Real Estate Information

Minimize your risk of identity theft with these tips from Internet expert, Nancy Willard, Director of the Center for Safe & Responsible Internet Use.

csriu.org

Protect your personal and financial information.

Never reply to an email, pop-up message or test that ask for personal information, and don’t click on links in the message.

Research shopping sites before providing any financial information.

It’s best to bookmark the sites you do business with frequently. Scammers can impersonate legitimate businesses and financial institutions with official-looking sites.

Be very careful if you install file-sharing software.

A significant amount of the material you might download contains spyware.

Make sure your computer, operating system and browser are secure and regularly updated.

Most essential: anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall. If you software company sends an update, install it as soon as you can.

Choose a strong password.

A strong password has a combination of lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers and symbols.

Recognize when there is a problem.

If you computer seems sluggish, settings appear to have changed, or it connects you to strange Web sites, it may be infected with spyware. Report any concerns to the Federal Trade Commission.

Educate yourself.

Visit the federal government’s On Guard Online site: onguardonline.gov to stay on guard against fraud.

The corporate world is changing. More and more people are frustrated with their jobs, the extra work being forced on them (due to the recession) and the lack of appreciation of their efforts and work.

The alternative is to buy a business. A mature, profitable business. Because buying a business is faster, cheaper, safer and easier to finance than starting one. In addition, executives learn the management and leadership skills necessary while in the corporate world and can put them into practice for their own benefit.

Here are 10 reasons why people want to own a business.

1. Control your life and business—be the one in charge. Make the decisions you want to make and benefit from them.

2. Independence—break free from the rules and regulations and have some flexibility in your life. Want to leave early? Want to see your kid's game or recital? What about taking a vacation when you want, not when it fits in with others on the grid? Successful business owners have all of this and more.

3. Benefit from your hard work—you work hard, you work smart and the company owners get the benefit whether they be shareholders in a public company or an individual owner. It's time to work hard and reap your own benefits.

4. Income—control your income so when you have a good month or year you can increase your salary and/or bonus. Leverage others like you've been leveraged and profit from it.

5. Net worth—business ownership isn't just about income. You can increase your net worth dramatically by buying a business, putting a nominal amount down on it, paying off the debt with the profits and even if you don't grow it your net worth has multiplied. Grow the business and it increases even more.

6. Be the boss—it's nice to tell others what to do, especially when you make the right decisions (which you know you can do).

7. Pre-tax expenses—pay for things with pre-tax not after-tax dollars. Things you would have anyway like a cell phone, some travel, cars, etc. All legal and a nice perk for being an owner.

8. Creativity—put your creativity to work. Whether it be on the design side, customer solutions, marketing magic or with customer service you can put your footprint on it.

9. Emotional contentment—relax; you know what you're doing. It isn't easy owning a business but nothing in life worth having is easy.

10. FUN—often overlooked by buyers but the number one reason to buy and own a business. Wake up every day with a smile on your face because it's your business and get are getting all the benefits described above.

Twisp River Pub

201 Hwy 20, Twisp, WA 98856 (509) 997.6822

• Wednesday Sept. 1, Sept. 8 from 6:30pm-8:30pm

Jazz in the Beer Garden

• Friday Sept. 3 at 9:00 pm

Salem - Hip Hop & Funk   $5 cover charge

• Saturday, Sept. 4 – Sunday, Sept. 5 at 9:00 pm

Handful of Luvin’ – original Rock’n’Roll  tunes  $5 cover charge

• Sunday, Sept. 5 at 6:30pm

Terry Hunt – classical guitar in the beer garden

• Friday Sept. 10 at 9:00 pm

Comedy Night - Davon Magwood  $5 cover charge

• Saturday, Sept. 26 at 9:00pm

Camille Bloom and her band will perform  original rock ‘ roll  $5 cover

Old Schoolhouse Brewery

155 Riverside Ave., Winthrop, WA 98862 (509) 996.3183

•  Friday, Sept. 3 at 7:00 pm

Andrew Vait and the Eternal Fair – Pop/Pop/Pop

• Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 4 & 5 at 7:00pm

Cody Beebe and the Crooks – Americana, folk-rock, acoustic

• Friday, Sept. 10 & Saturday, Sept. 11 at 7:00pm

Romagossa Blu – fusion, blues, rock

• Friday, Sept. 17 at 7:00pm

Rusted Soul

• Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:00pm

Olivia de la Cruz

• Friday, Sept. 24 & Saturday, Sept. 25 at 7:00pm

Electric Approach

East Highway 20 Pizza

720 Highway 20, Winthrop, WA 98862 (509) 996.3996

• Friday, Sept. 3 at 8:00 pm

Irie Friday -  Live Music with Sick Donkey Records conscious hip-hop from Okanogan

• Saturday, Sept. 18 at 8:00 pm

Sunz of Sound – hip hop favorite & Seattle’s Mr. Chapman

Mick & Miki’s Red Cedar Bar

110 Glover St, Twisp, WA 98856 (509) 997.6425

• Friday, Sept. 3, Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24 at 9:00pm

DJ Noah Ashford

Winthrop Gallery

237 Riverside Ave, Winthrop, WA 98862(509) 996.3925

• Sunday Sept. 5 from 5:00-7:00 pm

Artists’ Reception: Meet the artists of new exhibition

Confluence Gallery

104 Glover St, Twisp, WA 98856 (509) 997.2787

• Friday, Sept. 3, Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24 at 9:30am

Watercolor Open Studio with Patty Yates  Cost $10

• Thursday, Sept. 9 at 7:00pm

Documentary artists Drummond & Steele offer stories about people, nature, climate change

• Sept. 25 through Nov. 6 from 4:00pm-8:00pm

Nature Always Wins Opening Reception w/Tori Karpenko and Gallery 110 Friends

Winthrop Valley Rodeo Grounds

 Located half-way between Twisp & Winthrop off Twin Lakes Road

• Saturday Sept. 4 at 12:00 pm

Winthrop 38^th Annual Labor Day Rodeo -  Cost $10/$5 youth/under 5 free

The Winthrop Barn

 51 N. Highway 20, Winthrop, WA 98862 (509) 996.2117

• Saturday Sept. 4 at 12:00 pm

Old fashion community dance with Omak-based “The Family Band” tickets $5,$10 couples and under 12 free

• Saturday, Sept.24 at 7:30pm & Sunday, Sept. 25 at 11:00am

Winthrop Barn Square Dance

Merc Playhouse

101 S Glover St, Twisp, WA 98856 (509) 997.2306 or (509) 997.7529

• Tuesday, Sept. 7 from 7:00pm-8:30pm

Predicting Earthquakes and Volcanos

• Wednesday Sept. 14 at 7:00pm

Open Merc: Open mic at the Merc Playhouse, hosted by Marc Holm

Sun Mountain Lodge

604 Patterson Lake Road, Winthrop, WA 98862 (509) 996.2211 or (509) 997.0172

• Wednesday Sept. 1, Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Sept. 22 from 9:00am

Plein Air: Paint in outdoor setting

• Saturday Sept. 25 from 10:00am-3:00pm

Plein Air: Watercolor class with Maria Coryell-Martin at Chickadee Trailhead  Cost $100

Sabold’s House

Dave & Marilyn Sabold, 17 Bean Road, Winthrop, WA 98862 (509) 997.2870

• Saturday, Sept. 25 from 2:00pm-4:00pm

Cider Squeeze: Annual Methow Conservancy celebration of harvest season

Winthrop Chamber of Commerce

Winthrop, WA 98862 tollfree 1.800.463.8469

• Friday & Saturday, Sept. 10 & 11

35^th Annual Winthrop Auto Rallye

*Friday Cruise In Social at the Red Barn from 5:00pm-7:00pm

*Saturday Parade at 11:00am

*Saturday Show n Shine from 12:00pm-3:00pm

• Saturday, Sept. 18 at 8:30am-4:00pm

Winthrop Chamber Golf Tournament – 15-four person teams  Cos t$60 - Bear Creek Golf Course

Downtown Twisp

Various locations around town (509) 997.2787

• Saturday, Sept. 26 from 5:00pm-8:00pm

Twisp Art Walk: View art and meet artists all around downtown Twisp

Pearrygin State Park

Four (4) miles northeast of Winthrop, right on Bear Creek Road (509) 997.2787

• Saturday, Sept. 18 from12:30pm-4:00pm

Fiesta Latina – Free Event – Mexican Food for more info call (509) 996.2370 Rick Lewis

*Music at 1pm

*Dancers at 2pm

*Mariachi at 3pm

• Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 5:30pm

Fun-Run-dRaiser – 2.73 mile course for Liberty Bell High School Cross Country team

MV Cycling

Falls Creek uphill TT from Eightmile Snopark

• Tuesday, Sept. 14 first rider at 6:30 pm

MV Cycling Time Trial Series  - Free, helmets required

Winthrop Road Marathon: 26.2-mile run

Starts on the edge of the Pasyten Wilderness and follows Chewuch River to Winthrop Park (509) 996.8033

• Sunday Sept. 26 Bus for contestants departs at 8:00am

 1^st Annual Winthrop Marathon - Rainshadowrunning event - $70-$80 - Volunteers needed

Environmental Learning Center

Diablo Lake – Highway 20, approx. 70 miles west of Winthrop

• Sept. 3-5 at 4:00pm

2010 Wild and Scenic Film Festival. Films, hikes, etc. $20 for commuters (film/dinner)

Though we may be more than half way through the summer season, August is often the hottest month of the year in the Pacific Northwest. If you’re trying to find ways to stay cool during the dog days of summer without relying on air conditioning, here are some tips:

• Drink plenty of cool liquids; stay away from hot beverages or foods.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• Eat light meals; digesting a heavy meal can actually make you feel warmer.
• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothes.
• Keep shades or curtains drawn during the sunniest part of the day.
• Limit outdoor activity to early morning and evening.
• Stay out of the sun; if you can’t avoid it, be sure to use lots of sunscreen.
• Take a cool, not cold, bath or shower.
• If all else fails, get yourself a milkshake or go see a movie!

If you have central air conditioning in your home, experts recommend you keep it running at a reasonable temperature all day long rather than keeping it off and then asking it to cool off a stiflingly hot house in the afternoon or evening.

By the way…

I hope this information has been helpful to you. If you know someone who could also benefit from this type of information, or who is in need of a trusted real estate advisor, please forward their contact information to me so I can get in touch with them. I’m never too busy for your referrals.

Well, it was fun while it lasted. The -now expired- Federal Tax Credit provided people all over the U.S. with an extra compelling incentive to buy a home. This sales activity helped stimulate the housing market and the U.S. economy. So, the end result is that the tax credit did what it was designed to do. But all good things must come to an end, right? Well, kind of. The tax credit is no longer available, but interest rates have dropped, including on FHA loans which are down nearly half a point since May 1. That means buyers using an FHA loan to buy a $200,000 home will have nearly $9,000 more purchasing power.

You want to buy a business and need financing. Tried getting a business loan lately? Well, it’s pretty tough unless the Sellers are willing to carry a contract. Many Sellers just want to be cashed out. So, what’s the answer?  How about a self directed IRA?

A self-directed IRA permits individuals to actively invest their retirement funds into real estate, a business or franchise without taking a taxable distribution or incurring penalties.

Utilizing your IRA as a funding source for new or existing businesses adds significant advantages over debt type financing. Because retirement funds can be structured as an investment into the business, there are no corresponding debts that increase business overhead. For a business owner this means;

ADVANTAGES: Using a self directed IRA over other financing options are substantial both in regards to profitability and the success rate of new businesses. Some of these benefits are:

Debt Free – Cash Rich. Your retirement funds can be structured as an investment into the business, so there are no debts that increase your overhead. Instead of sending money to a bank in the form of interest payments, that money can be reinvested in marketing, staff or equipment that helps the business grow faster.

Invest In Yourself. Use your retirement funds to invest in a business where you determine the rewards; you control the success of your retirement investment.

Lower Your Overhead. Using retirement funds to start a business does not require bank loans or tapping into your home equity. Now the initial revenue your business generates can go into developing the business rather than paying off debt. Less debt means a quicker path to profitability.

Enjoy Tax-Deferred Savings. Paying taxes and penalties can minimize the amount of money available for you to invest. Avoiding unnecessary penalties and taxes enables you to save more money for retirement. Contact a Self Directed IRA specialist to find out if you qualify and how to get started.

Contact Linda Schmal to find out about Methow Valley Businesses for sale. 509-322-6365 or visit: www.lindaschmal.com.

The highly anticipated restoration of the USDA’s single-family rural housing program that guarantees home loans for rural buyers was passed by the Senate on July 28 and is on its way to President Obama’s desk for signature. With the support of its members, the National Association of REALTORS® has vigorously lobbied to restore funding for the rural program since last March, and hailed this development as a great victory for rural home buyers.

I couldn’t agree more.

But before I go into why I support this legislation, I’d like to provide a little background on the USDA’s Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program and why I believe it can serve as a successful model for a much needed urban down-payment assistance program.

According to Wikipedia, the United States Department of Agriculture was established by President Abraham Lincoln on May 15, 1862 in order to help out the United States economy. Through Federal funding, its purpose was the collection of agricultural statistics and other agricultural purposes; President Lincoln called it the "people's department." For many years, the Department of Agriculture was crucial to providing concerned persons with the assistance they needed to make it through difficult periods, such as the Great Depression; this included loans for rural landowners.

Fast forward 148 years and what we have now is a robust program that in 2009 provided over 140,000 loans and $16.6 billion in grants to achieve homeownership and improve housing in rural areas. They also funded $11.2 billion for direct and guaranteed single-family housing loans to provide additional credit for affordable home loans. USDA loans used to be considered "farmers’ loans" but that is no longer the case. Rural America is home to about 50 million people, but only 6.5 percent of the rural work-force is directly employed in farm production. This means that USDA must support not only the farms, but also the communities that surround and support them.

In 2009, the USDA enacted changes that provided assistance to millions of homebuyers who did not have the down-payment funds required by conventional loan programs. USDA loans currently stand alone as the only zero-money-down program available to borrowers who have not served in the military. And like their conventional counterparts, the USDA program adheres to strict underwriting standards, assessing each borrower's credit, income, and cash flow. As a result, the agency's portfolio of loans has a low default and delinquency rate of 1.72% (compared to a 2%- 5% default rate for conventional loans and 15% for subprime).

Earlier this year, the USDA exhausted its $13.1 billion funding, leaving many qualified homebuyers with few-to-no financing options and putting a squeeze on our nation’s economy. Thankfully, the Federal Government recognized this fact and responded by passing legislation that increases the Rural Housing Service (RHS) commitment authority allowing guaranteed loans. The RHS is expected to announce new guidelines shortly after the president signs the bill; one anticipated change is a higher “guarantee fee” of 3.5% that can be folded into the mortgage and will enable the program to be self-sufficient.  

Homeownership is historically an instrumental part of the U.S. economic engine, so it’s critical that we take measures to ensure that the housing market has a strong foundation for sustainability. I would argue that by creating a program similar to the USDA’s for city dwellers, there is the potential to bring in hundreds of thousands of homebuyers annually and billions of dollars in state and local taxes every year, as well as higher Federal Income Tax revenue (click here to read a detailed analysis).

The success of the USDA’s Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program proves that alternatives to conventional loan products can be successful and result in responsible, long-term homeownership with low delinquency rates.  Now is the time to expand the market and create a down payment assistance program for urban homebuyers who face similar challenges to their rural counterparts. Perhaps it could be called the United States Down Payment Assistance program—or USDPA. Has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?

As always, thanks for reading.

Lennox

Signal Hill Ranch Concert Venue

115 Signal Hill Road, Twisp, WA 98856 (509) 996.6000

• Tue August 3 at 7:30 pm and Fri August 6 at 4:00 and 6:30 pm

Methow Valley Music Concert. Concert includes Beethoven, Barber, Shostakovich, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Arrowleaf Bistro

253 Riverside St, Winthrop, WA 98862 phone (509) 996.3919

• Thur August 5 at 7:00 pm

Methow Valley Music Concert - Student Quartet Performance

Confluence Gallery

104 Glover Street, Twisp, WA phone (509) 997.2787

• Sat August 7 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

A self-guided Methow Valley Home Tour – Theme: Recreational Retreats

Merc Playhouse

101 S Glover St, Twisp, WA 98856 (509) 997.2306 or (509) 997.7529

Live Theater - Tuesdays with Morrie

• August 6–August 22 Fri & Sat at 7:30 pm and Sun matinees at 2:00 pm

The play is based on the autobiographical story by Mitch Albom about an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor.

• Wed August 25 at 7:00 pm

Open mic , hosted by Marc Holm

Winthrop Town Trailhead

• Mon August 9 at 7:30 am

Summer Bird Walks

Winthrop Park Bandshell

• Sat August 28 Starts at 9 am and goes all day.

12^th Annual North Cascades Oldtime Fiddlers Contest

Cutthroat Classic

• Sat August 28, 2010

The Cutthroat Classic is an 11.1 mile trail run through the North Cascades, following the Pacific Crest Trail and over Cutthroat Pass. Be prepared for all weather conditions. The awards ceremony and random prize drawing will begin approximately 12:00 noon at the Mazama Community Center. More info at http://www.mvsta.com/summer/cutthroat.html

Twisp River Pub

201 Hwy 20, Twisp, WA 98856 phone (509) 997.6822

• Mon August 2 at 7:00 pm

Music Fest Open rehearsal

• Wednesday August 4, August 11, August 18, and August 25 at 6:30 pm-8:30pm

Jazz in the Beer Garden

• Fri August 6 at 9:00 pm

The Harmed Brothers - With Alder Streets All Stars play Bluegrass

• Fri August 13 at 7:00 pm

King Rich - Comedy Night w/guest opener $5 cover charge

• Sat August 14 at 9:00 pm

Massey Ferguson - Rock n Roll

• Sun August 8, August 15, August 22, and August 29 at 6:30 pm

Terry Hunt - Plays classical guitar in the Beer Garden

• Fri August 20 at 8:30 pm

Lasa Rose - Funky Folk para todos

• Sat August 21 at 9:00 pm

The Staxx Brothers - Soul and Hip-Hop - $5 cover

• Fri August 27 at 9:00 pm

Yogoman Burning Band - $5 cover

• Sat August 28 at 10:00 pm

Ben Bloom – Polyrhythmics bring the dance party for this end of summer throw-down!

Old Schoolhouse Brewery

155 Riverside Ave., Winthrop, WA 98862 (509) 996.3183

• Mon August 2 at 6:00 pm

Methow Valley Chamber Music - Student Quartet Presentation

• Thur August 5, August 12, August 19, and Thur August 26 at 7:00 pm

Jazz Journey

• Fri August 13 and Sat August 14 at 7:00 pm

Ravinwolf - Plays acoustic sagebrush blues

• Fri August 20 and Sat August 21 at 7:00 pm

Chris Eger Band - Plays blues, rock, funk

• Fri August 27 at 7:00 pm

Brad Pinkerton - Hosts Fiddlers’ Jam

• Sat August 28 at 7:00 pm

Jim Basnight - Rock n Roll, Soul, Punk, etc.

Trying To Time The Market