Our family Christmas tradition for the past few years or so has become more about family and being together rather than buying more stuff. It started a number of years back, when we went to the Caribbean for a Christmas cruise. We each had a small gift for each other, though the real delight and fond memories are from the day’s events and the week spent together. Since then, we have been doing what it takes to be together for a week each year…. making a change…. Getting outside the box as far as gift-giving goes. Rather than spending money on gifts that the recipient may or may not want, we are now focusing on putting our funds together to rent a home large enough for all of us to be together, with all three of our goldens, in a home large enough to spread out and have fun together for a week.

Well, this year, my daughter is pregnant with their first child and far enough along that they want to stay close to home. That puts us close to the California wine country –wow is all I can say about the prices of vacation rentals in the California wine country. So my call is out to anyone reading this… if you know of anyone with a home to rent over the Christmas holiday, within about an hour’s drive of the bay area, big enough for six adults and our three goldens, please let me know!

Griffin

Extending the Good News for Home Buyers

By Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, NAR Research

Let’s first turn to the terrific news regarding the housing stimulus. Earlier this month, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed and the President signed into law new measures to maintain the momentum for a housing market recovery. The home buyer tax credit, originally scheduled to expire at the end of November will now be available through the middle of next year and more potential buyers will be able to take advantage of it. The income limit was also increased and many move-up buyers – not just first-timer purchasers – also will qualify. Furthermore, loan limits will not shrink as was planned for next year; in high-cost areas, the loan limit will remain at near $730,000 in 2010, thereby permitting more consumers to tap into the historically low mortgage rates.

Read more….

Today, heading south on Bellfountain Road to preview a home, the sky was full of dark rain clouds and the fields were this bright green color that was incredible.  It was as if the ground had been painted a bright green.  It was so intense that it looked unreal… almost like a painting.  The contrast from the dark clouds and the bright green grass was so intense.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  One of the reasons I love it here in Corvallis.  Too bad I didn’t have my camera with me.  My cell camera would not have done it justice.  Just one of the benefits of the rain and the Willamette Valley.

Today my new blog site is going live!  I am so excited to be moving in this direction.

The purpose of my new blog site is to offer a place to go for up-to-date real estate information.  Please check back often to see new listings, industry updates, statistics, tips for buying and selling real estate and news about the local communities of Corvallis, Albany, Philomath and surrounding areas.

I welcome your input for additional items you’d like to see here and look forward to this being your “go-to” place for real estate!