25 FREE Things to Do in the Florence Area

1. Go kayaking or canoeing on Cleawox Lake at Honeyman State Park. The lake has a long narrow finger that's great to explore. Look and listen for lots of interesting birds.
2. Hike the Siltcoos Lake trail through old growth Douglas Fir, hemlock and Western Red Cedar. The loop is a couple of miles round trip and the rewards are many, not the least of which, depending on the season, are brown newts and banana slugs crossing your path.
3. Take a walk on Heceta Beach from the North Jetty to Driftwood Shores. Be on the lookout for seals playing in the near shore waves.
4. Stroll Saturday & Sunday Market along the boardwalk in Old Town and chat with artisans about their work.
5. Check out the fabulous beads at The Brown Dog in the Highway 101 Antique District.
6. Go swimming at Woahink Lake. You'll love the little sandy beach and refreshing clear water.
7. Ask to see Boris Karloff's room at The Lighthouse Inn on Highway 101, a 1930's treasure.
8. See Cobra Lilies at Darlingtonia State Natural Site. No, they don't bite.
9. Listen to the ukeles play at the Old Town gazebo. You'll think you're in Hawaii.
10. Dance to Curtis Delgagdo at Traveler's Cove.
11. Look for Sea Stars and anemones at Stawberry Hill.
12. Watch the salmon make their run up the Upper North Fork River in the fall.
13. Agate hunt just about anywhere.
14. Tube down the Siuslaw above the Mapleton Bridge, and on down the river.
15. Check out the art work at Backstreet Gallery, an artist's cooperative.
16. Bike the Munsel Creek Bicycle Trail.
17. Attend the Pioneer Museum's Storytellers event.
18. See Lemon yellow Gorse in bloom in February on the rocks at Southview.
19. Eat sun-warmed blackberries you pick yourself in August. Yum!
20. Skate at the skateboard park in Miller Park.
21. Watch the Rhododendron Parade, 102 years old, in May.
22. Paint a picture of the Conde McCullough bridge over the Siuslaw from the beach on Bay Street.
23. Hunt for wild iris in the late spring.
24. View Sweet Creek falls any time of year. Enjoy the swimming holes in the summer.
25. Read The Siuslaw News online.

Peaches, Pooches and Pocketbooks on the Old Town Florence Boardwalk

I love strolling the Old Town Boardwalk during Saturday Market. What a lovely assortment of food and fun stuff to pick from. I think just about every dog in town visits the boardwalk. I saw hot dog doggies, fluffy doggies, short doggies and tall doggies, barky doggies and standoffish doggies. My dog, Maeve, is a whiner doggie, not to be confused with a weiner doggie, a cross between a Chow and a Golden Retriever, about 35 pounds, a redheaded shedder extraordinaire. If I were smart, I'd collect all that red hair and knit a sweater for the cool months I spend in front of the fire. Or maybe I could figure out a way to incorporate her hair into my watercoloring. Anyone with suggestions, please shout them out. Anyway, when Maeve sees another dog, she whines and sings out her hello, hoping someone will come over and pet her. She thinks she's the prettiest pooch on the boardwalk and lots of folks must think the same or love her singing because they come over and give her a pet. She gives them a toothy smile and that results in more pets, then she sings a little more and the pet goes on. Last time we were on the boardwalk, the fresh veggie vendors were there in force. I bought my husband and I a peach each from an organic farm, the kind of peach that you just have to eat right then and there, the kind I call a two paper towel peach, so much juice dripping down your chin, you attract bees and butterflys to the sweet nectar. Could August possibly get any better than this? Not in my book. The Saturday Market goes on until the weather gets fall-like, maybe a little rainy. I hope we've got another 6 weeks and that those peaches keep coming. But you never know, so if you've a yen for juicy peaches, pooches, pocketbooks and more, set your sites for Florence Old Town right away.

Tiny Beach Getaway or Casual Country Elegance, You Decide

Even though Florence is a small town, just over 9,000, I am continually amazed at the complexity and variety of homes for sale. Take the 2 bed 1 bath upgraded and updated single wide manufactured home on West 19th Street. Talk about cute as a bug's ear, this has got it happening. I was the selling agent when this home was on the market a couple of years ago. Have you seen the ad "We Buy Ugly Homes?" Well, this would be that ad's poster child. That was then. Now, it's the perfect beach area getaway close to shopping on a street that dead ends at Miller Park. How sweet is that? Take a look for yourself: http://tinyurl.com/pzezny

On the other end of the spectrum is Bearfoot Lodge, a Northwest Rustic style chalet home on about 3 acres, complete with fish pond, vegetable garden, fruit trees, totally secluded, tucked away in a little valley where your only neighbors are long haired Scottish Highland cattle, coastal mountains and tall trees. http://tinyurl.com/qahycy It has an 1156 square foot ground floor Guest Suite with private entrance suitable as caretakers quarters. And that's only the beginning. From it's Master Suite with ensuite lounge, its dining room bathed in Merlot, to it's wraparound deck for gracious al fresco entertaining, this home is perfect for those seeking their own little piece of heaven. Located 3 miles from Highway 101, a quick trip to Florence's popular Old Town galleries and restaurants, it boasts temperatures a full 10 degrees warmer than Townies experience. So it has the best of both worlds: great temperatures for gardening and sunbathing yet minutes from all the action and the might Pacific Ocean.

And Florence has homes in-between too. Want one-story no maintenance living? Is an Old Town condo your cup of tea? Looking for a view lot to build your dream home on? Does the lake and it's magnificent steelhead fishing strike your fancy? It's all here in spades. Get it while the getting's good. The selection of properties is the best it's ever been in Florence but that won't last forever. A gal from Texas just popped into the office and she's discovered that Florence is truly that Paradise she's been looking for. Pending sales have picked up. I think they'll soon be lining up to buy property. The days of multiple offers are around the corner. http://www.oregonflorencerealestae.com/

Lots of Lots for Pennies on the Dollar in Florence

This morning I had a lovely couple walk into the office. They have a home in Grants Pass and an RV lot in Arizona and are looking for an RV lot in Florence because Grants Pass is way too hot in the summer. There are lots of lots for little to nothing in Florence right now, some of which are foreclosed lots in lovely subdivisions, some in gated communities on the golf course, some in 55+ parks, some in the country, one with a fabulous view of Old Town Florence, the Siuslaw River and the beautiful Conde McCullough bridge built in 1936, http://tinyurl.com/kpp8fw. I sent them off to explore the two best lots for their RV and for investment. If they're smart, they'll be back because now's the best time to purchase a lot or a home in our area. Prices haven't been this good since before the 2004-2005 boom. Check out all the Florence area lots for sale at www.oregonflorencerealestate.com. Contact me for my two favorite lots for sale.

A Bungalow by the Sea for You and Me Honey 'Cause Home Prices in Florence Oregon Just Hit Bottom!

Florence, Oregon has seen few foreclosures and only modest home price declines. In fact, many homes in the over $350,000 price range are still overpriced. However home prices in the lower end of the market have come down substantially. The Coastal Highlands neighborhood is a good example. This neighborhood is comprised of modest 3 bedroom 2 bathroom homes built in the late '90's. Folks who live there are police officers and hospital workers with a good sprinkling of retirees. There's one lovely home listed at $155,000 that's on a quarter acre with a fenced yard, 2-car garage, new paint inside and out and new carpeting. That's a good buy in this town any way you look at it. Take a look at MLS #9044819 at http://www.oregonflorencerealestate.com/. I guarantee you, the home looks better than the photos and it's not my listing either! So if you want to live in Paradise on the Pacific, all indications are that this really is the time to buy, especially if you want a sweet bungalow in a pretty, quiet neighborhood. And if you're interested in a list of foreclosed and short sale properties, I have one. Just email me and ask for this free report and I'll send it right along: hope@hopemacmanus.net

Happy Days are Here Again??

Yippee! According to "Realty Times", Standard and Poor's Case-Shiller index indicates that

"...home prices have reversed course and are finally rising again, and you know
that Case-Shiller has been the gloomiest, scariest-headline-producing monitor of
the real estate market for the past three years -- some say: We have truly
turned the corner here. "

Real estate sales in Florence for the first six months of the year are down about 29% from the first half of 2008 and '08 sales were poor. But activity and pending sales have picked up this past month, all good news. Now if we can just get those pending sales closed. It's certainly not as easy as it once was, primarily because of all of the new lending requirements. For example, now lenders must check borrower-provided tax returns against data from the IRS in order to ferret out borrowers who might have prepared one tax return for the IRS and another more favorable return for their lender. And lenders must verify a buyer's employment three days before funding the loan. Lenders tell me that there's more new verification rules to come. No doubt about it: the lending pendulum has swung to the far right. And it will swing back toward the middle eventually. No one wants loans that result in the type of loose lending that allowed so many people to borrow money that had no business borrowing. The question remains as to just when the pendulum will begin to swing back toward the middle. I doubt it will be any time soon, so buyers, sellers and real estate agents all need to be prepared to cool their jets and allow at least 8 weeks for a real estate deal to close. In the meantime, let's all hope that we never go back to the Wild West style of lending because we never want to have to mop up a mess like the real estate market has been in for the last two years. It's back to basics, thank goodness and we'll all be the beneficiaries--in our pocketbooks--with more real estate sales and less federal taxes being used to bail out all the bad actors.