Moscow Idaho Real Estate -- Lori Cofer's Blog

Original Source: Biggest Risk In Real Estate Is Interest Rates Rising

 

In the early 2000′s, real estate wasn’t risky, it was an investment with guaranteed returns, and large returns at that. People were buying homes and just five years later selling for double what they paid. It was a ludicrous business, and everyone was hopped up on the real estate bubble.

Today real estate is a more risky business, in the short term anyways. Long term, real estate is still a great way to invest money. One thing people are worried about the most is, where is the bottom of the market? Is it here?

Are we going to see a double dip and watch real estate prices continue to plummet? Possibly, but lower prices isn’t your biggest risk if you plan on buying real estate.

Your Biggest Risk In Buying Real Estate Is Higher Interest Rates.

Interest rates, again, hit all time low’s this week. To be honest, these rates are a little ridiculous. You could buy a home today and pay it off in 15 years when it would have taken you 20 years to pay it off with the same payment just 3 years ago. Let me show you what I mean for those of you who are visual people. (30 year mortgage)

Today’s Interest Rates

Monthly Payment = $1,053  Interest Rate = 4.13% Buying Power = $240,000

Interest Rates 3 Years Ago

Monthly Payment = $1,053 Interest Rate = 6.83% Buying Power = $177,900

Do you see what I see? These numbers are incredible. I remember when people were happy to pay interest rates below 7%. I was happy to pay 7% on my loan for the home I own. I thought I was getting a great deal, and I was. But looking at interest rates today, I’m amazed.

As you can see, if you bought a home today, and prices dropped another 20-30 grand, you would still be way ahead. Because, as you know, with interest rates so low and the fed printing money like their getting ready to party like it’s 1999, inflation is looming.

Inflation means higher interest rates. Can you imagine where interest rates are going to be in 3-5 years from now? Are you waiting to buy in 5 years when the market returns? Why? When interest rates go up, you won’t be able to buy what you can now.  Your biggest risk isn’t prices going lower, but interest rates going higher.

 

 

Lisa Udy

Platinum Real Estate Group

Please Help Carolyn Capalbo

 

 

 

Sunnyside Park is the center of all the 4th of July Activity in Pullman Washington.  Pullman has a wonderful small town feel  and one of the events that our community really embraces is our 4th of July Celebration. 

 

 

 Families will gather for picnics in the park.  And friends both old and new will be celebrated in our community.  It is a great time enjoyed by all Pullman Residents as well as those from neighboring communities.

 

 

We have several locations where residents can park their car and take the bus straight to the park which even further adds to the great community feel of this event.  

There is always lots to do, games to play, food to eat, and live music to listen to!  

Fireworks, of course, are the star of the show and  start at dusk and are visible from various spots through tout Pullman.  But, of course, for the best view grab a picnic basket and blanket and head to the park.  Events will kick off at 5:00 and fireworks will begin at dusk.

Photos Courtesy of Robert & Eric Tezlaff

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About Lori Cofer Find my Pullman dream home What is my home worth? Help me relocate! Contact Lori Cofer

 

 

 

If you have any questions about Pullman or the Pullman Real Estate Market I am here to help! Feel free to use my my free Pullman WA MLS search...and you are welcome to sign up for automatic market notifications too!

 

Click Here For Pullman Properties ~

About the Author: The above piece was provided as a community service by Lori Cofer, a local Pullman WA Real Estate Agent. Lori can be reached via email at loricofer@yahoo.com or by phone at 509-330-0086. Looking for Pullman WA real estate or Moscow Idaho Real Estate? Lori is happy to assist you in all your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate needs. Lori is "Your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate Connection"

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For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

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It’s summertime, and that means plenty of barbeques, beach weekends, and the best your local farmers market has to offer!  Shopping at the farmers market is better for the environment, better for the local economy, and better for your wallet.

 

Did you know that most conventional food travels an average of 1,500 miles before it reaches your plate?  That’s a lot of wasted energy for something you can find so much closer to home!  In fact, switching to buying even 10% of your produce from local sources will contribute 5-17 times less CO2 than those who buy non-local.

Once you eat fresh, recently harvested produce, you’ll realize the stuff from the supermarket (organic or not) is just not the same thing.  Here are some helpful hints for hitting the farmers market this summer:

1. Don’t forget your bags, baskets, and containers.  Invest in good reusables.  No one goes to market and forgets their bags!  A basket can also be very handy, especially during berry season.  There are no plastic clamshell containers at the market, so stacking is not an option unless you bring your own.  Take some of everything: produce bags, bread bags, and containers… they all come in handy!

2. Bring cash and plenty of small change.  It’ll be faster and easier for everyone.  Green Genius knows it can be awkward to pass a $50 dollar bill to a farmer selling you $3 worth of spinach!

3. Bring your family and friends.  It’s more fun to share the market with others.  Consider meeting at the market for a meal or drink.  It’s also a place to involve the whole family in food choices.

4. Do a full walk-through.  There are no returns.  Who has the best tomatoes?  Would you have preferred the peaches instead of the pears?  Walk the whole market first to see what’s available and compare prices and product.  Also, produce gets heavier as the day goes on.  Melons and squash should be your last purchases, so you don’t have to carry them around all day.

5. Go early and get first pickings.  You cannot imagine the excitement the regular market shoppers have for the season’s first strawberries, asparagus, ramps…  If you want to take part to the fullest, don’t sleep in.

6. Go late and get good deals.  If you are not picky, vendors will generally be happy to give you a discount and not have to haul anything back with them.  They worked hard enough to get it to market in the first place.

7. Ask questions.  You’ll get real answers.  If you want to know when something was picked, or how to best choose a particular item, just ask.  Feel free to ask what something is, or try things that you would not necessarily see at the store. Farmers know all about what they grow, and sometimes they will share great recipes too—that’s not happening at the supermarket!

8. Speak to other marketers.  Sociologists estimate that people who skip the supermarket in favor of farmers markets have about 10 times the number of conversations while shopping.  In addition to your farm-fresh zucchini, you just might pick up a new shopping buddy.

9. Don’t buy ingredients for a meal; make a meal based on the best ingredients you buy.  Don’t just go to the market to cross things off your grocery list.  Buy what’s best and in season, and try new things.  When you buy fresh and simple, the dishes you prepare can be also.  Green Genius loves making a “market meal”—a help-yourself-to-all-of-the-goodness-we-just-got-meal.  You can obviously make a list, but keep an open mind.  Take advantage of seasonal inspiration!

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI GREEN

 

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

 

949-753-7900

 

 

 

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If you have any questions about Pullman or the Pullman Real Estate Market I am here to help! Feel free to use my my free Pullman WA MLS search...and you are welcome to sign up for automatic market notifications too!

 

Click Here For Pullman Properties ~

About the Author: The above piece was provided as a community service by Lori Cofer, a local Pullman WA Real EstateAgent. Lori can be reached via email at loricofer@yahoo.com or by phone at 509-330-0086. Looking for Pullman WA real estate or Moscow Idaho Real Estate?  Lori is happy to assist you in all your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate needs. Lori is "Your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate Connection"

Google Me!

 

 

 

For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

 

This post has been a long time coming. Like so many of us, Active Rain has become a part of how we start our daily routine,  and it has a wonderful way of seeping into how we "do our business."

 

 

Like so many morning I shook off the sleep with a cup of coffee and Active Rain. It has long since replaced my morning paper routine, and I look foward to the featured blogs of the day. I enjoy seeing faces that have now become so familiar, and enjoy seeing new ones too! I really love the new suggest a feature button as we have seem some really great featured posts and fresh faces in the mix!

 

That morning in January I believe I was looking through the posts and I found myself reading a post about "Staging your laundry room with the Martha Stewart of Approval" by Teresa Meyer a stager here in the Rain. Like so many of you I am sure, I love the before and after pictures. I also love looking for tips that might help my sellers.

 

That morning I went to a new listing presentation. She was a young mother that obviously had a great talent for crafting. And her home was a perfect candidate for my morning inspiration via the Rain.

 

 

She took the idea and ran with it! She got rid of the clutter and put baskets up on the shelf. Then she took her vinyl letter machine and wrote laundry in several different languages. It was fantastic! I wish I took before and after shots.

 

 

That house had a signature laundry room and feedback was great from both clients and other agents! Did I get it sold? You bet! I had it under contract in 21 days!

 

Wait! There is more! And this is really great.....So a few weeks later I am checking out my site and see all this hits from a blog...you guessed it! Little did I know this young mother had a blog and wrote about the whole process and posted pictures with a link back to my website. It just doesn't get better than that!

 

So thanks Active Rain for the morning inspiration!  And thanks Teresa Meyer for sharing your tips as you pay it forward in the Rain!

 

About Lori Cofer Find my Pullman dream home What is my home worth? Help me relocate! Contact Lori Cofer

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have any questions about Pullman or the Pullman Real Estate Market I am here to help! Feel free to use my my free Pullman WA MLS search...and you are welcome to sign up for automatic market notifications too!

 

Click Here For Pullman Properties ~

About the Author: The above piece was provided as a community service by Lori Cofer, a local Pullman WA Real EstateAgent. Lori can be reached via email at loricofer@yahoo.com or by phone at 509-330-0086. Looking for Pullman WA real estate or Moscow Idaho Real Estate?  Lori is happy to assist you in all your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate needs. Lori is "Your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate Connection"

Google Me!

 

 

 

For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

Incorporating Seasonal Color in Home Staging for Seattle Wedgwood Bungalow

There is no doubt that adding subtle seasonal touches to a home staging can influence how a buyer will react to the overall "feel" of a house. Pottery Barn and other retailers knows this well and thus we see a new catalog regularly arrive in our mailbox filled with great ideas to transform our interiors with each changing season. I recently completed a home staging for this classic house MLS# 29152670 in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood. So much of effective home staging is knowing that online photos may get a buyer to the property, but how a property "feels" to a client is extremely important. Much of home buying is as much an emotional decision as financial. Here are a few ideas for making an interior seasonal without crossing the line into kitsch:

 

Choose One big Drama Statement

This spray of Fall leaves provides a dramatic focal point for this open living room and coordinates with art which features scenes of a European street scene with fallen leaves. Limiting the silk arrangements to under three per photo keeps the focus on the room as a whole rather than calling attention to the home staging.  If this were for a Spring staging, this spray could be Magnolias or Red Berry Branches for a Winter staging. Wool rugs in rich neutral colors are great for cooler months.

A good home staging should closer reflect how the potential buyer would like his home to look rather than taking on that one too many silk plant look that is too often associated with home staging.

 

 

Accessorize with Seasonal Color

Choose furnishings that are neutral enough to use all throughout the year but select seasonal accessories with color, The Fall theme is repeated with this cluster of gold-trimmed leaf art that was collected specifically for a Fall home staging. Candles are in a soft pumpkin color and accent pillows are in a rich copper tone. Lamp shades are in a textured raffia rather than a stark white to give the room a warmer glow for Fall evening showings. Burnished gold for the table and lamps was chosen to give this room a warmer feel. 

 

 

 

 

Unusual Seasonal Items Make for More Memorable Online Photos

Love them or hate them, these pitchforks not only repeat our harvest theme but also make this home more memorable. The bowl of apples and orange napkins caputure attention during a walkthrough but are a bit lost online. This interesting home staging detail is intended to catch the attention of those clients quickly looking over homes online. Even a small pause for a moment increases the chances that buyers will take this house into greater consideration. Most buyers have already narrowed down the homes by search criteria so now they are simply selecting which homes to actually tour.

 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. see additional photos of other home staging, please feel free to take a look at my website: www.lisalucasdesign.com.

 

 

 

 

For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

I just recently posted a picture called Window on the Palouse From an Old Homestead Root Cellar. I took a picture through the windows on the cellar and the hills of the Palouse was quite the view.  

 

Several people inquired about the story behind it so it seemed like a good idea to write a blog about it.

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder I am sure, but the Palouse with its rolling hills and fertile farmland is beautiful beyond words to me.  It provides a picturesque backdrop for any one with a camera.  Even an amateur like me.

One evening in the heat of the tax credit buying season, I found myself with an evening free and a need for some relaxation.  My husband and I  decided to head out to one of our favorite spots outside of Pullman.

 

I have always been intrigued by this root cellar out in the middle of nowhere.

One day when we were enjoying the sun an elderly gentleman with the kindness mannerisms approached us. That in and of itself was amazing.  We have been there more times than I can count...and each time we drove by his home on the way out there and yet we had never seen him.  I guess he was intrigued that we loved something so near and dear to his heart that he wanted to come out and get acquainted.

His name was Charles Hofer.  He chatted with us about his tied to this land and the homestead that he grew up on.  The land had been in his family for generations.  He was born on that land like generations before him.  His father farmed and also worked in the local mill in nearby Colfax.  He was in an accident and lost his arm.  With the farming equipment of the day it was nigh impossible to continue farming.  Of course his son, Charles, stayed by the family's side farming their farm.

Charles recently passed on.  But the land he worked and homestead he grew up in continues on.  He was a wonderful and delightful gentleman.  I know he would be delighted for your interest in his story and the pictures of the land he loved so much.

For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?