Quincy, WA

The Quincy (WA) Farmer Consumer Awareness Day is coming soon. On September 10, the 31st annual Farmer Comsumer Awareness Day will be in Quincy, Washington.

This is a great opportunity to learn a bit (or bunch) about what farmers do to get the food from field to store. There are a great many activities (you cannot see it all in one try). From parades and car shows to equipment viewing and tours, there is something for everyone. And you can't forget the food choices. Plan your trip now, so as not to miss this fantastic community program. If you haven't made up your mind yet, check out the following:

Did you know Washington state farmers and food processors produce more than 300 crops and packaged/processed foods? From our famed export, apples, to lentils, sweet cherries, and potatoes, Washington ranks in the top five nationwide in production for more than two dozen different agricultural products. Processed foods, such as frozen potatoes, carrots, even organic tofu, are all made here, too. The variety Washington brings to the table is tremendous.

On December 14th, Quincy was host to a Rural Economic Development Summit. The event featured 10 speakers and included some of the state and region's top economists, educators, tech industry leaders and others. The experts agreed that Quincy, which is one of the few bright spots in the State of Washington's economy right now, has done things right. Quincy provided key infrastructure to lure high-tech industries and the resulting payoff is millions of dollars in tax revenues.

Providing key infrastructure is different than burdening commercial development with impact fees, complex permitting processes and uncertainty. Which do you think generates more revenue for a city?

• A development burdened by impact fees, complex permitting and high upfront development costs that never gets built.
• A thriving commercial venture that is generating huge revenues, sales and providing high paying jobs.

The answer is pretty obvious, isn't it? Tax it, hit it with impact fees and restrict to death and it dies. Provide infrastructure inexpensively and revenues skyrocket. Imagine that! Mike Irwin at the Wenatchee World wrote about the summit in yesterday's paper.

"Five years ago, we were in the same situation as everyone else," Quincy Mayor Jim Hemberry told summit attendees. "We were looking at our economy and wondering: ‘What can we do?' "

The answer, he said, was to invest early in improving power, water, streets, sewer and - important to tech industries - fiber-optic computer connections. Companies building datacenters would be drawn by low electrical rates, he added, but other amenities - including improved city services such as police and fire protection - would seal the deal.

Hemberry said the payoff, compared to city revenues in 2001, was an eight-fold increase in sales taxes by 2007 and a tripling of property tax revenues by 2009. "No question, those datacenters had an impact," said the mayor. - Wenatchee World

Loan Modification Quincy, Ephrata, Ritzville, Washington

To save their homes from foreclosure, a growing number of Quincy, Ephrata, and Ritzville, Washington homeowners are now exploring the possibility of a loan modification. The Obama Federal loan modification program is designed to lower mortgage payments to homeowners who can qualify for a home loan modification.

Under the HAMP program, your mortgage payment cannot exceed 31 percent of your gross income, and because most loans exceed this 31% number, nearly all borrowers are technically eligible for HAMP assistance and a home loan modification.

Understand how the approval process works and how you can learn to meet the strict requirements is absolutely key for you to have a better chance in the approval process. Finding out exactly what you qualify for, while gathering information and exploring all the options available to you, will allow you to present a very professional loan modification application that will rise above the pack. A successful loan modification begins with sound preparation and a good understanding how to apply, and could very well be the difference between getting approved or turned down.

Loan Modification:

• Lowers the homeowner's monthly payments;
• Lowers the loan's interest rate;
• Swaps a rising adjustable rate for an affordable fixed rate;
• Reduces the principle balance of the property;
• Corrects payment delinquencies and defaults;
• Adjusts the length of the loan terms
• Or any combination of the above!

Sadly, many borrowers let their homes go into foreclosure and are now regretting it. After a home goes into foreclosure, it can take at least 10 years for a borrower to recover financially. Even after the foreclosure is removed from their financial history, it is very difficult for borrowers to acquire an affordable rate. Many homeowners have coincidentally found it better to default on their loan payments and credit cards than to go into foreclosure.

Eligible Quincy, Ephrata, and Ritzville, Washington homeowners now suffering through financial hardships such as credit card debts, loss in income, unemployment, a bad mortgage, or other financial circumstances, should immediately confirm whether or not they now Qualify for Obama's Loan Modification Plan, and other government programs designed to save your home.

Quincy, Ephrata, and Ritzville, Washington homeowners will be able to save thousands by getting a home loan modification or mortgage refinance using President Obama’s “Making Home Affordable” plan. A loan modify can get homeowners lowered interest rates which can prevent you from being foreclosed on, help those in the foreclosure process, and prevent mortgage defaults by saving hundreds of dollars per month on your home loan payments.

Washington homeowners now struggling with foreclosure, or about to be, should immediately begin exploring all the options available to them, including new government programs designed to help you get a successful loan modification and afford to stay in your home.