Salem being the capitol city has  many cultural art and historical sights. Salem has a Historial tour route to follow including the gorgeous Capitol grounds.

Salem has Mission Mill Museum. It is a five acre property that includes the Jason Lee and John Boon houses which were before the Oregon Trail. The park also has its millrace, ducks, cafe' and shops along with the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill Museum and its water powered turbine. The Marion County Historical Society is there as well and has photos,exhibits and records of the area.

Bush House is a museum in an old victorian home at Bush's Pasture Park and was built by Asahel Bush, one of the founders of Salem's Ladd & Bush Bank which is a historical bldg of its own, and now is occupied by US Bank. On the grounds of Bushs Pasture Park is also the Bush Barn Art Gallery and the Salem Art Assoc. which are occupying the remodeled barn of the Bush Family.

Deepwood Estates is a Queen Anne Victorian on 5.5 acres that abuts Bushes Pasture Park. It was designed by an architect, W.C .Knighton who later designed other historical bldgs. such as the Governors Hotel in Portland. It has formal English gardens that were created by the N.W.'S first female landscape firm, Lord Schryver. It can be rented for weddings and parties.

Oregon Symphony Assoc. in Salem has been performing for over 40 yrs. and the Salem Community Concert Assoc. for over 60+ yrs.

Salem Chamber Orchestra promotes classical that provides opportunitesfor local musicians through a partnership with Willamette University.

Elsinore Theater in Salem is a Tudor Gothic built in 1926 and resembles a castle . Stage, Inc. has  performance events there on a regular basis and has many well known performers.

Pentacle Theater is a local theater group that has been in West Salem for almost 50 yrs. It is a local favorite.

Just take a stroll through the city and enjoy our many historical bldgs. that are still being actively used. Salem is a great place to live, come check us out!

More on Salem, Oregon in future blogs.

The market in the Salem area is not as bad as reported. If you listen to the newspapers and TV reports you would think that the whole real estate industry is in chaos but here in th Salem area things are not as bad as reported. According to the Willamette Valley Multiple listing statistics it shows that in 2004 that 270 Bank owned properties were sold average price $132,327 and in 2008 there were 236 that sold, average price $161,540. Now in 2009 we have 130 that are currently on the market with an average sale price of $242,114.

Now is the best time ever to purchase a home with reasonable pricing, low interest rates, and incentives that we have never had before. Don't let the national statistics fool you!

To get your home ready for sale and to do it at a low cost try to incorporate these items.

1) House plants add a lot to your home. Try grouping some of different heights and fullness or maybe a large one by itself to add color or to make a statement.

2)Get rid of clutter and unneeded items. Rearranging furniture can make a big difference also if you don't already have enough, just adding accessories, rugs, and lamps to make the room have a new look. Make sure that all of the colors enhance each other or have the same tones.

3)Painting is a great way to freshen up a home. Make sure that you test a sopt before painting the whole room to make sure that it is going to be the shade that you were after. Dramatic colors are best in bathrooms and diningrooms, and neutral colors in the living area. Buyers like to be able to picture themselves in your home and you want them to be able to picture their furniture as well. If you are unable to paint, please try to camoflage any nicks and dings.

4)Try replacing cabinet hardware, switch plates, toilet seats, exterior house numbers and try updating light fixtures.

5)Cleaning!! Look at your home with someone elses eyes and make sure that you home is clean and clutterless. Sometimes this is hard to see and you might want to ask for an objective view point.

6)Clean up the Yard. Leave pots of flowers at the front porch. Paint your front door. First impressions are everthing!

The President has signed the new stimulas plan and it is good news for first time home buyers. The tax credit is now $8,000.00 and if the buyer doesn't sell their home for three years they do not have to pay it back. That is great news!

It seems that the market is starting to pick up and we have more buyers out there looking and writing offers. Buyers are finding better buys than they have seen in a long time and with all of the foreclosures and short sales available it is an investors dream. With interest rates lower than they have been in thirty years and home prices at they are it is time to get out there and buy.

In real estate we have a term called short sales. Usually this type of sale is a home that is priced not high enough to clear all debt, liens and costs of the sale and also would require approval by a third party or other parties not in title. Many times approval by the lender is required. It seems most times that the lender will wait till the very last minute to give approval because they naturally are waiting to get the very best possible price.

Some of the risks;

Multiple offers may result in multiple escrows and earnest money deposits and so then multiple terminations must be drwn up to return the earnest money to the unsuccessful deals.

The third party can ask that the property continue being marketed, which can lead to many more offers.

The deal is not final until the third party has agreed regardlesss of whether the buyer and seller have agreed.

The third party might not agree until the last minute.

The third party may not like the contract and require changes.

The third party may not accept the deal and therefore making the deal fail.

The buyer may lose money if they go ahead with their due diligence by having inspections, etc. done before third party approval and then having the sale fail.

Short sales can be complicated and have a more than average rate of failure.

Who was St. Valentine? Nobody seems to know, it is a mystery with several stories.

One story from history tells us that he was a Roman priest from the third century of Rome. Evidently Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers. He outlawed marriage for all of his young soldiers. Valentine started marrying them in secret and when it was discovered he was put to death.

I hope that your Valentines Day is much better. I wish you all much happiness whatever you choose to do.

When you finally arrive at the decision to purchase a home you should always contact a Realtor.

The Realtor will be happy to refer you to several reputable lenders so that you can discover the price you can afford and the price that you would be comfortable with making the payment. Please try not to buy any large purchases several months before buying such as a car or auto lease and also keep up credit card payments and try not to purchase anything you can't afford to pay cash for. The lender will go into more detail with you and also be helpful if you don't have perfect credit by showing you how it can be repaired. Don't wait for the last minute you will be disappointed if rates go up and we now have some of the best rates in 30 years! Once you are approved by the lender and you know what price you want to look for, get a letter from your lender to give your real estate agent. Your letter will give your offer credability.

Now comes the fun part, looking for your new home. Your real estate agent will show you homes that she finds meeting the criteria that you provide to her, she will write your offer, help negotiate the price and repairs if necessary and then follow your transaction for you every step of the way. Your agent will set up escrow who will then make sure that the home has no liens or encumbrances along with a host of other things such as drawing up the final closing statement for you. The day of closing will be a celebratory day!

Buying a home can be fun and easy with the right realtor.

Sources say that we can always tell when the economy is coming back by seeing strong sales in the real estate market. 

We are now seeing some of the lowest interest rates in decades, sellers are wanting to sell and prices are attractive again. Investors are wisely starting to buy up the good deals. We are also seeing alot of first time buyers taking advantage of the government tax credit available to them for purchasing property. We all need to start taking advantage of this great time to purchase property, get a great deal and stimulate the economy. We all need to do our part while improving the quality of our own lives, whether it be to buy or sell.

What a great deal! Think about it.

Salem is the capital city of Oregon and the second largest city in the State. It is a beautiful place to live and to visit. Salem is in the center of the Willamette River Valley and is so centrally located that it is only an hour from Portland ( the largest city), an hour from ocean beaches, an hour from the Cascade mountains. Population is approx. 150,000.

Salem has an absolutely wonderful K-12 school district and five higher educational institutions. Over 13 public or private colleges or universities are wthin a 70 mile radius.

We have a wide variety of things to do and see. Museums, historic sites, wineries (including wine tours), Art fairs, music and cultural events.

Salem is surrounded by farmland, fields of Iris, orchards (including fruit & filberts) and vineyards.Farmers markets offer a large amount of produce and handmade craft items. We are a short way from Silverton, home of the Oregon Gardens.

Everyone should have the opportunity to visit this community, we are a wonderful place to live, work and visit!