Real Estate Information, Corvallis Oregon Real Estate, Sue Long's Blog

With scaled down economic conditions, remodeling resources are fewer for most people.  To be sure you are spending in the right areas, here are the latest reviews.

For the best return, replace entry door sets (with steel) for a 129% recoup at sale

Windows are next best values.

Other high ranking changes for cost vs value are siding, attic bedroom conversions and deck additions

The lowest returns for cost right now are home-office conversions, sunroom additions and additions of upscale garages, upscale master suites and upscale bathrooms .

It's coming sooner than you think!  We signed the permits today, and the new Keller Williams building is well on its way!

The Corvallis Spring Food Drive is coming on April 17th!  Are you ready to help? 

Click the image below to see what you can do!

It's that time of year!

The blossoms are all around here in the Corvallis area and we want to create our own plant dreams.  Get out your tools, gloves and choose a fun, unique pot or container.  Go get some healthy plants.  Remember to turn your pots 1/4 turn each day to grow straight and give more water and fertilizer than you would when planting in the ground.  You might try non-traditional containers such as buckets, wooden crates, or an old watering can.  An unusual container can make a striking garden arrangement. Use several different plants together.  Use good soil and just have fun!  The sky's the limit.  Help make your home and our communities here in the Willamette Valley more inviting and your home even more valuable real estate!

According to MSN, here are your best 10 options as the Top 10 "Underwater" Real Estate Cities in the nation.  You should be able to pick up a steal of a deal. They are in order of worst market first.  Note that Oregon is represented by Bend ranking in 6^th position:

1. Las Vegas
2. Merced
3. Phoenix
4. Orlando
5. Greeley, CO
6. Bend
7. Minneapolis-St Paul
8. Memphis
9. Cleveland
10. Grand Rapids, MI

Keep an eye on these.  Investors are starting to come in with cash offers in a few of these places. 

Please click to see each image full-size!

Studies are showing lots of differences between male and female brains and how they operate.  Basically we have heard of the intuitiveness of women.  It is due to the Insula which controls one's gut feelings; women are often accused of being "psychic", but in fact the female brain's larger Insula makes women more equipped to read faces, interpret the tone of voice and the emotions of individuals with which they are engaged in conversation. Thus, the woman's hormones and brain structure work together to allow the woman to receive emotional signals with a stronger and clearer signal.  Honesty and sincerity are very important and she can spot a skunk from a mile away!

The larger Anterior Cingulate Cortex found in women works in decision making and causes them to worry more before deciding.  Thus it is important to speak to the different options and help her carefully weigh them out before forcing a decision she won't be comfortable with.

Changes in the brain due to hormones may cause us to believe men are more stable and steady where women are harder to predict.  This is due to the fact that hormones are causing a woman's brain to change as much as 25% in a month compared to a man's 1%!  So a woman's neurological reality is not as constant.  It helps to remind them of what they were thinking during the last conversation and bring them back to where you believe they were in communicating as they may have moved on.

You may explore this more by going to: www.baylor.edu/business/kellercenter

Though a lot of our inventory was gobbled up before the November incentive deadline, we are now seeing more and more properties coming on the market for the spring buying season. The buyers are fully aware of the newest incentives and they are out in good numbers again, as a result, so there is marked increased activity over the past 3 weeks. We are looking at a very well-paced market at the moment and likely through spring and summer. This means values should hold their own. Corvallis remains one of the more popular areas to live in Oregon and the surrounding areas have that same influence to a degree.

Ever wonder if it isn't time to get a new appliance, siding or flooring for your home?  Consider this:

A home is expected to last for several generations, but what about its individual components? A study by the National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America Home Equity shines some light on how many years of service homeowners can reasonably expect to receive from various housing components. Although the life expectancy of household items will vary depending on maintenance, use, the quality of installation, climate and a host of other factors, the report does provide some useful general guidelines. The following are a few of the study’s findings:

 Appliances: Dishwashers, 9 years; electric ranges, 13 years; gas ranges, 15 years, gas water

heaters, 10 years; gas furnaces, 18 years

 Cabinetry and Storage: Kitchen cabinets, 50 years; medicine cabinets, 20 years

 Countertops: Cultured marble, 20 years; natural stone and tile, lifetime

 Faucets and Fixtures: Kitchen faucet, 15 years; shower doors, 20 years

 Flooring: All wood floors, lifetime; carpet, 8-10 years; tile, 75-100 years; vinyl, 50 years

 Siding: Brick and wood, lifetime; stucco, 50-100 years

 Windows: Aluminum, 15-20 years; wood, 30 years

2009 was filled with many peaks and valleys- more peaks for home buyers and long valleys for the sellers. Home values have even seen some depreciation for the ones that have sold. 

In a recent analysis of the market, we have discerned that the months of inventory for local homes have gone down dramatically for the Corvallis area and we are now in a more balanced market, instead of a buyer's market in the lower price ranges.  During the winter, the number of homes on the market goes down normally and with the recent incentives, there have been more buyers picking up the inventory there is. It is a good time to bring your home on the market.  I can give you updated information about your specific home and its marketability in today's market.