just in the Portland/ Vancouver area! Seating is on a first come, first served basis and there is no registration. Go to www.townhallforhope.com to find a location near you.

Buying or selling real estate in Southwest Washington? Call Jamie at 360-609-6775 or visit the "Contact Us" page at www.MyRealtorIsJamie.com. We are here to help!

March saw another decrease in new home construction as builders have started 72% fewer homes than in March of 2008. Only 22 permits to build single-family residences were taken as compared to 78 permits in the same month last year. Since January only 59 homes have been started, compared to 198 homes started in the first quarter of 2008. While this unfortunately means unemployment amongst the building trades, there is some good news with this.

Like all products for sale, homes are subject to the law of supply and demand. As demand increases, supply dwindles; when demand decreases, supplies become too great. During the "boom" years builders were throwing new houses together as fast as they could and there were lotteries held for buyers to get into the new subdivisions. Prices went up and up and up because builders could barely keep up with buyer demand. The market finally (thankfully) started to level out but, because the building process starts long before a foundation is ever laid, builders were still going like gangbusters. This resulted in a HUGE inventory of new homes when demand was in a slump.

Without buyers chomping at the bit, builders had to start scaling their prices back to reasonable levels to entice sales. This then made sellers of pre-owned homes have to scale their prices back to compete with new construction. We ended up with nearly two years worth of new and pre-owned inventory! Stores put clothes on sale to clear the racks for next season's fashions - and that's what home sellers had to do as well. Homes were put on "clearance" which, together with the new tax credits, enticed people to buy houses again. Inventory has gradually been decreasing toward reasonable levels and prices in many areas of the county have leveled off. Price and building stabilization was desperately needed; and we're still seeing that transition. The only way to get that is for homes to sell and for builders to scale back.

If you or someone you know would like to take advantage of the current buyer's market and tax incentives, give us a call at 360-609-6775. Or visit the "Contact Us" page at www.MyRealtorIsJamie.com. We are here to help!

With many homeowners facing foreclosure, shady "foreclosure rescue" companies are popping up across the country. These companies are in place to prey on frustrated homeowners and defraud them out of their hard-earned money. There are legitimate programs people who are delinquent on thier mortgages may qualify for. Here are some tips to make sure you protect yourself and don't fall victim to someone who doesn't have yor best interest at heart:

• HUD-approved housing counselors and legitimate lenders never charge an upfront fee to get assistance or information.
• Beware of any organization charging an upfront fee for loan modification or housing counseling services.
• Do not sign over the deed to your house to anyone offering to "save" you from foreclosure.
• Never send your mortgage payments to anyone but your mortgage company.

If you or someone you know is facing financial difficulty and in danger of losing a home, we'd be happy to refer you to a professional who can help. Call Jamie of the S&B Real Estate Team at 360-609-6775 or visit the "Contact Us" page at www.MyRealtorIsJamie.com. We are here to help!