ShellFest 2012: Free event!

 

Loans for Members of Tribes in the USA

Recently we had a meeting with Jason Roberson who is the loan officer at Wells Fargo in our area who takes care of Native American Lending. He helps people get HUD Section 184 loans.  There are many participating Tribes that are eligible for these loans. However, not everyone knows about the loans. We who work with people in Real Estate need to be aware of these loans, especially in areas where we may be helping people who are members of one of the eligible Tribes.

The loan is great and has many advantages. For one thing, the interest rate is only 2.25%, and are based on market rates not on Credit Scores!  There is a hands on approach to underwriting and approval of the loans, and no monthly mortgage insurance payments to make. Section 184 loans cannot be used for Adjustable Rate Mortgages. These loans can also be restoration or rehab loans!

So if you, or someone you know, is currently an enrolled member of a Federally recognized Tribe I think you should check out this loan.  Verification of enrollment will be required.

You can contact Jason at 360-486-3657 for more information. 

Sad, But We Need to Know

Unfortunately, when we are dealing with real estate we have to know how to find out if a property has been used as a Meth Lab. There is a useful website that gives us at least a place to check.  It has lots of disclaimers, but it does say it provides: "...locations where law enforcement agencies reported they found chemicals or other items that indicated the presence of either clandestine drug laboratories or dumpsites."

Go to the DEA, National Clandestine Laboratory Register.We are pretty fortunate as I notice there are very few addresses showing up in our Mason County, WA.
If you find out there is a problem, you can go to another website.  It is called Meth Lab Cleanup.

Western WA Weather

This picture is a pretty accurate depiction of what it looks like right now in our area. We are having one of those days when it is very pretty with sunshine and blue skies, then clouds move in and it rains, then it's back to sunshine again. There is a bit of wind going on out there now, too. But when I consider what the rest of the country is going through, I am so very, very grateful to live here in beautiful Western Washington.  We have this wonderful temperate climate that is really not often too hot, and not often too cold. Yes, we get our gray skies and rain maybe more than most people would want, but we also have lots of green growing trees and shrubs, too.

On another note, I'd sure like to have a buyer come along for a property I have listed out on Walker-Park Road here in Shelton. This property is about 1.60 acres, and has an older home that has been very well maintained. The grounds are well looked after, too. The owners have added a Park Model to their property for guests. If you are not familiar with these wonderful little homes, you should look them up on the Internet. They are not only very cute, but they are very comfortable, which means that their guests like to come and stay. They are willing to sell this beautiful property for only $161,950.  It is listed as NWMLS# 348110, if you wan to look it up and see more information and pictures. You can also see more here.

Spit Bugs and Deer Repellant

There are a couple fun new Garden Articles on one of the Shelton Land & Homes, LLC websites. We put lots of Garden articles on this particular website, but this week it is so much fun.  One article is about spit bugs, and the other about deer repellents. Check the articles out here. You will see a list of garden articles, and spit bugs and deer repellents are at the top. The latest articles are always found on top.

Tent Caterpillars

We've got Garden Articles for Western WA on another website for Shelton Land & Homes, LLC. This article caught my attention today, because there was a caterpillar that looked a little bit like this one crawling up my house along side the front door.  Here is the article:

Tent Caterpillars Rarely Kill Trees
Tent caterpillar infestations are being reported throughout our coastal area. They are easy to notice with their unsightly tents and defoliation of deciduous trees. These notorious caterpillars attack a wide variety of plants including alder, apple, ash, birch, cherry, cottonwood, willow, fruit trees, and roses. During heavy infestations the caterpillars will migrate and feed on many other plants.
Early in their development, tent caterpillars tend to eat all of the leaves on one branch before moving on to the next. Later, they split into smaller groups and attack several branches. A single tent may result in 20% defoliation of a small tree.(read more here.)

Face-Lift

The office building for Shelton Land and Homes is getting a face lift. The decks needed some work, and after the repairs they got a coat of this stuff that's used on docks and around pools to prevent slipping. I like the color that was used.  However, there is a problem. The rain came before the stuff was perfectly dry, and so if you come to the office today you'll see warnings to stay off the "wet paint."  They didn't know the stuff was still wet this morning until I walked through it and lest footprints!  Why did it have to be me that did this? Before the rain, others had walked in with no problem, but it rained enough before I arrived to make a difference, and I left tracks.

The exterior of the building is getting cleaned up, too. We have hopes for a new fence in our future. That's the thing about being one of the oldest Independent Real Estate offices in Shelton. Our poor old building reflects our age!  We are still working on the inside, helping people buy and sell their homes and land.

Shelton Land & Homes, LLC