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Monday Morning Real Estate Update 6/28/07

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

I was great weekend in the Eugene and Springfield area.  Not to hot!  Not too cool! Perfect for Fathers Day!

Nationally the troubled housing market continues to show signs of weakness.  New permits for housing starts hit a 17 year low last month.  This adds validity to the fact that existing new homes just are not moving.  At the same time mortgage interest rates have continued to creep even higher.  If this trend continues look for the overall national market to continue it's downward trend.

Locally, our market continues to hold on.  Watch mortgage interest rates.  The direction of these rates Will determine where our local market heads in the near future.

Have An Awesome Week!

 



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

Monday Morning Real Estate Update 6/25/07

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

Congratulations to the Oregon State Beaver college baseball team!!  Wow, two consecutive National Championships!!!

If you are considering selling your home this Summer, you will need to have patience.  Yes, the inventory of homes for sale continues to climb as well as the average number of days it takes to sell a home.  Average days on the market for a home to sell is now 82 days.  If you are a home buyer this is good news as there are certainly more homes to look at right now.  Mortgage interest rates have ticked upward, but are still well below the ten year average.  Softer home prices will more than make up for the slight interest rate increases.  Look for this favorable buyers market to extend through years end.

Have An Awesome Week!

 



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

Monday Morning Real Estate Update 6/12/07

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

I was a typical Oregon late Spring weekend.  Don't worry Summer never really arrives here until after July 4.

The statistics show that the Eugene and Springfield area continues to enjoy one of the better housing markets in the country.  The question is, how long will this continue?  Mortgage interest rates have nosed up to just over 6%,  which could slow things down some.  This area also seems to always lag  behind the rest of the nation, so it is really unclear as to whether this is the case or whether we just have a better economy that other parts of the nation.  Time will tell.  One thing that is a certain here is that if you do plan on selling your home you must price your home competitively.  Our market is better than most, but not good enough to not be realistic.

Have An Awesome Week!



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

Neighborhood News 6/1/07

by Galand Haas

Presented by: Galand Haas Team

 

Lane County Real Estate


 RMLS March 2007 Reporting Period 

 March Residential Highlights

Comparing March 2007 to March 2006 new listings increased 14.5%. However, closed sales dipped 15.2% and pending sales decreased 12.7%. The 1,577 active residential listings at month's end would last approximately 4.5 months given the month's rate of sales.

 

Year-to-Date

Comparing market activity for January-March 2007 to the same time period in 2006, closed sales decreased 4.4%. However, new listings were  up 14.8%. Meanwhile, pending sales decreased 7.3%.

 

Appreciation

Comparing the 12 months ending with March 2007 to the 12 immediately prior, the average sale price climbed 11% ($258,500 v. $232,900). Using the same formula we can see that the median sale price increased 14.2% ($228,300 v. $200,000). 

 

 

The Galand Haas Team & Keller Williams is on the Move...

As of May 11 of this year, Keller Williams Realty, Eugene and Springfield and the Galand Haas Real Estate Team will have a new home. I am very proud to announce that we will be moving to 2644 Suzanne Way in Eugene. This new location is just off of Crescent Avenue near Chad Drive and Costco. Our new building is a gorgeous 13,000 square foot Class A office building. Our new building is state of the art and no other office building in Oregon has been so specifically designed for a Real estate office. We will have the latest in technology and all of the most up-to- date tools to make sure that we are serving our clients needs to the highest level. Our new space will also be integrated with an in-house title company and mortgage company to make Keller Williams Realty a true one stop home selling or purchasing office. We should be settled into our new space by mid-May so please stop by and see us and we will give you the tour of this new state of the art Real Estate office.

 

My thanks go out to Steve and Sally Lee and to Chambers Construction for their hard work and for making this fantastic new facility available to all of us and the many clients of Keller Williams Real Estate.

 

 

A Letter from Ashley

 

I received this letter under my pillow from my 15 year old daughter last night and just had to share it with you all. I left her father when she was 4 months old, due to severe abuse and have been through many ups/downs over the past 15 years. Through all of this, I’ve somehow managed to raise a wonderful spirited human being in spite of the court battles to maintain custody, inner family turmoil, being a single-working parent, struggling to make ends meet day-to-day, as well as both of us being pieces of the big puzzle in this crazy mixed up world we live in today!

After being single for 15 years, I recently moved us (last summer) from the security of friends, job and a home in Idaho (but it was a decision we made together) back to California to be with a wonderful man whom we thought we’d be with "forever." Things and people aren’t always what they appear to be. After always being independent, I have been unable to find work, and the relationship is crumbling.

When I approached my daughter two nights ago with the possibility of moving again, turning our lives upside down, pulling her out of school that she had adjusted to, wonderful new friends she has made and about moving back to Idaho, this is the letter I received. I hope she is an inspiration to many other single parents out there that you can do it alone. I am truly blessed!

Dear Mom,

I’m writing this letter, not as a daughter but as an admirer. I have been studying your movements and actions for the past 15 years. I have been very lucky to have you as the person I must observe. I have learned so much being your student. I have learned responsibility, loyalty, love, patience, stress control, cooking 101, the processes of decision making, how to squish the little green worms on flowers, but above all I have learned to love unconditionally.

You might ask yourself why the criminy would I choose a person like yourself to have as a role model. Well, from the first sight I could tell that you were a strong, open minded, independent and free spirited individual. Along the course of these 15 short years, I have found things about you that make me love and cherish you even more. Now, I must warn you, some of these things are so little that you wouldn’t even think, and you might even hope that no one would ever pick up on. But little did you know that I have been taking notes all these years and I believe you said yourself that nothing ever gets past me! so here goes!

Your love of nature.

Your incredibly strong personality.

Raising me alone, for 15 years.

Believing in me.

Driving me everywhere.

Bugging me about not having warm enough clothes on.

Making great homemade dinners.

The habits that have rubbed off on me, i.e., talking to the television.

Bringing me orange juice every morning.

For being such a great photographer.

Your ability to make the warmest fires.

Keeping holiday traditions weather (sp!) they are silly or not.

The fake smile you get when someone takes your picture.

Always understanding my need to be crazy and stupid sometimes.

And occasionally joining in.

For putting up with my habit of singing one line of a song for hours on end.

And last but not least, the little kid voice you still get when you talk to my friends.

These are just some of the little things that fit together to make you the person you are.

These are just some of the little things that fit together to make you the person you are. And last but not least, the little kid voice you still get when you talk to my friends. For putting up with my habit of singing one line of a song for hours on end. And occasionally joining in. Always understanding my need to be crazy and stupid sometimes. The fake smile you get when someone takes your picture. Keeping holiday traditions weather (sp!) they are silly or not. Your ability to make the warmest fires. For being such a great photographer. Bringing me orange juice every morning. The habits that have rubbed off on me, i.e., talking to the television. Making great homemade dinners. Bugging me about not having warm enough clothes on. Driving me everywhere. Believing in me. Raising me alone, for 15 years. Your incredibly strong personality. Your love of nature.

Okay, now, it’s my turn to be the daughter. I just want you to know that no matter what comes of our lives that I will always love and respect you. I have never and will never think that you have made a mistake because I know that you would never do something without truly believing in it. I have always felt safe having you around.

I always find comfort in knowing that you are right down the hall if I ever need you. I want you to know that whatever we decide to do that I have faith, knowing that you are in the lead. I know that God had a purpose in bringing us to Chico, it might have just been a life lesson, but I have faith that this was not a mistake but that it was just part of the big scheme of things. I love you so much and I have learned from the best teacher that support is a key thing, and I truly support you and admire you for everything you are! Love always and forever,

Ashley Bug

 

For Sale: $459900
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Keller Williams Realty Eugene and Springfield, 242 Country Club Road, Eugene, OR, 97401

Monday Morning Real Estate Update 6/6/07

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

What a gorgeous weekend with temperatures in the 80's.  It just does not get any better.

Nationally, it looks like the Northwest is holding up better than any other part of the country in the slacking Real Estate market.  This is good news as most of the country is seeing little relief from and slow down that is now over a year old.  Here in the Eugene and Springfield area the inventory of homes on the market is up slightly and the number of days it takes a home to sell is higher than a year ago but there are many good buyers out there currently  looking.  It is a good market to sell or buy a home in  and I look for a continuation of the same for the next couple of months. 

Have An Awesome week!



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

Monday Morning Real Estate Update 5/21/07

by Galand Haas
Galand Haas,

Good Monday Morning!

Sunday's drizzle put the dampers on a nice weekend. It's looking up though, warm weather is here for the week

The inventory of homes for sale keeps piling up.  It looks like my prediction of a peak in inventory levels around mid June may be fairly close.  I would also predict that we will soon cross the magic 6 months of home for sale inventory line here in the Eugene and Springfield area.  This means that at the current rate of sales, it would take 6 months to exhaust the current inventory of homes for sale.  Six months is important because that is the dividing line between a buyers and sellers market.  6 months or less of inventory is a sellers market and 6 months or more is a buyers market.  This is good news for you prospective home buyers as mortgage interest rates also continue to be extremely favorable.

Have An Awesome Week!



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

Monday Morning Real Estate Update 5/17/07

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

The press has really given the Real Estate market a thrashing both locally and nationally.  Bad press keeps people from making good decisions out of fear.  The reality is not always what we perceive from the media.  Right now the opportunity for home buyers has not been better in the 20 years of my Real Estate career.  We have a very-very good inventory of well priced homes and mortgage interest rates that remain at extremely low levels.  We are finding tremendous home purchase opportunities for the few buyers we are working with.  We just keep hearing the same thing from potential home buyers.  "We are just going to wait until prices come down even more".  Well, maybe this will take place, but a rise in interest rates could quickly negate any continued drop in home values.  The truth is that we know we have a great buyer opportunity right now!  Trying to wait for the better deal is a real gamble.

Have An Awesome Week!



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

Monday Morning Real Estate Update 4/23/07

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

Hey!  The sun has returned!!!!!

If you are considering the purchase of a home this year, right now is the perfect time.  There is a very-very good inventory of homes out there to see, including a large number of brand new homes.  In our current market, it is taking longer for homes to sell so the sellers may be more motivated to play with the asking price of their home.  At the same time, mortgage loan interest rates are very favorable.  We have been finding some excellent homes at great prices for our buyers.  It's the best buyers market we have seen in years.

If you are wanting to search for homes in the Eugene and Springfield area the best web site is www.forhomeinfo.com.  This site will automatically e-mail you every morning as new homes meeting your search criteria hit the market.

Have An Awesome Week!



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

Picking Home Paint Colors

by Galand Haas

Picking House Colors

Tips To Help You Choose

Richmond Bisque... Deep Russet... Hickory...

The names are enough to make your head spin. Choosing a paint color becomes even more baffling when you consider that most homes use at least three different shades -- one for the siding and two or more for trim and accents such as doors, railings and window sashes.

A well-chosen selection of contrasting trim and accent colors can draw attention to architectural details and disguise design flaws. A poor selection can make a house seem flat and featureless -- Or so garish that the color overwhelms the architecture. But, how do you decide?

Here are a few pointers to guide you as you choose house paint colors.

Historic Authenticity
If you are planning to paint an older home, you have three options.

  • You can hire a pro to analyze old paint chips and recreate the original color.
  • You can refer to historic color charts and select shades that might have been used at the time your home was built.
  • Or, you can fly in the face of history and choose bright modern colors to dramatize architectural details.
The third option can produce startling and exciting results. But before you buy 10 gallons of bubblegum pink, it's a good idea to look at what your neighbors are doing.

Neighborhood Context
A fluorescent colored Victorian that looks splendid in San Francisco will seem wildly out of place in more conservative neighborhoods. Even if you are opting for a more subtle scheme, you'll want to make sure that your colors are compatible with the houses next door.

Existing Colors
Your house is your canvas, but it is not blank. Some colors are already established. What color is your roof? Is there mortar or other siding that will not be painted? Will doors and railings remain their existing colors? New paint does not need to match existing colors, but it should harmonize.

Interior Colors
It may seem comical to paint entire house based on the pattern of a pillow case, but this approach does make sense. The color of your furnishings will guide you in the selection of your interior paint colors, and your interior paint colors will influence the colors you use outside. Once again, your goal is to harmonize.

Accents
Depending on the size and complexity of your home, you may be choosing two, three or as many as six colors. In addition to the color you select for siding, you'll want to select accent colors for trim and details such as shutters, moldings and columns. This can be tricky, because too many colors will overwhelm your house and too few will make it seem two dimensional.

Darks and Lights
Light colors will make your house seem larger. Dark siding or dark bands of trim will make your house seem smaller, but will draw more attention to details. Darker shades are best for accenting recesses, while lighter tones will highlight details which project from the wall surface. On traditional Victorian homes, the darkest paint is often used for the window sashes.

Harmony and Contrast
Contrasting colors will draw attention to architectural details. But, extreme contrasts will clash and actually detract from details. To be safe, consider staying within a single color family. For some accents, try using a darker or lighter shade instead of a different color.

Balance
A burst of a single color on just one part of your home may give it a lopsided appearance. Strive to balance colors over the entire building.

Durability
The more intense a color, the more likely it is to fade. After a few years, vivid blues and deep reds will seem more subdued. Dark colors also pose more maintenance problems. Dark colors absorb heat and suffer more moisture problems than lighter shades. And because dark paint fades, it's difficult to touch up.

Sheen
You thought you only had to pick colors? Sorry! In addition, you'll also need to decide on the sheen of your paint -- glossy, semi-gloss or flat. The glossier the surface, the more likely it is to show imperfections, brush strokes and touch up marks. On the other hand, glossy surfaces are easier to clean. Many homeowners opt to use flat paint for walls and semi-gloss or glossy paint for columns, railings and window sashes.

Color Deceptions
Color swatches look very different when they are brought out of the store and viewed in natural sunlight. Also, colors appear lighter on large surfaces than they do on small samples. It's best to test your selected color in one area before buying gallons of paint.

Tips and Resources

Paint Your House!
Find paint color software, paint color books, paint color tips, and more articles like this one.

Old-House Tool Kit
Find how-to help for all your home renovation projects, plus historic building plans and a guide to researching the history of your house.

 

 

Monday Morning Real Estate Update 5/1/07

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

It's sure great to wake up to sunshine!  This is a wonderful time of year in the Eugene and Springfield area. Don't miss visiting Hendricks Park right now with the Rhododendrons in full bloom.

More inventory of homes for sale and longer days on the market to sell.  I predicted that as we approached Spring it would be tougher to sell a home because of just this market condition.  This is becomeing a reality and the situation will become more extreme by the time we hit the Summer months.  If you are thinking of selling, do not hesitate another minute.  You will also want to obtain a professional home value analysis to establish the correct market price for your home right now.  This is not a market to be aggressive with pricing your home.  Your home will sell at a good value, but the days of pricing above the market level are long gone.  You can also receive a rough idea of your homes market value by going to the web site www.forhomesellers-nonSmartZip.com.

Have An Awesome Week!



AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

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Haas Real Estate Team
Keller Williams Realty Eugene and Springfield
2645 Suzanne Way Suite 2A
Eugene OR 97408
Direct: (541) 349-2620
Fax: 541-687-6411

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