Have You Blogged Today? A Novice’s Experience.

Posted on November 11, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

The meanderings of Gayle Rich-Boxman,Realtor in the middle of nowhere

Normally I  write all about my dream-come-true place where I live and get to work out my real life passion of doing real estate (and actually make money at it, which many can’t say is happening in this economy right now), but I am looking around at all of these successful Bloggers and realize what a beginner I am at this.  It took me eons just to figure out what the actual word BLOG meant, and I’m STILL questioning whether or not I got it right: business log?? Heck, I dunno. It’s like asking about where certain phrases come from like Dead as a Doornail….I recall reading that in a Dickens novel.  However I had used it for years before discovering it in one of his books, but honestly, can anyone really explain what THAT means??

Okay, so I’m rambling here, but it IS interesting to see what people blog ABOUT. Just about ANYTHING and everything and I’m totally self-taught and stumbling around the blogging world trying to understand the lingo.  I figured out the tagging part, sticking neat little phrases onto your article to hopefully capture the interest of the world at large or simply ONE person out there who seems genuinely fascinated by whatever intriguing piece of knowledge you have that makes you stand out from the bunch. I’m clueless on so many of the other blogging phrases (pings? that’s a golf club, from my recollection) that I’ll venture out occasionally to meander through the definitions only to find myself lost in some other cyberspace arena and don’t know how I got there. 

I do know how to put photos into my blogs and since I take most of them, thank GOD it’s one area I have covered! I have written newsletters and journals for years and years, so I’m not afraid of the stream-of-consciousness stuff that some bloggers are really adept at and I can get into the flow because writing is really enjoyable not like doing the dishes which I hate. 

 It’s been about six months and the biggest number of hits I got was the day I started, I think. I haven’t figured that out, either. Sheesh! You know what’s nice, though? I keep at it, I get excited when my graph of views goes up, even if it’s incremental…it still feels GOOD. And a “word to the wise” from the Blogging Gods: Keep at it. Be patient.  Blog often. All things I can do. Simple stuff!

So,you WordPress people have given me Blogging Words to Live By. Which, frankly work for a whole lotta learning curves in this road of life! Thanks, guys.

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Real Estate Options: private contracts….are they out there?

Posted on November 7, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

By Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker with Vernonia Realty

Direct: (503)755-2905

As people are finding it more and more difficult to get conventional financing, sellers and buyers are getting more creative in the options for buying/selling properties, both vacant lots and (even) homes. Lately, I’ve had a large list of sellers offering vacant lots with contract terms that can be quite reasonable. If you have some cash, then you can work out terms that are amenable to both parties. You can do 20% down, and the owner can carry a contract for a number of years at a slightly higher interest rate than the going prime rate of interest (because the owner essentially acts as the bank) and set it out to have a balloon payment in three, five, ten years or more with no prepayment penalty. That’s just one formula that has worked at Fishhawk Lake for a number of my clients in the last few years. I had one client who sold his lot to buyers who needed to sell a rental, but didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to buy a lakefront lot that they would later build on. They wrote the contract out for a ten year term, but the buyers sold their rental within 6-8 months and paid him off in less than a year.  Doing something like this allows the seller to get out from under the responsibility of the HOA fees and the taxes and they have at least a small sum in their pockets, both at closing and monthly thereafter.

Right now, I have a builder who’s open to contract terms on his new home. If you have no credit, but a solid work history and a good down payment, then  you can work on establishing credit for a year by showing the payments you make on the home and also work on getting some other form of credit established, show a paper trail with your house payments and possibly look at getting a loan from a private lender, or credit union a year down the road. I wouldn’t try large banks or large lenders (Wells Fargo, for example) because they’ll either refuse you or put you through months of wasted energy and frustration with no positive outcome.

We’re all trying to come up with creative solutions to this economic downturn and if you have a willing buyer and a willing seller, and a good and ethical realtor, then you can make everyone happy!

                                            

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Wildlife Sightings at the Lake

Posted on November 2, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker with Vernonia Realty, Fulltime Fishhawk Lake resident

www.lakehomesatfishhawk.com

Have you ever seen an otter?  A few weeks ago was the first time I had the joy of watching not one, but TWO in action. It was delightful. My neighbor, a southern Californian who loves her visits here in her vacation home that I sold to her and her husband this spring, was on the phone with me, when suddenly in excited tones she exclaimed, “There’s an otter right in front of my dock!” I immediately grabbed my binoculars and just in time, because she told me it was heading my way. One turned into two and they were slipping in and out of the water as if they were playing Tag-You’re It…but as I found out only seconds later, they were hunting for fish. One came up with a cutthroat trout in its mouth and to my delight, turned towards me to juggle it into its mouth and then downed it in two chomps.  This is a memory that will always stay with me as I’d heard that we had otters up here, but hadn’t seen any in the 7-8 years we’ve owned property up here.

River Otter at Fishhawk Lake, Courtesy of Darlene Geyer

My neighbor was able to barely catch this photo a couple of days later just before her dogs barked and it disappeared under the water.

This river otter, its scientific name Lutra Canadensis range in size from 3-4′, which includes its 12-18″ tail. They are quite large in the water, weigh from 15-25 lbs. and are part of the weasel family. Their favorite food is fish, but they will also enjoy frogs, turtles, snakes, rodents, crayfish (which we have here), etc. I’ve heard the sound they make while their heads are above water, and just before I realized what it was, I thought it was a beaver with an asthma condition!  It was snuffling along heading towards us just after we’d been on a boat ride with an artist and his wife, Jeffrey Hull, from Cannon Beach. He quickly tried to grab his camera, but the critter submerged and it was too late to get a shot.

I’ve read that they are solitary creatures except when they pair up for mating, so I might have gotten to see something special just before they mated…you never know!

 We have just recently moved onto the lake and what a glorious time, with the changing of the seasons, the stupendous colors and nature’s daily show for my husband and me to parktake in. My husband’s favorite scene: early in the morning, when the water’s completely glassy and is a mirror image of the landscape surrounding it.

Another set of lakefront experiences we’ve enjoyed is watching the set of birds that are alighting on the lake before heading off to parts unknown. The Bufflehead has been a striking black and white bird, with a roundish head.

It’s the smallest diving duck in North America.  I’ve seen both males and females, the female as usual being the understated version of the male as seen below.

We’ve also had Canadian Geese and I’ve seen them around here sporadically for years, with one who either ended up lost or “widowed” and has wintered here alone.  We’ve had Mallards and pairs that stick around through the seasons and mate. Sometimes the small ones make it, sometimes they don’t.

 Male Mallard at Fishhawk Lake, Photo by Gayle Rich-Boxman

 

 

 

Canadian Goose 

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Mergansers and loons are another type of duck or waterfowl that has shown up here in our slice of paradise.

Merganser

                                                                                                                                       Common Loon

This time of year while bringing loads of rain, also brings a nice treat to those of us who get to be here for the annual salmon spawning that occurs in several of our creeks and at the fishladder located at the southern end of our lake on Northshore Drive starting approximately in November and going through the winter season. It’s really something to watch their struggle to make it upstream to their spawning grounds and they can be prolific some years, as in the season of ’09-/10 when they were seen clear into March of 2010. You can stand on the banks and watch dozens of them in the creeks. I’ve gotten a few close-up photos in years past.

 

     This photo was taken 12/29/06 Gayle Rich-Boxman

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Homeowners Association at Fishhawk Lake….Disspelling the Myth of the Big Bad HOA

Posted on October 9, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker

Vernonia Realty, Specializing in Fishhawk Lake Estates

www.lakehomesatfishhawk.com

 

Anyone who’s been involved  with a Homeowner’s Association has an OPINION, good or bad about HOAs. Some people have served on a board in the past and say, “Never again” or they have served and think, wow it’s not as bad as the picture that was painted before becoming a board memmber. Regardless, it seems that the term “Homeowner’s Association” always brings up questions for potential buyers.

Is Fishhawk Lake Recreation Club a gated community? My answer to that is that I wouldn’t live here if it was! There are many reasons why living in the country suits my husband and me and because it is a simpler type of life is one of the big ones. So the answer to that question is a firm NO. We are a private community and try to be neighborly, but if someone who isn’t a member comes to try to fish, or use the clubhouse facilities we gently explain to them that this is not a public lake.

How restrictive are the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions? The CC&Rs are on the website for Fishhawk Lake and are extensive, but I have found that our community is user-friendly when dealing with rules.  Asking is better than just going ahead and doing it, because the rules can possibly be bent, massaged, or simply changed/clarified as a result of discussion. Because buyers are sometimes interested in purchasing vacant lots and building, it’s part of my job to make sure that the future home they have in mind will work in this community. For example, it has to be no smaller than 900 sq.ft. even though there are some older homes/cabins here that are less square footage before the rules were changed and as a result have been grandfathered in. I have been asked about yurts, or round houses and I had thought that this structure was not allowed, but if it has a foundation under it, then that is possible. Manufactured homes are not allowed and we as members voted on that at an annual meeting years ago. I personally am happy about that because they are close to impossible to re-sell and get a loan for this type of home. Interestingly enough, we have no height restrictions, which is one you would commonly see in an HOA set of guidelines. Paint color is a restriction here, so that it blends with the natural landscape. If you have plans to build for example, it’s best to come to the monthly board meeting and meet with the architectural committee face-to-face, after the general meeting.  That way, if there are questions, you could get them answered quickly and save time.

What kind of fencing if any is allowed?  Black cyclone fencing is allowed and I had already known that because we had a “doggie den” built for our Golden Retrievers and when we went to the architectural committee that’s what they told us would meet the requirements for fencing. Since then, I have learned from one of our local builders that another type of fencing was OK’d by the architectural committee. It was one he built himself, out of wood and is very simple, yet decorative but doesn’t “obstruct the neighbor’s view”, which is part of the criteria.

Can you do vacation rentals?  This may be a “deal breaker” for some who are trying to cover the expenses of a second/vacation home as our CC&Rs don’t allow for that. I can appreciate this resrtiction because we don’t get people up here that we don’t know zipping in and out of here, trashing up our community for a weekend and then taking no responsibility for it, or having any sense of pride-of-ownership.  We are tucked away and that’s part of the allure and we enjoy our privacy as it keeps our area pristine.

Any volunteer opportunities?  We have a sizable amount of volunteers in our wonderful community, which makes it easier to keep costs down for maintenance of the lake and surrounding areas.  Several fulltimers (there are about 35% of us at Fishhawk Lake) and some weekenders step up to “make a difference”. We have members who do a neighbor-watch schedule which is basically spending a few hours a week driving around the community making sure that nothing “fishy” is going on or someone’s left a door open, or something that just doesn’t look normal.

Several homeowners volunteer for the Mist-Birkenfeld Fire Department to help support them in medical efforts until Lifeflight can arrive or the Fire Department can make it there to transport a patient needing emergency medical treatment in our immediate community and the surrounding areas. Fishhawk Lake also has a fire engine and it’s housed at the lake which offers homeowners the chance to lower their insurance premiums as a result, so that benefits all of us. We also have more fire hydrants per capita than any community similar to ours in OR which also helps us with our insurance coverage. 

Others just do what is necessary whether it involves a quick clean-up of debris, snow removal or helping with a burst pipe that could potentially slow down the water pressure and keep all of us from using our normal daily amount of water usage.

There is an ecological foundation that is spearheaded by a recent retiree and is a nonprofit organization set up to create monies for several projects to better our environment around Fishhawk Lake.

These are just a few questions you may have, please feel free to e-mail me directly with more.: richbox@centurytel.net

For other information and general questions about Homeowners’ Associations, I recommend a Homeowners Association expert, Richard Thompson.  He sends out a monthly newsletter with articles and Q&A that are informative and helpful.

     

Contact Rich Thompson rich@regenesis.net or call 503.977.7974

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“Weather or not”…does Fishhawk Lake Give You the Seasons You’re Looking For?

Posted on August 19, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker with Vernonia Realty (503)755-2905 www.lakehomesatfishhawk.com

Many clients come from other states and ask about the weather patterns here because they are looking for milder temperatures, less heat or more seasons when exploring places to buy a 2nd home or retire. I recently had a client in AZ who is specifically looking to be able to enjoy the outside and not be stuck in air-conditioning 24/7!  He also asked about global warming as that’s a concern of his, too. I haven’t seen that occurring here at Fishhawk Lake in the 7-8 years we’ve been here. We also don’t experience the drastic humidity of the south.

There are four seasons at Fishhawk Lake.  I’ve seen everything from 90+ degree summers to four feet or more of snow and that was all in the year of ’09! Because we’re located in the coastal range, our temperatures can vary 6-12 degrees from the climate in Portland and around that city. We are at 600 feet elevation and tucked in amongst some trees, mountainous area, so we can have 50 degree mornings (perfect for a run or a hike) and then enjoy 90 degrees in the afternoon which warrants a good long swim in the lake.

      

The winter of ’09 was the most amount of snow on record in Northwest Oregon. I measured 4′ on our deck. I took our ATV out and got many photos around the lake to capture the beauty. We have snow removal as one of the many amenities we appreciate in our Homeowners’ Association.  We have the equipment to clear our main roads, however you need to do your own driveway. ATVs are a great way to get around in inclement weather, but are also fun for going up Greasy Spoon Rd. and hitting 3500′ elevation where you can see Astoria and barges heading for the ocean. It’s a series of old logging roads that can be hiked, driven with four-wheel drive vehicles or the efficient ATVs, but wear your helmut!

    

This spring was unusually wet and long, but the upside to that was the amount of greenery we have and the plethora of flowers this year. I even got to see seven blooms of calla lilies in my water feature–a first since they were planted 5 years ago.

    

I get asked a lot about mosquitoes!  If you’ve ever spent time at a lake, especially lakes in Michigan, you’ve experienced the unpleasantness of mosquitoes. We hardly see any at this lake and certainly not the size that can carry away a small child, like in Michigan! We do have “critters”: dragonflies, lizards, frogs, and of course waterfowl.

  

We’ve got Canada Geese, ducks, bald eagle, osprey (Fishhawk), herons and other wonderful feathered friends who visit and  sometimes stay–maybe they got lost or just found paradise and didn’t want to leave!

Male Mallard Duck at Fishhawk Lake
Photo by: Gayle Rich-Boxman

 

One of the pleasures of the weather patterns we delight in is the mist on the water in the early mornings here, even in the summer. Since moving onto the lake recently, I’ve relished those early trysts outside with a cup of coffee and taking in the view before it burns off.

Fishhawk Lake mist by the spillway
Photo by: Gayle Rich-Boxman

Spring Mist Fishhawk Lake
Photo by:Gayle Rich-Boxman

Usually right after the 4th of July is when we kick into summer. Septembers are quite often lovely as well. We can see Indian summers at times, too. What I suggest for attire: layer-and-peel types of clothing are best!!

Fishhawk Lake Winter
Neighbors using their ATV

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Questions about Fishhawk Lake vs. other Lakes in Oregon

Posted on August 16, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

By Gayle Rich-Boxman

Broker, Vernonia Realty

(503)755-2905

I have new clients who ask me questions about Fishhawk Lake versus other lakes in Oregon and Washington.  They are searching for a place to go that’s not too far from Portland, Vancouver or the Portland airport, that will answer some of their “dreams” for a vacation home on or near a lake.

So! If you are looking for a lake that is quieter, that you can kayak, sail, canoe, swim in, fish in a drift boat or use an electric motor or human power, hike around,then WE’RE THE LAKE FOR YOU!!! Now, if you are looking to waterski, jetski, or use any kind of gas motor, uh…bye bye!  The reason?  Because Fishhawk Lake is also our water source to drink, shower, use for cooking, etc!

It is fed by Fishhawk Creek and four other smaller creeks. We have our own water treatment plant and our own sewage plant.  The Homeowner’s fees of $1,442 per year cover any/all usage  of water and sewer (along with many other amenities) and each lot has it “available” even though it may not all be hooked up.

Another difference between Fishhawk Lake and other lakes in both OR and WA, is that you own your own land, it is NOT leased.  I have had several clients throughout the years who’ve done their research and found that they actually couldn’t “buy” the property they want to camp or build on. 95 year lease is common with those other lakes. You most DEFINITELY OWN your land at Fishhawk Lake whether or not it has a house on it. You can buy a lot and camp on it forever if you wanted to or build later. Once you start the building process, you have 10 months to complete it. Right now there are a lot of choices of established homes for sale on and off the lake at reasonable prices.

One of the many plusses about having this kind of lake living is that it’s essentially more peaceful and quieter. It’s still a TON of fun, too! Pontoons can be fitted with small electric motors, we personally own a 22′ pontoon made by Bennington, the biggest size allowed on the lake and a small Minnkota electric motor and it moves quite nicely, plus you can fit friends, family AND the dog, go out to the middle of the lake and throw out an anchor and swim, party, hook up with another boat, even pull innertubes for the youngsters behind you….lots of variety in the watercraft department here at Fishhawk Lake.

Winds kick up for some personal sailing that keep some sailors really happy out on our 50+AC lake. I don’t see that many, but it doesn’t mean you can’t. I do see more paddle boats, usually operated by teens or younger kids and kayaks and canoes by both young and old. I happened to look up from my lakefront home one day last summer just in time to see a couple of young boys tip over their canoe, but they were only in about 5′ of water and virtually stood on the lake bottom to get their bearings and eventually get back in and continue their fun. Because it was a 90+ degree day, I’m sure the water felt pretty good as a welcome relief to the heat anyway!

The water depths can change from a couple of feet to about nineteen depending upon where you’re going. You can kayak clear to the end of Fishhawk Creek, but you will have to turn around, especially in the summer you get to a point where you could literally walk across the stones and go from one side of the creek to the other.  I’ve kayaked up that creek in August before and just did a u-turn at the end, went under the bridge and was back in the lake–all very easy.

Fishing is a big pasttime here. You can go out on the mist-covered morning lake and catch and keep two cutthroat trout per day or catch some really good-sized steelhead or salmon to catch and release.  I’ve watched families go to our little beach at the clubhouse and plunk a line in or fly-fish off the bank. Lures only please. The season is from May to November.

We also have a fish ladder and salmon that spawn in the fall/winter and early spring months every year.  THAT is quite an event to watch! Some of the fish literally jump up the ladder, while others are cheek-to-jowl in the smaller creeks, sometimes so thick you could walk on them.  It’s such a great experience to share with kids or kids at heart.

Posted in Catch and Release fishing, Common Questions About Fishhawk Lake, Fishhawk Lake Real Estate, Real estate | Tagged | 1 Comment

Working with “For Sale By Owner”(FSBO) As the Buyer’s Agent

Posted on June 18, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker, (503)755-2905 www.lakehomesatfishhawk.com

Vernonia Realty

I’ve completed one of these sales this year and when I began, I called a real estate attorney to make sure that I did everything possible to make it a smooth transaction for all involved.  She suggested  that I “write everything down” so that I had a paper trail, should any concerns come up in the future.  Well, that’s what I always try to do, so that was a no-brainer.

What I found out is that I actually came to the point where I was acting as both the buyer’s AND the seller’s agent, so-to-speak, because I was guiding both the buyers and sellers through the paperwork and having to check on things with the sellers start to finish, doubling the amount of communication/work that a buyer’s agent would usually do.  For example, the disclosure forms had to be filled out.  So, I gave them (the sellers) copies of that from RMLS forms. Some owners may not realize that you have to have those filled out at the time you put your property on the market. And you have to be HONEST.  If you’ve experienced a flood for example, or had carpenter ants in the structure of your home, those things need to be mentioned!  I always tell my sellers to be as honest as possible, and if you don’t know the answer then you can put “unknown”, but there will be red flags that’ll go up if you put unknown for three quarters of the questions.

This is just one example of how I walked the sellers through their sale.  After the inspection, there were numerous small items to be repaired.  Since the sellers weren’t fulltime residents of this particular property, I helped out by setting up a roofer for a small repair job.  This is not commonly done by the buyer’s agent. These sellers are also my friends in my small community, so I wanted to do whatever I could to expedite the sale in a timely manner, as well as getting repairs done by someone I could trust that the sellers also felt comfortable with while keeping the cost down.

Because of some of these examples, many realtors won’t bother working with a For Sale By Owner (FSBO), because we only get half or less of the commission if we were to be the listing agent for the sellers instead, AND  you’re still doing almost the same amount of work!

Posted in Buyer/Seller Questions | 1 Comment

A Good Lender is What Makes My Life Easier!

Posted on May 17, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

By: Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker, Vernonia Realty (503)755-2905, www.lakehomesatfishhawk.com

( Fishhawk Lake Recreation Club Realtor and Fulltime Resident)

 

Relationship building is one of the keys to being successful in real estate and along with building good client relationships (because these folks will be living in my community, after all!), I also have a great team of experts that never fail to make me look good!  One of my most treasured “team members” is Shawn Baeschlin, Senior Loan Officer,  who works for  a locally owned and operated business in Portland, Northwest Mortgage Group, Inc.  There are so many reasons why I like working with Shawn, ones that seem to be repeated by all of the clients that I send his way to get a loan on a piece of property that they’re going to buy or get a better loan rate for refinancing an existing home/lot.  He is efficient, “user-friendly”, no drama and acts like our financial advisor when we need one.  He can think outside of the box, while also trying to protect your money, and if the deal doesn’t feel right, he’ll let you know his opinion, without overstepping. He also owns property at Fishhawk Lake–gotta LOVE that!!!!  Since we are our own entity, it takes some extra knowledge to understand what we have out here.  We don’t really fit the regular parameters of coastal property or country property, or even resort property.  We are just plain DIFFERENT.  And proud of it!  He and I will work together very closely to make sure our shared clients are happy and comfortable throughout the whole loan process.  We do get calls at all times of the night and are still accessible, when others in our business are nowhere to be found after 5pm!  Yes, sometimes that falls into the “being neighborly” category, since buyers of Fishhawk Lake property are going to be  living in the very same community where Shawn and I both own property, so we definitely go above and beyond the call of duty at times. But,that’s also what building relationships is all about.                                               

An example of how wonderful Shawn is came as a result of a young couple who were first-time homebuyers that became clients of mine.  They’d been pre-qualified by another loan officer, but when we started looking at the closing costs and it was coming to between $4-5,000 more than they should have been paying, all under the guise of “regular fees”, which is what they were being told, I said, let’s talk with my lender, Shawn and see what he says about these.  Well, come to find out, it was quite padded and they were going to be putting money into that other loan officer’s pocket, essentially! Shawn saved them about $4,000 in closing costs and they were absolutely thrilled. 

I had another set of clients who’d been working with Wells Fargo on a “refi” (refinance) and had been waiting for months to get any kind of forward motion.  In the meantime, they had come out to Fishhawk Lake in pursuit of a lakefront home or lot where they could do some sailing.  They fell in love with a home that just needed some updating.  I turned them onto Shawn and in FIFTEEN minutes he had them pre-approved!!!  They couldn’t believe it, especially after the experience (or lack thereof) they’d had with Wells Fargo.  I think they even talked about doing their refi with Shawn as a result of his easy manner of doing business.

I have worked with him for several years and it only gets better. I like how creative he can be and honest and truly tries to get my clients the best loan with the least amount of time and hassles.  He’s a good communicator and reflects my passion for giving excellent customer service which only makes me look better to my clients!  Thank you, Shawn Baeschlin for havin’ my back!!!!

Posted in Buyer/Seller Questions, Fishhawk Lake Real Estate | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Kids and Dogs=Fun at the Lake!

Posted on April 29, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

 

 Gayle Rich-Boxman

Fulltime Resident, Fishhawk Lake Recreation Club

Broker, Vernonia Realty, (503)755-2905

 

With the advent of better weather, people at Fishhawk Lake are getting out of the winter doldrums and starting to take those longed-for walks with their family members, two-legged and four!!! This is a perfect community for easy walks clear around Fishhawk Lake (if you don’t mind a wee bit of mud here and there), as there is a path along with paved roads that go around the whole lake, about 3 miles altogether.  Because we are off the beaten track, it’s more user-friendly for taking youngsters and dogs out to play ball, check out the clubhouse and playstructure, even dabble your feet (or paws!) in the water at the beach in front of the clubhouse.  I actually saw kids playing in the water a couple of weeks ago, when we had some really sunny weather.  That intermittent sunshine is NEVER wasted on Oregonians, we eat it up when the sun comes out–even if it’s for ten minutes at a time in between rain showers!

Because of the fact that we are four miles off of Hwy. 202, we don’t see gobs of traffic on our main road, Fishhawk Rd. The speed limit is 10mph here, but not everyone adheres to that….you can still find plenty of room to walk to the side and let someone drive by and wave; that’s absolutely part of the neighborly mentality in our Fishhawk Lake community.  It’s funny, we can always tell when we get “lookie-loos” because you’ll wave at them and they look at you like you have three eyes! 

For those people who want to walk their dogs in a more casual manner, breathe in the coastal-clean fresh air or have their young children create memories that don’t involve a television set, this is such a great place to do that!

  

Playstructure by the clubhouse, built by members of the Fishhawk Lake community

There are terrific water activities, too that will give kids a chance to use up some of that excess energy.  Paddleboats are fun and safe for kids to use.  You can have two children in one boat, paddling around the whole lake easily. There are two boat ramps, for easy access to the lake and if you don’t own your own dock, these can house your boats, year round.  The water is for swimming as well as our community water source.  You don’t have to worry about gas motors dirtying up our water, either, as they aren’t allowed here, only electric motors. Kayaks and canoes abound here, too.  It makes for a quieter lake where you can hear the Canadian geese flying overhead, or listen to the frogs singing or just take a peaceful moment to “breathe” while standing on the deck of the clubhouse and taking in the outstanding views of the lake, surrounding mountains, clouds and amazingly expansive skies.

View near the tennis court and the canal at Fishhawk Lake

Posted in Fishhawk Lake Real Estate | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

News on the Real Estate Sales Front…Nationally and Locally at Fishhawk Lake

Posted on April 25, 2010 by fishhawklakerealtor

 

Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker

Vernonia Realty-(503)755-2905

www.lakehomesatfishhawk.com

SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

March of 2010 saw the biggest monthly increase in new home sales from February to March in 47 years.  February’s sales had been an all-time low, so the increase was dramatic to say the least!  New homeowners, spurned on by the federal tax credits are racing to get signed paperwork in by April 30th or lose out on the chance to utilize an $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit or $6,500 for current homeowners who buy and move into another property.  Forecasters are saying that sales will slow down after this tax credit goes away.  Winter had seen a slump both nationally and a little bit on the local front as far as sales for Fishhawk Lake sellers.  However, I had a sale on a new home and adjoining lot in December, ’09, then another cash buyer purchase of lakefront property in early March and another lakefront at $380,000 at the end of March.  Sales have been going along rather smoothly.  I currently have three in Sales Pending, just up at the lake and new listings abound!  The inventory is quite high as far as residential property, with lots of choices and a wide range of prices at Fishhawk Lake, both on the lake and off the lake. Right now there are 20 listings of homes, and many vacant lots, too numerous to mention as no one is showing interest in those right now.  The prices range from: $89,500 for a fixer to $480,000 for a gorgeous log cabin and adjacent lot.  If you’re looking for a vacation home and want to see a great deal of variety, Fishhawk Lake is the place!

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