Spoken Gently's Blog: Investors

Tri City Washington news reports, "Volatility may describe the nation's current economic situation, but a different adjective is more accurate for the Tri-City housing market...The Tri-City housing market continued to hold steady in 2007-08, with home prices increasing and sales tracking with 2006, according to information from the Tri-City Association of Realtors."

Colleen and I are prepared to meet the ever increasing demand for Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco properties. Consider using our property search when searching for Tri Cities real estate, and consider The Lane Real Estate Team to provide a competent, professional, real estate service for you.

.

Yup, I went to the end of my backyard this morning, threw a spinner in the Columbia River, and caught a small Salmon. Brought it in, cleaned it, and ate er for breakfast. Salmon doesn't get any fresher than freshly caught in the back yard! We live on the Columbia River and Salmon run throughout most of the year, however, there are a few periods in the year where the "salmon are running." Right now is one of those times. I wake up in the morning and see them coming to the surface for their morning chow, so down to the river I go. Today was no exception, except the Salmon served as an appetizer for the area's famous Spudnuts. Richland's Spudnuts are to-die-for doughnuts. Certainly a reason to buy a home in the Tri-Cities!

The Salmon fishing, and all sorts…

My wife's birthday is today! Colleen turns the big 4-0 today. Proverbs 31:31 writes:

"Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

In times past, business and communication of important information was done at the gate to the city. Today, I'm here to stand at the gate and tell folks what a great REALTOR® and all around great person my wife is. A birthday tribute, if I may. What I've done is created a Squidoo lens about Colleen titled:

"Greatest Real Estate Agent In The World" Check it out!

Oh, Happy Birthday Colleen! You're pretty darn perfect in my books!

If you’re a wine connoisseur and considering real estate opportunities in the state of Washington, then Richland, located in the Tri-Cities area near the confluence of the Columbia, Yakima, and Snake Rivers, may just be the perfect place for you. Richland is the central home to a growing and thriving viticulture (wine-producing) area, which is responsible for grape cultivation, generating the production of international brands of world-class fine wine within four major appellations, or certified AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), in Washington State.

These four major appellations surrounding Richland are comprised of the Columbia Valley (7,000 hectares for planting and cultivating wine grapes), the Yakima Valley (5,000 hectares), the Walla Walla Valley…

The Washington Association of REALTORS® released a press release stating Washington home prices are rising. Here is an excerpt from the press release (bold added for emphasis):

“All real estate markets are unique. We shouldn’t be surprised that Washington State is bucking national trends,” said Dennis Rose, 2007 president of the Washington Realtors. “In order to make smart home-buying decisions, now more than ever it’s important to work with a professional REALTOR® who is familiar with the local market.”

As of mid-June, sub-prime, adjustable-rate loans represented 20 percent of loans nationally, but just 6 percent of home loans in Washington. Of those mortgages, 5 percent in Washington were delinquent, compared with 8.9 percent nationwide. The largest…

My wife and I have had rental properties for 20 years and have yet to go to small claims court, and/or go through the eviction process. We currently have several rental properties and will have a vacancy in October. Since we are in the process of finding a qualified tenant, I thought I would pass along our tips we employ in finding a qualified renter.

First, you need a bunch of folks interested. It is a numbers game. The more prospects you have to pick from, the better your chances are in finding a great tenant. We do this by renting our properties for slightly below market value (creating a demand), and second, by being the first ad in the section we are advertising in. All classified sections have their own criteria, and in our local classified…

A potential investor is always on the look out for the best and the safest place to make a profitable investment. A good investment should necessarily be one which is supported by the government, pays incredibly high returns and offers sufficient security. And for those young prospective investors who are on the hunt for investment opportunities, tax lien investing is perhaps, the top solution!

For those unaccustomed to the term, a tax lien could be broadly defined as a lien that is imposed on real estate for the non- payment of real estate taxes. In most states, the government will sell the lien to the public to create a balance in the budget. As part of the procedure, a tax lien certificate, supported by the property, is issued to the investor. Later,…

Yes, you have read it correctly, cities in Washington state are among the cities in the United States with the fastest growing home prices. Our Wenatchee is the #1 city in the country with the fastest growing home prices. Among the top twenty markets in the country are Washington's Longview real estate market (6th), Seattle metro area real estate market (17th), Tacoma real estate market (19th), and the Spokane real estate market (20th).

From the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, page 2:

The Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the greatest appreciation between the second quarter of 2006 and the second quarter of 2007 were: Wenatchee, Washington (23.5%), Provo-Orem, Utah (18.2%), and Salt Lake City, Utah (16.0%). The MSAs with the…