My Favorite Neighborhoods, Part Two: Greentrees Village

Greentrees Village is one of two over 55 gated communities in Florence. Greentrees residents enjoy the privileges of owning both their home and their land. Established in the early 70's, Greentrees has about 700 homes located east and west of Rhododendron Drive perhaps a mile from highway 101 near Old Town. Some homes on the west side are river front where owners have a spectacular view of the Siuslaw River and the ocean dunes. These home owners have their own beach available to them, especially at low tide. For those residents who don't own river front property, there is river and beach access for all residents who want to take advantage of Greentrees' fabulous location. Greentrees Village has so many advantages and amenities, it's hard for me to decide which I love the most. Perhaps it's the two swimming pools, pool table, sauna, tennis courts, library, popcorn machine, club house and so forth. Or maybe its all the fun events that one resident or another sponsors. Check out their calendar at http://www.greentreesvillage.com/ Or maybe it's one of the many clubs. Perhaps the well-kept pet-friendly streets where the speed limit is 10 mph. Or the native vegetation that must be kept as a visual barrier between homes. Perhaps the flock of wild turkeys that stand in the road. Or maybe it's the price of homes ranging from $75,000 to $322,650. There's a home in most every one's price range. I am particularly impressed with what's covered in the $146.00 a month home owner's association fees: maintenance of all the recreational facilities and the club house; the beach access; paving and maintenance of private roads; garbage collection; water and sewer; basic cable; and of course staffing. There's not a better deal anywhere else in friendly Florence, Oregon. I've represented several buyers who now are happy home owners in Greentrees Village. And soon one of my buyers, who has just sold her home in Oklahoma City will be one of the newest residents of Greentrees. All my buyers would be so pleased to speak with anyone thinking of relocating to Florence about the joys of living in their neighborhood. Just email or call me, and I'll put you right in touch with them.

My Favorite Neighborhoods, Part One: Heceta South

Florence, though a small town, includes areas and subdivisions both north and south of the Siuslaw River bridge, all with unique neighborhoods with their own style, ambiance, amenities and microclimates. One subdivision near the beach but out of the tsunami zone is a favorite of mine: Heceta South. Perhaps its distinguishing feature is the size and character of the lots, which range from .4 acres to .8 acres and are heavily vegetated with native plants and trees, primarily salal and shore pine. The CCR's require a 10 foot vegetative buffer around the perimeter of each property and that's such a good thing. Not only does it preserve native vegetation which provides food and shelter for animals large and small, like bear, deer, chipmunks, squirrels and birds, but it also acts to retain fragile beach area soils from washing away, acts as a rain filter, looks beautiful and, not insignificantly, acts as a wind break for our summer winds from the north and from our infrequent winter storms from the south. The homes in Heceta South are all custom built, so no tracts of the same design here. Home sizes range from about 1,800 to 3,000 square feet. Since there are only two access roads into the subdivision, the whole neighborhood is one big cul de sac with wide streets that are perfect for jogging, biking and walking. Most streets are either flat or sloped gently. Though there are a few second homes, most homes are owner occupied with very few rentals. What few rentals there are tend to be long-term rather than vacation rentals. Properties are very well kept, many with lovely landscaping, some with vegetable gardens planted with blueberry bushes and cool weather crops which do especially well in the prevailing temperatures in and around Florence. I am particularly fond of two homes that are for sale now in Heceta South. One is a short sale, particularly well-priced at $299,000. http://preview.tinyurl.com/y9tnud3 My favorite characteristic of the home is the cathedral ceiling in the living room with floor to ceiling windows that look out at a sea of green. My other favorite home is probably the most interesting home architecturally in Heceta South: http://preview.tinyurl.com/ye4ftzr It reminds me of a ship at sea with all the different windows and roof lines. It has 7 decks, a 3/4 acre lot on which live fascinating wild life, hardwood floors, a backyard Zen garden and so much more. If you want the best of living close to the beach without the disadvantages of being oceanfront, this neighborhood is the perfect choice.

Credit, Credit, Who's Got Credit?

Some people are re-examining their use of credit, especially as the all-important Holiday shopping season is upon us. The cost of credit has skyrocketed of late as credit card companies ratchet up charges before the new federal law goes into effect in February 2010 that curtails companies' ability to raise rates at will. So here's some food for thought. Credit scores are calculated from a lot of different credit data in a credit report. This data can be grouped into five categories. Payment History is 34%; Length of Credit History is 15%; New Credit is 10%; Types of Credit Used is 10%; and Amounts Owed is 30%. A credit score takes into consideration ALL these categories of information, not just one or two. The importance of any factor depends on the overall information in your credit report. Your score only looks at information in your credit report. However, lenders look at many things when making a credit decision including your income, how long you have worked at your present job and the kind of credit that you are requesting. Your score considers both positive and negative information in your credit report. Late payments will lower your score but establishing or re-establishing a good track record of making payments will raise your score. If you want to improve your credit so that you can qualify for the best home loan rate, contact me and I'll put you in touch with a great mortgage consultant who can help you put a plan together so that within a year, you're likely to be able to qualify for a good loan, barring things like bankruptcy and law suits on your record. Keeping good credit is a piece of cake once you've cleaned your old credit report up.