http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-35558454

THE ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE, PORTLAND OREGON

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A city resolution doesn’t do anything but put votes on the record, it carries no legal weight.  Mayor Sam Adams has been trying get this passed for years but wants to give the whole state a chance to enact the ban which would be better than just Portland.

State Senator Mark Hass and Senator Jackie Dingfelder said they would try their best.  Representative Ben Cannon also agreed but is not sure about their chances of success. They all said they would definitely support Portland in a local ban.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/07/portland_city_hall_approves_re.html

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Creative souls are drawn to Portland for its progressive, DIY spirit. There is below average rent, it is very walkable, VERY bike-able, no sales tax and tons of art, music and microbreweries.

Other cities include Austin TX, Charlotte NC, Chicago IL, Huston TX, Kansas City MO, Lansing MI, New York NY, Salt Lake City UT and Washington D.C.

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-great-cities-for-young-adults.html

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Oregon has made some changes in recent years including school nutrition standards and availability of nutritional information from fast food restaurants.  Because this was recent it obviously isn’t the reason for the good score but it does demonstrate an Oregon mentality.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36920305/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/from/ET

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While inventory continued to stay low in the Portland Metro area, sales activity saw both increases and declines. When comparing June 2010 with June 2009, closed sales increased

13.3%. Pending sales and new listings fell 25.2% and 4.9%, respectively. Comparing June 2010 with the previous month, May 2010, closed sales dropped 1.9% (2,012 v. 2,050) and pending sales grew 8.4% (1,618 v. 1,493). New listings also rose 16.3% (4,049 v. 3,482). At the month’s rate of sales, the 14,752 active residential listings would last approximately 7.3 months.

Sale Prices

The average sale price for June 2010 declined 3.3% compared to June 2009. The median sale price also fell 4%. On a month-to-month basis, comparing June 2010 to May 2010, the average price went up 5.2% ($289,800 v. $275,500) and the median price grew a slight 0.4% ($240,000 v. $239,000).

Second Quarter Report

Comparing the second quarter of 2010 (April – June) with that of 2009, there are gains across the board. Closed sales rose 34% (6,191 v. 4,625). Pending sales and new listings also saw increases of 1% (5,842 v. 5,784) and 2.4% (12,456 v. 12,165), respectively.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-34887215

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The requirements clearly state that an offer had to be accepted by April 30th and close before June 30th.  Is seems that some buyers out there are demanding they close by June 30 even though they just got the deal together.

Apparently the IRS paperwork requires proof of the close date but not the acceptance date.

The forms specifically ask the buyer if they were under contract before April 30th but does not ask for documentation.  The settlement statement they are required to supply has the close date on it.

If the IRS decides to look into it though, it’s not hard to find proof of when the offer was actually accepted.  Unless, of course, you got everyone involved to falsify the documents.  But there would still be faxed and emails and such pointing to another date.

The IRS has decided not to make a statement about this issue except to say that they have ways of checking for false claims and risks include civil or criminal penalties.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/25/real_estate/fudging_the_tax_credit/index.htm

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When comparing sales activity in the Portland metro area in May 2010 to the same time last year, May 2009, closed sales increased 43.7%. Pending sales and new listings both decreased by 24.1% and 10.2%, respectively. On a month-to-month basis, when comparing May 2010 to April 2010, closed sales grew 5.6% (2,050 v. 1,941) while pending sales fell 50.1% (1,493 v. 2,991). New listings also dropped 26.2% (3,482 v. 4,713). At the month’s rate of sales, the 14,372 active residential listings would last approximately 7 months, the lowest inventory has been since August of 2007.

Sale Prices

The average sale price for May 2010 decreased 5.5% compared to May 2009, while the median sale price also went down 4.4%. When comparing May 2010 to the month prior, April 2010, the average sale price fell 2.3% ($275,500 v. $282,100) and the median sale price decreased slightly by 0.4% ($239,000 v. $240,000).

Year-to-Date

Comparing January-May 2010 with the same period in 2009, closed sales increased 42.7%. Pending sales also rose by 28.3% and new listings went up 10.4%.

1)  No one should be asking you for a fee in advance.  Do not pay anyone up front, you will never hear from them again!

2)  They should not guarantee you anything.  If someone makes promises, especially without hearing your specifics first, run!

3)  If they tell you to start paying them instead of your mortgage.  Definitely do not do this!

http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/04/real_estate/avoid_mortgage_modification_scams/index.htm

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Reasons cited include our proximity to the coast, mountains and wine country.  Not to mention our great art shows, tax-free shopping, and of course Saturday Market.  I don’t know why they wouldn’t mention the microbrews, perhaps because we already showed up on their Cities For Beer Lovers list.

http://www.saturdaymarket.org/

http://www.shermanstravel.com/top_tens/

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-34348516

http://www.shermanstravel.com/top_tens/Cities_For_Beer_Lovers

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