July 6, 2009

I drove to Portland to take possession of Charlie’s “Porsche”.  The cutest boxer pup you could imagine, but this Porsche seems to have a water leak!

Porsche meets a few of the household cats. They weren’t sure what she was. Knew she wasn’t a cat so no competition there, but not a dog either so they weren’t scared of her. Gabbie, Julie & Frank seemed the most unconcerned about the whole affair and were even interested in playing. Of course, her food was a real show stopper!

Thursday, June 9 was the wonderful Art Walk at the Port of Ilwaco.  Porsche walked on her leash almost all the way from home to the Port.  After that, her feet hardly touched the ground because everyone wanted to cuddle her!  By the time we ended the evening at Raven & Finch, she was plumb tuckered out.

If you love Boxers, Cats, the Long Beach Peninsula, Funbeach, or real estate at the beach, be sure to sign up for my RSS feeds.  Starting in August, I will no longer be sending out my regular newsletter emails. Instead, I’m encouraging all of you to sign up for my website’s RSS feed. This new technology is great! Here’s how it works: click the link below and type in your email address. The next time I post a new listing on my blog, you’ll get an email with all the information! This way, you’ll hear about my hot new listings right away, instead of having to wait all the way until my next newsletter. If the signup link here doesn’t work for you, you can also sign up on my website – look for the big blue box at the top of the sidebar. And, of course, please call or email me if you have any questions or problems with signing up!

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The Puppy Chronicles – It begins…. is a post from: discoverycoastrealestate.com

Be sure to check our newest exclusive listing in Seaview!

We enjoyed our MG Rally and while we didn’t take any prizes, we did come in less than 3 minutes behind first place!  Plenty of rain as we navigated our way from Wilsonville to Fort Columbia here at the beach.

JUST SOLD!  Sea Crest Ave N, Long Beach Thanks to our sellers: Mike, Dani & Rob Welcome to Long Beach, Dale & Kathy!

Remember, you can keep track of recent sales by clicking on “Just Sold” from our home page.

“Looking for something to do?  Ocean fishing in Area 1 (Columbia River), opens June 28 through the earlier of either September 30 or 88,200 marked coho with a guideline of 5,400 Chinook.  Seven days per week.  All salmon, two fish per day, no more than one of which can be a Chinook.  Chinook 24-inch total length minimum size limit.  All retained Coho must be marked with a healed adipose fin.

Welcome Summer! is a post from: discoverycoastrealestate.com

We managed to get another grandson graduated.  Chris Rogers graduated from Stevenson High School with High Honors on June 6!  Way to go, Chris.  Chris has been accepted to Linfield College and received a number of scholarships.

Charlie’s back in the office today just 3 days after shoulder surgery!  Can’t keep a good  man down.

ROAD WORK UPDATE:

BIG PRICE REDUCTION! Now just $149,000 for this 3 bedroom, 1-3/4 bath home walking distance to everything in town.  Master bedroom has slider out to large back deck.  Full fenced.  Oversized, detached garage. 510 Washington Ave N., Long Beach

No better price on a gorgeous home with two views for the price of one!  Ocean view to the west, Willapa Hills to the east.  3 bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths, custom built home has too many amenities to put in this small space, but just a few are Hickory floors & cabinets, tumbled marble floors, slab granite countertops with incredible inlays…. Now available at just $549,000.  35510 J Pl., Surfside

	NEW! Great Seaview location. Cute little beach cabin on oversized lot. Plenty of room for garage. Woodstove to keep you cozy. Owner will consider lease-purchase or carry a 2nd. 3014 K Pl., Seaview
	NEW! Great view lot in desirable Surfside estates. Build on upper half and the lower half protects your view. Build to 16′ on J Pl, 20′ on lower I Pl. Septic in, water and power in street. Buy now while prices are down! Bring your imagination and build your dream! $89,900 – 34308 I Pl., Surfside

NEW LISTINGS is a post from: discoverycoastrealestate.com

Well, the “season” really starts this weekend!  So many fun things to do, see, enjoy at the beach.

Here’s a start:

Ilwaco, WA-Saturday Market at the Port of Ilwaco kicks off the 2009 season one week early on April 25 to celebrate the Tall Ships in Port, the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain.

Market vendors will highlight modern day equivalents of the items traded between the Chinook Tribe and American and European fur traders during the late 1700s and 1800s-beads, blue cloth and smoked salmon. Crow Creek Designs specializes in exquisite hand turned wooden beads and pendant jewelry. Multi-colored glass beads are featured in the attractive jewelry designs of Treasures by Val’s. Fashionable blue cloth T-shirts and denim shirts imprinted or embroidered with sea inspired designs are created by Blue Crab Graphics and Coastal Creations. Smoked salmon is the key ingredient to the savory chowder offered by Dan and Tina Delay of Smoked Salmon Chowder. For the rakish at heart, treasure chests and wooden pirates swords can be discovered at Grandma’s & Grandpa’s Crafts.

Shop for handmade arts, crafts and plants. Picnic on delicious seafood, American and ethnic fare, kettle corn, hot donuts and more. Stroll along the marina and watch the people, boats and dogs parade by. Saturday Market at the Port is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. between April 25 and September 26, 2009. For Saturday highlights and more information, see www.portofilwaco.org/saturdaymarket.html or call (360) 783-1143.

CLAMMING THIS WEEKEND!  MORE INFO HERE

Don’t forget – next weekend is the 59th Loyalty Day Celebration.  You can check the SCHEDULE here.

ON TO REAL ESTATE MATTERS:

USDA Rural Home Loan Program released their increased income limits!  This is great, great news opening up this amazing program to more potential buyers. 100% Financing – Zero down payment!  No Mortgage Insurance!  No Cash reserves required.  Borrowers DO NOT have to first time buyers (but if they are, remember that first time homebuyer credit!). Seller concession allowed up to 6%. No Loan LimitsMinimum. Credit Score 620 (exceptions eligible).

Be sure and check our exclusive listings and have fun playing with the interactive map!

So Much To Do! is a post from: discoverycoastrealestate.com

WHERE DO YOU START WHEN YOU’RE READY TO BUY?

Buying a home is one of the “biggies” in life.  Your first home is especially exciting and stressful.  That’s why you need someone to help you navigate the waters.  It’s also important if you haven’t purchased a home in a few years.  Things have changed!   What used to be done on one legal sized document now takes an average of 12 pages (not counting the disclosures and follow-up documents.)

As your agent, I will:

• Help you identify what type of property you need.
• Gather information on suitable properties, schedule showings, send you updates on changes in price.
• Point out potential problems based on my expertise in this area, recommend resources, and suggest contingency clauses to protect you.
• Explain the forms and other paperwork you’ll be signing.

Many buyers are still unaware that while the seller is represented by their listing agent, you can also be represented by an independent agent.  As your agent, I owe you a fiduciary duty and will keep your information confidential and protect your interests in transactions.  For more information on the Law of Agency in Washington state, including information on dual agency, view the pamphlet here: agencylaw

If you’re ready to get started on your property search, send me this WISH LIST and let me start working for you.  And don’t forget that you can set up an automated search from my site.  PROPERTY SEARCH.

Next Post:  Where is the money coming from?

Buying a Home (Part 1) or, why you need me! is a post from: discoverycoastrealestate.com

Spring Breaks are over and it’s back to “normal” at the beach.  If you’ve never visited the best site around for info about what’s happening here, you need to bookmark it right now.  FUNBEACH! There is more info than I could ever share on my blog.

Kitten season is upon us! Don’t you need a new friend?  ADOPT! If you don’t want a kitten, Discovery Coast Real Estate will pay the adoption fee for a mature cat.  Just as much love…

SELLERS:  It’s a stressful time for you, I know.  Inventory is up, buyers are down.  Currently there are 296 MLS listed residences,  59 condos, and 294 parcels of land.  That’s stiff competition for your property, especially if you have a home listed for over $200,000!  Last month wasn’t a great sales month.  Just 12 residential sales, one condo, and six vacant land sales.  Days on the market for homes averaged 264 days.  Last year it was 201 days for the same period.

The first quarter of this year shows 26 MLS listed sales with a median price of $150,000.  The same quarter of 2008 showed just 29 sales with a median price of $184, 000.  And although the median price for the 1st quarter of 2007 was just $185,000 there were 59 MLS listed sales!  So yes, in answer to your question, the market has slowed considerably.

But, there is hope as I’ve said over and over again.  Real estate is still the best investment and although it looks bad right now, it will get better.  I’ve read numerous articles from different sources about the fact that it is starting to pick up.  We might not notice it here for a bit longer, but historically, sales go up in the summer months on the Long Beach Peninsula.  This is one of the articles that mentions an uptick and it might cheer you up!  REALTY TIMES.

Want more info?  Curious if this is the time to get your property on the market?   Give me a call or email me.

Is a Loan Modification Worth the Price? Read the article and decide.

Hope you had a chance to see our new listing in Ocean Park.  Do you know of someone who might be interested in a great little house, secluded property, close to Nahcotta?  Have them contact me!

Earth Day Community Beach Cleanup on Saturday, April 18th

What’s Up, Doc? is a post from: discoverycoastrealestate.com

There will be refreshments and door prizes. See Flyer

Hope to see you here! No RSVP needed, but I’d hate to run out of cookies, so it would be great if you let me know you were coming!

Home Buyer Fair! is a post from: discoverycoastrealestate.com