Florence Oregon Foreclosed Bank Owned Homes

Florence Oregon Foreclosed Bank Owned Homes There are 13 foreclosed bank owned homes listed on the MLS right now, much fewer than before. Even though that's a small number, the selection is quite varied, offering Buyers just about everything by way of location, price and amenities. The least expensive is $79,050, a fixer on .24 acres north of the Florence city limits. Even though it's right on highway 101, it's worth looking at as an income property or two family living since Lane County has it listed as a duplex. It's been added onto over the years since it was built in 1944. The most expensive is $390,000, a brand new custom home, never lived in, over 3,000 square feet, located in the south lakes area with a seasonal peek of a beautiful coastal lake. In between are two river front properties, one in Mapleton and one in Florence, both nearly new, priced at $227,000 and $225,000 respectively. There's one home that is lake front--there's a steep path to the lake--with a shared community dock, 2,400 square feet, two separate living areas, older home (1973) but mostly updated. It has a strong financial record as a vacation rental so this one would make a good income property. If you want some elbow room, there are two or three homes on large lots, about half an acre. And if you need bedrooms or two family living there are three homes that fit the bill. There's even one condominium for sale for $99,800, two story, close to Peace Health Hospital. If you're interested in purchasing a bank owned property in Florence, Oregon, recently name one of eight coastal towns that are bargains for real estate by "Where to Retire" magazine, the time may be now or never. www.oregonflorencerealestate.com, www.twitter.com/Florence_OR

Florence's Annexation War

Florence is generally a sleepy town--until someone or "ones" get a burr under their saddle. It happened when a casino was in the making. The casino is built, though opponents are still at it with a law suit which may come before the Oregon Supreme Court. Now opponents of annexation have scored a victory by waylaying the city's 2020 Comprehensive Plan : Lane County decided last week to send the plan back to the Florence City Council. Though the city adopted the plan way back in 2002, the county must also adopt it because they are responsible for the plans in the city's UGB, the Urban Growth Boundary, which lies north of the city limits. The city has worked diligently to address the concerns of annexation opponents, and a lot of key kingpins have given their blessing at the county and state levels. But members of Citizens Against Annexation (CAA) till oppose the plan contending that the city is creating a septic care to force residents of the UGB to annex. Opponents won the day when Springfield Commissioner Bill Dwyer said “This thing is not ready and I’m not going to vote for it.” So the Florence City Council will surely grumble about having to deal with the issue once more. Hopefully the local Planning Commission, working with all the right grand poo bahs to tweak the plan, will satisfy the County Commissioners at their May 19th meeting. I think many in Florence and Lane County hope that this issue won't end up on the docket of the Oregon Supreme Court. Stay tuned. For a more complete account of the issue, check The Siuslaw News.

Things to Do: 17th Annual Pow-Wow

Now here's something fun and FREE to do in Florence. Everyone is welcome to attend.The 17th annual pow wow to benefit the Native American Education Programs in three area school districts--Siuslaw, Mapleton and Reedsport--is scheduled for Saturday, March 20th at Siuslaw Middle School on Oak Street. The Grand Entry is at 1:00 and 6:00 pm. The pot luck is at 4:30 pm. There's open drumming, Native American arts and crafts and much more. Dancers and drummers from all over Oregon and surrounding states come to this community for the pow wow. Any proceeds go to the Native American Education Program Parent Committee fund to help enhance the program. The Native American Education Program is a two part program with the schools districts. The first part is scholastic: children are helped with their school work and encouraged to stay in school. The second part helps students understand the culture and traditions of their ancestors. The program teaches respect of self, others and the world around. Now what could be a better accomplishment than that!

My Favorite Neighborhoods, Part Four: Golfing

There are two golf courses in Florence: Sandpines Golf Links http://www.sandpines.com/index.php and Ocean Dunes Golf Links http://www.oceandunesgolf.com/. Both are surrounded by lovely homes. Sandpines is still in the process of being developed with plans in process for townhomes and additional single family residences. Sandpines has a stunning Northwest Lodge style clubhouse with a restaurant, Tavolo's, which is open to the public serving Northwest style fare such as halibut, steak and a vegetarian pasta primavera. The Bistro at Ocean Dunes is also open to the public and offers unusual dishes like roasted beet and arugula salad. Neither golf course neighborhood has very many homes for sale at the moment. Sandpines has four ranging in price from $327,000 to $699,800 (this one has a fabulous view of the greens, high end finishes throughout and an elevator). Home Owner's Association dues are only $240 a year which includes road and gate maintenance. Ocean Dunes has two homes priced at $369,000 and $439,900. Some of my favorite homes in Ocean Dunes are the Cottages, a gated planned unit development of generously sized homes (2200 square feet is not unusual), some of which have a pond view. Home Owner's Association dues are $75 a month and include power washing once a year and window washing twice a year in addition to the usual road maintenance and so forth. Both golf courses are within the city limits, are on city services, and are close to shopping and all of Florence's wonderful ammenities like boutique shopping in Old Town, the beach and Freddies, our extraordinary grocery, department store and coffee shop. So if golf is your passion, if you want to look out on the greens while you sip that Cup of Joe, you have two beautiful places to choose between. You can view these homes on my website: www.oregonflorencerealestate.com

Pick of the Week: Darling Ranch on a Quiet Neighborhood Street

I'm positively in love with a charming ranch style home and just have to write about it. It's sweet, TOTALLY remodeled, on a quiet street across from Miller Park and the city's bike and walking path. http://tinyurl.com/yhn7h8c When I say totally remodeled, I mean new roof, new shake siding, new windows, new garage door, new cabinets, appliances, fixtures, lights, carpeting, vinyl, plumbing, electrical. Is there any more? Oh, the landscaping! So if you are serious about downsizing, living small, embracing the new ethic in housing and getting away from it all, this just might be the house for you. I spoke with the listing agent who told me that the owners bought it to remodel and re-sell. They're loan is due and they are VERY motivated to get it sold so I suspect there's still room for negotiation. If this cutie is not quite right, I've got another couple of small clean homes I can tell you about that'll bowl you over. Remember, the $6,000 tax credit for home buyers with existing homes runs out soon, so make your move and pocket a cool bunch of greenbacks. You won't be sorry. www.oregonflorencerealestate.com, www.twitter.com/Florence_OR

What to Look for if Sunshine and Warmth are MUST HAVES

On our first visit to Florence from North Carolina in January 2004, our real estate agent told us that there are people who move to Florence seeking a small coastal town with natural beauty and the ambiance of Old Town. Florence has all that and more. But, he said, some leave after five years, seeking warmer temperatures and more sunshine. Well, Florence has warmth and sunshine too, but to find it in spades, those looking for the perfect home need to be experts about the area's many micro climates. Here's what I mean: most people think they want to live close to the beach, maybe even within walking distance. What could be finer? Well, here's some little known facts to consider about beach area living in Florence. In the summer, the prevailing winds are from the north, and let me tell you, that northern wind is chilly: the air temperature may be a perfect 70 but the northern wind makes it feel as though it's 40. In fact, it's often warmer on the beach in January than it is in July because there's no wind in the winter--I'm talking shirt sleeve warmth. Florence's winter weather is one of our best kept secrets. Here's another little known fact: if you're strolling the beach after noon in the summer, you're likely to get a free facial microdermabrasion because of blowing sand, so you learn to take your stroll at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m when the wind is calm. And then there's the summer fog: the fog line often hangs a half mile inland and follows the river all the way into Old Town Florence. Sometimes the fog doesn't lift until noon. Fog is cold. So all this means, if you want plenty of sunshine, don't live right at the beach or close to the river. Many people prefer living on the east side of highway 101 to be sure of sun because they're out of the fog line. Now to find warmth, that's a whole other story. Would you believe there are homes at the beach that are situated so perfectly that you can go out on your deck on a sunny day when the fog has lifted in a bikini and be perfectly warm--and tanned! You can even grow--and ripen--tomatoes, which for most places in the greater Florence area is a real art. Many people who want to be out of the wind and the fog and want to grow a garden live in the so-called banana belts north and south of the city. I have a friend who grows tomatoes as big as my two fists and zucchini like watermelons who lives on an acre in the south lakes area. He gets temperatures 80 to 85 degrees consistently in the summer. And I live 10 minutes north of Florence in the banana belt. However, I can't grow tomatoes because my home sits on top of a ridge and doesn't get nearly as much warmth as I need and can be breezy. But my neighbor below me has a home that is snugged into a sunny spot and she grows a huge organic garden with enough veggies to can and freeze. So it all comes down to this: unless you plan to spend lots of personal time trying to find out everything there is to know about Florence's microclimates, you'd be best served by finding a real estate agent who is a microclimatologist. Want to know more about Florence's weather? I have a chart of prevailing temperatues I can send you or look at the chart on our website, http://www.oregonflorencerealestate.com/.

Here Come the Feds, Here Come the Feds

The Feds have ridden up on their white horses once again, this time to institute changes to RESPA, the Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act, a federal law designed to help borrowers shop for the best loan. RESPA is enforced by HUD, Housing and Urban Development. RESPA requires federal loan or mortgage programs backed by the Feds, like FHA for example, to provide borrowers with how much their closing costs and other fees are going to be. Many people know this document as the Good Faith Estimate. Recent changes in RESPA regulations which became effective January 1, 2010, require a standard format for the Good Faith Estimate which clearly discloses key loan terms and closing costs. The estimate must remain valid and binding for a certain number of days, allowing borrowers to shop around for better terms and lower fees. Time periods under the new RESPA rules must be honored. The good news is that borrowers should be better informed and in a better position to speak with other lenders and negotiate a better loan. The bad news is that the lender now has more hoops to jump through that will require borrowers to jump through some hoops of their own.

Florence Named Number One. Again.

Florence was named THE number one retirement community by "Retirement Places Rated" in August 2004. People flocked to my town, Paradise on the Pacific, driving up real estate prices. New homes popped up overnight, like mushrooms after a good rain in our beautiful forests. Five years later, Florence has been named to another List: "8 Fantastic Coastal Sites with Bargains," according to "Where to Retire," January/February 2010. The magazine's subtitle for their article is "Ready for the Rebound: Hot Spots for Retirement Real Estate Discounts." Florence is included with Barnstable, MA, Hilton Head, SC, Whidbey Island, WA and Oceanside, CA, among others. Pretty good company, I'd say. Not only that, our median sales price is much lower than all of these towns, coming in at $205,000 for the fourth quarter of 2009. And we've got brand new homes starting at $180,000. There are lots of folks wandering Bay Street, picking up real estate information and dreaming of relocating, enjoying a phenomenally warm and dry winter, and beginning to learn some of the secrets of my home town. Welcome, all of you! Read the full article at www.oregonflorencerealestate.com under Retirement Living.