About Polk County, OR

One of the biggest things stopping people from participating in the American Dream today is the ability to come up with the down payment. While talk of a credit crunch keeps some buyers sidelined because of credit problems, many others with good credit are able to get the best deals in years including programs with no down payment!

The program leading the way in no down payment requirements (for non veterans) is the USDA Rural Development loan. This loan is available right now for Dallas and Independence, and who better to show you homes in these communities than Cecily Parks with Windermere Park West Properties in Salem.

To qualify for the program (it is income limited), a family of four cannot have a total household income of more than $70,750 per year. That is a pretty liberal guideline. After Jan. 1, a family of 1-4 qualifies with the same income. Larger families have much higher income limits.

If you are interested in property in this area and would like to see if the address falls within the USDA "footprint" click here.

So - THE TIME IS RIGHT! We have many properties on the market, we have MONEY TO LEND, and the Federal Government is giving First Time Homebuyers a $7500 tax credit if they purchase prior to next summer!

Call me for more information on USDA loans, and to see if your household income qualifies for this NO PMI loan. If you want to get the mortgage qualification process started, either call me at 541-342-7576 or fill out an application on line.

Authored by Fred Chamberlin, a mortgage loan consultant, Eugene/Springfield Oregon

I have had several people interested in obtaining a USDA home loan for property in Marion, Polk, Linn and Benton Counties. I've put together a map of part of the county that should help in identifying areas that qualify for this program.

As you might know - it's one of the last TRUE 100% home loans available - and it doesn't have PMI! The rates are comparable to FHA, so it's a very affordable payment! You do not have to have PRESTINE credit, but we generally want to see scores above 580, and 12 months of "clean credit."

USDA does require that the property be located in a less populated area. It does not need to be a farm - but it can't be located downtown either.

The "darker" areas do NOT qualify. However, as you can see - that is basically the the Salem area for Marion and Polk counties, Albany for Linn County and Corvallis for Benton County - urban growth boundary and anywhere else in these counties are eligible for this type of financing. That includes Stayton, Dallas, Sweet Home, Philomath and Harrisburg as part of the counties that are included in this financing.

If you are interested in property in this area and would like to see if the address falls within the USDA "footprint" click here.

So - THE TIME IS RIGHT! We have many properties on the market, we have MONEY TO LEND, and the Federal Government is giving First Time Homebuyers a $7500 tax credit if they purchase prior to next summer!

For more information on USDA loans, and to see if your household income qualifies for this NO PMI loan, please click here

Ever left a house and later asked yourself "how many bedrooms was that house?". Was it 3 or 4? After touring several homes they can all run together, and buyers may have a hard time remembering a vacant or unattractive room. Add to that several different house hunting trips and those vacant and unappealing rooms are a forgotten glance.

Making sure each bedroom make a fantastic impression will help buyers prevent memory loss! This bedroom is one I think they will remember -- and wish was their own!

Before staging, this room may not have been too memorable -- and if it was, it wouldn't have been a positive memory!

We love helping make better memories -- quick sales for home sellers and beautiful rooms home buyers!

Wondering how to make your home compete in a buyers' market? Contact Creative Concepts and Contracting at 503-881-0886 for ideas on how to prepare your home to appeal to the most buyers and attract top offers.

How many times have you hired someone to do a job and thought that you had hired the right person, told them what you wanted in detail and understood that they understood, just to get slapped in the face with horrible work! Then you ask them to please do it over because you are paying really good money for this crap work and you'd like them to be compareable. they agreee that the work is pretty shabby and agree to do the work over only to have the do over crappy as well.

I tell ya, it doesn't matter if I hire some Joe Blow for $8.00 an hr. or a person who is lisenced, bonded and insured! I seem to get the same work done, do these people come out and see sucker written on my face or what?

I say that we start hiring by the job and if we don't get quality work they don't get paid for the labor.

August

Home Care:

•·Cooling system (if installed) is working overtime in this month. Make sure the outdoor unit has at least 2 feet on three sides of free air. Keep the fins on the compressor clean as well. Depending on the model of compressor this may be a professional HVAC tech's job. Keeping your compressor clean will be well worth it in terms of efficiency and life expectancy.

•·Caulking and Paint: This is a wonderful month for these absolutely necessary items on every homeowner's addenda here in Salem Oregon. A good rule of thumb is, "if the crack is too big to be filled with paint, caulk it." Sealing the openings in the siding and trim around windows will not only make your home look better it will also prevent moisture from entering the wall system and you will also slow down energy loss from air infiltration. On real wood (trim and maybe siding) in the Willamette Valley think about painting every 4 to 6 years. If you wait longer than 4 to 6 years you risk damage and the preparation for the new paint will take much longer than it would have.

•·Clean gutters: Depending on the age and size of the trees around your home this may be a monthly to quarterly adventure. Even if they just have a little crud in the bottom, get it out. That crud can build up fast at the first nice storm and plug all of the tight bends downstream and underground.

Yard care:

•·Trim bushes: Maintain a space of about 18 inches around your home. Trim the bushes that have grown to have contact with your home. Plant contact with your home can create a very conducive environment for rot and carpenter ants love to travel from a plant in to a home. This should be the last time this year you trim on woody perennials. The trimming will stimulate growth and if you trim too late in the season the new growth will not have time to harden off and it will die.

•·Lawn care: Continue to mow weekly. At the end of this month switch from your summer (primarily Nitrogen) fertilizer to a winterizer (higher in Potassium) to help our cool season grasses establish a deep root system.

When questions on your home arise feel free to call or email me, your friendly home inspector, for trouble shooting and further helpful advice.

Jim Allhiser

President

Perfection Inspection Inc.

jallhiser@perfectioninspectioninc.com

503.508.4321