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

Have you ever dreamed of partaking on fresh organic vegetables that you have grown on your own garden? Have you ever wanted a home big enough to support your family without compromising its endless possibilities? Did you ever picture your house to be both homey and have a recreational getaway feel to it? At Wilson Meadows, your dreams can become a reality. These properties are a testament to modern architecture. The large homes in Wilson Meadow can support a large family but still give out a relaxing vibe to come home to after a stressful day at work. Many homes come with a family room, 2 fireplaces, swimming pool and a garage. See for yourself the wonder that is Wilson Meadows and celebrate life with your family in Pasco Washington. Originally posted at Wilson Meadows.

The important thing to consider about buying a new home is selecting a credible new home building company. A company that has a great reputation and quality that could help you realize your dream home.

The Tri-Cities Wa houses a number of home building companies. Among the most prominent is New Tradition Homes, a family owned business, which has been around since 1987. They intensively focus on building better homes with better quality, friendly service and great value.

Over the years, the company has gained the trust of thousands of clients with there exemplary service and by providing superior satisfaction. According to their customers, working with the company has always been a wonderful experience. In fact, most of them are very pleased and would consider having the company build their next home and even highly recommend their services.

Tri-Cities Washington is one of the best locations to build your home.  Why not match it up with one of the best home builders in the area?  This way, you will increase your chances of owning the best quality home in one of one of the most amazing communities. Originally posted at Tri Cities Wa Home Builder.

Benjamin's Carpet One in Richland has introduced a colorful new spring collection of door mats. Whats so special about these new mats though, is that twenty-five percent of the proceeds from their sale goes directly to the fight against breast cancer.

There is a great selection of carpet door mats featuring springtime motifs to selects from and of course a standard pink “hope mat that is universally associated with breast cancer research. The cost of each mat is $24.99 and considering the cause that they support, they are well worth it! Originally posted at fighting breast cancer.

Most of us have made real estate investments through buying traditional single family homes. Others have taken the next step in real estate investment by purchasing apartment buildings or other multi-family properties. Owning such is not the same as owning a home.  Professional advice is a must before you decide on buying apartment buildings.

Consider the location of the building. This is a primary factor. Buildings situated in good neighborhoods appreciate faster than those in less favored communities. In Tri Cities Washington, you may find apartment buildings for sale that are properly maintained, accessible to schools, safe and secure, and come with terrific amenities. Call us now and explore your choices. Originally posted at buildings for sale.

Seeking professional help is nothing to be worried about when searching for your perfect home. You could never go wrong if you work with the best property experts and realtor in the area. The Lane Real Estate team has access to thousands of real estate listings available and can help match your needs with the best possible property available.

This is most beneficial for those seeking for a place to move in as soon as possible but cannot find enough time to look into millions of property listings. It helps speed up the search by narrowing down the list. Simply explain your situation and describe, as exact as possible, what your requirements are. Originally posted at Tri Cities Wa home search.

At it's last meeting, the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank agreed on two important decisions directly related to the domestic home sales market. First they decided to leave the current prime rate where it is at 0.25%, which is as close to zero as you can get. Then they decided to begin buying up mortgage backed securities.

Those are those investment packages of home mortgages that you have heard so much about in recent times on the news. By taking mortgage backed securities off the sluggish market, it is predicted that banks will begin lending again to fill the demand for new mortgage backed securities that will be created. Originally posted at mortgage backed securities.

Picture a place where your kids can grow up in. Now, Picture a place where you and your wife can rediscover your passion for living. Then picture the home you come home to after a long day at work. Now, step of out those pictures and live that life at Richland Washington, where dreams can be made a possibility.

In Richland Washington, you are within arms length to amenities that you and your family deserve. You can immediately move into elegantly designed homes anytime you want. Truly anyone can realize their dream living. Whether it be in a carefree loft style home, a bachelor’s pad with modern and contemporary feel, or perhaps a simple but luxurious two-story residence. The selection of Richland real estate can provide you with a large selection of home designs to fit every lifestyle. Originally posted in relocation.

For years you have worked to give your loved ones the life they deserve. Devote your hard-earned time and resources to a place where you and your spouse have the space to rediscover each other, where your children have room to grow, where you can truly be at home-in every sense of the word. In Tri Cities Washington, you can have the peace and quiet you yearn for after a long day at work, yet still be within reach of the amenities you and your family need.

From the suburban north to the industrial south, you can immediately move into elegantly designed homes anywhere you want. Live a carefree lifestyle in a loft style home, town house, or an up-and-down residence, with enough space and provisions for your growing family. Originally posted at family homes.

Deciding to buy a home is definitely a big decision for anyone, even more so for a couple just starting out. Many believe renting is the way to go but I beg to differ. Now is the best time to buy properties due to low market value of houses caused by the current economic crisis. You can be rest assured that, everything should sky rocket as soon as the economy stabilizes. The real estate industry will recover, it always does. If there was one thing people need, shelter would be on the top of almost everyone’s list.

There are however some things that the newlyweds need to be careful of.

• Money causes great tension in any relationship whether it be just blossoming or on its golden year. Money coupled with unmet mortgage debts is a relationship killer.
• It’s not her house. It’s not his house. It’s both your house. Learn to share and respect each other’s opinion. With that being said, have equal responsibility on making payment arrangements.
• If there are things that can’t be worked out, learn to compromise.
• Be open on matters regarding both party’s financial circumstance and credit history. Originally posted at new homes.

According to the latest Census numbers, Kennewick, Richland, & Pasco Washington continues to be the fastest growing metropolitan area in Washington state. Coupled with Forbes' latest employment news for Kennewick, Tri Cites Washington is the place to be. Tri Cites Washington tops the Associated Press list with a growth of 3.5% Originally posted and census growth.

Yakima Washington and Kennewick Washington were noted by Forbes to be the best two locations in the United States for employment this spring. Yup, ya heard it right, the ENTIRE United States! Hmm, and Forbes didn't even touch on the great schools, great weather, great recreation,...

Colleen and I visited Colleen's sister 5 years ago who lives here in the Tri Cites. We a knew a good thing when we saw it 5 years ago and sold our real estate, business, and moved to the Tri Cities within two months of visiting here. We had lived in Southern California for the better part of 25 years.

Moving to the Tri Cities Washington area is among the top 10 decisions of marriage. :) Originally posted at Tri Cities Wa employment.

A few years back you were just freshly out of college and ready to rule the world! First thing on your mind is to move out of the house, away from the luxury of mommy’s homemade cooking and dad’s numerous house rules. Ah… Finally, independence! You go rent a townhome or condo unit and living the life.

But time pass and you are now engage to the love of your life, living together in your cozy condo unit. Soon, you will decide to have your own children and time will come for to move in to a bigger space. Would you stick to condo living and just purchase a bigger unit? Or would you move into a traditional home with a large private backyard for all recreational and entertainment needs.

Lifestyle is definitely an issue. If you’re up for all the activities of traditional living, such as mowing the lawn, etc. To be living in the solace of single-family homes, tucked in heavily wooded communities, which are usually a drive away from the downtown areas. Condo living, on the other hand, is more convenient. Most of the things you need, if not everything, is found all in one roof or an arms throw away. Also, there are no hard to maintain backyards, plus complete community amenities such as swimming pool, tennis courts, exercise rooms, clubhouse and more. Surely you will need to pay association dues but this is less the hassle of daily upkeep of a single-family homes. Originally posted at townhomes and condos.

One of the first things that you should check on a potential fixer upper is all the windows and doors. If the windows are sticking and the doors are scraping the floor in way then you need to check the floor with a level because it is most likely sloping due to an unstable, shifting foundation.

Leaking sub-floor plumbing or shallow foundation footings may be the cause. The question, is whether or not there is enough room under the home to allow you to get under it and jack it back up. Also, if it’s due to water problems there can also be severe dry rot issues as well. Originally posted at Tri Cities Wa Fixer Upper.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Game recently reported that they estimate that up to 300,000 Chinook salmon will make the run up the Columbia river, which borders the town of Kennewick this season. That’s the third highest number on record!

This of course is great news for local sportsmen “and women” who look forward to the salmon fishing season that runs for 45 days during the months of March and April. If you have never felt the rush you get from landing a big salmon from the bank of a river then now is the time to get your line wet! Originally posted at Salmon Fishing

In a recent interview on 60 Minutes, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Vernanky made it clear just how they plan on recouping the one trillion dollars that was used in recent bank bailouts. The Fed is going to do it by jacking the rates back up as soon as a recovery becomes evident.

What this means to you if you have had your eye on a home in todays buyers market, is that waiting too long to lock in a deal may be a mistake that you will live to regret. Sure loans are harder to get now but you will never see interests rates this low again in your lifetime. Originally posted at Interest Rates.