The statistics in the top two charts represent urban area homes and exclude rural properties. N/A means "No or Insufficient Activity" in the reporting period. Northwest Medford was split from West Medford in January 2009, therefore has limited sales history. Median price means the midpoint, with half of the sales being above and half below the listed number; it is not the same as average. Median prices reflect overall market trends and are not a measure of pricing for individual properties. Small sampling sizes can lead to wide variances in year to year comparisons.   The above material is my opinion and it is always recommended to seek qualified professional legal and financial advice when looking at your real estate sales and purchasing options.           01/12/2011

  REO/Short sales and inventories are not foreclosure rates. "Normal" indicates properties that do not require third party approval for the transaction. "REO" means Real Estate Owned, indicating bank or mortgage company ownership. "Short" stands for Short Sale, where third party approval is required for the transaction. Percentages of sales and inventories add up across the rows, but may not total exactly 100% due to rounding.     The above material is my opinion and it is always recommended to seek qualified professional legal and financial advice when looking at your real estate sales and purchasing options.           01/12/2011

If this is the Real Estate you are looking for in Southern Oregon, then look no further than the The Atlas Group.  At The Atlas Group we have a focus and experience on Distressed Property in Southern Oregon and know how to most efficiently get these types of transactions accepted and closed. We have access to all of the Short Sales and REO (Bank Owned Property) in Medford and all of Southern Oregon. We also have Foreclosure Lists of properties available before they hit the market as well. First choice in the Distressed Property Market in Southern Oregon is The Atlas Group.   Make it a GREAT day! Joe Yates The Atlas Group Medford Oregon Real Estate 541-944-9700 TAGBrokers.com MedfordOregonAgent.com Distressed Property Specialists- Foreclosure, REO, Short Sales   01/10/2011

Resolution- GET IN SHAPE!--- Is this for health reasons? To see the grand kids grow up? So that you can play more catch with the kids? Come on.... It's to look HOTTER....right? You see the commercials, "I went from a size "X" and now I'm down to a size "X" and look how good I look. (While in a little dress or bikini). Resolution- MAKE MORE MONEY!--- Is this to sock more money away for your kids college education? Or is it to start living a bit more like 2005?? ;-) , I'll concede this one....maybe a bit of both...   Have you ever resolved to "GET SMARTER" next year? As in... learn more, study more, grow more, become wiser and maybe a bit more conscious of what is happening around you.   **Just consider adding the resolutions of Reading more books (of substance), learning a bit more about... 12/31/2010

In some ways many of us are finding that we can't do the things for others that we could a few years ago and it has a tendency to weigh on us. The bad news is that it "is what it is" and this year we may feel we came up short. The good news is that even by having these feelings it means that you have a heart the wants to give... and that's REALLY good news.  We will set our sights on next year if we feel we want to do more of the material giving.... But for now let's "Do what we CAN do".... Let's remember that for some people even a bit of spare change, an extra small toy in the "Toys for Tots" bin, small food donation or clean, used coats and blankets to the local charity can make a big difference in their day and maybe their Christmas.  If we don't have any of those things, then there... 12/23/2010

  To Whom It May Concern: I am writing this letter to explain the unfortunate set of circumstances that has caused us to become delinquent on our mortgage. We have done everything in our power to make ends meet. But unfortunately, we have fallen short and would like you to consider working with us to allow a short sale. We would really appreciate the opportunity to work with you on this matter. The main reason that caused us to be late is (insert your reason here and be concise and to the point). With our income not being nearly enough, we had fallen further and further behind. It is our full intention to pay what we owe. However, it's now to the point where we cannot afford our current payments. We have exhausted all of our income and resources so we are turning to you for help. (State... 12/21/2010

12-21-2010Tax Consequences of a Short SaleIf the lender agrees to your short sale, in some cases the lender may possess the right to issue you a 1099 for the shorted difference, due to a provision in the IRS code about debt forgiveness. Many situations are exempt from debt forgiveness according to the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 however since I cannot legally provide any tax or legal advice you should speak to a tax accountant to determine the amount of short sale tax consequences and whether you can afford to pay those taxes, if any exist. Key Information Regarding the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 From the Governments Site. What is the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007?The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was enacted on December 2... 12/21/2010

Qualifieing for a Real Estate Short Sale isn't difficult.  If your home is worth less than you owe, you have a financial hardship that has affected your ability to pay for your mortgage you most likely qualify for a short sale. Now...it is important to understand what qualifies for a financial hardship.  A harship is created when circumstances over which a borrower has no control have occurred.  Either their income has decreased or their expenses have increased, marital separation or divorce, job loss, medical bills, military service, or death of a spouse or co-payer of the mortgage has happened, the mortgage must either already be in arrears and in danger of foreclosure, or the difficulty of meeting the monthly payment makes it a probable event in the immediate future...etc.  All Facts... 12/17/2010

I recently ran into someone who was told that their lender would not allow a short sale.  This seemed very odd to me as they seemed to meet all of the requirements of a short sale.  They had a huge drop in income...their property was way under water...they had a legitimate hardship. What happened was they were speaking to the debt collection department of their bank.  The debt collector basically lied to the borrowers to try to get them to pay their payment.  Of course it didn't work, but the borrowers let their house foreclose because they were told they couldn't short sale their home. Home owners need to know that their banks have three seperate departments that handle home owners in default.  Their is a Debt Collection department (or Recoverty Department), their is a Foreclosure Depa... 12/17/2010

Yes...this is a true story.  The sellers of the property has asked that their name name not be mentioned.  When the sellers went to sell their home...their home that was now about $250,000 under water...not to mention the 1,000's of dollars that was spent of their own money into the home...they had no idea what was about to take place.  Like normal the seller contacted their lenders (they had two) to inform them that they were going to have to do a short sale on their home.  The sellers at the time was still paying their payments but was draining their savings by almost $3,000 a month.  They informed their local bank that they no longer could afford to pay their payment. What happened next shocked everyone involved.  Once the seller informed their local bank in writing that they could ... 12/17/2010

Why is my Loan Modification Taking So Long: It is unclear how long it is supposed to take lenders to modify loans (or deny modifications) but many home owners are being forced to wait for months without any word except that their lender needs more information. In many cases, homeowners have been waiting 7 to 9 months and are being told that their file is still in processing.             Getting anyone from the banking industry to give you a straight answer to why it takes so long is pretty much impossible. Homeowners are being told that "...there are just so many loans being modified and that it just takes time." Others are being told nothing. However, if volume was the cause of the delays it would stand to reason that everyone should experience the same delays...and that isn't the cas... 12/16/2010

12-14-2010 Dear Neighbor's in Southern Oregon, You may have already heard about the free home selling strategy most commonly referred to as a real estate short sale and how people use them to avoid foreclosure . In fact, you might be in a situation yourself where you can no longer afford your mortgage and are facing foreclosure. If that's the case, a real estate short sale is quite possibly the perfect solution. My name is Jamie Batte and I've helped people just like you avoid foreclosure in all of Jackson and Josephine Counties (Including Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point, White City, Phoenix, Talent, Ashland, Gold Hill, Rogue River, Sams Valley, Shady Cove, Prospect, and Grants Pass), save their credit and live to fight another day using the short sale method and I'm certain that m... 12/14/2010

We just had a great presentation from Diana Yates of Action Realty in Meford, Oregon on HUD Owned Homes and how to go about helping our buyers purchase them. Until today we were not set up with HUD and wondered how difficult the process was to get set up and also how difficult the bid process would be on making offers...... GOOD NEWS, ....Neither is Difficult. We are getting set up today and the bid process is a piece of cake.  There are certain restrictions like an owner occupant first look period, all original docs to be sent in after acceptance, use blue ink, commission and earnest money guidelines etc... All told it looks very worth while and I am heading over to look at a HUD Owned Property this morning.  Thank you to Diana and her team for the time and education on this. For more ... 12/14/2010

I have an owner that lives out of state and after taking the listing and tenants moving out there was a lot of love needed! Yard was overgrown and out of control both front and back. A few things broken inside, garage full of junk and the filthy carpets smelled of dog. There was minimal room to move on price and not be a short sale and the seller has no dollars left. Soooooo.... Curb Appeal On My Dime!  In this day and age the inventory is full and you have to have both decent price and decent appeal. I could have let it sit with a sign in the yard for a year or I could pay to get everything cleaned up and done myself..... I decided to do the latter and it is under contract and the home inspection is being done today. :-) You will find that it is well worth the extra time and energy to ... 12/10/2010

Wow.... I walked by our local newspaper on the stand the other day and read a bit of the front page. It showed a picture of a poorer looking couple sitting on their couch and I immediately knew that it was another feel good story about how these unfortunate people were being helped by others...Nope. They were the "Helper" not the "Helpee" and my obvious assumption had been wrong....Way Wrong. This just went from a "Feel Good" story, to a "Feel Great" story. These "Unlikely Angels" as the paper headlined were helping a single mother with four kids... I will openly admit that I immediately teared up and did so again the next three times I tried to share the story with others.  They were aware of course that they don't have much (living in a trailer and one suffering from AIDS) but that th... 12/09/2010

"Operation Z" - The Scars of War Are Still With Us The attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on this date in 1941 was coded "Operation Z" by the Japanese Empire. As we remember our few remaining World War II Veterans, let us keep in mind the scars of war that also affect so many. I was born shortly after the war began, and never knew my father until he came home as a stranger in 1945.  We never shared that "special bond" that should have been there had we been together from the start of my life. For that reason, I always give special thanks; not only to those beloved Veterans who fought for our freedom, but also to the families that endured, and also suffered the internal scars of war. Does any war really have a winner? Thank you Veterans, and your families for our freedom. L'EST WE FORGET!   12/07/2010

Shhhh... Don't tell anyone but I was only kidding. I have always been amazed by those that either truly think that people don't buy this time of year or that like to convince themselves of this (and their spouse) so that they can't take a month off. I have been in the Lending/Real Estate biz for quite some time and I know "darn" good and well that there is plenty of business this time of year and I usually prove it by having one of my highest dollar months of the year every December. I know for a fact that a lot of my December success is due to my competition singing the "No Business this time of year song..."    I'm not sure of all the words but i think it goes something like... It's December, cold and rainy, people racing to and fro... I'd like to show some property, but I'm sure my b... 12/01/2010

Without Remembering To Pay Tribute To The Man It Was Named For! November 11th Is Veterans Day! I flew in and out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for years without realizing where it got its' name! It was named for Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare.  O'Hare and his wingman "Duff" Dufilho intercepted and shot down five Mitsubishi super bombers, and damaged another to save the U.S. aircraft carrier Lexington off New Guinea in February of 1942.  O'Hare received the Medal of Honor for single handedly saving the carrier. "Butch" O'Hare went on to further distinguish himself as a true American hero.  He was shot down in November of 1943, and was never recovered. Next time you're passing through O'Hare, give a thought to "Butch" O'Hare.  A life he saved may be one of yo... 11/10/2010

We went up to introduce ourselves a few months ago to new neighbors on the street behind ours when we heard sounds of a backhoe running in our hillside neighborhood. This property had an additional dwelling unit built on it a while back, which we didn’t think too much about – until we started having signs of destabilization on OUR property. Next thing we know, the ADU is torn down by the new owners, and we know there are issues. When that backhoe fired up, we went straight over to see if they were digging, and to let them know we suspected events taking place on their property were having a negative affect on ours – a large pine fell down, water started flooding our garage, cracks begin to appear, with a clear path of water coming from above. We were calm, no finger pointing, just wanti... 10/29/2010

The real estate market in Southern Oregon has a high percentage of foreclosure homes working their way through the inventory. One of those bank owned homes sold earlier this year on the street behind ours. We were sad to hear another local contractor had lost their home in this bad economy we are all struggling through. Maybe the new family will come with children that will be friends of ours…we hope for good, compatible neighbors every time one of the surrounding properties changes hands. We all want good neighbors, right?   We used to have a family next door to us, and our kids traveled back and forth between our homes all the time, and our families’ paths crossed time and time again at community events our common interests brought both families to. But they needed to move, and we don... 10/29/2010