Mary,
The most powerful tool that agents and Buyers have are the local RMLS and the search tools that are proven to have the most hits. Example; www.realtor.com, RMLS both Portland and Willamette Valley Multiple listing services with the most pictures as possible for the given property are the most incredible tools for selling property. These two sites alone have the greatest audience. To have your agent be a member of more than one RMLS is huge and would be very important to draw the most attention. There are many other sites that are proven to be very powerful world wide such as Lands of America which draw buyers from all over the world verses small little websites that bring little or no traffic.
Good news for you may be that if your home is near Wilsonville which is the "Lake Oswego" of our area then all a buyer has to do is put the street name of Wilsonville and will most likely find your property.
Our experience has shown that virtual tours increase traffic tremendously and that price changes create increased activity each time a price change has been made.
Have a great day!
Kelly... more
For those on the East Coast answering West Coast questions,
(1) Pex is not widely accepted out here yet and can only be found on new properties, IF at all.
(2) Homes out here typically do not have basements – most 4-plexes are built on a slab. They may have a crawl space, but it is very uncommon.
As for the actual question, the answer is YES.
Cold weather like this doesn’t happen very often, BUT … you only need one situation to ruin your whole day. When it gets this cold here, pipes DO freeze, but usually only outside at the entry to the home and in un-insulated areas such as crawl spaces.
I’d recommend a few things:
(1) In most cases, the water supply and shut-off valve to the property is above ground and un-insulated. I’d recommend applying a covering of pipe insulation such as Insul-Tube 65834 Closed Cell Pipe Insulation (see it here: http://bit.ly/8TTKeH). You can also built a wood box around the water supply and shut-off valve, layer the inside with a layer of 1” Styrofoam insulation – this can just rest on the ground and against the house to cover the pipes – don’t fasten it to the property because the shut-off value has to be readily available.
(2) If your property is on a slab, you will typically not have to worry about pipes in the slab (unless we have extended days of below zero temperatures and you are not heating the property). If it has a crawl space, you can insulate the pipes in the crawl space the same way mentioned in (1) above. Most California homes have un-insulated pipes in the exterior walls – therefore, you need to keep the interior heat on at all times – 50% is fine.
In addition to being a Realtor, I’m also a licensed general contractor and familiar with the Sacramento area – let me know if you have any additional questions.... more
Hi Soccerdini...I have a client in the same boat, the two lenders we had ready to go when the deal was approved have ended their "short refi" programs. However, he was able to stay current on his mortgage. I would guess that your lates on the mortgage are going to make your short refi very difficult. I am sorry I do not have better news for you. Jim... more
Ken,
I am a vet as well and can steer you clear of many VA pitfalls in the CA market. Property condition, closing costs, and competition from investor and hard cash dollars are making it tough on my VA buyers. Give me a call or email and I can lay out a strategy for you.
Brian Curry
Coldwell Banker
858-621-5233... more
The summary judgement establishes the figure owed and the bank can proceed with the foreclosure law suit. This the amount the bank will accept before the foreclosure sale.There should of be a foreclosure sale date set at the same time. You are getting very close to the end of the foreclosure process.
Befow is the process discribed by realty trac:
Pre-foreclosure Period
A foreclosure in Florida begins when a lender files court action and records a notice of a pending lawsuit (Lis Pendens) against the borrower. The lender notifies the borrower and any other affected parties in person or in some cases by mail or publication. If the borrower does not respond to the court action within a specified amount of time, the county clerk can find the borrower in default and the lender can ask the court to make a final ruling. If the court rules against the borrower, the ruling will include the total amount owed to the lender and the foreclosure sale date.
The lender is not required by state law to notify the borrower before initiating the foreclosure process, but individual mortgages or deeds of trust might call for this. The borrower can stop the foreclosure up until the date of the sale by paying the total amount owed to the lender.
Notice of Sale / Auction
The sale date is typically 20-35 days after the court ruling, but this may vary depending on the individual court. The clerk of court issues a notice of sale containing the location, date, and time of the sale. The notice is published once a week for two weeks, with the second notice appearing at least five days before the sale.
The clerk usually oversees the sale, which ordinarily occurs at the county courthouse at 11:00 a.m. on the sale date. The winning bidder must provide a 5-percent deposit and pay the remaining balance by the end of the day or a new sale is scheduled a minimum of 20 days later. After a successful sale, the clerk gives a certificate of sale to the winning bidder
Within 10 days of the sale, the clerk transfers ownership to the winning bidder if no one disputes the sale. In most instances, a borrower has no right of redemption after the certificate of sale is issued.
Keith Manson
First Weber Group
Certified Distressed Property Expert
Metro Milwaukee... more
Well not much, but there was one well publicized case where the judge through the foreclosure out and considered the loan paid in full. Document everything you do and have it ready when you have your next court date it will make the bank look bad, I do not think you will get your foreclosure thrown out but it may buy you time. The not being able to provide proof card is a good one to play days before the sale date, it will buy you a month or so but after you call them on it they most likely will come up with the note. Good Luck Bob... more
Hi there,
Are you referring to the lower space/unit? If so, it’s being marketed as a 2-br but from a tenant perspective the floor plan could be a bit challenging since you have to walk through one bedroom to get to the second bedroom.
Therefore, I’d market the lower unit as a 1-br rental & would estimate a rent range of $1700-2100/mo. If you went pet friendly, you could expect a higher rent range since there are limited pet friendly rentals. As an aside, I highly recommend renting to tenants with pets. I’ve had no problems in my 10+ years of renting my pet friendly units as a result of being very consistent with my pet screening process.
Craigslist is a great resource for helping to gauge current rent ranges as is your Realtor.
Good luck!... more