Buying a Home Now Is A No-Brainer

Is now the right time to invest in a house?
Trick question. Actually, it's two questions.
Question No. 1: Is now the time to buy?
Question No. 2: Is buying a house a good investment?



The first answer is easy: With a few exceptions, if you have 20% to put down and good credit, now is a great time to buy. That's been the case all year, and I'd argue that we're probably closer to the end than to the beginning of the really great time. Let me explain.

Back in January home prices had dropped 28% from their peak. More important, interest rates were at historical lows. By locking in a mortgage for 15 or 30 years on a value-priced home, you were getting an incredible deal, even if home prices decreased.

At the time, I thought that prices and rates were more likely to rise than fall. I was half right: Home values have been inching up since the spring, but mortgage rates, incredibly, dropped further.

By August (the latest numbers available) the median home price had risen 1% over a year ago, but 30-year rates had dropped a half-point to 4.5%. Assuming 20% down and a 30-year mortgage, the total cost of owning a median-priced home is now down $16,000 from a year ago.

Home values may waffle over the coming year, but because Americans take out such large, long mortgages, rates are what really matter. And I am more likely to grow hair than see 30-year mortgage rates drop below 4%. It's far more likely that rates (and the cost of ownership) will rise.

Now for question No. 2: Is a house a good investment?

First, it depends on what you mean by investment. If your definition is strictly about dollars returned, a house probably won't be a great use of your capital. If you bought the median-priced house today with 20% down, to recoup your total costs (and I'm not including property taxes and maintenance here) over three decades, the home's value would have to rise about 3% a year.

That's likely, but you'll almost certainly (we all hope) do much better than that in the stock market. The fact is, however, that that's the normal case for housing; the booms that began after World War II and in the late 1990s were the exceptions.

That said, the key point to remember is this: Buying a fairly priced home at today's rates may be the best deal you will ever get. And who knows? It may even turn out to be a good investment.



Courtesy of CNNMoney

Fun Facts about the Holiday Season

Santa Claus may live in the North Pole according to all those holiday stories, but did you also know that there’s a Santa Claus, Ind. (population 2,303) and a Santa Claus, Ga. (247)? And we can’t forget about Noel, Mo. (1,615); Snowflake, Ariz. (5,686); and, for those reindeer lovers, both the village of Rudolph, Wis. (418) and Dasher, Ga. (821).

Here are some other fun facts to share with your family and friends this season, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau:

• Potato latkes are a staple of Hanukkah celebrations, and in 2009 50.9% of potatoes in the U.S. were produced in Idaho and Washington.

• Last year, 14 percent of sales for department stores in all of 2009 occurred in December (the figure was 21 percent for jewelry stores).

• Book store sales jumped 98 percent from November to December, 2009.

• $1.2 billion of candles were shipped in 2008 by U.S. manufactures, and candles play a big part in a variety of holiday celebrations.

• Holly Springs, Miss., and Mount Holly, N.C. are just two of a dozen places named Holly in the United States.

• The U.S. is expected to have a population of more than 311 million once 2011 arrives.

May the rest of your holiday season be safe and joyful, and wishing you a very happy new year!

Information courtesy of AlaskaUSA mortgage

Whidbey Island Campgrounds & Parks

We would like to introduce to you some of the awesome parks on beautiful Whidbey Island. Whidbey Island has parks for every interest and includes dry camping, partial and full hookups. Some with a water view and some in woodsy areas, you get to pick. We've included some other fun events and activities you may want to partake in while you are camping in the surrounding areas of the parks. Whidbey Island has some of the best dungeness crab, all types of clams, mussels, and fishing found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, especially salmon.

If you ever decide to take a trip to Washington state, Whidbey Island should be on your list of places to visit. If you are going to come experience Whidbey be sure to do it during June through September, for the best weather. Fortunately we do not have as much rain as Seattle does because we are in a rain shadow, but we do have a few gray days. The temperature during those months is very mild and ranges from 60 to 80 degrees in the warmer months of July and August. Whidbey Island is approximately 2-1/2 hours drive north of Seattle.

It's a pretty drive that will bring you to Deception Pass Bridge, where your eyes will not be able to fully take in the spectacular views from the top of this bridge. Whidbey Island is approximately 50 miles in length and has many quaint small towns. The summers on Whidbey Island are so pleasurable and pleasant - as you will find out for yourself.

When you complete the drive all along Whidbey Island, you will reach the town of Clinton which is the southern most town. This is where you can take the Mukilteo ferry which will take you to Mukilteo on the mainland, and then onto I-5 towards Seattle. Those are the only two ways to drive onto Whidbey Island, unless you have your own boat or fly in on a small plane. There is a small air strip which allows small planes to come and go to Whidbey.
Our goal in this blog is to bring you as much information about our beautiful parks, areas of interest, events and other places to stay. Each article features a different park with a link to more information online for reservations and pricing. We hope you find it helpful. Happy camping to you all!

Entrance to Deception Pass State Park

1st Park - Deception Pass State Park
Deception Pass State Park has to be the most popular state park in the state of Washington. It features a very large camping area for RV's and for tents some with dry camping and full hook ups. There are 167 tent sites and 143 utility spaces. 5 hiker/biker sites, two dump stations, 7 restrooms and 6 showers. These sites are spread out in three different locations in the park. The maximum campsite length is 60 feet.


Deception pass bridge as seen from the
state park beach area below.



In the park you can walk to Cranberry lake, go for a swim in the warmer summer months or fish right off the edge of the lake. There is also a walking beach area where your view of the bridge is amazing. Take a picnic lunch and sit on the picnic tables and just have a fun day where the kids can play along the shoreline. You can also fish for salmon right off the shore under the bridge. This is an area where salmon are in abundance when the salmon are running.

At Deception Pass State Park you are close to Fidalgo Island which is just north of the bridge, yet just a few minutes drive to Oak Harbor. Whatever it is you decide to do at this park for relaxation and pleasure - it has it all.

Information & Photos contributed by: Mary Gaines