Tara Properties NW - October
Newsletter
With
this newsletter, I hope to bring you insight in today's real estate
market and empower you to make wise decisions when it comes to
buying and selling in today's market. As most of you know, you'll
get nothing but the honest truth from me in regards to where the
market is going, how much your home will sell for, and what a good
deal looks like in terms of buying safe. If you ever have a
question or are in need of real estate resources, please don't
hesitate to call. ~Tara
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Whatcom County Foreclosures
are on the Rise
Whatcom
County Foreclosure filings have doubled in the last 3 months
according to the Bellingham Herald. Of the filings, there were 72
N otice of Trustee Sales filed and 53 homes that
were foreclosed upon. A Notice of Trustee sale is issued (as part
of the foreclosure process) at the 90 days late mark for home
owners, whereas, a Trustee sale (foreclosure) is the proceeding
issued by the bank to take the house back due to a specific period
of default by the homeowner(s).
I've been
tracking the notice of defaults here in Whatcom County & not
only have the numbers of defaults doubled, but Bellingham is
leading the way with the most, by far. Fortunately the RE market
hasn't seen huge declines year-over-year, but at 12% (all of
Whatcom), 8% (outer Bellingham), & 4% (close-in Bellingham),
the numbers add up after a while and values start taking a hit. In
my opinion we have quite a while (5 years) before we see a turn
around in the real estate market & home values.
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4
Reasons to Buy RE Right Now
-
If you're getting a deal & your
agent can show you comps to support the validity of the good
deal!!!
-
You plan to stay in the home for more
than five years.
-
Your rent rivals a mortgage
payment.
-
You're moving up or
down and will be recouping the loss of the sale on the new
purchase.
4
Reasons to hold off
-
You've lived in
your house less than two years.
- You don't have good credit or a decent
down payment.
-
Your job security
is uncertain.
-
You don't plan to stay in your next house for at least 5
years.
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Fun
Fall Activities
Here are a few ideas to get you out
& about this fall. I plan on doing at least one of these
activities, & welcome anyone that wants to join-in on the
action. It's always for fun when you're with a group.
Call me if you'd like to join the
group for any of these outings.
#1 - Scuba
Diving - Yes, it will be cold, but there's equipment
to make it feel really warm, plus it's fun to do something out of
ones comfort zone.
Weekend
class: [November 12-14th][November
20-21]
(Friday
6:30-9:30pm; Saturday 1pm-11pm & Sunday 7am-4pm)
Open water certification. Class orientation will be on
Friday night. Class and pool session on Saturday and Sunday. Open
water dates will be the following weekend (both Saturday and
Sunday) after pool/classroom session is completed. Call for
details.
Click for Gone
Diving
#2
- Cooking Classes
When &
Where: To be Determined. I love to eat so I'm open to
suggestions.
Click for Community Food Coop
Classes
#3
- Trip to the Allergy Relief Center:
When, Where, & What? This treatment is amazing for
anyone with allergies. My mom has been super sick (migraines,
chronic fatigue) since I was a child. She has looked everywhere
for a treatment that would ease her pain. She located a specialist
in CA that uses this same therapy. One treatment on each allergy
and she is no longer allergic to molds, dairy, & alcohol which
all have made her deadly sick. She can now drink wine, eat
cheeses, and hasn't had any migraines since. The treatment is
really inexpensive, so it's worth a try.
Click
for Allergy Relief Clinic
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Bellingham
Performing Arts and Museums
The Bellingham Whatcom County region is rich in history, culture
and the arts. You're never far from a fine art gallery, one-of-kind
museum or a performance venue. Soak up the local ambiance at an
award winning brew pub, a boutique waterfront restaurant or gourmet
coffee shop. You can also learn a lot about our culture and values
at one of our many farmers markets, community celebrations or a
leisurely stroll through a city or county park.
Bellingham is filled with art exhibits, seminars and other
happenings going on throughout the year.
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism publishes a monthly brochure
filled with restaurant, park, museum, theatre, casino and event
recommendations. The publication is available at our Visitor
Information Center on Potter street, the Bellingham Cruise Terminal
as well as throughout Whatcom County hotels, visitor centers, and
Chambers of Commerce.
Area Performing Arts and Museum Links:
Mount Baker Theatre
Pickford Cinema
Western Washington University College of Performing
Arts
Area Museum Links:
Whatcom
Museum
Bellingham Railway Museum
Heritage Flight
Museum
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Bellingham
Real Estate
How should I decide which
Bellingham home to
buy?
Buying a Home is not like shopping for
Shoes!
Anyone can relate to this. Say, you need
a new pair of red shoes. You go to the mall. At the first shoe
store, you find a fabulous pair of red shoes. You try them on. They
fit perfectly. They are glamorous. Priced right, too. Do you buy
them? Of course not! You go to every other store in the mall trying
on red shoes until you are ready to drop from exhaustion. Then you
return to the first store and buy those red shoes. Do not shop for a home this way.
When you find the perfect home, buy it! If the price is right, don't be
afraid to offer full price!
How
a First-Time Home Buyer Can Rate Inventory
- Bring a digital camera and begin
each series of photos with a close-up of the house number to
identify where each group of home photos start and end.
- Take lots of notes of unusual
features, colors and design elements.
- Pay attention to the home's
surroundings. What is next door? Do 2-story homes tower over your
single story?
- Do you like the location? Is it
near a park or a power plant?
- Immediately after leaving, rate
each home on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the
highest.
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This Months Expert
Catie Sullivan
Farmers
Insurance
HAVE
YOU HEARD ABOUT BUNDLING YOUR INSURANCE COVERAGE?
I just saved a new customer
$500/year on her homeowners insurance & another customer $279
on their auto insurance. Ask me how I can help you save money and
provide you better coverage by bundling your home, auto, life and
business insurance policies. It is my mission to help you develop
the right plans to meet your insurance needs and give you the
appropriate protection so you can sleep well at night!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON
HOW TO SAVE
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PROBLEMS
PAYING THE MORTGAGE?
Do you have a friend or
relative that's having a hard time paying their mortgage? Or do
you think the future may hold some uncertainty of making a mortgage
payment at your current interest rate? I can help. I offer FREE
consultations to see how you can reduce your payments or get rid of
the problem all together. There are more options available before
defaulting...So don't wait til' you're behind before looking for a
solution.
Forward this Newsletter to A Friend
Bellingham Foreclosure
Help
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Help
us Find Lost Pets
Join us in Facebook
Bellingham Lost
Pets
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Managing your Home
Plant some pansies and other cool weather tolerant annuals like ornamental
kale. Pansies are perfect because they'll add bright color to your
fall landscape and will over-winter under the snow to provide
beauty next March, April and May!
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My First
Catch
Well, I'd like to say that this
was the first of many Salmon caught by yours truly this summer,
but...I can't. In actuality I won the contest of catching the most
fish, but my opponent disagrees with me. So I'll leave it to you
to decide when you get the full story. Oh, btw, it's bigger than
it looks. I guess there's a certain way to hold them that I don't
know about; ~Tara
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Did You Know?
Last
time we
checked out
Jerry
Garcia's house it was 2005
and the owner was selling off
the Grateful
Dead singer's refrigerator, toilets and other home
appliances on eBay.
Now the home's for
sale.
The 11-acre estate is located in the town of
Nicasio, California in Marin
County. The estate was Garcia's last home
before he died of a heart attack in 1995 at age
53.
The rural location offers offers 300
degree views including Mt. Tam. The main house is a
7,000-square-foot Mediterranean Style home with a solar-heated pool
and an organic garden. There is also a 1,500- square-foot artist's
studio.
Listed at $3.995
Million.
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If you have a business or topic you'd like
to advertise or see discussed, I'm open for
suggestions!
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