West Linn, OR

The weather has turned cold and now’s the time to think about winter energy usage. All of the items listed below are worked overtime this time of year due to lower temperatures, less daylight and holiday entertaining.

PGE recently published some solutions that may help keep energy usage down. Good for the environment and good for you wallet! Here’s a list of common triggers and ways to combat them.

Heating

Set thermostat to 68°, lowering it to 60° at bedtime or when you’re away

Check furnace filters monthly and clean or replace as needed

Hot water

Set your water heater to 120°

Wash laundry in cold water when possible

Install a high-performance showerhead

Lighting

Switch from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs

Replace traditional holiday lights with LED strands

Holiday cooking

Use the microwave when possible

Don’t preheat the over unless precision is critical

Learn more at portlandgeneral.com/highbillhelp

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Upstage, LLC helps people sell their homes quickly and profitably. Our staging and marketing techniques help attract buyers and increase the perceived value of a home. Upstage the competition!

I am not going to discount the difficulty of purchasing a Short Sale. However, when you have a good Real Estate Broker working for you it is not your hardship to bear. With a little patience you may find yourself owning a home at rock bottom price.

There are many causes behind the short sales that we are seeing on the market today, however, there is one truth to always keep in mind: Lenders do not want to see the home go into foreclosure. This simple fact is what allows a skilled negotiator to assist you in purchasing the home for a discounted price. However, there are also many misconceptions to keep in mind about short sales that you must be aware of.

•· Every short sale is NOT a good deal: just because the seller is selling the home for less than they owe on it does not mean that you are purchasing the home at a discounted price. It is important that you hire a Real Estate Broker that is looking after your personal needs not their own commission.

•· Many short sales are in poor condition: I have heard over and over that agents tell people to stay away from short sales because there is no warranty and the house is falling down. This is not always the case especially in this market. This may be the case with a foreclosure as they often sit unattended for many months before the bank lists the home, however, short sales have been occupied. Additionally, many of the short sales that we are seeing today are the result of over financed homes and devaluating property values; not neglect.

•· Hard cash talks: surprisingly, cash offers do not make a difference in short sales. The lender is looking at the bottom line and if it does not balance they will not accept the sale. However, lenders may want to see a substantial down payment to prove stability of the buyer.

•· Sellers are not motivated: My experience has been that sellers are extremely motivated in a short sale. Sellers want to be rid of the stress and anxiety caused by the potential of losing their home.

The bottom line of purchasing a short sale is that you must be patient as they often take several months to complete and have a strong Real Estate professional working for YOUR best interests. I would love to be the Broker to work with you through the process!

West Linn was one of the first Oregon cities to submit its application to receive a portion of the Federal Stimulus money for transportation upgrades. Among the list of potential projects is the HWY 43 project and funding for the Willamette Falls Locks.

The City is encouraging residents to contact Senator Merkley, Senator Wyden, and Congressman Schrader to encourage support of these projects.

The City of West Linn is working closely with Oregon's federal delegation in order to take advantage of every opportunity to receive a portion of the federal funds!

If you had purchased $1,000.00 of Delta Air Lines stock one year ago you would have $49.00 left. With Enron, you would have had $16.50 left of the original $1,000.00. WithWorldCom, you would have had less than $5.00 left.

But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all of the beer, then turned in the cans> for the aluminum recycling REFUND, you would have $214.00 cash.

Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle. - It's
called the 401-Keg.

A recent study found the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found Americans drink, on the average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon. Makes You Proud To Be An American!