The Benton County Fair & Rodeo is coming next week to Corvallis!  The theme this year is Carnival Lights and Country Nights with some The Fair opens Wednesday, July 29 and runs thorugh Saturday, August 1. The Fairgrounds is located on NW 53rd Street, west of the Oregon State University campus. Scott Stoller, Benton County Fair Manager leaves us and heads back to California next month.  His parting gift is a great musical lineup featuring Diamond Rio, Lady Antebellum, Bad Company, The Edgar Winter Band, and the traditional close for the Fair, Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts. All concerts are included in the cost of admission, which at $8 daily or $20 season for adults makes for an inexpensive evenings entertainment. Carnival wristbands are $25 per day at the gate. I'll be selling tickets Fr... 07/25/2009

College Hill - Historic Neighborhoods in Corvallis, Oregon There are many historic neighborhoods in Corvallis, Oregon each with a unique feel and architectural interest.  Many are clustered in the areas surrounding Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) which was founded in 1851 by the Oregon Legislature.  These historic Corvallis neighborhoods feature a mix of architectural styles ranging from Mediterranean to Queen Anne, Spanish Colonial, and Italianate.   Some of the oldest of these serve as reminders of the founders of Corvallis, Oregon State University, and other pioneers in western Oregon. The home shown to the right  is the J.L. Fairbanks House built in 1926 in the College Hill neighborhood.  Fairbanks taught architecture at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) at... 07/23/2009

Home prices in these 10 cities will appreciate handsomely over the next decade per US News and World Report's article today.  Here's the projected average annual percent change in home prices from the fourth quarter of 2008 to the fourth quarter of 2018: Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash.: 5.22 percent Glens Falls, N.Y: 4.71 percent Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo.: 4.06 percent Corvallis, Ore.: 3.95 percent Anchorage, Alaska: 3.8 percent Duluth, Minn.: 3.74 percent Sandusky, Ohio: 3.66 percent Santa Fee, N.M: 3.57 percent Pittsfield, Mass.: 3.51 percent Decatur, Ill.: 3.44 percent With consumer confidence lower than in prior years, it reassuring to know that Corvallis Oregon home prices should increase an average of 4 percent annually over the next 10 years.   Creative Concepts and Contracting pr... 07/04/2009

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website.  They let you lend to the working poor. http://www.kiva.org.  I just came across the web site and while I haven't taken the time to read through it or do any research it certainly seems like a great idea.  I just wondered what someone elses take on it is. I currently go to www.freekibble.com   where you answer their little quiz and they donate food to shelter dogs and cats.  This does not cost to play and they really do donate the food.  You can play once a day and im my case the food goes to Safehaven in Linn County. Recently I spent some time helping at Vina Moses.  This is a place where everything is free to the people who sign up to shop there.  They put out nice clothes, (nothing with stains or tears).  They have bed... 07/01/2009

I don't know about your office, but our bunch seems to live by the motto: "If there is food, we will come!"   This is especially true on Wednesdays when our MLS Broker Tour occurs.  Many of us, me included, arrange our tour schedule after seeing who is offering what lunch at what property.  Pretty pathetic way to plan the day, but when you are out and about for a few hours at a time, nutrition is important! In honor of letting our stomachs rule our tour day, when my new listing was due to be on tour I wanted to stand out a bit and do something different for 'lunch'.  Going back to the years of packing school lunches for my rugrats, I decided to make "Grab & Go" sacks for the brokers.  Boy were they a hit and so easy to prepare!  I received lots of compliments and have observed another ... 06/25/2009

This care center will be closing as soon as the current residents can be placed in other residences.  Corvallis Manor is now the only short term skilled nursing facility in Corvallis.  While Corvallis Manor is an excellent nursing home with a better than wonderful physical therapy team, it seems to bad that there is not going to be a choice of where to go for short term rehab.  Unless you go to Albany or further.  Heart of the Valley is the sight of the old Corvallis Hospital.  I'm telling on myself, but both of my children where born in that hospital.  I wonder what will become of it.  Yes, it is old and in need of repair.  Time passes and things change.  Just like in the real estate business.  Just like the weather in Oregon.  Cheers.  06/16/2009

Two hours after I scanned and e mailed my rescind. to the other broker, he called and said my clients offer was approved.  When I called my clients to see if they wanted to proceed, they just laughed and said "well isn't that good timing, we will let you know".  Haven't heard back from them.  By the way,  thank you for all the kind words.  It is nice to have the moral support.  Kathy 06/06/2009

I had clients involved with a short sale and I guess that they just got tired of waiting.  I got a call saying that they want to withdraw their offer and are buying something else with another agent.  I could never really get through to them that the banks work in mysterious ways and we agents had nothing to do with the long process of getting an answer back.  I am sorry, not only to lose the sale, but to lose the clients I really liked and thought I had established a relationship with.   It's a hard lesson to learn and i guess everyone has to pay his dues.  Give me a day or so and I will be fine and back on track. Until then I will hide my head under the covers and pretend this day isn't happenning.  06/05/2009

Several of the agents from our office are putting together a seminar to be held in our local library meeting room.  We have invited a loan officer and someone from a title company to give a little information on loans and escrow.  Since time is getting short for those who want to use the tax credit, we have created a sense of urgency by limiting the number of seats available and asking for RSVP.  06/04/2009

Many home sellers are on the fence - is now the right time to sell?  With so much competition, does my house have a chance in achieving a quick sale?  Personally, we've seen things picking up in our area.  Many of the homes we have been working with received offers in the past few weeks.  Some have sold within three weeks!  Are the good old days returning?  Can we just put a sign in the yard and get a great offer quickly?  No. Smart Money has some great ideas here on helping home sellers get off to a great start.  Home sellers are smart to take the time to do some research and make sure they heed this advice.  You wouldn't go to a job interview without preparing a good resume, thinking of what skills you have, or making sure your clothing was perfect to make a great first impression.  S... 05/25/2009

First a disclaimer:  I am writing about my personal favorites and have not consulted with the owners of the restaurants I am reviewing.  That doesn't mean I'm impartial, it just means it's my opinion and they get free advertising! Corvallis is a college community of about 50,000 located about 10 miles off I-5 in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  You would expect dining options would run toward pizza joints and fast food.  You'd be right, to a degree.  However, Corvallis has over the past several years gained a number of really good restaurants covering a range of food and price options.  Over the next few days I will discuss several of my personal favorites that I believe are worthy of you making a point of visiting our fair community.  You might just find a great new place to call home! Blo... 05/24/2009

CLUE reports are based on two major property claim databases: The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange and the A-Plus, or Automated Property Loss Underwriting System.  Basically, it is a loss history report utilized by insurance companies to verify the insurability risk of a particular property. Oregon state insurance laws allow insurers a 60 days binder review period after a policy is issued to thoroughly review the underwriting information, including the CLUE report, and can cancel a policy after the fact, based on information in the report.  Most homeowners wait to purchase their homeowner's insurance until the last minute, thus not allowing underwriting to do a thorough review by the time closing takes place. There is a risk that the buyer, all happily moved into his/her new hom... 05/21/2009

Tuesdays are good days for me, and today is no exception.  The sun is out this morning after a refreshing spring shower, and I have good things to look forward to.  Like soup.  And touring new property listings here in Corvallis. Tuesdays are "soup days" in my home.  My husband takes a bit of what's leftover from prior nights, adds some fresh veggies, herbs, and creativity, and we have a delicious and inexpensive feast.  Soup often gets a bad rap because people don't take time to make their own stock, chop those ingredients, and try new flavors.  Home-crafted soup delivers so much more than what you could possibly get from a can.  Canned soup just doesn't give you the depth of flavor that can come from a carefully developed and tended tureen of soup. Curry?  Tarragon? Perhaps a bit of c... 05/19/2009

Corvallis, Oregon is a Great Place to Live! Why should you consider living in Corvallis, Oregon?  The reasons are many.  Corvallis means "heart of the valley" and indeed it is nestled in the very heart of Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley.  The communities' events and activities are bolstered by the presence of Oregon State University, which helps give the region a depth of culture and experiences you would not normally expect in a town of approximately 50,000.  Like sporting events? Corvallis residents love the Oregon State Beavers.  OSU home games are extremely popular, and virtually everyone has a collection of oregon and black fleece for cheering on the home team.  Corvallis has also added aummer baseball wooden bat baseball league, The Corvallis Knights, which makes for fun fam... 05/18/2009

Are you looking for the freshest produce and locally grown foods? Visit one of the farmer's markets in Corvallis! Markets are held Saturdays from 9 - 1 on the beautiful Waterfront Park area, and Wednesdays from 3 - 7 in the South Waterfront area.  Vendors fill the area with the freshest tomatoes, flowers, locally made cheese, breads, and more.  Support our local growers and enjoy a real "taste of Corvallis!" 05/18/2009

   In my last post Kellie remarked that it would be wonderful to see our historic homes remodeled green and I so agree.  What great fun to be on the hunt for old fixtures, trim and molding.  I have to admit that I recently have discovered a fondness for the mid century designs.  Just the basic 3 bedroom 1 bath ranch  styles so commonly built right after World War II.  These homes were castles to young familys happy just to have their own place.  Many of these young couples never moved and raised an average of 3 kids there.  They have their own history and stories to share.  Amazing how times have changed. 05/16/2009

Having recently dealt with two different properties with water damage (one that caused the kitchen floor to be replaced and one with serious mold issues that needed to be remediated before listing), the question of insurability arose.  Would my buyer be able to obtain a homeowner's policy if an insurance claim had been made by the previous owner for the water damage?  On the flip side, would my seller (of the 2ndproperty) be able to sell due to the property's recent insurance claim (actually 2 big claims in the past 6 months) that might cause insurance issues for a potential buyer? Insurance companies are really tightening their underwriting of a homeowner's property that has experienced water damage.  As a risk management tool for your buyers, it might be advisable to state as part of ... 05/12/2009

It seems to me that if you want to be truly green, you would want to take an existing building and remodel.  You would be reusing land space and much of the original materials in the building.  Everything new that you put in would be recycled or sustainable materials and most of what you tear out would be reused somewhere else or recycled.  If one is going to build anyway than of course you have to be responsible, but the key words are reduce, re-use and recycle.  Don't pass by a perfecty good house because it does not have "green features".  Talk to a local contractor and work together for a better world. 05/10/2009

I was reading an article in the Sierra Club magazine.  And to shorten the story, it said that plastics just keep breaking down smaller and smaller.  you may think they have decomposed because you can't see them anymore but there they are serving as fillers in the food wild animals eat.  Microscopic bits of plastic eaten by fish which are eaten by birds and.. you get the idea.  My friend won't read these articles, says they come off as doomday, end of the world news and we can't really do anything about that part.  Well, yes.  But I say that we can use the information scaled down and make us aware of how important it is to pick up that bottle we see in the gutter on our daily walks.  Even the ones without a deposit.  I carry a bag and pick up all plastic and metal when I walk.  Heavy met... 05/09/2009

Timberhill Place is an assisted living Community.  When I went there I received a folder of information but no one was available to show me around or answer questions.  Since I have no thoughts or opinions I will just tell you what the brochure says. They do accept Medicaid and seem to offer the same services the other facilities offer.  If one is able to get out and about on their own, it is quite close to to the aquatic center and shopping.  They also have a shuttle that go out regularly. They offer month to month rent. 03/18/2009