COROA ANNUAL DINNER MEETING

　

Our speakers will be Dan Steelhammer reporting on the 2011 COROA rental survey, vacancy factors, and rent trends. In addition, Eric King, Bend City Manager, will update us on the latest issues affecting our city. This is a great meeting to mingle and network with other rental owners in a relaxed atmosphere. Don’t miss this important event!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

6:30 pm Dinner at 7:00 pm and meeting to follow

McMenamins Old St. Francis School (Father Lukes Room)

Located at 700 NW Bond Street, Bend

COST: $30 COROA members, $48 non-members ($15 for the first 50 to pay by March 11th) Please RSVP by March 22nd - Seating is limited to the first 100

For more info call 385-3819 or 382-7727

　

Take advantage of the COROA

Membership Benefits by joining today!

www.CentralOregonRentalOwners.org

Upcoming Chat Event

Craigslist Best Practices
Presented By: Charity Hisle & Carly White

Thursday March 17, 2011
4pm ET, 3pm CT, 2pm MT, 1pm PT

As our St. Patrick's Day gift to you, we are bringing back Charity Hisle - the Craigslist guru! Also presenting is Carly White, the founder of BakeExtraCookies.com, whose company specializes in helping clients get "leases by the dozen." They will be answering all of your questions surrounding this free tool and sharing how to use it successfully. This is a popular topic so be sure to RSVP, submit your questions and login early to save your seat.

Sponsored By: Spherexx.com
http://www.gracehill.com/default.cfm

FREE Online Educational Events

Welcome to Downtown Bend!

Downtown Bend is your launching point to discovering all the wonders of Central Oregon. We are the center of the community where people gather to enjoy the uniqueness of this region. The historic downtown features over 375 diverse businesses & many fun events.

Get the latest on sales, events & promotions!!!

http://www.downtownbend.org/

Planning a Move Across Town

By: RealEstate.com The rules for local moves are different from those for interstate moves, so make sure you understand them before planning a move across town.
Planning a move across town can be nearly as challenging as moving across country, and you're hiring movers without the protections of federal agencies that regulate interstate moves. Plus, different rules apply, rules that can vary state by state. Here are some things you should know when you're making a local move.
The major difference between a local move and an interstate move is that local movers generally charge by the hour and number of people needed to move your goods 100 miles or less.
This is not cut and dry. Depending on where you live, the moving company and how far you're moving, you might still be charged by weight and mileage. You might not have a choice about how you are charged, depending on local laws. (Only 30 of the 50 states regulate intrastate moves, according to the American Moving and Storage Association.) Some companies also offer a flat-rate fee for a local move.
If you are paying by the hour for a local move, consider what you can do to help the movers do their job more quickly. Being ready when the movers arrive is a good place to start. Have the appliances unplugged, the ceiling fans disconnected and removed (if you are taking them), the boxes packed and ready to go.
Stacking packed boxes a few feet high can make it quick and easy for the movers to load them onto dollies and onto the truck. Labeling each box with the room it belongs in also can keep things rolling, especially if you clearly identify those rooms at your new home. You also could have the movers unload all or most of the boxes in one room, then unpack or move them the rest of the way yourself.
With any local move, it's your choice whether to pack yourself or have the movers pack all or some of your belongings. Some people have the movers pack breakables and large, fragile items like mirrors, glass table tops and framed artwork with glass. Just make sure you understand how you'll be charged for any packing the movers do for your local move. With a local move, carriers are often subject to less liability for damages than with interstate moves.
For both local and interstate moves, experts and the American Moving and Storage Association strongly advise you to steer away from companies that won't do an in-home estimate. Phone estimates are not binding.
Also, experts advise checking out moving companies with your local Better Business Bureau. Remember that if you're using a national company, you'll need to check out the local agent that will actually be handling the move.
Another resource is the www.protectyourmove.gov Web site maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. You can find state-specific lists of moving associations and regulatory agencies at the site. You also can check the American Moving and Storage Association Web site to see whether the mover is a member. The association says it removes the names of members with a repeated pattern of consumer abuse.
http://www.life123.com/career-money/real-estate/moving-tips/planning-a-move-across-town.shtml

Rent....buy....investment property to make a rental???

Renting Vs Buying: Advantages and Disadvantages

Buying a home is a very big investment and not one that should be taken lightly. It is important to consider both the benefits and drawbacks to owning your own home, while comparing these to your personal situation. This will help you decide whether it is better to rent or purchase a home.

Renting a Home or Apartment

When you rent a home or an apartment, the monthly payment is paid to a landlord. Often, this will be the actual owner of the home, but property management companies are also popular. In either case, the rent is due at a set point each month and is paid to the property owner. As a result, money paid is not an expense each month, which comes out of pocket for the renter.
One of the major advantages of renting is that as a renter, you are not responsible for repairs or any other maintenance, aside from things like mowing the lawn or perhaps changing the filters. This doesn’t mean that you aren’t responsible for damage, but it does mean that the renter is not responsible for repairing things like the roof or the air conditioner. So, if the plumbing burst in the middle of the night, you can simply call up the landlord and by law they must come and repair the problem.
Another advantage of renting a home is that there is usually little tying the person to the home. So, for example, if they decide they want to move to a new city or a new area, they can do so with few repercussions. In the worst case scenario, assuming there is no damage to the apartment, the renter will loose their deposit, but this only happens if they break their lease.
However, there are several downsides to being a renter. One of the biggest ones is a general lack of privacy. This is because the home owner or rental property can come into your house basically whenever they want, providing they follow a few basic rules.
Also, while not having to worry about repairing things, such as a broken washer, can be nice, you can not actually modify the home as you please. Sometimes the homeowner may allow a renter to paint the walls, but this is usually it and requires the approval of the landlord.
Another disadvantage is that since a renter does not own the home, living in the home is a privilege. A disagreement with the landlord can lead to an eviction and if the landlord dies or sells the home, there is no way to guarantee you will be able to stay after the lease expires.

Buying a Home

Buying a home has a number of advantages and can be a wonderful experience, but since most people don’t have the money for the home upfront, they must take out a rather large loan called a mortgage. This means that even though you technically own the home, the bank has a lien on it and if you miss too many payments, you risk loosing the home and being foreclosed upon.
The level of debt can be a little overwhelming, but since part of each months payment is going towards the principal of the loan, you are not paying out of pocket in the same way as when you rent a home.
Of course, during the first 5 to 8 years, most of the payment is going towards the interest of the loan. During the first few years, it is common for less than 10% of each payment to actually go towards the principal of the loan. However, with that said, you are not simply throwing your money away in the same way as when renting, as ultimately, assuming the home does not loose value, some of the money paid towards a mortgage is retained.
One of the other main advantages to buying a home is the many tax credits available to a homeowner. From the first time home buyers tax credit, which is a credit of up to $8,000 that does not need to be paid back, to simply being able to claim all of your interest and maintenance costs on your taxes, there are many tax benefits to owning a home as opposed to renting.
Another advantage of owning a home is that you can do pretty much whatever you like to it. This means if you don’t like the carpet, you can simply tear it up and put down a wood floor. If you want to make the living room bigger, you can knock down a wall and don’t have to ask anyones permission.
Of course, the flip side to this is that if something breaks, it will be the homeowners responsibility to fix the problem. So, there is no one to call when the plumbing breaks at 3AM, well except perhaps for a plumber.
It is also not possible to simply walk away from a home if you do not like the area or your neighbors. It will either be necessary to find someone to buy the home or damage your credit rating. This can mean much less freedom, as most people become tied to their mortgage.
http://www.firstmortgagebuyer.com/home-buyers/renting-vs-buying-advantages-and-disadvantages/

How to Build a Community With Other Moms

A great resource for Bend is Mom's Meet-up of Central Oregon! http://www.meetup.com/momsmeetupofco/

Being a stay-home mother can be one of the most isolating experiences in a woman's life. I thought I understood that when I quit my job to be home with my infant daughter. We lived in a small apartment then, in an urban center buzzing with art, music, and twenty-something hipsters who mixed comfortably with the old-timers and young families. It was perfect. If I got desperate for simulation, or lonely for adult interaction, my daughter and I would walk to the center of town, where I would drink coffee and people-watch while she napped. Later, we'd visit any one of a number of playgrounds and I'd chat with the mothers while pushing her on the swings. Every library had a weekly storytime; the upscale toy shop hosted a sing-a-long on Saturdays. While I missed regular adult companionship from time to time, I was content and happy, stimulated by the neighborhood where I felt like I was still a vital part of the cool world, even though I was on the outside of it looking in.
That all changed when we moved to the suburbs.
Buying a house was the next step in the American dream, of course. I had the husband, the child, and now it was time for the neighborhood. I remembered the hide and seek games of my childhood, the neighborhood-wide water fights, and riding bikes in the street, all while the moms, a tight-knit group, chatted at the curb and played mahjong in the evenings. "I'm ready for that," I thought. "I'm ready to grow up and be a neighborhood mom."
Like many new homebuyers in our state, escalating house prices sent us far from the neighborhoods we had hoped to live in; far from the family-owned ethnic markets, and tiny art studios, to the land of the Olive Garden and big box superstores. "That's ok," we said to ourselves. "We would go about making a home. We would plant a garden, put up a basketball hoop, and watch our daughter play on our dead end street with her friends. Most importantly, we would get to know our neighbors. We knew there were other families on the block-the minivans and toddler toys attested to that. And where there are children, there are mothers, I figured. No doubt there were city transplants like myself, looking for playgroups and intelligent conversation. We would fit in easily, and build a real life like our parents had done for us.
And then the reality of the 21st century stay-home mom lifestyle set in.
The minute we closed on the house, it began to snow. And snow. And snow. The houses on our block that lured us with yards full of toys and play equipment the previous summer shut tight, with no signs of life within. The winter was particularly cold and icy, so playtime outside was minimal. We had brief conversations and exchanged waves with scarved and hatted new neighbors as we shoveled our paths and cars, but didn't learn any names, and certainly didn't set up any play dates.
"Well, once the spring comes, the kids will be outside, and we'll meet everyone," my husband comforted me, and I set about busying myself in our new home.
Winter eventually turned to spring, and with it, the rains came. March, April, May, June. The skies opened daily, nurturing our garden, but soaking the playground and drowning my spirits. There were no signs of the children or the moms I had expected would be my companions.
I was lonely. My daughter was bored. Because we were now "house poor," and living on one salary, I echewed expensive endeavors like Gymboree and ballet lessons, and instead we passed our days with trips to the mall, the chain bookstores, museums, and the library. I gave up on the one-hour-of-TV-a-day rule, the consequences being that Dora, Blue, and Big Bird became our close friends instead of the neighborhood children.
Instead of getting to know my new neighborhood, I was isolated in my new home, and began to feel like a prisoner. I gradually realized that because everything in the city had been so accessible and well publicized, I had never learned the skills I needed to build a social life for my daughter and myself. I began to seek out information with new energy. Instead of limiting myself to my own community, I searched out the neighboring ones as well. I read my local paper, and those of the neighboring towns for listings. I scoured the bulletin boards at the supermarket for information about mothers' organizations and playgroups. I went online and found a whole community of women in the same boat.
By the beginning of July the sun finally showed itself. My daughter and I started taking early morning walks. I stopped every mother I met en route, and chatted her up about neighborhood resources. I learned which playgrounds were shaded and which got too hot, which beaches had public bathrooms and which to avoid, and which coffee shops had the friendly moms, and which had the snobs.
What I also learned from these roadside encounters was that even moms who stay home with their kids are too busy to socialize the way my mother and her friends had done. Because children are rarely out playing out in the street anymore, that means no one is out chatting by the curb. Moms are more likely to be found in the minivan ferrying their kids to various activities than gossiping over the fence with their neighbors.
Building a community is hard work these days. Even if you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with other stay-home mothers, you might not have anything in common with them besides your children. Moms need to be more creative and assertive, and employ the networking strategies from their professional days to meet mothers with similar interests and values as their own.
I have slowly been forming a group of moms and kids to socialize with, and we make regular appointments to see each other, which go up on the calendar along with the dentist and doctor visits. We take advantage of what our communities have to offer: concerts in the park, family swim at the Y, and yes, even the occasional old-fashioned barbecue at someone's home. But it all takes a lot more planning than I had expected, and a lot more work to make these relationships happen. I just wish I had known that before leaving my cozy enclave. It would have made the long winter easier to bear.
Here are some ideas for moms who will be at home with their kids to help get started building their community of friends.
Before Moving

• Subscribe to the local papers for your town and the surrounding towns. You'll find out which organizations regularly offer activities for children.
• Scout out the playgrounds. Check to see how well they are maintained, and whether they are within walking distance from your home.
• Visit the YMCA and see what programs are offered.
• Check out your local supermarket and pick up a parent's guide (usually found in the racks of free publications) and check the bulletin boards. Moms frequently advertise playgroups and mothers groups here.
• Call the public library for their schedule of programs.
• Call your Recreation Department for their schedule of programs for young children.

After the Move

• Become a regular at free story times at the local bookstore and/or library. Show your face often enough and you'll start to make contact with the other parents who do the same.
• Let your pediatrician know you are looking for activities. They get flyers, bulletins and newsletters from everyone.
• Your town or one nearby might have an indoor play space. Check their bulletin boards regularly.
• Churches and synagogues frequently host activities, or provide space for other groups who offer music classes, play co-ops, or mothers meetings. You usually don't have to be a member to attend.
• If your town has a gymnastics, dance studio, or sports complex, see if they offer open family time.
• Join a playgroup or start your own. Hang some flyers on the supermarket bulletin board or take out a small ad in the local paper.
• Zoos, museums, theaters and music schools often sponsor children's classes, concerts and events.
• Ask for museum memberships as holiday gifts.

How to Get to Know Your Neighbors
In the summer, host a cookout. Even if you haven't met yet, slip flyers under the doors, and invite people over, tell them to bring what they want to grill and you'll supply the drinks, sides, and paper goods. You may not get to chat with everyone as they chase their children, but you've broken the ice for future playdates.
Remember: Don't limit yourself to your own town. And, talk to every new mother you meet, and ask her about resources in town.

http://www.life123.com/career-money/real-estate/moving-tips/how-to-build-a-community-with-other-moms.shtml