Meredith Laws - Windermere Real Estate/ Anacortes Properties - 360-770-1997

Support our local Anacortes High School Band! You love them at the football games and in the parade - come and show your support for them at the Band Craft Fair, after the Christmas parade on Saturday. It's at the Anacortes Middle School gym from noon until 4:30. Lots of great local craftspeople will be selling their wares. Buy raffle tickets, enjoy a hot baked potato, find the perfect, unique gift for everyone on your list - there are lots of ways you can help out. Our band needs you! Fight fight fight for purple and white!

Here are some interesting points from the National Association of REALTORS. If you are getting ready to buy a home, give yourself every advantage in the deal. It's easy to forget the basics when you are busy with househunting, inspections and negotiations. And when your ready to start looking in Anacortes - go to www.goseagull.com!

Common First-Time Home Buyer Mistakes

1. They don't ask enough questions of their lender and end up missing out on the best deal.

2. They don't act quickly enough to make a decision and someone else buys the house.

3. They don't find the right agent who's willing to help them through the homebuying process.

4. They don't do enough to make their offer look appealing to a seller.

5. They don't think about resale before they buy. The average first-time buyer only stays in a home for four years.

Source: Real Estate Checklists and Systems

reprinted from National Association of REALTORS

Here's what's happening in Anacortes this week...

Town Tree Lighting - this Friday, December 5th, downtown. Enjoy an old fashioned tree lighting complete with carolers from the high school, hot cocoa and Santa, who sometimes shows up in a limo and sometimes on a fire truck! Starts at 6pm.

Afterward - hang out downtown and go on the Art Walk - the holiday art walk is always the best one of the year - everyone is open late and there are plenty of holiday goodies around!

Breakfast with Santa is the next morning at Fidalgo Center from 8 to 11:30, followed by the annual Lions Club Christmas Parade downtown on Commercial at 11:00. Parades are awesome in general, and this one does not dissapoint in the small town charm department! There is a good possibility that the majority of our population has been in the Christmas Parade at one time or another as a scout, preschooler, volunteer, car driver, or band member. So grab your latte and a goodie from the Calico Cupboard (and maybe your umbrella) and get your spot on the sidewalk.

Later that night is the Island Hospital Foundation Celebration of Trees auction event at the Port Dock. Tickets include dinner and lots of holiday festivities - and you get to look at and hopefully bid on, some amazingly beautiful trees and wreaths. Don't miss it!

For more details on all of these events, go to www.LawsCraig.com and in the links section, click on Anacortes Chamber of Commerce.

The Anacortes American reported on Wednesday that assessments in Anacortes won't change much this year - except for Skyline. Skyline is anticipated to see some decrease in assessed values this year.

According to the American, "Anacortes was physically inspected in 2007 and its assessed value went up nearly 20 percent, increasing from about $4.342 billion to about $5.275 billion. The value is for all properties in the Anacortes School District boundaries, including residential land and commercial property, such as the refineries. The assessed value increase was an accumulation of what happened over the past few years."

The recent market downturn probably won't be reflected in most assessed values until 2010. Skyine residents will see a drop this year of about 5%.

Skagit County uses an overall budget basis for calculating taxes, so your taxes may or may not rise if your assessment changes. Your taxes will rise and fall based on your overall change in value compared to everyone else in the county. I encourage you to get wise about your property taxes - how they are calculated, how value is determined and how an increase or decrease in value really affects your bottom line!

FHA's new loan limits have been posted For Skagit County - the max loan amount is $295,550 according to Diane Martin at Wells Fargo in Anacortes. Currently in Anacortes, there are 43 active residential listings. Not all will meet FHA guidelines, but most probably will. The great thing about FHA is that the downpayment requirement for buyers is very small and can be contributed in part by the seller. Find out if you qualify for FHA and take advantage of this great buyers market! Check out all Anacortes listings at www.lawscraig.com.