Camas in Top 100 Best Places to Live

While reading CNNMoney.com just now, I noticed that Camas has ranked 63^rd in their “Best Places to Live: Top 100“.  This year’s ranking concentrated on smaller cities that with excellent economic opportunity, great schools, low crime rates and a genuine sense of community.

With its expansive open spaces, a small friendly population and a revitalized city center, Camas offers excellent business opportunities, numerous recreational options and a real sense of small-town charm and tranquility.  These things along with numerous entertainment and dining options, low crime rates and superb air quality, have helped to propel Camas into the 63^rd position in this ranking.  Click for more information about Camas.  In my opinion it is well deserved too, Camas is really a nice place to live and start a business as well as an excellent bedroom community for nearby Portland and Vancouver, though I think there are several other cities in southwest Washington deserving mention.

Other great cities in the Clark County area include Battle Ground, Longview, Ridgefield, Yacolt, Woodland and La Center.  Al of these cities are located near Camas and offer similar opportunities for those looking to start a business and are great communities for families as well.  For those who are not thinking about starting a business, these communities are ideally situated near metropolitan areas where residents can find work and removed enough from larger areas to maintain a small-town feel.  They are great for folks who commute to Vancouver or Portland for work and love to go home to a serene and peaceful neighborhood.

If you are thinking of relocating to Camas, Battle Ground, Longview, Ridgefield, Yacolt, Woodland or La Center, I invite you to browse my featured listings page or search for all homes in Clark County, Washington using the Multiple Listing Option.  If you would like more information about current market conditions in southwest Washington, please contact me.

Restaurants in Clark County

Sure, those of us who live in Clark County, Washington are familiar with all of the wonderful restaurants, delis and cafes in the Southwest Washington area.  For those who are new to the area or unfamiliar with all of the culinary options available here, I have found some links to information about these local area eateries.

Clark County restaurants offer a variety of culinary styles from the world over.  From Continental cuisine, Pacific Rim and Italian, to French, Barbecue health food and seafood restaurants, you will find something that you are sure to like and even a few places to experiment with new tastes from different cultures around the world.  There are restaurants for every occasion.  Whether you are planning a birthday celebration with family and friends, business lunches with corporate leaders or a quiet romantic dinner for two, you are sure to find at least several excellent local area restaurants that are appropriate for your specific occasion.

If you are looking for information about restaurants in Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, Longview, Ridgefield or Woodland, Washington, simply look below and you will find the different restaurants in each particular city along with addresses and telephone numbers.  You will also find reviews and ratings from those who have been to the different restaurants.  Click on the links below for more information about restaurants in Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, Longview, Ridgefield or Woodland, Washington.

Restaurants in Battle Ground

OPENLIST.com

insiderpages.com

Restaurants in Camas

OPENLIST.com

insiderpages.com

Restaurants in La Center

OPENLIST.com

insiderpages.com

Restaurants in Longview

OPENLIST.com

insiderpages.com

Restaurants in Ridgefield

OPENLIST.com

insiderpages.com

Restaurants in Woodland

OPENLIST.com

insiderpages.com

Help for a growing La Center

I just read an article in the Columbian.com about plans for a growing La Center, entitled, “La Center seeks consultant to assist in growth planning“.

La Center is growing.  What was once a quiet little town is now becoming more populated, and with a projected 9,800 residents and 4,000 jobs by the year 2024, La Center is going to hire a consultant to help determine in which direction the city should be going with their economic development plan.  City officials have decided to hire a consultant within the next month to design an economic plan for La Center.  The consultant will describe which sectors La Center should be looking at in order to plan for its projected growth in population and economy.  La Center leaders will work directly with the consultant as well as residents in order to develop a plan to take advantage of the city’s proximity to the I-5 corridor and attract more businesses.

There are currently two firms interested in providing these consulting services and they will provide proposals and details on what can be done with the city’s $120,000 budget.

La Center is not the only city in Clark County that wants to encourage business expansion; Battle Ground, the Port of Ridgefield and Ridgefield have joined La Center and will have their first meeting at the 2008 Business Opportunity Expo on May 29 at the Clark County Event Center at the fairgrounds.

Click the link to read this entire article in the Columbian.com.

Hard time selling?

Why not consider trading?  Strange as it may sound, house swapping could be a viable option for those who are having a hard time selling their home in a depressed market.  I was just reading an interesting article on ABCnews.com entitled, “House Swapping is a Growing Trend in Tough Real Estate Market” which talks about this subject.

So how does the process of trading your house for another house work exactly?  Well, as in a traditional home sale, both sellers sell their home except that they sell them to each other.  One of the benefits of this type of transaction is the sellers are able to use the same real estate agent and as a result, save on the commission fees.  If the parties involved are content with handling the closings simultaneously, then they can also hire just one title insurance company handle the closing.  It is important however, to have a clause in the contract so that if one party backs out the other is not left with two mortgages on two homes.  Some new home developers are using this technique.  They will take your existing house as a ‘trade in’ on your new house if you are buying a home worth at least 20% more than the value of your existing house.

If the houses are of dissimilar values, then the owner of the house that is worth less would have to take out a mortgage or pay the difference in cash.  Both houses have to be appraised and if one house is worth more, then the owner of the house that is less expensive will have to account for the difference.

This article offers numerous tips and links to websites as well as pros and cons involved with house swapping.  If you think house swapping could be a good way to save some time and potentially money on your next home sale, I recommend that you read this article and research the sites mentioned to find out if this could be a viable alternative for you.  I would also recommend discussing this option with your real estate professional before making your final decision.  Click to read this article.

Things to come in Washougal

I ran across an article while browsing the Columbian online that talks about continued development in and around downtown Washougal.  This article entitled, “Block party” talks about city officials and business leaders’ plans to continue renovations in downtown throughout 2008.

There are plans to begin work on Block 9 directly across from Washougal Town Square.  Block 9 is expected to offer office space and retail space in the downtown area.  Pendleton Woolen Mills is currently designing an expanded outlet store and retail facility for its Pendleton Way property.  Two other projects scheduled for groundbreaking in 2009 include condominiums and apartments on block 7 at 16^th and C Streets and afterwards, block 8 is to be redeveloped to include a specialty grocery store at Main Street between 16^th and 17^th Streets.

The city is also trying to raise funds to build a pedestrian tunnel under Highway 14 in order to connect the renovated downtown area with Steamboat Landing and the dike trail.  The tunnel is scheduled to open in late September of 2008.  Also, there are more trails, parking and tourists’ amenities in the works for Captain William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach and Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge.

The existing traffic light at 17^th Street is slated to be replaced by a continuous roundabout and Washougal officials plan on widening 26 blocks of E Street from 6^th to 32^nd Streets.

Killian Pacific is in the  process of building The Crossing, a 20,000 square foot building which will feature a Columbia Credit Union office, Quiznos deli, Starbucks and a dentists office is due to open in march.

There is a whole lot in the works for downtown Washougal, click to read this article entitled, “Block party” in its entirety and find out about everything else that is coming soon to Washougal.

Discussion about open spaces in Vancouver

If you are a resident of Vancouver and want to discuss the revitalization of open spaces in your city, then you will have the chance to do so on January 9. I have just read an article in the Columbian.com entitled, “Public spaces expert to speak” that highlights this excellent opportunity for those interested in taking part in a discussion about revitalizing downtown Vancouver. Fred Kent, president and founder of Project for Public Spaces will be spending two days in Vancouver lecturing on how the community can create open spaces to help breathe new life and vigor into Vancouver.

Among other topics, Fred Kent will be speaking about the possibility of replacing the I-5 bridge and maybe bringing light rail into downtown, constructing the Riverside project and building a new library headquarters along the west side of I-5 and redevelopment of the old Boise Cascade industrial site. Redevelopment of the Boise site will possibly include extending the waterfront trail through the site and potentially adding streetcars to connect waterfront with downtown. Vancouver officials are also considering building a park connecting downtown with the Vancouver national Historic Reserve on a ‘cap’ over a portion of Interstate 5.

Kent was in Vancouver in 2000 and was involved in the planning for Propostra Square, the community plaza on the southeast corner of Esther Short Park.

This community meeting will take place after two days of discussions and workshops with city officials and will be open to the public. The meeting will be held at the Red Cross building in the western half of Vancouver Barracks at 605 Barnes Road at 6 p.m. on January 9, 2008.

Selling?

Are you thinking of selling your house? Regardless of your reasons for doing so, you will want to make sure that you get the most you can for your house. Market conditions in southwest Washington are better than in most other areas of Washington. The median price of a home in Clark County is $357,700 and home appreciation over the last year has been slightly positive (1.32%). However, this does not mean that the local market is not depressed and that homes are selling like hot cakes, presently they are not. If you want to be a successful seller in today’s market there are a few things you will want to focus on.

So, how can you be sure that you get the best deal on your next home sale? Well there are a myriad of things involved in selling a house, however, the most important things these days are preparation and pricing and marketing. How effectively you prepare your home before placing it on the market is fundamental in making your offer stand out in a depressed market where there is more housing inventory than qualified buyers. Another very important thing that can make the difference between a fast sale and a house that sits on the market for months is pricing. How effectively you set your asking price can help you avoid lowering the price of your house every two months while waiting for offers to trickle in. Finding the right listing agent to handle the marketing and advertising of your house is another thing you can do to take the hassle out of selling. I would like to stress the ‘right’ listing agent, one who will put your goals and needs above all else and market your house so that it will sell fast and for the right price.

I encourage you to browse Americana Properties’ Agent Roster and get to know some of our representatives. I am sure you will find the right agent to list and market your house so that you can relax and wait for closing. Please contact me to schedule an interview and see why Americana Properties battleground and Vancouver real estate is your choice for outstanding real estate services.

What do you think?

That is what the Vancouver Housing Authority is asking folks who receive rent assistance benefits.  I have just read an article in the Columbian written by Courtney Sherwood entitled, “VHA seeks input on rent program” which outlines the plan of a low-income advocacy group to motivate more people to join in on dialogs about the future of rent assistance.  Currently, some 2,000 Clark County households are receiving rent assistance.  Participants are guaranteed not to pay more than 30% of their incomes on rent by the VHA.  However, the Vancouver Housing Authority has hopes of removing a flat-rate program, which it says would,”encourage poor people to earn more money”.  The VHA also hopes to encourage more aid recipients to raise questions and voice concerns over these new proposed changes.  Click to read this article in the Columbian online.

Greg Provenzano, Columbia Legal Services attorney and critic of the VHA, says the VHA has not asked enough participants in the program to review and give feedback on some of the proposed subsidy changes and, “We are concerned that residents are not actively participating in the discussions”.  So in order to foment more participation, Columbia Legal Services is holding information and discussion meetings at 1p.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, December 17, at the YWCA Clark County located at 3609 Main Street in Vancouver.

This is a good opportunity for all residents to voice their opinions or concerns regarding rent assistance and this new scheme that the VHA plans to implement.

So what do you think?

Help for homeowners

I have just read an article in The Columbian.com that should coma as a bit of good news to some 1.2 million cash-strapped homeowners in the U.S. whose mortgages were on the verge of rising in the months ahead.  According to this article by AP economics writer, Martin Crust Singer, President Bush has announced a plan to freeze mortgage rates at their current levels for the next five years.  According to President Bush, this plan, which was co-developed in negotiations with the mortgage industry, does not aim to “bail out lenders, real estate speculators or those who made the reckless decision to buy a home they knew they could not afford”, but serve as “a sensible response to a serious challenge”.  Click here to read this article entitled, “Bush Announces Mortgage Rate Freeze Plan”.

Though 1.2 million American homeowners could be eligible under this plan, only a percentage of those 1.2 million will actually receive the mortgage rate freeze.  Those who do not qualify for the freeze would be eligible for assistance in refinancing with their lending companies or move into loans secured by the Federal Housing Administration.

This aid will only be available to those who apply for it.  There is a hotline for more information at 1-888-995-HOPE.

For Sale

If you are currently looking to buy a home in the Clark County, Washington communities of Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, Longview, Ridgefield, Vancouver or Woodland, I recommend browsing my featured properties listings.  Whether you are looking for new or existing construction, single-family homes, townhouses, apartments, condominiums or acreage you are sure to find the ideal home for you and your family.  I currently have over 80 listings ranging from a 1,120 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Battle Ground for just $31,500, to a gorgeous 4 bathroom, 3.1 bath on 4,000 square feet also located in Battle Ground.  I also have some homes for sale across the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon.

If you cannot find the perfect home, try searching my MLS option.  There you can search for all available homes in any area according to your specific criteria.  Simply fill out the short form and you can receive daily updates on new listings in your area. 

Home prices in southwest Washington are lower than they have been in years, making this an ideal time to buy.  However, even though the local real estate market is favoring buyers, it could still be a good idea to hire a professional buyer’s representative.  A buyer’s representative with in-depth knowledge of the local real estate market can you find the perfect home and formulate an offer as well as make sure you are getting the best deal possible throughout the entire home buying process.

For more help finding your dream home in the Clark County, Washington communities of Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, Longview, Ridgefield, Vancouver or Woodland, please contact me, Greg Hodges.  If you would like to schedule an interview with one of our buyer’s representatives, Contact the professionals at Century 21 Americana Properties and see how we can help you get the most for your money on your next home purchase.