Real Estate
Former Burgerville site stuck in limbo
Developer: Planned apartments delayed by lending climate
It’s been nearly four months since Burgerville’s downtown hamburger stand met its demise under the brute force of dueling backhoes.
County to auction off tax-delinquent properties
Clark County will auction at least 53 properties in property tax foreclosure next week, Doug Lasher, county treasurer, said Wednesday.
Plans hint at possible Walmart grocery in Vancouver
Could a smaller, Walmart market-style grocery store be coming to the corner of Fourth Plain and Grand boulevards in Vancouver?
Chuck's Produce moves beer, wine dept.
Next-door location provides room to expand other products
Natural grocer Chuck’s Produce and Street Market has moved its beer and wine to a separate retail store next door to its Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard store to make way for an expanded health and beauty aid department.
Foreclosures in county down 29%
Lenders appear more willing to work with borrowers, some say
The number of Clark County homes in foreclosure fell dramatically in March, revealing a more compassionate side of the mortgage industry. Some say the sector’s new willingness to help borrowers with home-loan modifications led to the 29.2 percent one-month drop in local foreclosures, as reported by California-based RealtyTrac on Wednesday. In Clark County, there were 272 houses in some stage of foreclosure in March, down from February’s 384 foreclosures and 18.6 percent less than March 2010.
B.G. farmers win mortgage modification
Couple grateful for help received in 18-month fight
After finally saving their Battle Ground farm and house from foreclosure, Jacqueline and Joseph Freeman feel like they’ve shrugged off the weight of the world. In February, the Freemans’ monthly payment dropped from about $2,150 per month to $1,500 per month. But it took them 18 months of dogged effort, along with free advice from a local nonprofit housing resource center, the publicity of a newspaper story and help from the Vancouver office of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., before they were able to lower their house payment.
Tenders keep homes for sale cozy, ready to show
Contractors pay low monthly fee to live in houses
As if it weren’t hard enough to sell a home in Clark County, empty houses are even more difficult to showcase. Cold and dark dwellings without any furnishings are a turn off to buyers, said Karyn Slanina, co-owner of a Vancouver business aimed at solving the problem. Called Professional Property Tenders LLC, the company signs contracts with occupants who will live in vacant homes that are listed for sale. The contractor agrees to pay a low monthly fee, as well as utilities, and keep the homes in tip-top condition for showings and open houses.
Speaker: Housing has social value
United Way CEO spoke at fundraiser for resource center
A keynote speaker asked his Vancouver business audience to focus on the social value of the community’s housing stock instead of its economic worth at a Friday breakfast to benefit a local nonprofit housing resource center. But it’s difficult to separate the two, Marc Levy, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, said at the breakfast.
Demand booms, costs climb for rentals
Demand for apartments and rental homes is booming in Clark County, bringing a mix of good and bad news to the community.
Local foreclosures surge in February
Experts expect home sales market to remain stagnant
Clark County foreclosures spiked in February, according to a report from California-based RealtyTrac Inc. With home sales flat for the month, some local experts say the evidence points to prolonged dormancy in the housing market.
Clark County home sales ran to extremes in 2010
Tax credits inspired homebuyers in first half of year; market still recovering
Clark County home sales picked up through the first half of 2010, then dropped off again after the June 30 cutoff date for federal tax credits to first-time and move-up buyers.
