I get this question a lot. The process keeps getting faster -- but it still takes around six weeks to close on a house. What other homebuying questions do you have?Lila TimmonsOregon Licensed Principal Real Estate Brokernhpicketfence.com#nexthomepicketfencerealty

If you have wondered how owning a home affects your taxes in addition to having the mortgage interest deduction, then this video will help answer those questions. Lila Timmons Oregon Licensed Principal Real Estate Broker NextHome Picket Fence Realty nhpicketfence.com 503-544-8800 [email protected]

There are so few homes on the market and demand is sky high. U.S. home prices are experiencing the fastest year-over-year climb in over a decade! All this means your house is a hot commodity, and it’s a fantastic time to sell – so what are you waiting for?Lila TimmonsOregon Licensed Principal Real Estate BrokerNextHome Picket Fence Realtynhpicketfence.com#nexthomepicketfencerealty#lincolncounty#sellingahome

SBBI Member Spotlight: Introducing Dr. Andrew Isaksen, owner of NW Family Chiropractic, P.C. where they provide quality affordable care for the whole family. When he isn't caring for patients, Dr. Isaksen loves to spend time with his family on their small acreage farm. He enjoys working around the place and with the animals, especially when he is able to teach his children about things. Dr. Isaksen also enjoys learning new skills, particularly when he can do it with his children. If you're looking for relief from your pain, give NW Family Chiropractic a call at 503-391-9112 to schedule an appointment because they've "got your back!"

Everyone wants to save money on their taxes, and older Americans are no exception. If you're age 50 or older, here are five tax tips that could help you do just that. 1. Standard Deduction for Seniors. If you and/or your spouse are 65 years old or older and do not itemize your deductions, you can take advantage of a higher standard deduction amount. There is an additional increase in the standard deduction if either you or your spouse is blind. 2. Credit for the Elderly or Disabled. If you and/or your spouse are either 65 years or older--or under age 65 years old and are permanently and totally disabled--you may be able to take the Credit for Elderly or Disabled. If you are under age 65, you must have your physician complete a sta…

A vasectomy is a simple and relatively safe procedure to eliminate the possibility of impregnating a partner. During the operation, a doctor removes the connection between reproductive structures in the male anatomy to prevent sperm from entering the urethra. Men who most often receive a vasectomy are older and do not wish to have more children. In some cases, doctors can reverse a vasectomy if a man has changed his mind. Let’s look at both vasectomies and vasectomy reversals and discuss how they work. What Is a Vasectomy? Essentially, a vasectomy involves cutting the connection between the vas deferens (the tubes that deliver sperm) to the urethra. In men who have not undergone the procedure, penile muscles push semen inside the urethra ou…

If you have wondered if there are things that will affect your ability to purchase a home, then you will want to watch this video.Lila TimmonsOregon Licensed Principal Real Estate BrokerNextHome Picket Fence [email protected]

The City stops by to turn off your water - Did you forget to schedule your backflow test? You just turned on your watering system for the summer, and it gurgled, “good morning.”Your porch is getting more watered than your lawn.  This can happen to any of us. Just when you thought you had enough rain, it’s time again to check your irrigation system and make sure it’s ready for summer! Think Sprinklers and Water Conservation You need to water a lawn to keep it green and healthy, yet water conservation needs to be part of the consideration.   If you’re adding a new system, there are nozzles (like the Hunter MP Rotator) that can save up to 30% water.  They can even be retrofitted onto other brands.  If you pair a system…

These colors can help your home sell faster and for more money. Neutral colors help homebuyers imagine their belongings more easily in your space which makes your home more appealing to more buyers. What’s your go to paint color for your home? Lila Timmons - Oregon Licensed Principal Real Estate Broker with NextHome Picket Fence Realty. nhpicketfence.com

Good information for those that are selling their homes.Lila TimmonsOregon Licensed Principal Real Estate BrokerNextHome Picket Fence Realtynhpicketfence.com#nexthomepicketfencerealty#lincolncounty#sellingahome

The thyroid is a gland situated behind the throat that does important work to regulate various functions inside the human body. Two separate types of conditions, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism, both describe the dysfunction of the thyroid gland, but they have important differences that we will address here. What Is Hypothyroidism? The prefix hypo means low or below, so hypothyroidism means that your thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormones to meet your body’s demand. In particular, hypothyroidism refers to a lack of adequate amounts of T3 and T4 hormones. These are the two main hormones that the thyroid produces to perform the thyroid’s metabolic, cardiovascular, and developmental activities. The symptoms of hypothyroidism that…

Real estate terms can be confusing, but I'm here to help! We'll navigate the home buying process together, just send me a message to get started.Lila TimmonsOregon Licensed Principal Real Estate BrokerNextHome Picket Fence Realtynhpicketfence.com

The proper term for black mold is Stachybotrys, which is a species of mold that cultivates when there is a high moisture content for a very long time. The most common misconception about black mold is that the name leads people to believe that it is actually black in color when mold really comes in different colors. Color does NOT differentiate mold type. You should be concerned anytime there is a discoloration. What is the health risk involved with mold?The most common question we get is how dangerous is mold? Everyone has differentsensitivity level and everyones body reacts differently. What doesn’t bother one personmay bother another. Summit recently had a mold client where the wife and two kidsexperienced terrible respiratory issues whi…

Listen Now If you missed it on Monday, April 12th, our Regional Operations Manager, Matt Davies, was featured on KBND's Experts! Matt talks about some of the services we specialize in at Summit as well as some aspects of fire and water damage that you may not realize you should take into consideration. Take a listen and let us know what you'd like to hear next time we feature on the podcast!

As your child reaches their teens, you will have more concerning issues about their welfare. While you probably already taught them about how babies are made when they were younger, now is a good time to go further and talk to them about preventing teen pregnancy. Here are some tips on what you should say to them. Have and Encourage Open Communication First and foremost, having open communication with your teen is always beneficial when you want to discuss any matter with them. Let them know that they can come to you to talk about anything. This can make them more likely to want to discuss sex with you and will also put them at ease when you talk to them about it and about how to prevent teen pregnancy. If you’re a single parent of a child…

What is Pelvic Floor Reconstruction? Pelvic floor reconstruction is a group of various surgical procedures used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, a condition that occurs when the muscles of the pelvic floor are weakened or damaged, often due to childbirth. Other causes include: Repeated heavy liftingChronic diseaseSurgery The pelvic floor includes the muscles, ligaments, connective tissue and nerves that support and control your bladder, uterus, vagina and rectum. The pelvic floor holds the structures in your pelvis in place. Your pelvic floor is a very complex layer and usually functions very well, but it can be damaged if too much stress is placed upon it. In particular, childbirth and the tremendous forces of labor with the dilation of you…

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that forms a canal which opens into the vagina and leads to outside the body. The tissue that’s removed is then closely examined under a microscope. A cervical biopsy is normally performed during a colposcopy procedure or Pap Smear biopsy procedure. Cervical Biopsy What is a cervical biopsy? A cervical biopsy is a procedure that is performed to remove tissue from the cervix to test for abnormal cells or precancerous conditions. Cervical biopsy or punch biopsy The amount of tissue your doctor removes is dependent on the type of GYN biopsy being done. A simple cervical biopsy procedure, also known as a punch biopsy, removes a small piece of tissue from the surface of the cervix, where as an endocervi…

What are your digital marketing strategies? Do you have marketing plan strategies currently for your small business? Does your small business get by with just one marketing strategy? If you are wanting to scale your small business, these digital marketing musts for every business is a need and not a want. WEBSITE! You need at a minimum, a landing page. This site describes who and what you are (meaning your small business) and what you can do for them. Your product offerings and or services should be easily accessible!  SEO! (Search Engine Optimization) Now that you have a website, you will need to optimize it. Keywords and descriptions of your products and or services play a big role in how your ideal clients find you. Every page shoul…

After the year we’ve all had, seeing a much brighter economic forecast for the year ahead is music to our ears. Now is the time to make sure you’re ready to take advantage of it! Here are 8 things you can do today to make the most of your opportunities in the year ahead. 1. Target Trigger Events in Your Marketing In just about every sales process, there are trigger events that drive prospects to consider your products and services. In B2B businesses, an example would be the opening of a new location. In the case of B2C, an example could be if most conversions come from people who just bought a new house. Identify the trigger events that drive sales opportunities and target your marketing message, channels, and timing to ensure that your com…

Under the IRS rules, a taxpayer is allowed to deduct expenses related to business use of a home, but only if the space is used "exclusively" on a "regular basis." To qualify for a home office deduction you must meet one of the following requirements: Exclusive and regular use as your principal place of businessA place for meeting with clients or customers in the ordinary course of businessA place for the taxpayer to perform administrative or management activities associated with the business, provided there is no other fixed location from which the taxpayer conducts a substantial amount of such administrative or management activities A separate structure not attached to your dwelling unit that is used regularly and exclusively for your trad…

(Click HERE to watch the full video) It's that time of year. You log on to Facebook or Instagram and it's flooded with your favorite local businesses asking you to vote for them every single day. "I created this video for two reasons, 1) it's kind of unique to ask people in the form of a song. It is embarrassing but extremely fun, so... catch-22. 2) if you listen to the lyrics, I'm not asking people to simply vote for Summit because I want them to. I want the people who vote for Summit to do so because they genuinely believe Summit deserves that recognition." -Joey There are a lot of great local businesses out there in each industry that we are happy to support in this fun competition. And we are grateful to all of you who choose to cast yo…