Each morning, on a hill above Highway 26 my wife & I begin our day, coffee in hand, with a view of hundreds of people making their way into work or shopping in Gresham or Portland. Within a short time we will be joining that stream into the city. Over the last 8 years we have noticed a steady increase of morning traffic. We are continuously amazed at the number of people who have chosen to live out here in rural Clackamas county. What brings them away from the city - away from the advantages of inner city Portland life or being able to commute by bike? Why would anyone want to live in a place referred to as Boring? I'm sure there are as many reasons or answers as there are people in these hills. If you do live out here, what are your reasons for choosing the lifestyle of Boring?

Over 8 years ago, my wife and I enjoyed the neighborhood life of the Rose City area in NE Portland. Being able to walk pretty much wherever we wanted to go, whether it be to the LLyod Center or to have a beer at the Horse Brass Pub had all but become part of our family culture. As a Realtor, I've always enjoyed all that Portland has to offer and still do to this day.   Having grown up in a rural community,  city life was, and is, fun and convenient. The rural life though never left my blood. Having room for only a few tomato plants, perhaps an eggplant and a small patch of lettuce just never seemed enough. Why could I not have a goat or two - what do you mean I had to close all the curtains or shades in the morning so that the neighbors didn't have to be embarrassed caught looking? Rural life called & we answered.

Today, as the snow falls, we enjoy our Boring view, the soup made from the fresh produce from out large garden,  watching the goats play, wondering where all the rabbits came from, and knowing that if we choose we are only minutes from a snow-trek on the Springwater Trail. Without any curtains to have to hide behind, we enjoy our Boring life.

Not everyone will hear the call to join us in Boring.  Some will wish to just pass through on their way to Mt. Hood, perhaps enjoy a bowl of soup at the Full Moon, get a chuckle out of our name,  and return to their search for a quality of life in Portland or beyond.    Just know that in Boring, "It's an exciting place to live."

Oh by the way .. we even have a  life on Twitter -  Drop us a message or follow us for regular updates.

Everyday, if we search even just a little in our community newspapers, we may find ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things to benefit others within our communities.  Today as I read through our local Portland paper, The Oregonian, I found myself reading about my own little brother, Pat Rice in a column written by Margie Boule.  Why didn't he tell me that he was going to be in the paper?  Perhaps he thought I'd just laugh and see it as another stunt as his part to get some attention as the little brother in a family of nine.  But, for whatever reason, I am very proud of Pat - he has gone out of his way to not only make a contribution to main street America, but without seeking accolades from his own family.  What a great example to me of what it means to give back out of your abundance.  And then there is the other lesson - sometimes we need to give credit to those within our own families.  We don't always have to look far to find good people with extraordinary abilities giving.  Thanks for the challenge Pat.

In case you missed it above, click here to see why this Rice is so proud.

Are you one of those that avoids the day after Christmas sales?  The lines are too long .. the  ridiculous traffic .. and who wants to get up early when it is your day off.  The Portland Real Estate market is shaping up to be like those day after Christmas sales that if you are a potential buyer you may want to avoid.  Why get involved in bidding wars,  or having to wait days in line getting in to see your favorite mortgage broker.  Today the November real estate market statistics were released and show that there are over 15,000 homes on the market in the Portland metro area.  If only 1,000 of those sold per month, our present inventory would last us a good 15 months.  That much housing inventory on the market has not been seen in years  Will it last?  Sales have also been sluggish in the Portland market.   The 1041 sold listings during November was the lowest sales volume since 1993 and a 39.9% decrease from last November.  But what does any of that have to do with your avoiding bidding wars, and waiting in mortgage traffic?

As the news media daily reports, and you can't avoid hearing, mortgage interest rates are in the low 5's and perhaps even lower depending on your credit and the day.  These rates can and do fluctuate daily.  There is no question that the interest rates are in your favor at this time.  Check with a mortgage broker who knows your particular situation and credit score for the very latest. Housing prices have also declined on the average 10.7% since November 2007.  Now .. how long will those declines continue?  How long with the interest rates continue to go down?  No one exactly knows.  We may well bounce a little at the bottom for a while, but once word gets out that the market is changing for the better, then everyone who has been sitting on the fence all tend to jump off at the same time.  Don't wait until the crowd all decides to move at once,

By waiting for the stampede,  you may think you will be able to snatch the "best" deals - the best prices, or the choice properties, but in reality, you just may miss out.  Don't take that chance that the property in Ladds Addition or the Riverfront property in West Linn that you had been watching is now sold or pending.  Perhaps you have been trying to convince your parents to downsize and live in a one level home in Summerplace, a 55+ community.  Don't wait until those one-level homes are gone. 

Jump now , start your Portland Real Estate search now while you still have time and room to actually acquire those choice properties. 

Norm Rice

1-800-339-0980

Family-owned, local businesses are suffering on Main Street - something we hear everyday.  While bail-outs are being talked about in the halls of senators and corporate executives, main street America is talking, and helping via social networking such as Twitter and Facebook.  In Portland, Oregon today, peeps throughout the city were paged with a simple message from an everdaydude to read http://tin yurl.com/5vs5oz.  - a son, with a simple plea, a simple Christmas wish to his local community - help save our family bookstore.  Is he naive to think it will work?  As I walked into the store today, I believe the message is out.

Hopefully Broadway Books, in Portland, because of the power of Twitter and blogging and the desire of the people of Portland, Oregon to support local businesses will not only survive, but thrive in our economy.  Is it really possible that our social networking, our Tweet messages, and our blogging can help bail out Main Street America?  To me it is amazing what 140 characters sent out by business professionals, marketing specialists, Realtors, and sons and daughters can accomplish.  Watch what can be accomplished without a bail-out. 

In the early fall of 1989 a sign appeared on my front lawn in Portland, Oregon urging voters to "Vote For Norm Rice For Mayor".   My neighbors were stunned.  They had no idea that I was even remotely interested in the Mayor's job, let alone would have started my campaign without telling them ahead of time.  After all we shared lawn mowers, barbecues and occasionally a golf game.  Why didn't you tell us Norm?  We had fun with it for awhile and the lawn sign made its way into my collection of memorabilia stashed in the garage.

Approximately 3 years ago my incoming email's suddenly increased rather dramatically.  At first I was a bit surprised - was one of my real estate domain names suddenly being discovered?  Upon cursory reading some of them, I'd promptly delete them as "junk".  One day, shortly after all this email traffic began, I started reading the incoming emails closer.  Perhaps the one that got me started was when the invitation to a large barbecue in in another Mayor's backyard came in, followed by a number wondering why I had not responded.  The light suddenly came on - and back to that yard sign of 1989.  Could it really be happening that I was getting the mail of a Mayor - now the former Mayor of Seattle, Washington?   How could this be? 

After a few calls up to Seattle it was learned that not only did the other Norm share my same name, but our email addresses were almost identical other than he had added two letters to his first hame.  Our comcast.net email address was almost identical.  Our friends both called us by the same name, and never considered that he would use his full legal name in his email. 

Today I continue to receive emails intended for him.  Upon realizing they belong to him, the dinner invitations, the board notes, the airline reservation schedules, the how do I get tickets to the Obama inauguration questions, are promptly forwarded to the other Norm Rice with a cc note to the sender and deleted forever.   Should I be doing more perhaps as a Realtor?  Should I being adding their contact information to my database and sending them my monthly mail-outs?  I'd even be willing to do a pop-by visit.  After all, these emails are coming from well connected, famous politicians and community minded people who just may know someone who wants to relocate from Seattle to Portland.   Their referrals would be the type of referrals any Realtor would love to receive. 

Today, another email was forwarded off to the former Mayor of Seattle.  In case you are reading this Mr. Mayor, or if any of your famously connected friends are,  I'd love to attend the inauguration of President-Elect Oboma in Washington DC and of course I'm never to busy for your referrals.

Norm Rice,  (the Realtor)

Portland, Oregon

How often have we heard or been told that "size does not matter"?  It's about personality, character, attitude, what's inside, and who you know.  Right?  At times we may find those words of sage advice comforting, reassuring, or we find ourselves exclaiming excitedly "see I told you so"!  But is it a myth? Does size really matter afterall?

Look at the bailouts that have made the news.   Does the size affect us and cause us to get excited?  We are told that it is all because of the housing market and the size of our problems.  So then, lets turn to the housing market and real estate.

Have you noticed that when a home is inspected prior to closing, that the size of the discovered problems do matter.  Maybe a home inspection prior to putting it on the market would have made a difference.  Have you also noticed that real estate that has larger prices tend to move slower in our markets?  When a seller puts a home on the market with a larger sales price than their current market comparables believing that  theirs is more attractive, has more character and personality, and more inside,  does it normally work to the seller's benefit?  Usually not. And then surgery takes place and there is a 1% price reduction and the seller wonders why few got excited. 

Perhaps you've also noticed that when small or low sales commissions are negotiated,  and buyer's commissions are thus lowered, the size of the Realtor cards left behind are smaller and the size of the marketing services suffer.  How often have you seen sales flyers with little tiny pictures showing no details or marketing pieces with just one huge picture of a home on the front of a flyer or on the MLS.  Have you ever noticed as you read MLS descriptions that they come in all sizes, some with many words that say very little, and then those that are short, but concise? 

And then there are those blogs that are huge in size and go on an on and find readers quickly moving on without commenting.  Perhaps Twitter has got it right.

What is your view? Does size really matter?

Can we get your help?  Relocation packages offered by Title companies, Chambers of Commerce & Realtors come in all sizes, shapes, and methods.  Some may be found on-line that can be downloaded; others offer to mail a DVD while some may mail out a packet of information.  What would you like or expect to find in a Relocation Package and what method of delivery would you prefer?  Or, are they even needed in today's Google world?

As a member of the Board of Directors for our local Chamber, I've been asked to head a committe to help develop such a Relocation Package that would be helpful to people moving into our local Portland, Oregon area.  Rather than simply duplicating something that someplace else has done, our goal is to develop a package that will indeed meet the wishes and needs of our receivers.  So, we turn to you.  What in your experience is helpful, what is not, and if you were moving to a new area, such as Portland, Oregon, what would you hope to receive in terms of content?  What type of information would you want?  Let us also know what method would be most helpful to you and your movers - a mailed DVD - on-line PDF' documents that can be downloaded, simply a website filled with the information, or a mailed package of information.

Thanks for your valuable input and assistance. 

By the way ... if you know someone wishing to move to the livable, walkable,, bike-friendly and uniquely spirited community of Portland, Oregon, give me a call.  I'm never to busy for your referrals.  You can be assured they will receive the type of service you give and deserve.