Isn't The Market Horrible?

It's Just Different

I get asked this question on a regular basis. Continually, I let people know "no, it is not a horrible market". It is a different market than the one we experienced a couple years ago. Not horrible, just different. Actually, the market is much more normal now than it was then. As a real estate professional I feel like I have a better grip on the market and how to price properties.

Throwing Darts At A Dart Board Is Not The Way To Price Properties

Unfortunately this is how things were being priced back then by a lot of people. Even then, the prices were being escalated into heights unheard of. The demand was there and the inventory wasn't. Mixed with low interest rates and way to relaxed lending policies disaster was inevitable (as we all now know).

What About Now?

People will always need to sell homes and buy homes. This will not change. For those buying with nothing to sell, welcome to an incredible place to be! You are in a market that still has historically low interest rates and prices that are getting back into the place they should be. It is an amazing time to be purchasing a home or investment property.

If you are selling, remember you will not get what you "might have gotten" two years ago. That is the way of the market. If you have owned your home for more than three years you should still have made a great profit on your investment. Owned it for more than five years? Even better. Look at the return on your investment over that period of time, not "how much you lost" since the anomaly in the real estate market. Plus, if you are buying after you sell, you will pick up the same advantage of great prices as a buyer.

Questions?

If you have any questions about buying or selling, please don't hesitate calling or emailing me. That is why I'm here. To counsel and advise in all your real estate needs.

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Guide
The Chumbley Team

A Walk In The Park: Cottonwood Beach

Cottonwood Beach In Washougal, WA
Originally uploaded by dalechumbley

Captain William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach in Washougal is a great place to enjoy the beautiful sunny days that we have been having. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark established a camp at Cottonwood Beach on March 31, 1806, while they secured provisions for the return trip through the Columbia River Gorge and points east.

Today, acres of riverfront property on this site have been developed into a beautiful park. There are walking, biking, and equestrian trails as well as picnic shelters and historic interpretive elements for your whole family to enjoy. The beach at the park is a great place for summer sunning, swimming, and play. Located at the intersection of S. Index Street and S. 32nd Street in Washougal, Captain William Clark Park is one of Clark County’s gems and a great place to enjoy the beauty of the Columbia River and the entrance to the Gorge!

Take care,

Chris Hyde
Dale Chumbley

In Honor Of Memorial Day

To honor all those who have served and sacrificed,thank you is not enough! For those who have served and continue to serve, all my thanks to you as well.



Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

Willie Nelson Seen On Main St In Vancouver, WA

Yes, that is correct. Yesterday Willie Nelson was spotted on Main Street downtown Vancouver. He can be found on the wall at 704 Main Street, Vancouver, WA.

Not everyone realizes that he moved to Vancouver, WA in 1956 to begin a musical career, recording "Lumberjack," which was written by Leon Payne. The single sold fairly well, but did not establish a career. Willie continued to work as a radio announcer in Vancouver and sing in clubs.

While walking around I photographed a bunch of buildings and other fun features along Main Street. I also ventured over to Washington Street a bit. You may see the entire collection of photos here.

I hope you enjoy and feel free to pass this along.

Take care,

Dale Chumbley
Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

I-5 Bridge In Lifted Position

I-5 Bridge In Up Position
Originally uploaded by dalechumbley

The I-5 bridge is a lift bridge that is nearing the end of its life. As the task force continues to move forward the odds are that our old green bridge will one day be gone.

I happened by the bridge while both spans were in the upright position recently and grabbed a little video of it. Surprisingly enough, not everyone sees this happen here in Vancouver. A close friend of mine has lived here for over 6 years and had never seen it in the up position.

Here is the chance for everyone to see this.

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

Driving to Fort Vancouver...

Driving to Fort Vancouver
Originally uploaded by dalechumbley

Here is a little video of me driving down Blandford Drive heading to Fort Vancouver for the day.

Had a wonderful time at the Fort and you can see all the photos here.

If you haven't been to Fort Vancouver recently or ever, you should check it out.

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

I-5 Bridge Through The Cannon

Fort Vancouver
Originally uploaded by dalechumbley

I spent an afternoon at Fort Vancouver last week with my daughter. It was a beautiful sunny day with tons of wonderful photo opportunities. Here is a fun little picture of the I-5 Bridge through one of the cannons.

Now that the sun is coming out, I would recommend making a trip to check it out. Tons of history and a very relaxing day indeed.


Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

In Honor of Joyo, Japan; Vancouver, WA Sister City

Did you know that Vancouver, WA has a sister city in Japan.  Joyo and Vancouver have officially been sister cities since late 1995.  Our local Rotary Club and theirs initiated the relationship.

The City of Joyo is between two ancient capitals of Japan: Kyoto and Nara.  Joyo is only 12.64 square miles with a population of 82,220 in 2005.  Joyo even has even built a replica of our Fort Vancouver.  Pretty cool if you ask me.

So, to honor them I figured we should talk about a Japanese tradition.

Today, the third day of the third month is Hina Matsuri (Japanese Doll Festival or Girls' Day)

On this day, the families with young girls decorate the ceremonial dolls and display them in a tiered platform setting.  They do this to ensure their daughter's future happiness by capturing any bad spirits.  You may read all about this festival here.

I'd like to thank my friend and fellow Realtor Sarah Cooper in West Virginia for telling me about this day and helping me to realize a little about our sister city that I didn't know much about.

 

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Life In Clark County
The Chumbley Team

Technorati Tags: Vancouver WA,Joyo Japan,sister city,Fort Vancouver,Hina Matsuri,hinamatsuri,Girls Day

Potential New I-5 Bridge Unveiled

Ever try and get to Portland, OR in the morning on a weekday?  Or try and come into Vancouver, WA in the afternoon?  If you answer yes to either of these questions then you know how badly we need a replacement bridge along I-5 crossing the Columbia River.

The northbound portion of the Interstate Bridge was built in 1917 and the southbound section was built in 1958.   While this old lift bridge has been a good bridge, it is an old, tired bridge.  For a complete history you may go here.

The Columbia River Crossing task force was created in 2001 to explore alternative solutions for the 135,000 cars that travel our bridge each day.  After lots of different options and many different drafts the newest potential Interstate Bridge crossing from Vancouver, WA into Portland, OR may look something like this...

What do you think?  I think it will be nice to have a better traffic flow across the Columbia River into our wonderful city of Vancouver.

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Life In Clark County
The Chumbley Team

Technorati Tags: I-5 Bridge,Vancouver WA,Clark County WA,Portland OR,downtown Vancouver,new bridge,Columbia River

MEME- It Shouldn’t Be About ME, But Today It Is…

I got tagged to write a meme by Blog By The Bay's Ginger Wilcox.  What is a meme?  Basically, in the blog world, a meme is a question that is asked on one blog and answered on another.  SO in this meme chain, Ginger tagged me and asked me to (1) list 7 things about myself, (2) tag 7 4 people to do the meme on themselves including a link to their site. 

It is all in the name of good fun, and probably helps with "transparency" too.  So here are 7 random things, all about ME!

1. I am born and bred in Vancouver, WA. I was born at Memorial Hospital downtown Vancouver  and have lived every day of my life here.  You can draw a radius of about 5 miles and hit every home I've ever lived in.
2. I met my wife Bridget working at Chicago Title back in 1993.  She started working there the day after me and we became great friends, dated and got married.  Hard to believe it's been almost 15 years!
3. My family roots in Clark County go back to the early 1890's!  Yes, you read that right, the 1890's.  My great-great grandfather Sylvester Huffman and his brother owned and logged land in Hayes, WA and then moved into the Amboy, WA area.  They also owned 40 acres that was the first saw mill in Amboy, WA.  My great grandfather followed in the logging and my grandfather worked the lumber mill his whole career.  I now sell homes made of that lumber.  I believe my families commitment to Clark County is pretty significant.
4. In 1997 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease (I was staged IV-B).   After a full year of prayer, chemotherapy and the support of a loving family and friends I will celebrate 10 years cancer free this July!
5. I have two siblings.  My brother Darin is a dancer and photographer in New York City.  He lives in Hell's Kitchen and has for 15 years!  His photo website is www.DoItDigitalPhotography.com.  My sister Lori still lives here in Vancouver, WA.  She is a stay at home mom taking care of her baby girl.
6. My family has been full time in the real estate business for over 20 years.  We are a team made up of my mom, myself and my wife.  Tracy my mom has over 20 years experience.  I was licensed in 1994 and have been full time with the team almost 5 years.  Bridget is our unlicensed behind the scenes teammate.  She is really the brains of our team.
7. I love to play Texas Hold Em.  We host a fairly regular event at our house.  I have been down to the WSOP the last 2 years.  Haven't played in any events yet.  Just watched.  Hopefully one day soon I'll get a chance to play in one.  Also love to cruise.  My kids have been on 6 cruises each.  How sick is that?   Favorite type of cruise is a Card Player Cruise.  They are the best of both worlds!

 

 

As for tagging, the following people are it (I don't regularly perpetuate such things but thought it would be good to find out a few new facts about the following):

• Sarah Cooper-The Putnam Scoop
• Rich Jacobson-SoundBiteBlog.com
• Dustin Luther-4Realz.net
• Daniel Rothamel- Real Estate Zebra

I can’t wait to read about all of you!!

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Life In Clark County
The Chumbley Team

Technorati Tags: Meme,Clark County WA,Amboy WA,Hayes WA,logging,Hodgkin's Disease,real estate,texas hold em,Card Player Cruises,photography

One hundred years young in Vancouver, WA

I am most excited for one of my seller's. His home was just featured in the Sunday Oregonian on January 13th, 2008. They did a story on 100 year old homes and his was one of two featured.

The process of restoration is not an easy task and it is one that he has done beautifully. You may find more about this home at www.VintageUrbanHomes.com. Here is a video of the home as well.



Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

Vintage Urban Homes

Today we have four new listings coming on the market. All are classic vintage homes downtown Vancouver. They range in age from the turn of the century to the mid 1930's. I have created a site where you can look at the flyers and will be able to view video slideshows once I have them finished.

Pricing will range between $329,900 to $529,900. Two of the houses have apartments that could be used as rentals as well. All are beautifully restored and ready to move into.

Check out Vancouver, WA Vintage Urban Homes to check out these wonderful homes.

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

Clark County's New Land Bridge

That's what this thing is. You probably have wondered as I have what they are building across Hwy 14 as you pass by Fort Vancouver. This is a natural path 40' wide crossing which will reconnect the Fort to our waterfront.

Back in the day you used to be able to walk from one to the other and as growth has happened this link was broken. Now this link is being rebuilt. This will hopefully provide a renewed appreciation of our long history with our very own Fort Vancouver and the Hudson's Bay Trading Company. Our waterfront has become a great place to enjoy wonderful food, incredible views and even a little excercise. Now that trail becomes just a little bit longer.

Through the efforts of Confluence Project members, the National Park Service, the City of Vancouver and the Washington State Department of Transportation this has been able to happen. The estimated cost of this project is $12.25 million and was funded through federal, state and private funding.

Completion of this project is slated for the end of 2007. Once it is complete make sure and get out there and take a walk to enjoy this great new feature in beautiful Clark County.

Take care,

Dale Chumbley

Clark County Real Estate Blog
The Chumbley Team

Thank you for the memories Uncle Milt...

I was saddened this morning when I read that Uncle Milt passed away last week.

Then I stopped and remembered all the wonderful memories I have from Uncle Milt's Pizza Company. That made me smile. If you lived in Clark County between 1979 and 1999 you undoubtedly ate there at one point or another. It was truly the family place to be.


As a child we would laugh at the funny old black and white silent films while the mighty Wurlitzer would play along creating the mood of the film (will the train hit her?). We would wait anxiously for the bubble machine to pour pure enjoyment down from the ceiling and there was nothing better than a visit from the one and only Pink Panther. These were good times.

During any of the sporting seasons you always went to Uncle Milt's after your game. Pizza, video games and hanging with friends was the theme. I still remember running down the ramped hallways to get to the arcade. At the end of the season you always went there for your team party. It was not unusual for a bunch of teams to be there at the same time. Fun was to be had by all. These were good times.

When we got a little older we would go after a school game or dance. It was a wonderful place to visit with friends. The pizza was reasonable and the atmosphere was perfect. We could hide away in the balcony and feel like we were in our own world. These were good times.

Yes, Uncle Milt, you created a fabulous place for this community to be just that... a community! You may be gone and pizza may not be served anymore, but the memories you gave us will live on forever. Thank you for the good times!

Memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at 11:00 AM. It will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 309 W. 39th St., Vancouver, WA.

Please feel free to leave any memories you may have on here as well.

Take Care,

Dale
The Chumbley Team