Briefly, a short reminder of this history:  Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.   Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.

On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend.  The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.    After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress’s change of date within a few years.   The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to the original date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:

                                                      Changing the date merely to create a three-day weekend has undermined

                                                      the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the

                                                      general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is not to be confused with Veterans Day; Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving.  Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, living or dead

I’ve attached a link that offers family-friendly ideas for the weekend holiday.  http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/120550/10_memorial_day_weekend_staycations

You and your family might enjoy visiting the local cemetery.  You could participate in decorating the grave markers of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  If you are not able to be part of decorating, be sure to drive by and see how beautiful the decorated cemetery is.  You will enjoy seeing the display of colors.  If you have a flag, don’t forget to display it in the spirit of America and in honor of those who died for the freedom we enjoy.

Whatever you do, enjoy your holiday and the “long” weekend.  For those of you on the roads, we wish you safe travels.

Whether you currently have a close and loving relationship with your Mother or one that is distant, whether your Mom is still part of your life or has already passed on, there is no denying our mom’s influence is with us forever and can make an incredible difference in our lives.  Like with all human connections, our connection with our Mothers is one that grows and changes.  We may come into life focused on our Mother for our very survival and then through the growing up years, we begin to want space and distance from her, to develop our own identity.

It’s interesting how a person’s memories of their childhood are intertwined with memories of their mothers, memories of siblings and other family members and of the home they remember growing up in.  As a person grows up and begins to make decisions about what they want their own home to be like, many refer back to memories of their childhood home.  Some look for a home or setting similar to the home  and neighborhood of their childhood.  Many traditions are incorporated from one’s childhood.  Creating a peaceful, beautiful and unique space to call “home” is an inner drive for many.   As we celebrate Mother’s Day and the memories of home, I’ve included some famous and not-so-famous quotes about mother’s below.  I hope you will enjoy these.

http://quotegarden.com/mothers.html

We, the staff of Colville’s RE/MAX Select Associates office, want to send out a heartfelt thanks to our moms and to all the mothers in our community.  Have a wonderful Mother’s Day, and a safe, enjoyable weekend.

Water Watch:  Where You Want It, and Where You Don’t 

While April showers might bring flowers, when water is concerned, a homeowner should be on high alert.  Having water where and when you want it can be a blessing, but it must be properly controlled and monitored so that you are fully aware of its presence in your environment.

When moisture is not dealt with appropriately homes can become contaminated with molds, rot and other issues that can be costly to repair.  …….

Generally, we have two jobs:  First we need to understand how to manage water and moisture from outside forces like rain and groundwater that might threaten our structure.  Secondly, we need to understand the water that we choose to bring into our homes and use for landscapes through plumbing systems.

Rain should be guided off the roof and into gutters that drain away from the home and foundation.  ……..  When groundwater is present, measures should be taken to ensure that water isn’t collecting near the foundation, under the house, or in the basement. ……  Understanding how water gets into your home and your responsibilities around that is another area to investigate. …………

This newsletter expands on many issues to think about when it comes to water in and around our homes.  Again, if you’d like the full article, let our office know and we can email it to you!

Don’t forget there are some fun events going on this weekend in Colville.   Just to name a couple:

~ The Junk Drunk vintage, retro and antique craft market at the Ag Trade Center both Sat. and Sun. starting at 9 a.m. each day. There is a one time $4 entry, good both days.

~ The 1st Annual CVAS (Colville Valley Animal Sanctuary) Walk’n'Wag 5k run/walk-a-thon will be held at Yep Kanum park in Colville, Saturday. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and is free. The run/walk begins at 11 a.m. You do not need a dog to participate! Walk’n'Wag event is a fundraising kickoff for the Colville Valley Animal Sanctuary’s building fund. 684-1475 for more info.

55 Acre Equestrian riding and training facility south of Colville WA

Mountain House Stables is a 55 acre horse farm, riding and training facility, located 8 miles south of Colville and 64 miles north of Spokane, Washington.  With easy access from Highway 395, the property is ideal for hosting events and clinics. Mountain House Stables is the preimer riding and training facility in central Stevens County.  The property is perimeter fenced and cross fenced.  Currently, there are approximately 30 acres in pasture and hay production, with another 20 acres, approximately, of hillside and timber for a variety of riding experiences.

View Larger Map

A 200 x 300  riding and roping arena, an indoor arena with grandstand and office space.

Indoor Riding Arena

120 foot round pen

120 Foot Round Pen

Hay barn and stalls

Hay Barn and Stalls

The recently remodeled home offers 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a second kitchen downstairs.

Beautiful wood flooring and cabinets, stainless steel appliances in the main kitchen.

Forced air furnace, heat pump, fireplace in the family room and fireplace with a pellet insert in the living room, take care of the heating for just over 3000 square feet of living area.

An in-ground swimming pool and Bar-B-Q area help take care of your entertaining needs.

A ranch wouldn’t be complete without a shop to handle your repair and project needs. The 40 x 40 insulated shop will do just that.  The 6 bay equipment shed will help keep your equipment out of the weather.

Additional outbuildings include garden and wood sheds.

View the Tour

The first link gives simple & inexpensive tips to improve your home and increase it’s value.  Four simple steps are given to start with, followed by seven DIY (do-it-yourself) home improvement projects.  This link also shares some interesting tips and warnings for homeowners looking at increasing the value of their property.

http://www.wikihow.com/Increase-the-Value-of-Your-Home-Inexpensively

This second link offers videos showing how to improve your home’s value based on the dollar amount you can budget towards your project.  There are 10 options to choose from.  Also, you will notice there are a variety of other links from this site to jump to and explore.

http://www.frontdoor.com/sell/10-ways-to-increase-the-value-of-your-home/1231

Finally, this third link offers 20 items that alter the value of your home.  The first 10 items add value.  The second 10 items listed are liabilities that affect a home’s value negatively.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/real-estate/BuyerGuide2004/increase-resale1.asp

If by chance, you are not a do-it-yourselfer, I’ve added a couple of links, offering pointers and reminders regarding the selection of a contractor.  A good contractor should save you time and money in the long run.

http://homerepair.about.com/od/tutorialindex/a/tu_contractor_4.htm

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/resource-center/choosing-a-contractor/overview/index.htm

Colville Home & Garden Show

When:     3/15/2013-3/17/2013

Time:     Friday 9AM to 6PM

Saturday 9 AM to 3 PM

Sunday 10AM to 2 PM

NEW LOCATION:  Colville Community College

Daniels Nursery and Lynn & Steve Greenman’s Farmer’s Insurance With the Colville Chamber of Commerce, Invite you to Attend in the 2013 Colville Home and Garden Show!

I am including a link below that is full of all kinds of information on gardening & landscaping; large & small projects and everything in-between.  There are many such sites online but hopefully this will get you started with the research and excited about your outdoor home improvement projects.  You will be able to start those projects soon!  I’m sure of it.  http://www.hgtv.com/spring-season-gardening-ideas/package/index.html

*** Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead this weekend! ***

Remember the “first Friday” celebration in downtown Colville, this week March 1st!!!

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/5-tips-for-first-time-home-buyers-1.aspx

http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=13107818

It’s time to take a few minutes to give you an update on the Northeast Washington Real Estate market.

This update includes the entire MLS with listings from Spokane, Lincoln, Grant, Okanogan and other counties, Spokane County being the largest contributor. We will focus on Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille Counties the Tri-County area.

Starting with the residential real estate market the first couple of months of 2012 were off to a good start, sales slowed for a bit at the end of the first quarter. For the rest of the year, sales did pick up and we end 2012 with almost a 12% increase in the number of sales compared to 2011. But it should be noted that there has been a strong influx of listings from Spokane County, most of which were foreclosed properties. If we eliminate Spokane County sales from the data, our number of sales only rose by 2.2%. The number of residential sales in 2012 in the Tri-County area is down 52.5 percent from the peak in 2005.

Listing inventory through 2012 for the entire MLS increased by 4%. While inventory for the Tri-County area was down by 1%

The average sale price for the entire MLS dropped 9%, while the average sale price for the Tri-Counties dropped 4%.

The number of listings in Spokane, reported in the local MLS, increased by 60% in 2012 compared to 2011. Since 2009 there has been a 283% increase in sold listings from Spokane County reported in the Northeast Washington Association of REALTORS® MLS.

The number of foreclosed listings that sold in Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille counties as reported in the Northeast Washington Association of Realtors MLS was 31 for 2012 compared to 34 in 2011. While the number of foreclosed listing sales reported in the MLS from Spokane County rose from 29 in 2011 to 52 in 2012.

At the time of this writing there are 14 active foreclosure listings from Spokane County and 7 in Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille Counties in the MLS. About 5% of the active listings, in the Northeast Washington MLS are noted as foreclosed properties.

The fact that a listing is a foreclosed property may not always be noted in the MLS so it is possible these numbers are below the actual count of foreclosed properties.

Sales from Spokane County and other counties were not as big a factor in land sales as they were in residential sales. For the entire MLS, 2012 ended the second slowest year for land sales since 2002 which is as far back as we looked. Sales were down 2.3 % in 2012. Even though sales are down from 2011 the number of sales is still 9% better than the slowest year, 2009. Like residential sales, the number of land sales peaked in 2005. Land sales in 2012 were down 73% from that 2005 peak.

Data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Any views or opinions are those of the author and not of the Northeast Washington Association of REALTORS® or RE/MAX International.