This is a series of blog posts about real estate in Salem Oregon written by Melina Tomson of Tomson Burnham, a small boutique real estate brokerage in Salem Oregon. The blog has articles about local real estate market conditions from Salem, Keizer, Independence, Monmouth, Dallas, Stayton, Aumsville and Silverton.
The blog covers topics from market conditions to happenings inside the real estate industry that might impact consumers to new technologies that are housing-related. Community information for home buyers looking to relocate to Salem is also housed in our blog as we discuss our local favorites.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the rumors are confirmed, Washington Mutual (WaMu) is closing all 186 of it’s loan centers and laying of 3,000 employees. They will continue to offer loans, but intend to focus on it’s 2,500 banks and small business lending offices. They sent an email to brokers yesterday letting…
Buyers of homes are constantly comparing what they see: granite vs. tile counters, large yard, fenced yard, close to park, etc. Each home is truly unique, but there are some differences even in planned subdivisions. You can walk into may new subdivisions here in Salem Oregon and pick out homes with stock plans. You would…
“Doesn’t it rain in Oregon, like 365 days a year? Someone told me you guys only get 30 days of sun a year.” I hear this constantly from people looking to relocate to Salem, Oregon. Concerned about the massive downpour of rain that they think we get here, they don’t think they can handle the…
Purchasing a home in West Salem has always been frought with concerns over the bridge. There is only one bridge connecting the two parts of Salem and when there is a traffic accident or a jumper, the bridge can be closed for hours, reeking havoc on the city. As a real estate agent, I have…
100% financing allowed many home buyers to get into homes in the past few years. With the mortgage markets in turmoil and home prices plunging, banks are having to go back to more conservative methods of lending in order to maintain liquidity. After March 31st, no MI company including MGIC, PMI, RMIC, Radian, UG or…
This video was posted about 11 months ago before the dig dip in the real estate market. The maker of the video took the yearly data for real estate and set the data points to a roller coaster. It certainly puts the market into perspective and reminds us that the market has always had its…
As I was getting my son from school today, I noticed that several kids were riding their scooters without helmets. Now in Oregon, if they are under the age of 14, that is against the law. This reminded me of a Parents Magazine article that I recently saw online. Parents Magazine just rated the top…
Normally in Salem, Oregon, we get drizzle, but today it poured in sheets on and off. It reminded me of mid-west rain. I always liked a really good rainstorm…well from inside my house anyway. As I was driving to get my son from his school today, I was seized with panic. My heart throbbing, I…
I was recently on another forum answering questions for people about our area, when someone commented about the overuse of certain descriptors in real estate. In real estate, we have a term calling puffing. This is where a real estate agent promotes their listing with a verbose use of adjectives that makes most consumers head…
Reuters is reporting that Countrywide is being investigated by the FBI. Here is a link to the Reuters article. http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080309/countrywide_inquiry.html?.v=1 Several states have already launched investigations against some appraisers, and so it is not surprise that lenders are going to be investigated for the housing mess as well. With lenders having lax practices, investors purchased…