Spokane Mayor Says City is Financially Strong

Spokane is fortunate to have a diverse economy that avoids wild swings up or down. Steady growth and a relative low cost of living helps make Spokane an attractive place to lice.

clipped from www.spokesmanreview.com Verner says state of the city is strong Spokane's finances much better off than nation's, she says Jonathan Brunt Staff writer October 14, 2008 Though federal leaders acted in ways that have thrown the nation's economy into turmoil, Spokane officials' foresight will help the city survive hard economic times, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said Monday in her annual state of the city address. "At the local level, we will feel the impacts of private-sector and federal government behaviors that arose from thinking in the short term without appropriately planning for long-term consequences," Verner said, noting Congress' recent $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. "That is not the legacy we want to leave for Spokane's future generations." The mayor said she will soon present to the City Council a balanced budget for 2009 and 2010. "In these economic times, I would venture to say that most cities are struggling just to balance 2009, maybe even 2008," she said.

Spokane Commercial MLS Alternative

Try this interactive web site to help your business find the right property to lease or purchase.

clipped from www.redorbit.com Regional Site Selector Off to Good Start, Backers Say By Crompton, Kim The Spokane Regional Site Selector, a Web site that allows visitors to identify and research quickly available commercial properties here online, had a strong first year and is proving to be a multifaceted resource, say members of the consortium that established it. The economic-development tool, at www.selectspokane.com, notched nearly 129,000 page views in its first 12 months of operation, ended June 13, according to data gathered using Google's Urchin Web- traffic analyzing software. Mark McLees, a commercial real estate broker here with NM Black and last year's president of the Spokane Traders Club, which is made up of commercial brokers from throughout the Spokane area, says, "It's been a great tool. There are only a few really good Web sites that commercial brokers use and this is one of the three that are good." Visitors can search for properties by type and size, parcel number

Spokane Home Idea Show - This Weekend

Looking for ideas for your Spokane Home. Check out this show at the fairgrounds.

clipped from spokane.onethousandthingstodo.com 30th Annual Spokane Fall Home Idea Show clipped from spokane.onethousandthingstodo.com by Sweyo on 10/10/08 at 7:47 pm This evening after work we headed to the 30th Annual Spokane Fall Home Idea Show to see what new products, new ideas and new inventions we could find. The Spokane Fall Home Idea Show is at the Spokane Fair & Expo Center (404 N. Havana Street). It cost us $6 per person to get in and kids 12 an under are free. If you are military or a senior admission is only $4. As we wondered the isles, we saw everything from Tupperware, house plans, insurance, decking companies, cabinet companies, plumbers, roofers and contractors. We go every year to get some ideas to inspire us on our own home. This year there were many more “green” vendors then in the years past which was nice as it gives ideas to make big changes or little changes in our life. If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend (October 11-12) I would definitely stop by the Spokane Fall Home Idea Show to get some inspiration for your home.

Ski Resort Housing Development on Hold

A period of waiting for demand to return is probably wise. Otherwise the inventory would sit idle and over supply dampen values.

clipped from www.spokanejournal.com Ski resort will ‘wait and see’ on big project 49 Degrees North cautious about big housing project, to go ahead with lift, runs By  Jeanne Gustafson 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort says it has adopted a “wait and see” stance on a proposed $1 billion real estate development there it had announced last year, based on the troubled economy. Owner John Eminger had unveiled a master plan for the property that eventually could include more than 2,700 new homes and apartments, along with hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, retail outlets, and related infrastructure constructed over a period of 15 to 20 years. “We are being prudent businessmen,” Wolther says. “Before we dive into a multimillion-dollar development we want to be sure the area is doing well.”

High Volume, Low Price, Hassle-Free Mortgages

Comparatively low pricing on mortgages, should be a benefit for home buyers. Although the offices are in Kellog and Couer d'Alene they are licensed to sell mortgages in Idaho and Washington with other states planned.

clipped from www.spokanejournal.com Dave Smith now selling mortgages Big Kellogg car dealership says lending unit’s addition unrelated to auto slowdown By  Mike McLean Dave Smith Motors, the high-volume motor-vehicle dealership based in Kellogg, Idaho, has added home mortgages to its product mix. The dealership has created a new department called Dave Smith Home Loans, which is operating in a 600-square-foot office in the main dealership building in Kellogg and in a second, 1,600-square-foot location above the service center at Dave Smith Frontier Sales, in Coeur d’Alene, says Matt Smith, president of the new operation. Dave Smith Frontier Sales is a used-car outlet.  Dave Smith Home Loans applies the high-volume car dealership’s one-low-price, “hassle-free buying” philosophy to home loans, with the intent of making money through volume, he says. “We thought Dave Smith Motors has a nice captive audience,” Smith says, referring to the dealership’s reputation for comparatively low pricing.

Pending Homes Sale Rise

Offers to purchase homes rose across the nation in August. When these sales close the cash that flows upon completion may give the US economy a little pick up compared to if the sales had been flat.

clipped from www.spokesmanreview.com Nationwide pending home sales rose 7.4 percent in August Economists had forecast slight drop Associated Press October 9, 2008 WASHINGTON – Pending home sales rose 7.4 percent from July to August, an unexpected piece of positive news for the battered U.S. housing market. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday its seasonally adjusted index of pending sales for existing homes rose to 93.4 from an upwardly revised July reading of 87. The reading was the highest since June 2007. Home sales are considered pending when the seller has accepted an offer, but the deal has not yet closed. Typically there is a one- to two-month lag before a sale is completed. A major unknown is how the worldwide financial crisis and economic slump will affect the housing market. Despite numerous efforts by the Federal Reserve to encourage banks to lend more, lenders have kept tight reins on mortgage lending, and average rates on 30-year mortgages have remained over 6 percent for most of the year.

Spokane Attracts with Families with "Top 100" Award

Spokane Washington continues to be a major destination for families looking to move to a great community when their major focus is to benefit their children. People searching for a great place for young people normally study the amenities and characteristics of many target communities and time and again relocate to Spokane because of its great combination of features contributing to a nurturing environment. Most people searching and evaluating alternative communities also quickly recognize the great values Spokane homes offer prospective home buyers. Spokane has what it takes to attract families and this fact was recently confirmed by Colin Powell's America's Promise Alliance.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell founded America's Promise in 1997 to provide leadership, encouragement and recognition for communities providing wholesome environments which permit young people to grow and thrive. America's Promise Alliance believes communities owe a moral obligation its children and express this obligation in "Five Promises." America's Promise works to encourage the fulfillment of these promises and to recognize excellent communities that achieve them. The Five Promises are: Caring Adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, An Effective Education and Opportunities to Help Others. Studies show cities providing more of these promises to the community produce children more likely to avoid violence, contribute to their communities and achieve high grades in school. Achieving these Five Promises also helps to mitigate gaps across racial and economic boundaries.

To recognize and reward communities successful at achieving the Five Promises America's Promise Alliance created a competition with an award called the "100 Best Communities for Young People". The "100 Best" is a competition based on a community's attention to the issues facing young people. For the 2008 competition cycle more than 750 communities applied to compete for recognition of their hard work providing a great place young people to achieve success. The most recent results of the competition were announced recently in Washington DC on September 22-23, 2008.

Spokane Washington exemplifies the realization of the Five Promises and has won a place in the 2008 "100 Best Communities for Young People" as selected by America's Promise Alliance, based in Washington DC. Actually, Spokane Washington has won this award for the third consecutive time and is one of only 43 cities in the United States to receive this recognition three straight times.

Spokane, the easternmost city in Washington State, was chosen as one of the "100 Best" due to their fulfillment in upholding the Five Promises. In Spokane an extraordinary partnership of business leaders, social service agencies, media and other community partners, launched a campaign, "Our Kids: Our Business," to inform the community about the threat of abuse to our children and the impact it has not only on children's lives and the community.

According to America's Promise Alliance, "Spokane is a progressive community supported by a dynamic network of organizations and business leaders committed to the success of its youth," according to program materials. "In Spokane, it's about developing relationships with youth, connecting them with resources and growth opportunities, and empowering them to be the best they can be."

Spokane Washington focuses on developing relationships with youth, connecting them with resources and growth opportunities, and empowering its young people to achieve. Garnering praise, recognition and awards from Forbes, Fortune and National Geographic Adventure magazines, among others, Spokane does not work for the “awards” but the “rewards”—seeing its children thrive and succeed.

These efforts creating a great community for young people have also been noticed by the general public. United States migration studies show Spokane attracts families from all across our nation. As a Spokane Realtor many people search my we site from many regions around the country everyday. I have personally helped people from California, Nevada, Montana, Illinois, Minnesota, Wyoming and Texas this year. In addition to being a great place for young people to thrive Spokane has great climate and weather, a diverse and stable economy with a wide variety of industries and a very affordable housing market. All of these features in our community makes Spokane real estate very attractive keeping