Open House: 6411 Forest Ridge, Springfield

Chris Mills is having our REO listing at 6411 Forest Ridge open Sunday from 2:00-4:00. This is the one up in the Mountaingate Subdivision, built for the builder of best quality materials…slate, cherry, granite and more. It’s a 3492 square foot home on over half an acre for only $429,900, which makes it not only the lowest priced per square foot but the lowest priced existing home up there! Four bedrooms 3 baths, den and family room. Come see it Sunday.  More photos.

See related Blog here Directions: Main St. to Mountaingate, left on Forest Ridge to address. Sunday January 31st, 2:00-4:00 Call Chris Mills for more info, 729-5869

Unclaimed Property in Oregon = Found Money

Check this out. Unclaimed property (meaning money) in Oregon can be found here.  You could have a couple hundred dollars waiting for you! And who doesn’t like finding money?

Craftsman Home between Pleasant Hill and Creswell

 Friends and Neighbors just put 83120 Cloverdale on the market for what I think is a great price!  This Craftsman House on 5.11 Acres is offered at only $425,000.  It’s a 2472 sq. ft. house with a 624 sq. ft. garage and a 1260 sq. ft. shop.  House has  gorgeous woodwork, including Brazilian Cherry floors, Alder cabinets, and granite counters and bar. Exterior features are Hardi-Plank siding, front porch and side patio, dog run, and established landscaping.  Don’t be fooled by the front…much bigger than it looks! Sits way back from the road. Many more photos here.   And website is www.83120Cloverdale.com  Call me for more details. Sharon 915-8969

Green–Shipping Container Homes

Have you considered building a home from used shipping containers? If you like modern architecture and are looking for sustainable materials, take a look at what’s being done with shipping containers. From beach cabins to massive homes and even office buildings, they are an exciting way to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

I Have a Crush on This House in South Eugene…

It’s just a little 600 square foot 1 bedroom house on a quiet street in South Eugene, but it has an even smaller little studio with a full bath separate from it.  It’s been remodeled decently though I would do something else to the bathroom.  And it’s in an interesting little cluster of similar little houses.

I just love its simpleness. ..its small house lifestyle.  Small, but with a second building for guests or for hobbies, or for a home office.  I would use it as a getaway space and place for my daughter when she is home. But I’m not going to buy it, so I thought I’d put it up here in case you think it’s charming also. 3125 Portland St, Eugene  600 + 250 sq. ft., 1 bedroom 1 bath + 1 loft 1 bath, in an excellent location for $189,500. It is NOT my listing but as I said, I think it’s sweet.

New Listing: Stellar Quality in Mountaingate

The Best For Less:  Brian Schartz just listed this high end home in Mountaingate.  It was the builder’s own home and has best quality materials, amenities and construction.  It is also extremely agressively priced.  Almost 3500 sq. ft. on over half an acre, for only $429,900!  Compare it to other homes nearby. 6411 Forest Ridge

Lane County Real Estate Year End Market Action Report

Well, as we all knew, prices fell: The average sale price for December 2009 was down 5.6% compared to December 2008, while the median sale price dropped 2.6%.   For the year, the average sale price was down 8.5% compared to the 2008 level. The median sale price fell 9.1%.  

But sales were up: Sales activity this December in Greater Lane County continued to grow when compared to last December. Closed sales rose 38.4% and pending sales were up 24%.  New listings also increased 26.9%.

More here.

 

 

 

Buying a House? There’s an app for that!

The National Association of Realtors has developed a free iPhone app that allows buyers to check listings on their iPhones, including pictures, maps, and all other listing information. And you can use the iPhone’s GPS capability to look for homes near where you are!

Oregon is #2 for Inbound Migration

United Van Lines has released their study of inbound and outbound migration patterns of states in 2009.  Washington DC was #1, and Oregon was #2, its 22nd year with high inbound migration.

HUD Foreclosure Sales Up This Year

There were 11 sales of HUD owned foreclosures all last year.   Halfway through the first month of this year there are 8 new HUD foreclosures listed and more HUD owned homes on the tax rolls which I expect will be listed shortly. 

Although it’s easy to think this is more doom and gloom, it’s really the market getting back to normal.  Until about 2005 HUD foreclosures were much more common in the Eugene/Springfield area than they have been for the past 4 years.  Between 2002 and 2005, 182 HUD homes were sold in Lane County through RMLS. In the next 4 years, 2006-2009, only 32 were sold. 

Why?  A couple of reasons. For one thing, HUD homes are failed FHA loans. Until recently, FHA loans were almost completely replaced by 80/15 and 80/20 loans.  Also, many people who refinanced to get cash out of their homes refinanced out of their FHA loans.