If you can avoid it... DON'T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE WHILE DOING LAUNDRY OR RUNNING THE DISHWASHER! Last summer a client left the house for 45 minutes, only to return and see water dripping from the garage ceiling and onto the floor! In much newer construction the laundry room is upstairs with the bedrooms but often there is no low point drain. Convenient but DANGEROUS. His washing machine's drain hose was dislodged from the wall drain and the water had nowhere to go but down. This has happened to me and I had my plumber install a water sensor that rests on the floor next to the washing machine. If it senses water it shuts the water valves. Regardless, I still don't run the water conveniences unless I'm home. Stay dry!

Late Saturday we had a typical fall drenching here in Portland and I got the nightmare call from a wonderful client who I helped buy a little cutie in the halcion days of last summer... "Keith, my basement's leaking what do we do?!" Ugh, I hate those calls, but here in Oregon they happen. I suggested she disconnect the offending downspout, which was gushing water next to the foundation and attach a gutter extension that can be purchased at any big-box hardware store, and route the river into the yard. That did the trick and the water stopped intruding. Next we called my "water remediation specialist" who is on his way to figure the best way to keep the water away from the house. Keep those gutters functioning!

OK, a year has gone by since you helped the Smith-Joneses buy their dream-home. At the time you noticed the two humongous broad-leafed Maples that overhung the front roof-line. Now you have the perfect opportunity to call and say: "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Smith-Jones, I'm just calling to remind you to get that gutter service over as soon as possible to make sure the water is going off the roof properly." What a great way to stay in touch and ensure your buyer's home is being well maintained, thus avoiding deferred maintenance issues when you eventually help them sell.  Happy November!

Yes, we know, it's a buyers market.  They can do whatever they like... if they're not picky. But what if they've found their dream-house? How can they still take advantage of the market and avoid having their low-ball offer rejected? One thing the buyer can do to get a good sale price is offer to take the house in AS-IS condition, while retaining the right to back out of the deal based on all the normal contingencies within the specified time-lines. If something big comes up in the inspection like a broken sewer line, or a lender required repair, the buyer can go back to the seller and say... "We know we weren't going to ask for repairs... but this is a major fault, either you repair it or we're out". This strategy lets the seller feel good about taking a lower offer with the promise of not being nit-picked with small repairs, while keeping the buyer safe and getting a good price.  Everyone's a winner... Happy Selling!

Ah, the smell of a new home... just like a new car, a new home has that great smell when you first open the door, The aromas of wood floors and new paint combine to tickle the pleasure points in our brains... there couldn't be anything wrong with this new home! But wait, lurking just behind the brand-spanking-new kitchen cabinets on the ground floor is a punctured water drain pipe from the upstairs master bath. When the cabinet guys installed the kitchen cabs, they didn't know the screw they drove deep into the wall hit the pipe... and the only way my buyer found out was during the home inspection when our inspector noticed puddles in the crawl space. After removing the cabs and sheet rock, the builder discovered the problem and repaired as necessary. The MORAL OF THE STORY... EVEN NEW CONSTRUCTION NEEDS TO BE FULLY INSPECTED! Happy buying!

In this market, being a listing agent can be FRUSTRATING but I just had a fantastic listing agent experience... MY SELLERS DID EVERYTHING I ASKED! Their small bungalow was built in 1921 and had been remodelled several years ago. I suggested they put on a new roof, paint inside and outside, add new exterior steps and decking, add some cute design elements like fish scales at the roof peaks, oh and PRICE THE HOUSE REASONABLY... AND THEY DID! We were under contract within two months. Then, during the inspection, several issues came up and my sellers gladly had them repaired. They did EVERYTHING they could do to sell their home in this crazy market and they were successful. THE MORAL OF THE STORY... LISTEN TO YOUR REALTOR AND YOUR HOUSE WILL SELL!

It's November 9th, 2008 in Portland, Oregon and from my own business, I can tell you the real estate market is alive and well! My buyers are making offers, and when they're within reason, the the sellers are biting. That doesn't mean that unreasonable "low ball" offers are working. There are still plenty of offers being rejected outright without a counter. So "buyer beware" eventhough you're the shark, you must lure your prey! Happy hunting.

A good broker friend of mine across the river in Washington said it best: "When I go to speak to someone about selling their home, I ask them, do you want to SELL your home or LIST your home?"

That's an amazing question that brokers wouldn't have considered asking two years ago, but now that it's costing  a fortune to market a home, the question is imperative. Only a truely motivated seller will be successful selling their home in today's market, and the highest powered agent in the world can't do a thing unless it's priced to sell. That means the lowest price in the neighborhood and in the highest possible condition.

So ask yourself, are you listing your house, or selling it, because they are two different things!

Happy Sellling, Keith

It's rare, but every once in a while we'll run across a "party sewer line". In some really old Portland neighborhoods, usually built before or in the 1920s, sewer lines might be shared by several homes before running out to public sewer.

Last year I had a transaction where the sewer line ran into the backyard and connected to two other homes on a single line that only then ran to the public sewer... nowadays that's a big no-no!  Today every home has its own line that runs directly to the public sewer.

This is just one more excellent reason to have a sewer line inspection when buying, or preparing to sell your home. If a party sewer line is discovered and reported to the city, it must be replaced at the owners expense, along with everyone else connected to the line. That could mean some unhappy neighbors but it must be done. These replacements can be costly!

A well inspected home keeps everyone in the transaction happy. Happy Selling! Keith, 503-734-6646

Keith is not an inspector, contractor or sewer specialist and these are simply his opinions. See a specialist if you have questions about a sewer line.

Well, it's time to stage your house for sale and we know it's a PRICE WAR and a BEAUTY CONTEST out there, so your home must absolutely shine!

But what if your furniture is old, worn, or just out of style, and you can't afford to put in new furniture or have a stager help out?

Well an easy fix is a "throw", you know, those really big rug-like pieces of fabric which are like tableclothes for furniture. They can change your ratty old wing-back into a stylish period peice or modern looker.

Throws can be bought at any of big-box bedroom, bathroom store for a fraction of the cost of new furniture.

Happy Selling! Sincerely, Keith

Keith Berne, RE/MAX Equity Group, Realtor, Broker, GRI 503-734-6646