$8000 Tax Credit Extension

This is a great news: Key lawmakers in the Senate have tentatively agreed to extend the existing $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and also offer a new $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who have lived in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period in the past eight years.

That's the grease for the wheel to get us thru winter! Home buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010, and close before July 1.

Union, One of the 20 America's Prettiest Small Town

Forbes Traveller chose Union as one of the 20 America's prettiest towns. That's pretty amazing. See the article below: http://www.forbestraveler.com/best-lists/americas-prettiest-towns-2009-slide-3.html?thisSpeed=25000.

Union is a crown jewel of Mason County. It has the unsurpassing views of Olympic Mountains and hood canal. It offers one of the best resort and spa in Pacific northwest, golfing, eatery, arts and entertainment. The Union Tourism Association has done a great job in promoting tourism in the region. They predicate Union will become "the" place to visit in Washington in the near future. The Halloween pumpkinfest event in Union between Oct 28 to Nov 1 marks the association's first bold effort in bringing the nearbouring counties to Union. For the event details, visit http://visitunion.com/More info about the town of Union can be found at http://www.explorehoodcanal.com/union-washington.html

Black Bear Sighting in Union

I saw a big black bear on my way home from office about 6:30pm yesterday. I was at the Stop sign by the Texaco gas station on Dalby Road. As I looked right, I saw a big black bear standing in the middle of McReavy Road. I didn't have a photo to prove but I swear it was a bear, not a giant cat! I’ve seen bears up close in their natural environment before in Yellowstone National Park. This is even a bigger one! By the time I realized it was a bear and reached to my camera, the bear jumped into the woods. An real estate agent friend of mine told me a couple of weeks ago she and her husband had spotted a bear almost in the same area. So this bear will be around the area for a while. Another thing I find interesting is how our brain works. If it's not a everyday thing/occurrence, it takes our brain a little while to register it. I can name so many instances like that.

September 2009 Sales Stats

Northwest MLS just published their residential sales stats for the month of September in Mason County:

- New Listings: Total 118 new listings
Median Price: $239,900, with Grapeview/Allyn area having the highest $322,000 and Agate area having the lowest of $177,250.

- Pending Sale Listings: Total 83 pending sale listings
Median Price: $159,000, with Union/Southshore area having the highest median price of $207,500 and Belfair/Northshore area having the lowest median price of $147,900.

- Sold Listings: Total 67 sold listings
Median Price: $181,500, with Harstine Island area having the highest median price of $367,500 and Mason Lake region having the lowest of $119,500.

Here is the sales stats statewide for the month of Sept:

http://www.nwrealestate.com/nwrpub/common/mktg.cfm

September real estate shows a jump in pending sales compared to a year ago, continued drops in inventory and brisk demand for homes at the lower end of the price spectrum. Distressed properties continue to be a drag on prices. The price drops as "a necessary adjustment given the number of short sales and bank owned property sales in the mix. (A survey by the National Association of REALTORS indicates distressed homes accounted for 31 percent of transactions in August and July.)

- Data source: NWMLS. Report compiled by PING Real Estate.