Colleen's (and occasionally, Joe's) Blog

Single family new home building permits are down for 2009 here in the Tri Cities Washington.. However, the numbers may be skewed a bit as Richland seems to be the only city really down, and Richland's lower new home permits may be a result of no room to grow except north. The Tri Cities new home building permits are the lowest in 10 or so years! In most economies this would be indicative of a poor economy, but not the Tri Cities!

I suspect Tri Cities new home building permits are down simply because builders are echoing the pessimistic sentiments of the national economy. Builders must paying attention to national news, as Tri Cities Washington is approaching a housing shortage. Homes under $300k are for the most part in a seller's market, while rental properties are becoming harder to come by. Just yesterday we were checking on rental comparisons for our personal duplexes only to find 1 (one!) duplex for rent. A year or two ago there would be 20ish duplexes available!

Low building permit numbers are a good thing given our current circumstances here in the Tri Cities. At some point, new homes will have to be built at a quick pace which will only add to our already great stimulus money backed economy. With new construction flaming our healthy economy, big box stores (among other employers) will add even more jobs to our cities. Originally posted at new family home building permits.

Low building permits numbers amidst a housing shortage. Nice problem! [grins] Isn't Tri Cities a great place to live!

Btw, let's not forget Businessweek puts us at the third best place in the United States to start over!

Thinking of owning your own home? Well do consider Kennewick Washington homes for sale real estate options. The peace and serenity of the place and the proximity of all Kennewick homes near public and private utilities make the real estate options worth the time and money invested in the hunt.

At The Lane Real Estate Team, we handle Kennewick Wa properties and are very well networked in the community offering  buyers, first and seasoned, homes for sale real estate options that are lucrative and designed to fit into any predetermined budget. There are a number of online as well as offline resources that list Kennewick homes and even make virtual tours available on request, however, The Lane Real Estate Team can walk you through the process.

Kennewick Washington is a destination location for folks looking to purchase into a thriving community.  Consider using The Lane Team of Colleen and Joe Lane for assistance.  Colleen Lane is the broker, while Joe manages marketing, online ventures, and personnel. See Kennewick Wa homes for sale.

The State of Washington is all set to go for the $8,000 tax credit bridge loan for first time homebuyers. However, the IRS is not.

Currently, the way the $8,000 tax credit works for a first time homebuyer (a first time homebuyer is defined as someone who hasn’t owned a home in the past 3 years) is he/she will purchase a home then file an amended tax return to get the tax credit.

For the $8,000 tax credit bridge loan, the down payment would be advanced to the buyer thru a third party then paid back to the third party when the buyer gets their refund from their amended return. However, with an amended return the refund has to be mailed to the buyer at his/her current address. This is where the IRS comes in, the State of Washington and Washington Association of Realtors are working with the IRS to have the refund made payable to the third party handling the funds instead of the buyer.

Personally,  I hope they get  the fund handling issue hammered out soon. Originally posted at 8000 home tax housing credit.

I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!

Last week, Colleen was called for an interview on the current state of the housing market for our local KEPRTV news channel. I don’t know if 1 minute of TV exposure qualifies for 'celebrity' status, but at our house I learned that we can scrub a house spotless in less than 15 minutes notice and only a celebrity could motivate our three pretty girls and two handsome boys to do that. We were given 15 minutes notice the reporter was on the way! Colleen admitted to me that she was very nervous, although on the outside she was as calm and composed as ever—an amazing feat considering that the last time she was on TV was 24 years ago, on the game show, “Let’s Make a Deal”. While only one minute was used on TV, the whole interview lasted more than 30 minutes as Colleen answered all the questions very gracefully and intelligently. If you care to watch Colleen's 1 minute of fame, fast forward the video to where there is 3 minutes, 50 seconds remaining:

I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business, nor the website stuff. That's were I come in. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!Originally posted at Colleen Lane

It is of no question that Country Ridge properties are in demand. At present, lots are already ninety-eight percent accommodated by residential homes, so any real estate property up for grabs is truly gold. Country Ridge is a very warm community within the City of Richland and a fair-sized population of less than 400 family homes with a well organized home owners support. Parks and other common areas for residents inside the subdivision are around eleven hectares, all of which are highly maintained, making it a very good candidate for raising a family of any type. Country Ridge is also a most sensible location for one to live in with Richland being of easy access to other Tri-City areas thru its highway system, and Richland itself is full of endless choices for recreational activities, perfect for those who wish to retire happily. Owning a Country Ridge property is truly like purchasing a good life. See Country Ridge Richland Washington

*Country Ridge has 363 occupied homes and 2 vacant lots. The first of 8 phases was developed in the late 1970’s. There are 11 acres of parks and common areas throughout the subdivision. -Homeowners association site

Have you heard about the Indianapolis board of Realtors® decision to require their members to not allow Google to index their IDX listings (with the exception of the agent's personal listings of course)?

I wonder if this policy were to spread nation wide, how this would affect Zillow, Trulia, etc. Just today we received a listing for a property in Country Ridge. I did a search for 'country ridge richland wa' and noticed Zillow, realestate.com, etc., ranking for their property listings.

My guess is, if real estate agents were not able to index their website's IDX feeds then these national power houses would get even more powerful. As they (Zillow, etc.) would be the only websites indexing agent's listings. :(

Related Reading @ RealEstateWebmasters

•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com

I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Visit our latest listing at West Richland Homes For Sale.

Today, with the recession taking a toll on the world markets, dedicated real estate compromises too are underway. There are a number of real estate providers and news construction owners who are now making available lease to own housing options. These options provide the home owner with the unique opportunity of generating the rent for the leased property and assimilating the same with the home owner or property constructor as a cash down deposit when and as he wishes to own the property.

The lease to own housing options offer the leaser of the premises the opportunity to tap on the potential of the premises and get used to the neighborhood. The lease to own housing option is ideal for the low income first time property investor. The person gets a fair chance at investigating the property and negotiating a fair deal after getting used to the home.

These homes are also designed to offer a fair deal to the owner of the premises. Many times these lease to own housing options are available in areas where the sale for real estate is not really up by measure. In that case the owner benefits by the rent and the final purchase offer made by the renting party. See lease to own homes.

Getting down into the real estate market to look for a property is not an easy task, but with the right guidance and resources at your disposal, it is not difficult either. If you are a buyer then the obvious first move would be to search homes for sale within the preferred locality. This task has been simplified thanks to the extensive networking by real estate agents and real estate brokers.

In your endeavor to search homes for sale within the preferred locality, you ideally need to consider the real estate market situation, more so because of the current recession that has taken a toll on world economy. The houses and other commercial properties that are up for sale are listed in any of the following arenas:
• Dedicated MLS listings
• Local classifieds
• Special newspaper entries on center page
• Government and tax offices
• Real estate agent and real estate4 agent maintained bulletin boards
• Individual web sites maintained either by the property owner or the mediator for sale
These listings make it very easy to identify and search homes for sale within the preferred locality. All you have to do is invest a little time in dedicated research and enter the arena like a professional. See Kennewick homes for sale.

Tri-Cities Airport is an air field terminal that is located at an approximate distance of 3 km from the north west of Washington’s Pasco region. This air field in Franklin County, Washington is also USA’s third largest as far as commercial airports go. The majestic lay out highlights three runways and hence the name.

The Tri City Airport was actually part of the training ground for the United States Navy. This training field was used extensively during World War II and today serves commercial purposes as well as to the consumer. The sale of the air filed by the US Navy to the city of Pasco enabled the city to be internationally recognized. The airport terminal is located at the end of the air field, to the south.

It is being currently used for commercial flights in and out of Washington. The terminus offers the following services:

• Fire fighting services and rescue operations.
• Commercial air cargo services.
• Commercial passenger services, ground and in flight.
• Serves the consumer's needs for air travel.

The terminus is being managed by the City of Pasco. There are a number of commercial operations that are being housed in the old naval buildings that stand to the north of the airport. See Tri Cities Washington Airport.

Rental and yet an investment property! How? Well, yours is not an isolated enquiry. There are a number of providers of dedicated rental investment real estate properties. You could tap the potential of any one of the many resources online as well as offline. When you plan to rent a property, do consider the options that allow you to purchase the unit after a while, should you fancy the neighborhood and in build facilities.

Most of the real estate agents and real estate brokers network extensively to ensure that the property queries meet with desired results. The process involves a little research and some investment in terms of energy and time. These rental investment real estate properties are available within all preferred localities and can be converted into highly lucrative deals.

Once you are able to find the property that catches the eye, all you have to do is set a budget with the broker and agent and allow the professional to negotiate the deal. Such a deal would surely help you make the most of the investment since the negotiation allows you to rent the property, check out what living in it means to the family and then buy it, if at all you want to! See investment properties.

The Canyon Lakes Community is one of the many desirable communities in Kennewick Washigton. Canyon Lakes hosts a unique mountain lake, some of the oldest trees, unrivaled views of local mountains such as Mount Baker, the Black Buttes, and both the North and South Twin Sister.

Canyon Lakes Golf Course

Canyon Lakes is best known for its four and a half starred golf course rated by Golf Digest. Also considered as the highest rated golf course in the Tri-Cities as well as Washington State!  Northwest Travel magazine selected Canyon Lakes as one of the "18 of the Best in the Pacific Northwest." Canyon Lakes Golf Course has the largest green in the Pacific Northwest and it is where you can find one of the Northwest's Dream 18 Holes!

Canyon Lakes Golf Course offers the best of the best. Top-of-the-line features such as GPS on all its carts and 21 different memberships to choose from. Besides being the best venue for golf outings, members can also enjoy the use of its 3,000 square foot Champions Room for events such as weddings, company parties and other special events.

Truly, the Canyon Lakes Community has the highest standards when it comes to quality living. Its location is very convenient being just a stone throw away from shopping, recreation and entertainment. The Tri-Cities Airport and Columbia Basin College are just a short drive away, and about 44 miles from Heritage College. Quality schools, a thriving local economy, festivals, outdoor recreational activities and cultural events, and a rich history, it’s no wonder many people consider the Canyon Lakes Community home. See Canyon Lakes.

When ya need options for home staging, this chair, sofa, whatever, will fit any space, meet any need. :)

•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com

I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Visit our latest listing at West Richland Homes For Sale.

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley , 11-14-1965 , LZ X-ray, Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it. Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. He drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses. And he kept coming back....not once, not 10 times, but 21 more times....bringing in ammunition and supplies and taking out wounded who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died last Wednesday at the age of 80 in Boise, ID. May God rest his soul. I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we sure were told a whole bunch about some medical student murdering young women.

How is your area faring? MSNBC is reporting Moody's Adversity Index has 93% of the country's metropolitan areas in a recession. However, of the 28 metro areas not in a recession is the Tri Cities of Washington's, Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco. In fact, the Tri Cities is the only metro area in the state of Washington not in a recession.

Add these relevant articles, and Tri Cities Washington could very well be the best place to live in the United States:

• Stimulus funds expected to pay for complex research at PNNL
• Tri Cites Washington May Experience A Housing Shortage
• Forbes Magazine States Tri Cities Washington 1 of 2 Best Locations For Employment This Spring
• Tri Cities Washington | Tops Washington State Census Growth
• Last, but certainly not least, We Are A Romantic Destination Location!

Originally posted here.

I'm not a big pageant fan, however, pageant scandals get my attention. As many know by now, Miss America was crowned amidst controversy surrounding Miss California's answer to a question on gay marriage. Regardless of what side you are on, whether Christian or not, pro-gay, anti-gay, whatever, there is something amiss when an openly gay judge, Perez Hilton, asks an openly Christian contestant, Carrie Prejean, her thoughts on gay marriage. What did he expect her to say? Is she not entitled to any conviction? What's next, Democrat versus Republican, Mormon versus Jew, cat-lover versus dog-lover...?

I think the aftermath of this is most interesting. The judge (they are quality people, right?) calls Hilton a bitch, then retracts it, then reinstates it. Prejean, on the other hand, is as classy as they come. Never attacked the judge, but stood by her conviction. I have a new respect for the Miss America Pageant if the program produces quality contestants like Carrie Prejean. Watch the video (and others) below. You'll probably come to the same conclusion.

Hmm, next year a FSBO judge will be asking next year's real estate agent contestant her views on opening the MLS to the public. Since we all suck, we won't hold our breadth on that one. :)

Municipalities control the use of properties by means of zoning. It is a legal method of assigning certain areas for specific use or uses.

Zoning serves a beneficial purpose. It may be for the purpose of use-based, regulating building height such as in areas near the airport, lot coverage, and similar characteristics, or a combination of the above mentioned. A good example would be an area zoned for residential use where only residential properties are permitted. A piggery, even a small one, would not be allowed in this area, since residents wouldn’t enjoy the daily smell of pig dung.

Similar to other states, Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco Washington, aim to promote and protect public health, safety and general welfare, with some consideration to its magnificent natural resources, like its rivers. See zoning. </p

I was thinking about going to the zoo today and taking the kids along. Perhaps not such a great idea! Ya never know what kinda unsafe people might be frequenting the cages!

Rumor has it this guy is an unemployed real estate agent. I know these tough economic times will weed out the chaff from the grain, but this wasn't what I had in mind. :)

Property availability has increased even amidst the global recession. There are different kinds of properties now being displayed for sale. They include single family homes, homes within multi family home complexes and numerous commercial properties. The real estate agents who handle the sale for multi family homes or properties are adept with the complexities of the transactions and the legality involved.

The listing of such properties can be accessed either online or offline, as and when you please. The homes are designed to appeal to the first time investor and also meet the dedicated requirements of home flipping. These properties are listed with the local classifieds and the government bulletin boards. There is a whole dedicated segment of real estate agents and brokers who are committed to the multi family homes or property.

These real estate avenues are generally closed within predetermined budgets and this also, in a way, acts like a guarantee against the sale. Multi family homes are usually listed alongside single and double home vacancies and many online resources also offer you a virtual tour of the home prior to investment. Nothing like capitalizing on the recession and making a real estate deal otherwise challenging, worth every dollar invested. See multi family.

Once you have purchased your first home, your next investment should be an income-producing real estate. Income properties are not just limited to single-family homes; it can be commercial property as well. Some investors prefer shopping centers, others warehouses. The possibilities are endless.

There are many tax benefits involved in owning your own home. The pride in owning your own property is unequaled. Such homes can be a single-family home, mobile home, condominium, apartment, or even a houseboat.

A basic rule of investing in income property is to never buy for the tax benefits alone. If a property is not sound without the tax benefits, chances are it is not a wise investment. The tax breaks involved in owning income property should be viewed only as an added bonus. These bonuses are a major enough reason for buying income property rather than vacant land. A vacant lot offers almost no tax benefits, and produces little or no income.

Many real estate investors depend on resale profits as another bonus of investing in real estate. Properties that would not make a return on your investment are not worth your time and effort.

Investors are property owners who contribute something to the property such as great management, physical improvements, or cash so someone else can use the property for their benefit. Investors tend to have reasonable property management policies which are fair to tenants. They also have expert financing techniques to use other people's money to purchase and improve a property. All investors have use of ownership tax aspect to maximize their return on investment.

Real estate helps many investors realize their goals. Some goals include increased cash income, a hedge against inflation, providing a job from owning and maintaining property, opening up profit opportunities through real estate.

One of real estate's major attractions is its ability to shelter the owner's ordinary income, such as salary, from income taxes. A profitable example of this is an apartment building that produces rent money from tenants. The property owner uses that money towards operating expenses such as taxes, repairs, utilities, water, and insurance on the property. After you calculate all of these costs, plus mortgage interest, you are left with a positive or negative cash flow from your investment.

Do not forget about the non-cash tax deduction for the buildings depreciation. Income tax depreciation is a bookkeeping estimate for wear and tear. It requires no cash payment to be entitled to this deduction.

Tax-deferred exchanges are a great way to avoid depreciation recapture and profit taxation when disposing of one property and recapturing another.

In fact the 1981 Tax Act's anti-churning provisions state clearly that if you make a tax-deferred exchange of business or investment real estate for another such property, your old basis and its old depreciation methods carry over to the newly acquired property. The new fifteen-year, 175 percent accelerated depreciation methods can only be used on the increased depreciable basis of the property acquired in the exchange.

Investment tax credit does not apply to personal property acquired by most real estate investors for use in their properties; however it does apply to vehicles. See income property.