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Ranked 13th for most populated state, Washington came in 42nd place for highest foreclosure rate. It has 320,2241 housing units, of which 251 went into foreclosure, making the state’s foreclosure rate 1 in every 12,758 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (from highest to lowest): Douglas, Chelan, Okanogan, Skamania, and Grays Harbor.
In recent years, the city of Seattle, Washington has experienced steady population growth and thus has been faced with the issue of fitting in more and more incoming residents. After growing by 4,000 citizens per year from 1990 to 2006, regional planners expected the population of Seattle to grow by 200,000 people by 2040.
Former mayor Greg Nickels (2002-2009) supported plans that would increase the population by 60% (approximately 350,000 people) by 2040, and worked on ways to accommodate this growth while keeping Seattle's single-family housing zoning laws.
We have never received a 6 star review until now! Thank you Jen S! We feel very happy to help you stay in your home in such a stressful time.
When life keeps piling on, one of the repercussions can be falling behind on house payments. Covid, cancer, divorce, and death can all take their toll on the average American life. The fallout from any of these issues can be loss of income resulting in foreclosure or eviction. Let's face it, keeping up is hard enough, but keeping up and catching up is almost impossible. Unless an unexpected windfall appears, the needs of a family can be overwhelming and choices about what to pay and what not to pay become the thoughts that keep you awake at night. Once a few mortgage payments are postponed because groceries are more important--the amount needed to bring the loan current seem insurmountable. Unfortunately, too many people facing these difficult choices wait too long to get help. The longer payments get behind, the less chance of a solution. Anyone that has owned their home for more than a couple of years most likely has enjoyed some appreciation in value and gained some equity. That equity, along with some expert advice, can save your home and your credit, but time is of the essence. Don't delay in reaching out to expert help. At the same time, beware of scams that make claims but are not designed to help you. The choices you make will stay with you for years to come. When I was five years old, I got the chicken pox virus, and I got it BAD. Sores covered my entire body and face and I would cry myself to sleep at night in discomfort. My mom gave me oatmeal baths and lots of love and sympathy. Debt is like chicken pox. Everyone gets it, especially in America. My first semester of college, I drank the punch like everyone else, and signed on the dotted line for my first student loan. I contracted the virus of buying things I could not afford under the pretense that student loan debt is “good debt.” Once I started borrowing money, it was hard to stop, and seven years later I found myself in a $30,000 hole with a useless liberal arts degree. So, what did I decide to do? I took charge of my financial future, of course! I deferred paying back my loans by enrolling in a liberal arts Masters program racking up another $20,000! Like most people reading this article, I was raised by industrious, hard working parents who believed in paying cash, and not buying what you couldn’t afford. I remember the sinking feeling I got in the pit of my stomach every time I borrowed more money. I justified it with, “Everyone is doing it. This is my future. I am already so far in debt what does it matter if I get more? Maybe I could marry someone rich!” Some misinformed peers even suggested I could declare bankruptcy. When I first started my career in social work, I was devastated to learn that my salary bordered the poverty line. I considered returning to tend bar to pay the bills. I recall the day I pulled up a loan repayment calculator online and threw up in my mouth when I discovered I would make my last loan payment at the age of 62! Most students are leaving college, many without even graduating, with an average of $37,172 in student loan debt (Forbes, 2016). Post graduation, many young adults are pressured into more debt: “Honey, isn’t it time you settled down and bought a house?” Five years into my poverty level career I got mad: mad at society for selling me a college pipe dream, mad at my parents and older brother for not steering me toward a junior college instead of an out of state private university, and mad at myself for not listening to my own conscience. I determined I was going to get out of debt, and I was going to do it, RIGHT NOW! This was my plan.
I hung a poster board in my office with a big red thermometer drawn on it, and every month I would white-out the debt I paid. I watched it go down over one year to 40k, 35k, 30k, 20k, 7k. I remember the last student loan payment I made and how much it impacted me. I checked my bank account and saw almost 10k had been deposited from the previous month’s sales. I logged into my familiar student loan page, and clicked ‘pay now’ and typed in $7,231.15, paused, took a deep breath, and clicked ‘send.’ I leaned back into my black pleather office chair, took another deep breath, and tears welled in my eyes. In my mind I shouted “I can’t believe it, I just beat the system by thirty years!” I immediately reached for the phone, “I need to call someone and celebrate my incredible victory!” Then I realized I didn’t know a single person who was debt free. Tired, very tired, and my chest shaking with deep, overwhelming gratitude, I left early and went home, very proud of myself. Chicken pox is characterized by severe itchiness, unsightly rash, and fever, and in some cases, it can actually kill you. According to the National Health Service, chickenpox has no cure and almost every person will be attacked by it at some point in their life. Surprisingly, it is possible to contract the virus more than once, but this is extremely rare; most people who have had chickenpox won't get it again because they're immune to it for life. Let’s do this with debt! Sending hope your way, April Rogers Peterson
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