Windermere Woodinville Blog

Thanks for considering our blog.  Much appreciated.

This historical figure from the 16th century built this church:

What is the name of the 16th century historical figure?

What is the popular name for the church?

Thanks for considering this blog.

Check Out the New Video Tour on the City’s Website:  Six videos which promote various aspects of the Woodinville community such as; quality of life; businesses, industry, and tourism; real estate; and education are now on-line and will soon play on Woodinville Television (Comcast Channel 21 or Verizon Channel 41).

The videos can be viewed on the City’s website at www.ci.woodinville.wa.us.  Click on the Woodinville Video Book Tour link and experience the special attributes of Woodinville. 

The series of videos were produced at no cost to the City and are a result of a partnership with CGI Communications; a New York-based video production and promotion firm that specializes in community image marketing.

Thanks for considering our blog.

New Tree Regulations:  On Tuesday, March 17, 2009, the City Council adopted the new tree regulations for the City of Woodinville. 

The new regulations were developed after months of work by city employees, the public, Tree Board, Planning Commission, and the City Council.  The regulations are designed to help preserve the community’s northwest woodland character. 

Residents are encourage to review the new tree regulations, which can be found on the City’s website at www.ci.woodinville.wa.us/Live/TreePreservation.asp or by reviewing the Tree Regulations Brochures available at City Hall and on the City’s website. 

If you have any questions, please contact Erin Martindale, Senior Planner, at 425. 877.2283.

Thanks for reading our blog.

More Happy Camper

Half of the NWMLS areas (18 vs.17) had less than six months supply (yellow & red).  The balanced areas increased from 5 in February to 17 in March.

Eastside sales are up 32% from February.

King County Sales for the week ended 4/1/09 were 37% higher than the previous six week average (493 vs. 359)!

Eastside sales up 60% for week ended 4/1/09 (136 vs. 85)

82% of Eastside closed residential transactions were under $750,000  

Thanks for reading our blog.

According to statistics provided by Move Inc., 23% of adults plan to purchase a home in the next five years, out of which 53.5% would be first time home buyers.

In the survey conducted detailing these results, they also found that 18.9% of homeowners plan to take advantage of the Obama administration’s foreclosure prevention programs.

Thanks for considering our blog.

On March 4th the Obama administration launched the Mortgage Relief Plan.  The Plan aims to help an estimated 9 million Americans stay in their homes by helping them qualify for cheaper mortgages. 

The Plan has two parts: (1) as many as 5 million homeowners will be able to refinance and end up with affordable fixed-rate loans; (2) up to 4 million homeowners will be eligible  to modify their loan terms.

The Refinancing Plan:

You must be a homeowner whose loans are with Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae in order to be eligible.  To determine if you’re covered:

1-800-FREDDIE

www.freddiemac.com/avoid/foreclosure

1-800-FANNIE

www.fanniemae.com/homeaffordable

• You cannot owe more than 105% of you home’s current value on your first mortgage.  If you have a second mortgage, you could still be eligible if your first mortgage isn’t over 105% of your home’s value.
• You must be the occupant of your home and you need to have enough income to make your new mortgage payments.
• You won’t be allowed to take out cash during the refinancing process to pay off other debts.
• The deadline for you to register for this Refinancing Plan is June 2010.

The Modification Plan:

• Only mortgages you have made on January 1, 2009 or earlier are eligible.
• Your total mortgage payments must be more than 31% of your monthly income.
• The home you are mortgaging must be your actual residence, it cannot be vacant, condemned or owned by someone else.
• If you live in a single family property with a loan larger than $759,750, you will not be able to register for the Modification Plan.
• To prove your eligibility, you need to provide your most recent tax return, two pay stubs, and an official “affidavit of financial hardship,” and explain why you are going through financial hardships.
• If you do qualify for the Modification Plan, you can only have your loans modified once.  The Modification Plan will only continue until December 31, 2012.

Thanks for considering our blog.

The week of March 16th was the highest King County weekly sales this year at 401!

Twelve NWMLS areas in King County are balanced markets (16 areas are buyers market with over 6 months supply)!  

Green in Buyer’s Market.  Red is Seller’s Market.  Yellow is Balanced Market.

Thanks for considering our blog.