It goes without saying ... these political elections have directly affected the current economy. We are smothered by a thick blanket of political fog or smoke. I am reminded of Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie". Recall when he gets his day in court, and tells of how workers "smoke-out" the hive ... essentially paralyzing them and ultimately stealing their honey. No, I'm not going there ... with conspiratorial or "Animal Farm" under-tones  suggesting uprisings from the proletariat(bees) ... no, I won't go there. But we can't ignore the obvious and must look to the future because we will decide the future.
  So what is the current state of the union? Answer: Thick fog. Why? Well, in case you haven't noticed, foreclosures have been slowed or in some cases halted, pending sales have leveled out, inventory sits at a healthier 6 month base, and they recently announced "The recession is over!". Yeahhh!!! Not so fast. We, the public, are much smarter than that ... or too skeptical and cautious. I'd like to think that these numbers are real and that stability is but a winter away. Politicians would love for you to believe that ... especially as you confidently mark that ballot !

Why not? What's that harm in believin' ? Nothing ... but WHAT IF the next guy doesn't believe? What if he continues to hold his cards? To remain cautious?  Let's face it ... we're not all going to lay down our cards at once It's just not human nature.

Either way, the turn-around will be much slower than anyone would like or had expected. Economists predict another 3 years for full recovery. However, residential home sales are expected to see a recovery sooner ... by mid 2011. So, we come out of the fog next spring? If so, it will be a marathon, not a sprint. Let's hope!

In the meantime ... want to take advantage of current market conditions with low interest rates and incredible deals of foreclosures in the Pierce County area ... including but not limited to Tacoma, Gig Harbor, University Place, Puyallup and Lakewood ? Check out my weekly foreclosure list at Foreclosure list for Pierce County including Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, Lakewood .

For more information regarding the importance of this pivotal election race ... see: This election is critical: Pierce County Could determine State winner. Tacoma News Tribune: Pierce Elections could decide State Winner

Okay, now CNN finally getting around to this. Even more interesting: 3 cities in Washington grace the top 5...#1 Tacoma #2 Kennewick #5 Seattle. Additionally, this week and for the 3rd consecutive week, Pierce County saw a decrease in bank-owed listings. Pierce County foreclosures posted for the Tacoma area topped out at 18 this week. We still have a large pool of sitting foreclosures that we need to wade through, but with a consistent decrease and more pending homes, we may work our way out of this recession yet. I have seen many more "pending" homes than I have in the past 3 years...a very good sign. It is possible, people are moving on the April 30 tax deadline, so everyone remains cautious. Possible we may move out of this and possible we may even see a complete flip...from a surplus of Tacoma homes for sale to shortage in 2011. Yes, hard to believe, but I have read more than one periodical with such bold predicitons. Did you know that while Tacoma's housing market depreciated 22% since 2006, Kennewick posted a 5.7% increase!!! With a projected 14,000-18,000 troops returning to the joint base Lewis/McChord, Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, beautiful natural surroundings and so much more to offer, Tacoma remains a destination for many families. Read more.... Housing: Best recovery bets - Tacoma, Wash. (1) - CNNMoney.com

Step 1 ....Prepare yourself to deal with a large, unorganized, debt-ridden, understaffed beaurocracy that knows nothing about customer service or satisfaction. They do not want this to be easy!

   As soon as you receive the statement of your new assessed value each year, you need to examine two areas. First, look closely at the assessed value. Does it seem too high to you? If so, the second thing you need to do is to carefully read the instructions for disputing your assessment. From the date you receive your green card, you have 30 days to appeal/contest by filing the necessary paperwork. If you moved during that time or fore some reason did not receive the green card, you may sign an affidavit and apply for an appeal. Be sure to follow instructions carefully to have your request considered. You may be able to download forms in the future, but for now...they don't want to make anything easy on you! You'll have to visit the Pierce County Annex by the Tacoma Costco. It's easy, just enter and hang the first right...you'll run right into it!
   
Step 2   Once you have read everything carefully, call a local real estate agent (Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, WA) and ask him to run an MLS list of all SALES in your neighborhood for the PAST 6 MONTHS. The properties should be as similar as yours as possible in age and size. You need to make sure your comparables are from the right year...so, if you are contesting your most recent assessment, then you'll need comparables from the previous year.
   
  Step 3  Look at the $/per square foot sales price for the houses that have recently sold. In other words, if a 2000 square foot house sold for $200,000, then it sold for $100 a square foot. Average the $/per square foot price for all the comparable sales that the Realtor provided for you. Multiply that amount times the square footage of your home. If your neighborhood homes have sold for $100 a square foot, and your home contains 1900 square feet, then your home should be appraised for about $190,000. There will be some variation, of course. Your home may have more or fewer bathrooms than the other homes. Your lot could be larger or smaller. Take these types of things into consideration. If it appears that the assessed value is correct, then plan to dispute the assessment. If not, drop the issue now. You are not going to be effective.
  
 Step 4    If you decide, based on your evidence, that your home has been appraised too high, then you need to appeal the assessment. Complete the forms that are required and mail them to the Assessor's Office with a copy of all your evidence ... even if they tell you NOT to include the evidence. I have done this in two states, and avoided having to attend a hearing. Both times, someone from the Assessor's Office called me and agreed to lower my assessment based on the evidence that I provided. Your evidence needs to be neatly organized. Some Realtors will help you with this, in the hope that you will use them to sell your home someday in the future. That's ME!
   
Step 5   If you have to attend a hearing, take several copies of your evidence with you so each member of the committee has it to look at. Be sure that you have your facts straight. Often, the Assessor's Office has the wrong information about the square footage of your home, it's age, etc. Come prepared with evidence, such as the builder's plan, an appraisal, etc., which shows the correct information. State your case calmly and clearly. With adequate supporting data, a majority of people are able to have their own assessments reduced. AND be prepared to contest your next assessment the year after...as by the time the assessment is adjusted, they will have delivered your new one . 253-686-3992
me@tomtuttle.me 
 

Should you contest your tax assessment? More than likely yes. If you are planning to sell your home anytime soon, probably not. The buyer likes to see that they are getting a good deal, and if your assessment is higher than the sales price...this may give them the false pretense of instant equity. For those staying put, here's the skinny...if you are planning to stay in your home for another 5 years, you should definitely consider contesting the tax assessment.

Tax Assessments skyrocketed when the all-too-eager government officials tried to cash in on everyone's share of the market. Unfortunately, they did not heed the words of critics, and the bubble burst. Now, no one anticipated that it would last this long and dig this deep of a hole (well, I'm sure some critics would say they did). Fast forward to today... Government has a huge budget deficit and the last thing they want to do is spend time, money and energy on profit loss and furthering the deficit! So, not only are they not going to worry about the fair-market value of your home, but they are not going put forth any effort to do so. Should you have to bare the burden? NO

.Here's the rationale...our values are not going to return to the 2007 values of yesteryear until 2014-15. We are seeing a gradual leveling of the market. However, with such a surplus of foreclosures, short sales and overpriced homes...it will take years to wade through it all. Additionally, most home-owners are stuck and can't 'move-up'. Obama's tax credit revision to $6500 for current homeowners was a good idea, but does not consider the complexity of selling a 'contingent' home in this market. You get the idea...the market is not going to set the world on fire anytime soon, and if you plan on staying...you might as well save a little money!

Though this blog has been breathing for some time now, I have just left the first and last post up as a testament to Ken Levine (co-author of the movie "Volunteers") who graciously posted our dialague/blog on his Blogger. Thanks Ken....from Tom Tuttle from Tacoma.
Anyway, time to move on and broach a broder spectrum....my two cents worth. For what it's worth, I will provide insight, knowledge and editorialize fresh news and content regarding the real estate markets in the Pierce, Thurston and King counties of Washington state.

For those of you searching for homes or information regarding buying or selling a home, you may visit my website at http://www.piercecountyhouses.com . I thank you in advance for your time and welcome any feedback.

Recently I received an email from Tom Tuttle from Tacoma. Fans of VOLUNTTERS recognize that as the name of the character John Candy played in the movie. My partner David Isaacs and I wrote the screenplay and are responsible for the name. Who knew there would be a real person, or that anyone would remember VOLUNTEERS? I feel like the father in the Johnny Cash song, “A Boy Named Sue”.

So if you ever wondered how we came up with the name or what life has been like for someone saddled with the name, here is my correspondence with Tom (which he graciously allowed me to share).

As the real Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, WA….I have been asked all my life (well since 8th grade or 84’ish) why the name Tom Tuttle for the movie Volunteers? Was I consulted? Did I get royalties? To this day, 24 years later, people still laugh when I introduce myself …Tom Tuttle. They say, from Tacoma, WA? Yes. I was born and raised in Tacoma and still reside here. My question for you is…..how did you come up with Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, WA ?

Tom Tuttle (from Tacoma)

Tom,

Great to hear from you.

Believe it or not, my partner David and I wrote the very first draft of VOLUNTEERS in 1980. It took five years to get made and released. We honestly pulled the name out of the air. We wanted the character to be real gung ho and for contrast, hail from as far away from the east coast as possible. First we came up with WSU as the college. We wanted the school to be well known (they're in the Pac 10) but still a little offbeat. We checked out a few fight songs, liked WSU's the best and settled on that. Then we figured the character should hail from the state of Washington. Tacoma was sort of a funny sounding name and again, a city that was recognizable. We always pictured that the character was a little wired and whenever he introduced himself would say his name and where he's from. So alliteration was employed to help the name roll off his tongue. Somehow we came up with Tom Tuttle from Tacoma. We just liked the rhythm of it. If we had gone with Spokane it might have been Stan Stodell from Spokane.

So have people been recognizing your name your whole life? I hope ultimately it's been a positive thing.

Again, thanks for writing. Say hi to Lawrence Bourne and Beth for me.

Cheers,

Ken Levine

Ken,

First of all, I just want to thank you for taking the time out to write back; very interesting. Never imagined that I would get the real story from the writer himself. In fact, I (well my mother…because in 8th grade I wanted nothing to do with the attention) mailed off a letter to Hollywood. My Mother has been sticking up for me all along. Shortly after the movie came out, Tom Tuttle (from Sumner) wrote to the Tacoma News Tribune stating that he was the real Tom Tuttle from Tacoma. Well, my Mother would have none of that. So, she wrote back and the next week it was published….that I was the real Tom Tuttle from Tacoma. I will be sure to share this with her! She will get a kick out of it.

Anyway, after college (not WSU….though I visited…my father is an alumnus) I student taught in Puyallup. The day I arrived, I met Tom Tuttle (from Sumner). He was a Math teacher at the school. What are the odds. We had t-shirts made up….”Will the real Tom Tuttle please stand up”. After that, I was a teacher in the Tacoma School District for 10 years and now sell real estate with my brothers. You know, name recognition is everything in this business. I’ve been trying to find a way to use it to my advantage…I might as well. People still recognize the name. In fact, so many movies have character names, but few have had the impact that Tom Tuttle has had. Any ideas?

Thank you,
Tom Tuttle (from Tacoma)

I think we should start at Tom Tuttle from Tacoma International Fan Club. Interested in joining?

For those of you who don't know, John Candy starred in a movie (circa 1984) titled Volunteers. His characters name was Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, WA. Throughout the course of the movie, the name is repeated several times. Over the years I have been dogged by the perpetual questions: " How did they come up with Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, WA?" Are you really from Tacoma? (yes, born and raised).

Thanks to modern technology, I was fortunate enough to converse with the (one of two) authors who wrote the script for Volunteers , Ken Levine.  Ken has his own blog and recently posted a story about Volunteers and John Candy. The following is an account of our conversation:

Hi Tom, Brainwashing of Tom Tuttle by communist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qLzQ4uOvio