About Linn County, OR

I've never been one you'd consider lucky.

Never found four leaf clovers . . .

always lost my rabbits foot . . .

and never had a special lucky number.

Usually when I wished on the wishbone - I didn't win.

But I've decided I've finally found my lucky charm!

We didn't realize it was special when we bought it-- but it must be a lucky charm and was worth every penny!

My lucky charm has to be the new furniture we bought.

Sound like an odd lucky charm? (Good thing I don't have to carry it around with me in my purse!) It must be LUCKY because in the three houses we've used it in, each has sold in record time.

First house - on the market for seven months - staged and under contract within seven days

Second house - on the market six months - staged and received an accepted offer within two days.

Third house - on the market five months - staged and received an offer within five days.

Looks like rather ordinary furniture to me -- but what else could be causing these listings to receive offers in a "slow" market?

Since the house this furniture is in has received an offer already it looks like it will be moving on soon.

We have a couple of jobs lined up but I've been thinking that maybe I should use this lucky charm furniture in a really special house --

Hope it's one that continues this incredible tradition!

We feel honored to partner with many great real estate agents who have been instrumental to getting these homes sold so quickly. These homes weren't repossessions, short sales or way under market.

These homes that were prepared well, priced well and looked fantastic compared to the competition!

Home staging is a magical part of getting a home noticed in any market. For more information on how to rent this lucky furniture or to get a few secret staging tips contact Creative Concepts and Contracting!

This is a good FYI from the National Assoication of Realtors on the home buyer tax credits that are now law. I liked the chart and visual representation, as well as the FAQ's just thought I would share the link:

http://www.realtoractioncenter.com/realtor-party/documents/2009-NAR-Issue-Brief-Homebuyer-Tax-Credit-Changes-1104-1107.pdf

Modified statistics, starting 11 April, 2009 SOLD statistics no longer include any pending data.

Albany

• SOLD (past 90 days) - 168
  • Average price - $183,276
  • Median Sale Price - $171,129
  • Average Days on the Market - 123
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $123.25
• Current Active Listings - 358
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $214,927
  • Months of Inventory - 6.39
• Pending/Contingent Sales - 100 / Value $18.0 million
  • Total Contingent- 60
  • Total Pending - 40

Corvallis

• SOLD (past 90 days) - 137
  • Average price - $263,130
  • Median Sale Price - $247,000
  • Average Days on the Market - 120
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $165.57
• Current Active Listings - 226
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $334,519
  • Months of Inventory - 4.95
• Pending/Contingent Sales - 50 / Value $14.3 million
  • Total Contingent- 36
  • Total Pending - 14

Lebanon

• SOLD (past 90 days) - 51
  • Average price - $132,419
  • Median Sale Price - $138,500
  • Average Days on the Market - 140
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $101.33
• Current Active Listings - 118
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $173,820
  • Months of Inventory - 6.94
• Pending/Contingent Sales - 51 / Value $8.4 million
  • Total Contingent- 23
  • Total Pending - 28

Upcoming Guests Scheduled:

November Guests:

Nov 5 - Real Estate Roundtable with Mary Hartley (RE/MAX), Kelly Gardner (Pinnacle Mortgage), and Marnie Zoa (Fidelity National Title)

Nov 7 - Special Saturday Live Remote from DR Horton's newest North Albany neighborhood -Benton Woods

TBD - Dave Kammerer, Summit Funding - to continue our discussion of the FHA 203K loan program

Are you a First Time Home Buyer? Do you want to participate in Real Estate Talk? Dave is looking for someone to go through the process "on the air" by working with him, and letting the listeners know how things are going throughout the entire process. The person(s) selected will receive some nice gifts as a way of saying "thank you." Jay Chase Inspections will provide the Pest and Dry Rot Inspection at no charge to the buyer(s) selected for this program. Corvallis Moving and Storage will provide the Local Move (packing not included).

For more information, contact Dave at realestatetalk@kgal.com.

Modified statistics, starting 11 April, 2009 SOLD statistics no longer include any pending data.

Albany

• SOLD (past 90 days) - 164
  • Average price - $185,387
  • Median Sale Price - $174,174
  • Average Days on the Market - 124
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $123.40
• Current Active Listings - 364
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $217,093
  • Months of Inventory - 6.66
• Pending/Contingent Sales - 103 / Value $18.6 million
  • Total Contingent- 61
  • Total Pending - 42

Corvallis

• SOLD (past 90 days) - 139
  • Average price - $261,344
  • Median Sale Price - $247,000
  • Average Days on the Market - 119
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $165.69
• Current Active Listings - 233
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $337,261
  • Months of Inventory - 5.03
• Pending/Contingent Sales - 52 / Value $14.9 million
  • Total Contingent- 38
  • Total Pending - 14

Lebanon

• SOLD (past 90 days) - 53
  • Average price - $137,148
  • Median Sale Price - $138,500
  • Average Days on the Market - 154
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $104.35
• Current Active Listings - 130
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $169,759
  • Months of Inventory - 7.36
• Pending/Contingent Sales - 54 / Value $8.9 million
  • Total Contingent- 22
  • Total Pending - 32

Upcoming Guests Scheduled:

October Guests:

31 October - Jason Cadwell, RE/MAX Integrity. What is the outlook for real estate in the mid-valley for 2010 and what are the options for home owners who may be facing problems due to job losses.

November Guests:

Nov 7 - DR Horton - live at Benton Woods

TBD - Dave Kammerer, Summit Funding - to continue our discussion of the FHA 203K loan program

Are you a First Time Home Buyer? Do you want to participate in Real Estate Talk? Dave is looking for someone to go through the process "on the air" by working with him, and letting the listeners know how things are going throughout the entire process. The person(s) selected will receive some nice gifts as a way of saying "thank you." Jay Chase Inspections will provide the Pest and Dry Rot Inspection at no charge to the buyer(s) selected for this program. Corvallis Moving and Storage will provide the Local Move (packing not included).

For more information, contact Dave at realestatetalk@kgal.com.

Senators Agree To Extend Homebuyer Tax Credit
Proposed Plan Would Give Repeat Buyers Reduced Tax Credit
STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer
POSTED: 2:32 pm PDT October 28, 2009
UPDATED: 4:11 pm PDT October 28, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Senators agreed Wednesday to extend a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers and to offer a reduced credit to some repeat buyers.
The tax credit provides up to $8,000 to first-time homebuyers but is set to expire at the end of November. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that new homes sales fell 3.6 percent in September, and some industry representatives blamed uncertainty about the tax credit.
Senators agreed to extend the existing tax credit for first-time homebuyers while offering a reduced credit of up to $6,500 to repeat buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years, said Regan Lachapelle, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
The tax credits would be available to homebuyers who sign sales agreements by the end of April. They would have until the end of June to close on their new homes, according to a summary of the legislation being circulated among lawmakers.
Senators were still negotiating the expansion of a separate tax credit that lets money-losing businesses get refunds for taxes paid in previous years, providing them with an immediate source of cash.
Senators in both political parties were hoping to add both tax provisions to a bill that would give people running out of unemployment insurance benefits up to 20 more weeks of federal aid. The Senate could vote on the overall bill as early as Thursday, but lawmakers were still haggling over several unrelated amendments Wednesday evening.
Popular bills like the one to extend unemployment benefits often attract amendments that would have a difficult time passing on their own.
Republicans were demanding that they be given a chance to offer amendments to restrict federal aid to the beleaguered community activist group ACORN and on requiring that people receiving unemployment insurance be processed through E-Verify, an Internet-based system that employers use to check on the immigration status of new hires.
Majority Democrats have refused to add the amendments.
If the Senate passes the bill, it would go to the House, which passed a similar bill extending unemployment benefits last month. House leaders have also said they support extending the tax credit for homebuyers.
Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., has been negotiating for several weeks with Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to craft an extended tax credit for homebuyers that would pass the Senate.
Lawmakers didn't release a cost estimate for extending the tax credit, though similar proposals were projected to cost about $10 billion.
Industry representatives said uncertainty about the tax credit is hurting new home sales. September's decline was the first since March.
It takes 45 days to 60 days to close on a house, making it unlikely a sale made today would be consummated by the end of November, said Lucien Salvant, spokesman for the National Association of Realtors.
"Buyers right now have an incentive to hold off, not knowing whether the credit will be extended," Salvant said.
About 1.4 million first-time homebuyers have qualified for the credit through August. The National Association of Realtors estimates that 350,000 of them would not have purchased their homes without the credit.
The tax credit for money-losing businesses is a favorite among Republican lawmakers. Businesses could get tax refunds by using losses from 2008 and 2009 to offset taxable profits made in the previous five years. Under current law, they can only offset profits from the previous two years.
The provision would help a variety of industries, including retailers, manufacturers and home builders, though it's expensive.
"It's clearly a way to put cash in the hands of some major economic players," said Clint Stretch, a tax policy expert at Deloitte Tax.
A similar proposal that was ultimately dropped from the economic stimulus package enacted in February would have cost nearly $20 billion over 10 years. Lawmakers are working to reduce the price tag.
"Because everybody is so cash strapped, this is a good way to get refund when businesses need it for operating expenses," said Rachelle Bernstein, vice president and tax counsel for the National Retail Federation.