The Bellingham Herald had a good article about Home affordability being at an all time high with interest rates at historic lows and home prices low now is a great time to take advantage of this situation.
Click here for full article.
Category Archives: Real Estate
Jerry on Lynden Chamber of Commerce Board
Jerry has joined the board for the Lynden Chamber of Commerce. With over 30 years experience in the real estate business and nearly 20 years as a downtown business owner, Jerry is excited to serve his community.
Click here to read the article in the Bellingham Business Journal.
January 2012 Lynden RE Stats
The graph below shows Lynden Homes For Sale, Homes Sold and Pending Sales for the past 15 months. January shows a nice uptick in pending sales.
Cost vs Value Remodel
If you are considering a remodel on your home, the following are estimates of how much of your investment you will recoup.
I would be happy to provide you with a free Comparative Market Analysis on your home, to see if investing in a remodel is a good value for you. Contact Me to arrange an appointment.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
When tackling home remodeling projects, you’ll find some projects pay off more than others at times of resale. Remodeling Magazine, in conjunction with REALTOR® Magazine, recently released findings of its annual Cost vs. Value report for 2011-2012, revealing which remodeling projects offer the biggest bang for your buck.
Overall, the trend right now is replacement over remodeling–swapping out the old for the new rather than doing a total gut job, which can be much more costly.
This year’s Cost vs. Value report found that exterior replacement projects–such as new garage doors and a new entry door–offer some of the best returns at resale, allowing home owners to recoup close to 70 percent or more of the costs of the project at times of resale.
The following are the top, mid-range projects from this year’s report, based on what home owners stand to recoup at time of resale:
1. Replacing the entry door to steel
Estimated cost: $1,238
Cost recouped at resale: 73%
2. Attic bedroom (converting unfinished attic space into a bedroom with bathroom and shower)
Estimated cost: $50,148
Cost recouped at resale: 72.5%
3. Minor kitchen remodel (including new cabinets and drawers, countertops, hardware, and appliances)
Estimated cost: $19,588
Cost recouped at resale: 72.1%
4. Garage door replacement
Estimated cost: $1,512
Cost recouped at resale: 71.9%
5. Deck addition (wood)
Estimated cost: $10,350
Cost recouped at resale: 70.1%
Whatcom County Weekend Sports Schedule
WHATCOM COUNTY WEEKEND SPORTS SCHEDULE
High school boys’ basketball Blaine at Bellingham, 7:30 p.m.
Lynden Christian at Sehome, 7:30 p.m.
Meridian at Burlington-Edison, 7:30 p.m.
Squalicum at Mount Baker, 7:30 p.m.
Sedro-Woolley at Anacortes, 7:30 p.m.
Lummi at Grace Academy, 7:30 p.m.
Friday Jan. 27
High school boys’ basketball Blaine at Bellingham, 7:30 p.m.
Lynden Christian at Sehome, 7:30 p.m.
Meridian at Burlington-Edison, 7:30 p.m.
Squalicum at Mount Baker, 7:30 p.m.
Sedro-Woolley at Anacortes, 7:30 p.m.
Lummi at Grace Academy, 7:30 p.m.
High school girls’ basketball
Lummi at Grace Academy, 6 p.m.
Ferndale at Mount Vernon, 7:30 p.m.
Anacortes at Lynden, 7:30 p.m.
Nooksack Valley at Sedro-Woolley, 7:30 p.m.
Lynden Christian at Meridian, 7:30 p.m.
Mount Baker at Squalicum, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday Jan. 28
High school boys’ basketball
Nooksack Valley at Mount Vernon, noon
Meridian at Lynden Christian, 7:30 p.m.
High school girls’ basketball
Lynden at Burlington-Edison, 7:30 p.m.
Mount Baker at Sedro-Woolley, 7:30 p.m.
High school wrestling
Girls: Bellingham, Burlington-Edison, Lynden, Mount Baker, Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley at Lady Wolfpack Tournament (at Jackson High School), TBD
Friday Harbor vs. Meridian (at Nooksack Valley), TBD
Friday Harbor at Nooksack Valley, 7 p.m.
College basketball
Women: WCC at Seattle, 4 p.m.
Men: WCC at Seattle, 6 p.m.
Women: WWU at Simon Fraser, 7 p.m.
Men: Simon Fraser at WWU, 7 p.m.
Rise of Rental Rates
Rental Rates are on the Rise
With housing affordability the best it has ever been, but with tighter lending conditions, many buyers are renting instead of purchasing homes, causing demand for rentals to increase and rental rates to rise. Many investors are purchasing homes with cash to use properties as rental homes. According to Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, there is no reason to believe the rental growth will cool as more young adults need a place to live. The decline in construction of apartment complexes will also increase the demand. If annual rental rates continue to increase 3.5%, rents will double in the next 20 years. If they annual rental rate increases at 5%, rents will double in the next 14 years. Yun also predicts solid home price appreciateion over the long haul, which will be a double win for investors with monthly rental income and appreciation for the future.
Information courtesy of Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, Realtor Magazine
Contact me with questions about investing in real estate, now is a great time to buy!
New Construction Market
The Lynden real estate market has a surprisingly high number of new construction homes being sold. Of homes constructed in 2010-2011 (between $200,000 and $350,000), 31 have sold in the last year with 10 currently active. In the much larger city of Bellingham, of homes constructed in 2010-2011 (between $200,000 and $350,000), only 19 new construction homes have sold in the last year with 5 currently active.
This is a positive sign for Lynden, for contractors and buyers looking for new homes. The selection is best in Lynden!
5 Ways To Improve Your Credit Score
5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score
Jerry Blankers | Muljat Group North | 505 Front Street | Lynden, WA | (360) 410-1297
In today’s world, your credit score can have a significant effect on the financial aspects of your life. Your credit history determines loan and credit card interest rates, can raise your insurance premiums, and can even be a determining factor for getting a job.
Therefore, it’s very important to take steps to achieve and maintain a healthy credit score, and to check up on it frequently to ensure that it is accurate.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
Jerry Blankers | Muljat Group North | 505 Front Street | Lynden, WA | (360) 410-1297
New York Pizza
I had lunch at the New York Pizza at Bender Plaza in Lynden.
The 4 of us had a combo 2 small Pizza’s with 4 different toppings and a blue cheese salad with Shrimp. The salad was fresh and crisp and all four pizza topping were great.
If you want good New York style Pizza with a great atmosphere and service stop by Bender plaza and check out New York Pizza
you won’t be disappointed.
Rental History Helps Credit Score
Rental History: More Important in Getting a Mortgage?
“Borrowers who have a history of paying rent on time may see a boost to their credit score.
Experian, a leading credit report company, added a section to its credit reports last year that reflected on-time rent payments, which helped give a boost in the credit scores to some on-time rent payers. Now the two other major credit reporting companies are following suit.”
