East, West, North or South Salem Oregon Neighborhoods - 06/30/09 10:18 PM
"I need freeway access."
"I want to live down south."
"I want to be able to walk downtown."
 
Those are just a few of the statements that potential home buyers make when trying to decide where to look.  For those of you relocating to the Salem Oregon area, sometimes trying to figure out where our neighborhoods are in relation to where you work, or want to be can be a challenge. Sometimes it is hard to visualize where things are.
 
I created a neighborhood map that shows some different neighboods here in Salem Oregon, and you can click … (7 comments)

Old McSalem had a farm - 06/28/09 01:56 PM

Old McSalem had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
and on that farm he had some hens
E-I-E-I-O
with a cluck, cluck here and a cluck, cluck there here a cluck, there a cluck, everywhere a cluck, cluck.
Old McSalem had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
 
I wrote a post not too long ago about the chicken ban that Salem Oregon has in place for homes. There has been a push to allow chickens to exist within the city limits allowing people to have fresh eggs. After much debate and banter about it, the city councilors passed a motion to start the process to … (13 comments)

Salem Oregon septic system basics - 06/25/09 09:35 PM
Anyone that wants to look at living outside city limits or on acreage property in the Salem Oregon area is going to be looking at having a septic system of one kind or another.
If you are wanting to purchase a home and have never had a septic system before there are some basics that you should know during a real estate transaction.
Get the tank pumped and inspected. You should never purchase a home without having the tank and the drainfield inspected. It costs a lot of money to have a new drain field put in so know what you … (7 comments)

Have You Encountered Financial Difficulties and You Have An Oregon Bond Loan? - 06/24/09 05:27 PM
This is some great information for our local folks that did an Oregon Bond Loan. With Oregon at 12.4% unemployment, many of our residents are struggling. 
Via American Pacific Mortgage- Karen Cooper, Oregon & California:
I have heard from several Oregon Bond borrowers now who are struggling due to financial hardships, and running in to difficulties due to the owner occupancy requirement and the potential recapture tax provision a homeowner may face on an Oregon Bond loan when they sell their home and their income has increased enough to trigger this provision. Some of these homeowners were trying to get the Home Affordable … (3 comments)

Finding yourself in a jam on what to do with the kids? - 06/23/09 02:03 PM
I always relish June 1 every year. Typically Oregon strawberries start to ripen and are just waiting to be plucked and eaten. Every year we take the kids to a local u-pick and pick strawberries. We eat a lot of them over the winter so we pick a bunch and freeze them. There is nothing like waffles with Oregon strawberries and fresh whipped cream on Christmas morning. (Seriously, waffles and hot cocoa rock!)
 
Finding organic strawberries is hard because slugs love them. I grow some organic strawberries in my yard here in Salem Oregon every year and it's a constant … (5 comments)

May 2009 Real Estate Market Reports: Marion and Polk Counties - 06/17/09 01:54 PM

 
 
The Salem Oregon metro area is filled with smaller towns.  Small towns are a huge part of Oregon, in fact.  Analysis of small towns is really difficult due to lack of sales volume, so for the smaller Marion and Polk county cities I am just giving year to date averages rather than month to month averages for real estate sales.
 
Here are just some quick market numbers for the current market.
 
Polk County Market Snippet
 
Marion County Market Snippet
… (1 comments)

Salem Oregon Real Estate Market Conditions - 06/12/09 10:06 PM
Well I avoided them as long as possible, but it is that time for some monthly Salem Oregon area real estate market reports. 
 
I know...I know...you haven't been able to sleep without reading these, but here they are for you.
 
Salem Oregon Real Estate Market Report
Keizer Oregon Real Estate Market Report
Silverton Oregon Real Estate Market Report
 
 
… (1 comments)

What to do?...so many choices... - 06/07/09 09:34 PM
Sometimes you get presented with an opportunity just too good to pass up. Me...I get presented with those "great opportunities" pretty much daily. Take the other day, for example...
 
First, I, formally known as Melina Tomson but now known as "email bearer," won a cool $2.5M in a lotto I never entered. I was always taught that hard work would be rewarded, but apparently my mere existence in the universe will bring me millions today...how cool is that?
 
Then, I was contacted by a Colonel in the Sudanhese government wanting to invest in real estate, here in local Salem … (13 comments)

 
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Melina Tomson, M.S. Principal Broker/Owner

Salem, OR

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Tomson Burnham, llc Licensed in the State of Oregon

Office Phone: (503) 371-6515

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Neighborhood real estate at its best delivered to you by a Principal Broker licensed in the state of Oregon. Get a peek into my inner data geek with my extensive Salem Oregon real estate trending graphs, or stick around to see if my sarcastic wit rears its ugly head. Either way, read, hopefully enjoy and find it helpful, then you know the drill...call/email/tweet me for help with your real estate needs.


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