Scott Cowan -Tacoma & Pierce County Area

Downtown Tacoma Farmers Market Starts May 15th.

The Downtown Tacoma Farmers Market series begins May 15th. The Downtown Farmers Market will run every Thursday until October.

Located between 9th and 11th. on Broadway the farmers market will be open 9am until 2pm.

Featuring the freshest fruits and vegtables along with flowers, and artisan crafts all in our downtown business district.

For more information you can visit the Tacoma Farmers Market website by clicking here.

Best wishes,

Scott

Contact Scott Cowan, Rainier Real Estate. Licensed real estate salesperson in Washington at 253-219-1194 to list your property for sale or purchase a home in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and the rest of Pierce County Washington. Gladly accepting referrals.

Copyright © 2008 By Scott Cowan, All Rights Reserved. "Downtown Tacoma Farmers Market Starts May 15th."

Call us today at 253-219-1194. Contact us by email if you prefer by using the email link on the right side of this page under my profile.

Disclaimer: Information provided within this post and blog is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. All information is provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied. Entries on this blog are the opinions and ideas of the author and are not necessary those of Rainier Real Estate, Inc.

Puyallup Spring Art & Wine Walk Saturday May 10th.

The Spring Art & Wine Walk in Puyallup will be held Saturday May 10th. from 1 to 6 pm. There will be sixteen sites featuring 30 different wines. In addition nine locations will be providing food.

This is an outstanding way to get out and sample some fine Washington wines while supporting the Puyallup area. Enjoy downtown Puyallup and take in some fine artwork and wine.

Tickets are $15.00 per person or $5.00 per person to just sample the food.

For more information visit www.puyallupmainstreet.com

Contact Scott Cowan, Rainier Real Estate. Licensed real estate salesperson in Washington at 253-219-1194 to list your property for sale or purchase a home in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and the rest of Pierce County Washington. Gladly accepting referrals.

Copyright © 2008 By Scott Cowan, All Rights Reserved. "Puyallup Art & Wine Walk May 10th."

Call us today at 253-219-1194. Contact us by email if you prefer by using the email link on the right side of this page under my profile.

Disclaimer: Information provided within this post and blog is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. All information is provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied. Entries on this blog are the opinions and ideas of the author and are not necessary those of Rainier Real Estate, Inc.

Tacoma Washington Major Employers Looking Elsewhere?

One of the challenges facing Tacoma's housing market in the next few years is the availability of well paying jobs that keep and attract people to move into the city.

Recently Frank Russell Investments has been shopping for a new city for their corporate offices. Tacoma does not easily come to mind when you are thinking world class investment companies. Recruiting has been mentioned as one of the reasons for considering leaving Tacoma. Frank Russell employs over 1,000 people in Tacoma. They have completed over ONE TRILLION dollars in investment trades from the investment floor in Tacoma. The employees contribute over 80 million dollars annually to the community by simply living here.

DaVita is a nationwide healthcare company with a large office presence in Tacoma. Over 700 people are employed in Tacoma alone by DaVita. This company is looking to move out of Tacoma as well if they cannot find the necessary amount of Class A office space required to continue to grow.

What is the city of Tacoma going to do to continue to attract and retain large employers? If we lose either or both of these companies the Tacoma and Pierce County economy will be faced with a shortage.

With the housing market in the Tacoma Pierce County area already in a downturn the news of major employers looking outside of our area is something that needs to be taken seriously. Tacoma has so much going for it that it would be a shame if our area was allowed to slip back into the narrow sighted vision that kept so much development from happening in the 1980's and early 1990's

The city and county government needs to make adjustments to some of the building laws to allow for businesses like Russell and DaVita to have office towers built that meet their needs in our city. The benefits of having a well educated and well paid workforce far outnumber any concerns about building heights and parking restrictions. Tacoma needs to look to the future and create a plan that will bring us more employers and allow our region to continue to grow.

The housing market in Pierce County and Tacoma has room to continue to grow. The condos being developed in downtown Tacoma will sell much faster if the people buying them can actually work in Tacoma instead of Seattle or Bellevue. The county still has available land to build new housing developments that will provide wonderful locations to raise families. We need to continue to look for ways to work together and our region will flourish for years to come.

Contact Scott Cowan, Rainier Real Estate. Licensed real estate salesperson in Washington at 253-219-1194 to list your property for sale or purchase a home in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and the rest of Pierce County Washington. Gladly accepting referrals.

Copyright © 2008 By Scott Cowan, All Rights Reserved. Photographs A picture says a thousand words but are they worth saying?

Call us today at 253-219-1194. Contact us by email if you prefer by using the email link on the right side of this page under my profile.

Disclaimer: Information provided within this post and blog is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. All information is provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied. Entries on this blog are the opinions and ideas of the author and are not necessary those of Rainier Real Estate, Inc.

Gig Harbor Washington Market Update April 2008

During the month of April 2008 26 houses sold in the Gig Harbor area. Compared with 71 homes sold in 2007 during the same time period.

Average Sales price in 2008 was $479,378 vs. $513,274 in 2007

Days on market 168 in 2008 vs. 147 in 2007

Average prices have dropped by almost 7% compared to sales a year ago.

If you are a buyer now is an amazing time to be looking for a home! With a large inventory to choose from and interest rates hovering around 6% for a 30 year fixed rate loan the Gig Harbor area is a prime area to be looked at.

Contact Scott Cowan, Rainier Real Estate. Licensed real estate salesperson in Washington at 253-219-1194 to list your property for sale or purchase a home in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and the rest of Pierce County Washington. Gladly accepting referrals.

Copyright © 2008 By Scott Cowan, All Rights Reserved. Gig Harbor Washington Market Update April 2008

Call us today at 253-219-1194. Contact us by email if you prefer by using the email link on the right side of this page under my profile.

Disclaimer: Information provided within this post and blog is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. All information is provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied. Entries on this blog are the opinions and ideas of the author and are not necessary those of Rainier Real Estate, Inc.

Are you looking to buy a home in Tacoma Washington? If so then you might qualify for the City of Tacoma Downpayment Assistance Program.

Designed to help home buyers who can afford the payments but do not have the money for a downpayment or closing costs. Tacoma will loan up to $20,000 interest free to qualified buyers.

The map below shows the areas that are available for downpayment assistance.

The downpayment assistance can be used towards a downpayment or closing costs. There is no interest and the loan is paid back when the home is sold, refinanced, or the buyer no longer lives in the home. Or after 20 years of ownership.

There is income guidelines that are as follows

If you would like more information this powerful homebuying tool please contact me. I am happy to work with first time buyers who are looking to get out of renting and into buying a home and building equity for their future.

Contact Scott Cowan Rainier Real Estate at (253)-219-1194 to purchase or sell homes or property in the Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and greater Pierce County area.

Visit my profile for more information on my services. Call today (253)-219-1194. You can contact me via email by using the email link on my profile.

I know the Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and Pierce County areas and will help you find your new home or sell your current home if you need to sell. Call today or visit Classic Homes Tacoma for more information.