Here is the break down for single family (detached) home  sales for May, 2010 in LANE COUNTY, OR's   COASTAL LANE COUNTY Including: Florence, Dunes City, Mapleton  (RMLS Market Areas:  238, 231, 230, 229, 228, 227, 226, 225)   (SHOWN BY type of sale:  REGULAR SALE, SHORT SALE, or BANK-OWNED SALE)   14 Single Family Homes sold in May:   Here for comparison is   April, 2010 14 Single Family Homes sold in April: March, 2010      19 Single Family Homes sold in March:   February, 2010      11 Single Family Homes sold in February:      January, 2010 7 Single Family Homes sold in January:      ***********************   Jim Hale Principal Broker / Owner Graduate, REALTOR Institute             e-PRO Member, Million Dollar Club of Lane County Member, Real Estate Brokers Million Dollar Club action... 06/06/2010

Here is the break down for single family home sales for April, 2010 in LANE COUNTY, OR's   COASTAL LANE COUNTY Including: Florence, Dunes City, Mapleton  (RMLS Market Areas:  238, 231, 230, 229, 228, 227, 226, 225)   (SHOWN BY type of sale:  REGULAR SALE, SHORT SALE, or BANK-OWNED SALE) 14 Single Family Homes sold in April:   Here for comparison is March, 2010      19 Single Family Homes sold in March:   February, 2010      11 Single Family Homes sold in February:      January, 2010 7 Single Family Homes sold in January:      ***********************   Jim Hale Principal Broker / Owner Graduate, REALTOR Institute             e-PRO Member, Million Dollar Club of Lane County Member, Real Estate Brokers Million Dollar Club actionagents.net 1715 Linnea Avenue Eugene, OR 97401-1962 Office:  5... 05/14/2010

Here is the break down for single family home sales for March, 2010 in LANE COUNTY, OR's   COASTAL LANE COUNTY Including: Florence, Dunes City, Mapleton  (RMLS Market Areas:  238, 231, 230, 229, 228, 227, 226, 225)   (SHOWN BY type of sale:  REGULAR SALE, SHORT SALE, or BANK-OWNED SALE)        19 Single Family Homes sold in March:   February, 2010      11 Single Family Homes sold in February:      January, 2010 7 Single Family Homes sold in January:      ***********************   Jim Hale Principal Broker / Owner Graduate, REALTOR Institute             e-PRO Member, Million Dollar Club of Lane County Member, Real Estate Brokers Million Dollar Club actionagents.net 1715 Linnea Avenue Eugene, OR 97401-1962 Office:  541-484-0219 Direct:  541-543-9991 Fax:      541-485-8068 www.actionagents... 04/25/2010

Here is the break down for single family home sales for February, 2010 in LANE COUNTY, OR's   COASTAL LANE COUNTY Including: Florence, Dunes City, Mapleton  (RMLS Market Areas:  238, 231, 230, 229, 228, 227, 226, 225)   (SHOWN BY type of sale:  REGULAR SALE, SHORT SALE, or BANK-OWNED SALE)                                                                    11 Single Family Home sold in February:     Here, for reference, is                                  January, 2010 7 Single Family Homes sold in January:      ***********************   Jim Hale Principal Broker / Owner Graduate, REALTOR Institute             e-PRO Member, Million Dollar Club of Lane County Member, Real Estate Brokers Million Dollar Club actionagents.net 1715 Linnea Avenue Eugene, OR 97401-1962 Office:  541-484-0219 Dir... 03/27/2010

Cox Island, Siuslaw River Sanctuary:  Cox Island is in the middle of the Siuslaw River a few miles inland from Florence Oregon.  Now owned by the Oregon Nature Conservancy, it is a prime example of an estuarine saltmarsh ecosystem.  During high tides, the island is flooded by the rising tide.  During low tides, the island's mudflats are revealed, supporting large colonies of shrimp and clams which great blue heron and other birds and mammals feast on.  The island is dissected by a maze of channels, narrow but deep and not suitable for foot travel.   You can reach Cox Island by boat; it's an easy kayak and canoe paddle, particularly if you can time your trip by the tides, floating down to the island as the tide goes out and floating back to the ramp as the tide comes back in.   If you'd ... 03/18/2010

Here's a comparison of the number of ACTIVE LISTINGS, number of CLOSED SALES and the AVERAGE PRICE for residential listings for the MONTHS OF JANUARY, 2007 - 2010 for the COASTAL LANE COUNTY market areas, including Florence, Dunes City and Mapleton, OR as reported by the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS):         BEWARE:  In months like JANUARY when the number of sales may be relatively low, average price can be highly distorted by one or two unusually high individual sales:      ***********************   Jim Hale Principal Broker / Owner Graduate, REALTOR Institute             e-PRO Member, Million Dollar Club of Lane County Member, Brokers Million Dollar Club actionagents.net 1715 Linnea Avenue Eugene, OR 97401-1962 Office:  541-484-0219 Direct:  541-543-9991 Fax:     ... 03/13/2010

    How to Go Where the Fish Go in Florence Oreogon:  I attended a seminar put on by the Oregon Department of State Lands this week and learned a lot about wetlands, submerged and submersible land and structures on them.  Turns out, folks must register boat docks, floats, boat houses, floating cabins, water sport structures, revetments, attenuators and retaining walls that are on state-owned submerged and submersible land.  Whew!  That was sure a mouthful.  The state has a way with words, doesn't it?  Here's the easy skinny:  A water sport structure includes water ski buoys, jumps and ramps; kayak race gates and so forth.  The cost of registration ranges from $125 to $350 depending on the structure and its size. The registration must be renewed every 5 years.  You have to submit the nam... 03/12/2010

Foreclosed Florence Home in My Neighborhood, Mercer Lake Heights--There's a lonely home looking for a family.  Yup, the home directly across the street from me--I live in Mercer Lake Heights--is empty, has been for a whole year, the unfortunate result of a foreclosure.  The neighborhood I live in is great, and not just because I live there.  It's quiet, it has a family of deer and a family of black bear, all the neighbors know one another, nearly everyone has a dog or a cat, it's in the county--no city taxes--but it's only 10 minutes from Old Town's great boutiques, restaurants and our gorgeous little harbor.  And--hard to believe--our homeowner's association owns a dock and picnic area on Mercer Lake, one of the area's most sought after lakes for its beauty and great fishing.  A few st... 03/09/2010

There are two small homes in the greater Florence area that I just love. The first one is on W. 17th Street. Although it was built in 1954, it has been completely remodeled and when I say completely, I mean completely: new roof, new shake siding, new windows and trim, new garage door, new cabinets, new appliances, new flooring, new plumbing and most electrical. It's as cute as a small home can possibly be. It is 1008 square feet and is located across from Miller Park and a walking trail to take your dog and only 17 blocks from all the restaurants and boutiques of Old Town Florence. Take a look at it: http://preview.tinyurl.com/yhn7h8c. The second home that I love is north of the Florence city limits by about 10 minutes, ensconced in Western Red Cedar and Sitka Spruce. It's 896 square fe... 03/04/2010

My absolute favorite in-town neighborhood in Florence is Munsel Creek Estates, a small cul-de-sac subdivision of 35 lovely homes built in 2003 to 2005. The homes are all one story except one and range in size from 1700 square feet to 2200 square feet. Lots are just shy of one quarter of an acre, large enough to garden, low maintenance landscaping already in place. I think the reason that I especially like this subdivision is that all the homes are gracefully placed on their lots, are very well kept and the subdivision is tucked away and quiet. The developer left some large trees, a sought-after feature for many who move to Florence. In addition, the homes are different from one another but harmonious. Munsel Creek runs along the northern edge of the subdivision and makes a nice destinat... 03/04/2010

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 fro... 02/23/2010

Florence  Oregon 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... 02/22/2010

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 the... 02/20/2010

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 fabu... 02/20/2010

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 fo... 02/19/2010

Here's the basic residential listing data for the months of July, August, September - 2009 for the FLORENCE, DUNES CITY, MAPLETON AND COASTAL LANE COUNTY market area of Lane County, OR as reported by the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS): PLEASE NOTE:     RMLS DID NOT BECOME THE MLS FOR COASTAL LANE COUNTY UNTIL 2006     New Listings may include properties previously listed by the same or a different brokerage. Cancellations or Expired Listings may, therefore, by duplicated in the active category. Pending Sales are those subject to a new sale agreement within the month. Active Listings are those for sale on the last day of the month. Closed Listings are those that closed in escrow within the report month.   *****   A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand ... 10/20/2009

OK, I normally write about local restaurants in my neck of the woods but I am on vacation in Oregon and stumbled upon a great place to dine. It was like hitting the lotto, my wife two kids and I were totally surprised by the great food, locations, décor and service we received.  We were aw struck, we did not expect to find this in a little town off the 101 freeway in Florence Oregon. The Bay Street Grille is a pub and restaurant that needs this honorable mention. it is located at 1341 Bay Street in Florence Oregon. If you live within 50 miles of this place you need to head there and give it a spin, if you are ever on the 101 freeway near Florence you need to stop by. Back to my vacation, next stop San Francisco. 07/13/2008

The resturant is located in the Three Rivers Casino in Florence, OR. Just head west from Eugene and you can't miss it.http://www.threeriverscasino.com/a/pages/hotel.htm...We had dinner at the Prime Resturant and I enjoyed the meal very much. Overall, I would give them about 4 stars out of 5. My lobster was outstanding, the prime with it was very good, however, my lady's filet was not cooked enough for her. The salad course takes special note. Our server recommended the lettuce wedge with a special blue cheese dressing and it was mouth watering. It so good we got a doggie bag for the left over salad. I have never done that in the past.The waitstaff was well trained and attentive. They took care of our needs without a lot of asking. The food was served hot (or cold if it was supposed to b... 07/12/2008

This was probably one of the nicest Rhody Days 3 day weekend events ever. The weather could not have been better. Friday was a scorcher by Florence standards with some areas seeing 99 degrees. Saturday cooled to the high 70's and was just perfect with old town full of people just having a great time. Sunday cooled a little more and ranged from 65 to 75 and was sunny and absolutely perfect for the 101st Rhody Days parade on Highway 101. For those that have never been to Rhody Days in Florence Oregon you missed a great time, hopefully you can make the next one. Florence has many very cool events throughout the year so I hope to see you at one coming soon. Among some of the other favorites that you may want to schedule ahead of time is the Chowder, Blues & Brews in the fall. One thing abou... 05/18/2008

We were invited to a pre-grand opening party and got to stay in the new hotel before it's officially open to the public. They have hired an additional 250 employees which is huge for a town with a population of about 8,000. The rooms are very nice including 42" flat screen TV's that are also used as computer screens. That's right, these rooms come with a wireless keyboard mouse combo so the 42" screen is a HD TV or Computer. If you have your own laptop there is a wireless network to use. Other room amenities include very nice pillow top beds, a safe and many other comforts. Now I lived in Las Vegas for 23 years, so I know a nice casino when I see one. :) Of course this is not the Las Vegas strip, but for Florence Oregon this is real a nice addition plus the fact that they are probably t... 11/28/2007