Agent Profile
I am a top ranked agent serving the Portland area for over 20 years specializing in residential real estate sales and investments. I created this site as a real estate resource for buyers and sellers who want to be well informed about current inventory and pricing. If you are interested in actively tracking the market, please sign up to receive my daily listing email. We map every new listing each day then update the neighborhood maps. The map is emailed to you...simply click a neighborhood to see the listed properties for sale, complete with pictures, price and address. Agency Info
RE/MAX Equity Group
4800 Meadows Road, Suite 100
Lake Oswego, OR 97035Media RSS
Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program
Since the nation has been having trouble in the housing and real estate markets, the government has decided to take steps towards making homes more affordable. The first step was the home buyer tax credit and the extension of the credit.
The government has now taken a new step to lower payments for distressed homeowners and those who are having trouble paying their mortgage. The new program is known as the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA), which is part of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).
Here are some of the HAFA’s benefits:
- Borrowers will receive $1,500 in relocation expenses from the U.S. Government
- Loan Servicers will receive $1,000 from the US Government per transaction that they process
- 2nd lien holders will receive up to $3,000 of the sale proceeds for releasing their liens
- 1st lien investors can receive up to $1,000 from the US Government for “signing off” on payments that subordinate lien holders
- Borrowers must be “fully” released” from any and all further liability
The program will not take effect until April 5th, 2010 and is expected to run until December 31st, 2010.
November Market Action Report
The November Market Action Report is in and we have good news: sales activity has increased compared to November 2008. Closed sales were up 72.4% compared to November 2008 and pending sales rose 19.9%. 
Sale price for November 2009 was down 11.4% from last year.
With the extension of the stimulus, 2010 promises to be an active market.
Click HERE to view the full report
U.S. Treasury Sets Guidance to Simplify Short Sales
This will certainly change everything. We will find out if this moves forward in 10 days….dare to dream….
Click HERE to view the full article
Mortgage Rates Fall Sharply
As if the extension of the first time home buyer tax credit wasn’t good enough, mortgage rates are down over 2 points from last year. This may just create the perfect scenario for new buyers….
According to Freddie Mac, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was at 4.83% this past week, which is down from 4.91% last week. And….even further down from a year ago at 6.04%.
The best deal of all is a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage. The average rate on a 15-year fix fell to 4.32%, the lowest on record.
Pending Home Sales Rise for the 9th Straight Month
This just in: the Business Journal just announced that the National Association of Realtors estimates that pending home sales for existing homes are on the rise for the 9th straight month. The Business Journal also 
claims that the housing market will stabilize by next summer.
Compared to a year ago, pending homes sales were up 3.1%, which was the biggest annual increase on record.
