STOP .25% Tax Increase Video

Here is the link to the video NAR will be running to stop the the Senate bill increasing B&O Tax by 0.25% which is = to about $30/transaction for next 3 years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPmb285C0iY Please pass this info on to everyone!!!
Read More.

Olympia Legislative Update!!

Since the election of three new city council members and the leave of absence of mayor pro-tem Joe Hyer, the Olympia city council has drastically changed from last year. Their first order of business was to down zone the “isthmus” property to last years 35 foot height. Olympia, like all other cities are updating their Comp [...]
Read More.

Legislative Update!!

TUMWATER Update Tumwater city council has just adopted a strategic plan as they are looking at their comprehensive plan. Their Strategic Plan and Comp Plan will contain an “economic development” platform. REALTORS® were instrumental in developing the plan. It contains 7 goals and action strategies that stimulate economic growth. Three elements of the plan that were [...]
Read More.

VOTE

Candidate endorsements Local Elections: At a meeting of the Quality of Life/Government Affairs meeting, Friday August 28th, a list of all candidates recommended by the TCRA Candidate Interview Teams was presented. After discussion the slate of candidates endorsed by TCRA are: *Thurston County Commissioner Patrick Beehler *Port of Olympia Jeff Davis Bill McGregor *City Council of Lacey Position #4: Ann Burgman Position #5: [...]
Read More.

HUD HIGHLIGHTS

March 2009 HUD e-Briefs from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington Martha Dilts, Region X Deputy Director        206/220-5356       Leland Jones, Editor
Read More.

IN PASSING

"He used his remarkable gifts as an entrepreneur for the benefit of millions of needy people around the world by providing them with decent housing.  As the founder of Habitat for Humanity and later the Fuller Center, he was an inspiration to me, other members of my family and untold numbers [...]
Read More.

FHA HIKES LIMITS

If you’re a mortgage lender or REALTOR, homebuyer or homeowner in one of the Northwest’s high-cost housing markets – like Seattle, Portland, Boise, Tacoma, Anchorage, Eugene, Olympia, Fairbanks, Corvallis, Vancouver, Juneau, Salem, Bremerton, Sitka or Bend – the recently-enacted stimulus package – aka, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 [...]
Read More.

DITTO

The stimulus bill also raised the limit on “reverse” or Home Equity Conversion mortgage from $417,000 to $625,500.  Until April 30th, 2009, FHA will allow HECMs that received case number assignments but didn’t close prior to the effective date of this mortgagee letter to be closed using either the old limit [...]
Read More.

BUYER BREAK

Following enactment of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, the Internal Revenue Service already has posted – at www.irs.gov – a revised Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit to incorporate Act’s provisions permitting qualifying taxpayers who buy a home this year before December 1 can claim up to $8,000, or $4,000 for [...]
Read More.

STIMUL-NATION

Just one week and one day after the President signed the stimulus bill, HUD announced how it planned to allocate some $10.1 billion in funds provided under the bill to help finance housing through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, to modernize and upgrade public housing, to provide emergency shelter, [...]
Read More.