About Josephine County, OR

Going Rogue on the Illinois River - Grants Pass, Oregon

The beautiful Illinois River is at its' finest as it meanders through the striking Oregon country on its way to join the Rogue River.

Once it goes Rogue, then the tremendous power of these two rivers are an amazing and magnificent force.

Even in November, the Illinois River Falls is formidable!

You can hear the falls long before you see it, and if you close your eyes you can almost picture a massive freight train bearing down on you.

Around every bend there seems to be another creek overcrowding its banks in its rush to join with the Illinois on its trip Going Rogue.

Here and there are tranquil pools that remind one of the tide pools at the ocean just waiting for the river to regain its' full splendor when they again will be covered with rushing rapids.

All along the river are reminders of the higher water levels, as this 70 foot log laying where it was deposited by the retreating current shows us.

Maybe this log too will eventually become petrified as is evidenced by the remains of another of its' predecessors.

Move to Southern Oregon, where there are so many things to do all year around!

Foreclosure Filings Rose 5 Percent in 3rd Quarter of 2009. Foreclosure filings, including default notices, auctions and bank repossessions, rose 5 percent in 3rd quarter, from the previous quarter and 23 percent from a year ago, according to Realty Trac's quarterly Metro Foreclosure Market Report. One in every 136 households with a mortgage loan, or 937,000 properties, received a foreclosure filing between July and September.

"Rising unemployment and a new variety of mortgage resets continue to gradually shift the nation's foreclosure epicenters in the third quarter away from the hot spots of the last two years and toward some metro areas that had avoided the brunt of the first foreclosure wave," says RealtyTrac's CEO, James J. Saccacio.

Las Vegas had the highest third-quarter foreclosure rate in the country with 5.13 percent, or one out of 20 housing units, nearly seven times the national average. Some 40,408 Las Vegas properties received a foreclosure filing during the quarter, up 9 percent from the previous quarter and 54 percent from the third quarter of 2008.

Merced, Calif., had the second-highest foreclosure rate with one in every 27 properties receiving a foreclosure filing, followed by Caper Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., where one in every 28 households received a foreclosure filing. Several cities that had not been part of the initial foreclosure wave posted the biggest year-over-year increases during the third quarter: Boise City, Idaho; Salt Lake City; and Provo-Orem, Utah.

Article compliments of Realty Trac

Trulia, Inc. has announced that 1 in 4 homes experience a price reduction during the past 12 months. More than 40% of the top 50 major metros across the U.S. are experiencing price reduction levels above 30%, significantly higher than the national average. The average discount for price-reduced homes continues to hold steady at 10% off of the original listing price.

Northeast Continues with Most Homes Reduced. The Northeast continues to see the highest level of price reductions, with 29% of current listings experiencing at least one price cut - Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire are all seeing over 30% of listings with price reductions. (Regions according to the U.S. Census Bureau).

-Northeast - 29% of listings with price reductions
-Midwest - 28% of listings with price reductions
-West - 25% of listings with price reductions
-South - 24% of listings with price reductions

"With mortgage rates still low and the expansion of the tax credit to trade-up buyers, we could see significant inventory - both new and 'shadow inventory' - hit the market during the next four-to-six months," said Pete Flint, Trulia co-founder and CEO. "Inventory levels this quarter are poised to be atypical of a normal real estate market, which could create tremendous pressure on sellers to price their homes competitively and move their property before the tax credit expires on April 30th."

Cities experiencing significant increases in percentage of listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

-Kansas City, MO - 59% increase in price reductions
-Colorado Springs, CO - 43% increase in price reductions
-Omaha, NE - 39% increase in price reductions
-Louisville, KY - 37% increase in price reductions
-Milwaukee, WI - 30% increase in price reductions

Cities showing signs of the highest percentage of declines for listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

-Las Vegas, NV - 34% decrease in price reductions
-San Jose, CA - 25% decrease in price reductions
-San Antonio, TX - 18% decrease in price reductions
-Los Angeles, CA - 16% decrease in price reductions
-Oakland, CA - 16% decrease in price reductions

Luxury Market Still Hardest Hit
Luxury homes (those listed at two million dollars and above) continue to bear the brunt of discounts being offered with an average of 14% being slashed from the original asking price compared to the national average of 10%. Additionally, luxury homes represent less than 2% of all current listings on Trulia, but are responsible for 25% of the $28.1 billion in home price reductions.

Article compliments of RIS Media

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I can think of many things I am thankful for. For one, I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and a warm, cozy bed to sleep in every night. I am thankful that I live in a country where I have the freedom to express myself on blogs like Active Rain. And, I am most thankful for the men and women who fight (so I don't have to) to defend these very freedoms, so I can continue to enjoy these luxuries.

Take a look at these pictures of the men and women who are affording you the same luxury:

Many Things I am Thankful For!

Bathrooms You Won't Find in Grants Pass, Oregon!

Here is a picture of a public toilet in Houston, Texas.

Now that you've seen the outside view,

take a look at the inside view...

It's made entirely of one-way glass!
No one can see you from the outside,

but inside, it's like sitting in a clear glass box!
Now would you go? COULD YOU...?

Imagine you are at a party on the 10th floor of a hi-rise building...
You have to visit the bathroom... You open the door...

This is just a painted floor. But wouldn't this mess with your mind?

Would you be able to walk into this bathroom?

Bathrooms You Won't Find in Grants Pass, Oregon!