Rebuilding Your Credit After Weathering The Storm A lot of people think that merely closing small or zero balance accounts will improve their overall credit score.  This is not really helpful. Part of your credit worthiness is based on how much of your available credit you are using. The debt ratio is calculated by dividing your balance owed by your available credit.  So, if you have credit lines of $10,000, and your owe $4,000, you have debt to limit ratio of 40%. Therefore, if you have two credit lines that you don't owe money on, with a total credit limit of $5,000, and you cancel them, you now have available credit of $5,000 remaining.  With a balance of $4,000 and a limit of $5,000, your new ratio is now 80%. This now shows that you have used up 80% of your total available credit. ... 03/19/2010

Foreclosures - The Calm Before the Storm?  RealtyTrac's February 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report shows a 2 percent decrease in foreclosures in February 2010 compared to January 2010. The report shows one in every 418 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing in February.  Nevada, Arizona, Florida post top state foreclosure rates.  California's foreclosure rate ranked fourth highest among the states, with one in every 195 homes receiving a foreclosure filing during the month, and Michigan's foreclosure rate ranked fifth highest among the states.  Other states with foreclosure rates among the nation's 10 highest were Utah (one in every 275 housing units), Idaho (one in 296), Illinois (one in 305), Georgia (one in 331) and Maryland (one in 407). So, is the slight decrease in foreclosure... 03/18/2010

Would You Live in One of These? - Shipping Containers.  Another fascinating article on MSN's home page today, featuring Amazing Home and Offices built from Shipping Containers, written By Brian Clark Howard of The Daily Green. The article starts out by saying: "Not just for resourceful squatters, container architecture is taking the world by storm.  Recycled freight containers bring efficiency, flexibility and affordability to innovative green buildings, from small vacation cabins to movable cafes, schools and skyscrapers." I don't know about you, but I find creative and new alternative ideas very interesting.  Not only from the standpoint of innovative recycling, but also from the idea of flexibility.  My only question is, how would our local Grants Pass Oregon Planning Department view... 03/18/2010

A Bit O' Blarney in my Blog.  I am rolling out the green carpet today for my little lucky Leprechaun.  That's right, I am pulling out all the stops and going green for a day. I am wearing my lime green v-neck shirt with a great pair of jeans.  I am sporting my green slip-on sneakers and I am hoofing it to work.  I will only buy paper today, no plastic, and I will recycle everything in site.  I will drink a green smoothie and I will eat some Lucky Charms.  I will donate to my favorite green cause and I will volunteer at a green nursery.  Heck, I might even sell a green home today! Perhaps the little green man will notice my green efforts and reward me dearly with a huge pot-o-gold.  But no matter... because being green is sexy, and who doesn't like sexy?  So, here's to going green for a ... 03/17/2010

The First "Green" Subdivision When these people first built, do you suppose they had a master builder who controlled the building sites? No record exists of course, but I often wondered if maybe there was one person or a group who sold or bartered for these units. Did only certain builders do the construction?  It would surely seem unlikely that everyone would have equal building talents, so you sure wouldn't want to live next door to someone who didn't build his unit properly.  Your property values sure wouldn't hold up if your neighbors' walls started to collapse. They made good use of insulating construction materials, but what requirements could they have had for water, and for sewage disposal? When a location began to get crowded, and they were in need of more housing, I wonder who... 03/15/2010

Griffin Park - Grants Pass, Oregon Springtime on the Rogue River --  It's a beautiful day on the Rogue River at Griffin Park, near where the Applegate River joins it for their journey to the pacific ocean. The fishing boats are leisurely floating around the bends, and then powering back up river to float again over the rich fishing bonanzas. The geese are keeping watch from the banks and on the water. A young otter playfully swims upriver a ways, and floats back to base in the fast flowing water. Everything is starting to bloom, and another beautiful summer is on the way to "God's country," and Griffin Park. No eagles yet, but they'll be here any time now. The ides of March brought us a 73° day at Griffin Park. You know what this Midwesterner finds to be so incongruous? Such absolutely ... 03/15/2010

Beware The Idus Martias (Ides Of March)     A soothsayer warned Julius Caesar to "Beware the ides of March," for danger threatened on that day. Caesar took lightly the oracles' words and didn't even take his bodyguard to the Theater of Pompey for the senate meeting.  (They were meeting there, as the senate chambers were being rebuilt after a fire.) On his way, Caesar saw the soothsayer and laughingly reminded him that the Ides was there and so was Caesar. The soothsayer said, "aye they have come, but they are not gone." The ides carried no special meaning, but was the way the fifteenth of the month was expressed.  The ides of March, May, July and October were dedicated to the god Mars. So into history went Julius Caesar, assassinated by the senators of Rome who felt his popularity threa... 03/15/2010

Speechless Sunday - Red Neck Smoke Alarm Oregon State Law ORS 479.260 and Oregon Administrative Rules OAR 837-045-0040 require that all residential dwellings must contain smoke detectors (not the jiffy pop kind).  When you sell your home, all smoke alarms must meet the following requirements:  All ionization smoke alarms must have a "hush" feature and if solely battery powered, must also have a ten-year battery.  For more information regarding smoke alarms requirements in Oregon, visit Oregon.gov.  03/14/2010

Did You Spring Forward Like a Bunny Today?  Did you remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed last night?  Spring daylight saving time began at 2 a.m. today. We get an extra hour of daylight when we "spring forward" each March and then lose it when we "fall back" in November.  But have you ever wondered how DST began?  Here are some tidbits about its origins and pros and cons of these time-changing events. A series of events led to our modern-day DST: - Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers, suggested something akin to daylight saving time in a 1784 essay. - A postal clerk from New Zealand was the first to propose modern DST. - Congress first put America's clocks ahead one hour during World War I and (later for WWII). Why? - Congress enacted the Uniform Tim... 03/14/2010

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny - Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.  Summer is almost here and that means bikini season is upon us.  Most of us try to look our best year-round with a balanced diet and exercise plan.  Here are some helpful hints for getting in shape: Essentially, there are three forms of exercise: aerobic, anaerobic and stretching.  Aerobic Exercise, also known as cardio, is the rhythmic use of large muscles for long durations, while maintaining 60-80% of your maximum heart rate.  Swimming, running, biking, and walking are all great examples.  Aerobic exercise conditions the lungs and heart, increases energy and stamina, creates leaner body mass, and reduces tension and anxiety. Anaerobic Exercise is characterized by short bursts of high intensity.  Weightlifting, racquetball, sprinting, ... 03/13/2010

What Sinks Faster, A House Or A Boat? A good friend of mine came to me with a dilemma he has had for over a year. He owns a large sailboat, 35 foot, and he just never really used it all that much, so he put it up for sale at a marina.  Well, it has sat for a year now, and he finally started lowering the price, but he's reluctant to keep lowering it. When he asked me, I said, "The economic outlook for homes is bad enough, but maybe the boat is in the same position." I advised him that maybe he should make a deal with the marina to do like we're doing on a lot of homes; drop the price and if it's still there in three weeks, drop it again, and keep dropping every three weeks until it goes away. I would think that there are still buyers out there for boats, but just like a lot of home buyer... 03/11/2010

City of Grants Pass Elects 5 New Council Members.  Grants Pass voters have elected a new slate of City Council members in a special election with low voter turnout.  Only 27.6 percent of voters cast ballots in the Tuesday election, but the margins of victory were convincing as Kris Woodburn, Lily Morgan, Dan DeYoung, Rick Riker and Darin Fowler won seats on the City Council. Woodburn garnered nearly 74 percent of the vote, overwhelming Leah Kurz and Grant Walker for a seat in Ward 4.  Morgan tallied just over 59 percent to easily beat Jack Greenberg in Ward 2.  DeYoung pulled in nearly 46 percent of the vote in a four-way race for a Ward 1 seat, while Roy Lindsay received just over 37 percent.  Riker grabbed just over 53 percent of the vote to win the other Ward 2 seat over Alan Koebric... 03/11/2010

Are You a Realtor Prostitute?  Are you guilty of selling your soul to the devil for your next deal?  If not, do you know someone who has or will?  It's a legitimate question in our crazy, mixed-up business.  Do you ever find yourself saying "Yes" to something that you know you should have said "No" to, but you contemplated how much you needed the money?  Did it ever occur to you that your actions might be a form of prostitution?  Recently, a friend of mine told me she hated her job and she would like to quit, but she needs the money.  Everyday, she's subjected to ridicule, insults and belittling from her boss.  I asked why she would subject herself to such bad behavior.  She said; "The money is good."  I said; "Don't prostitutes say the same thing?"   I'm certain we've all found ourselv... 03/11/2010

February 2010 Homes For Sale in Grants Pass, Oregon The following results for the month of February 2010 for Grants Pass were compiled from records of single-family residential homes listed with the Southern Oregon Multiple Listing Service. This inventory may be misleading when you consider all of those people who have either withdrawn their homes temporarily from the market and/or all those who are waiting until the market gets stronger before they attempt to list their Home For Sale. Number of Homes Actively on the MLS: 552 82 Are Short Sales 39 Are Foreclosures *The Number of Homes that are Actively on the MLS are Located in the Following Areas:   West Hills 51  North Valley 48 Jones Creek 7 Colonial Valley 20 NW Grants Pass 60  NE Grants Pass 40 SW Grants Pass 36 SE Grants Pass 34 U... 03/08/2010

Speechless Sunday - You Won't Find Me Dangling From a Tree! Some people just don't mind hanging out on a limb!  Not this Southern Cali/Oregon Gal.  You won't find me dangling from a tree.  Just hanging out with friends on a lovely Sunday afternoon :)   03/07/2010

Here are the latest Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate Statistics for February 2010. 900 - Active Residential Listings 43 - Homes Sold 53 - Listings Pending 136 - Average Days on Market $188,019. - Average Sold Price Statistics provided courtesy of Real Estate Cafe.  Source of information is Southern Oregon MLS - Monthly NAR Statistical Report.  Information provided herein has not been verified and is not guaranteed. Click Here for more information regarding Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate 03/06/2010

We May Not Have It All Together... but together, we have it all.  This is a saying on a quilt that hangs over the fireplace in our office at Real Estate Cafe.  It speaks volumes to those who walk through our red door. Real Estate Cafe is a quaint boutique-style real estate office situated in a historic building in Grants Pass Oregon.  Real Estate Cafe employs 8 real estate agents who previously worked for various other real estate franchises including RE/MAX, Prudential, Keller Williams and ERA.  On average, our agents have more than 10 years experience in the business and are top producers in real estate listings and sales. More importantly, we enjoy working together in our quaint office located near downtown Grants Pass.  We would love for you to stop by and visit us sometime.  The co... 03/06/2010

Would You Buy a Home with a Creepy Past?  A great article appeared on MSN's homepage this morning about homes with sordid pasts.  Murder, suicide, and homes with dark histories can be difficult to sell.  But, there is always someone out there that doesn't seem to mind.  For instance, Chris Butler said yes to a house in Bath, Ohio, which happened to be the childhood home of serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer.  It didn't seem to matter to Chris that this home was where Jeffrey Dahmer committed his first murder in 1978. Many states do not require disclosure regarding murders, suicides or any other gruesome events which may have occurred in a home.  It is up to the Buyer to educate themselves and become an investigator.  While disclosure may be lacking with stigmatized properties, the price of ... 03/06/2010

RE/MAX Grants Pass And Southern Oregon Yes Tonto, the "Lone Arranger" rides again at RE/MAX in Grants Pass. RE/MAX now has a Bank Of America office in the RE/MAX building in Grants Pass, and serves all of Southern Oregon. RE/MAX wants their customers to have the convenience of one-stop shopping, and whether you live in Grants Pass, Medford, Jacksonville, Rogue River, Gold Hill, Merlin, White City, Cave Junction, and anywhere in between, RE/MAX is there. RE/MAX in Grants Pass is located at 1830 N.E. 7th Street, and the "Loan Arranger" will have a staff on duty for RE/MAX loans. Gary Swanson's office is right next door, and he can find you a new home, sell your existing home, and introduce you to the Bank of America "Lone Arranger."  Call Gary at RE/MAX (541) 441-4410.                    ... 03/05/2010

Reasons to Buy a Home in Grants Pass Southern Oregon If the picture above doesn't grab you, here are some more reasons to move to Grants Pass Southern Oregon.  Southern Oregon, otherwise known as the Rogue Valley, is nestled between two mountain ranges (Cascade & Siskiyou) and is considered the "banana-belt" region of Oregon, offering breath-taking mountain views and mild year-round weather.  There are two Counties in Southern Oregon, Jackson and Josephine, which are comprised of 20 smaller cities including Ashland, Applegate, Cave Junction, Central Point, Eagle Point, Gold Hill, Grants Pass, Jacksonville, Medford, Merlin, Murphy, Phoenix, Ruch, Rogue River, Shady Cove, Selma, Sunny Valley, Talent, White City and Williams.  Many people who visit Grants Pass Southern Oregon for the first... 03/05/2010