tigard real estate agents: Creative Way to Tour Downtown Portland
- 10/21/08 07:23 AM
Looking for something fun and creative to do rather than the ususal shopping, eating, bowling or biking? Why not trying bringing a classic video game to life?! Trek around downtown Portland avoiding ghosts and collecting pellets in a life sized version of PacMan! Use a cell phone to get instructions on where to go and how to avoid the ghosts who are chasing you. It's something a little different and gets you out visiting the city. http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/WhereCamp_PDX_Takes_on_PacManhattan PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW PODCAST ON THE HOMEPAGE OF OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com & OUR NEW PORTLAND METRO BLOG AT http//:www.TonyandLibby.blogspot.com (make sure you … (1 comments)
tigard real estate agents: September Market Report
- 10/16/08 04:25 AM
September Residential Highlights While sales activity in the Portland metro area continues to slide, the slope of the decline leveled off a bit in September. From August to September, closed sales have averaged a 12.9% decrease over the last five years. This year, however, closed sales only fell 7.3% (1,640 v. 1,770) from August to September. Pending sales dropped 10.6% (1,705 v. 1,908). New listings also decreased 4.5% (4,200 v. 4,398). Similarly, comparing September this year with September 2007, pending sales are down 11.7% and closed sales dropped 12.1% (see table below). That’s less than half the drop we saw at … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Clackamas County Oregon Needs to Know...
- 10/15/08 10:32 AM
Effective Nov. 1, 2008 - Clackamas County will change their work week to four days a week (Mon-Thurs.). This means that any properties in Clackamas CAN NOT and WILL NOT fund/record on a Friday starting next month. They will be working longer days Mon-Thurs do not expect anything to happen on Fridays. I might need to work there! PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW PODCAST ON THE HOMEPAGE OF OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com & OUR NEW PORTLAND METRO BLOG AT http//:www.TonyandLibby.blogspot.com (make sure you leave comments) … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: New Bank of America "Bailout" Program
- 10/07/08 10:34 AM
Bank of America announced today that they will be taking the most aggressive foreclosure prevention effort ever in the U.S. Don't be giving them their props just yet, it is court ordered due to a law suit filed by 11 states for predatory lending practices. Luckily all 50 states are eligable. Actually it is Countrywide who done wrong but they were just acquired by BofA. Starting in December, financially strained borrowers who got their loan between January of '04 and December or '07 can try to get their monthy housing payment cut so that it is no more than 34% of … (1 comments)
tigard real estate agents: WES Stalled
- 10/03/08 06:53 AM
WES, or Westside Express Service is the commuter railway system that was scheduled to begin service this November but now has been pushed back to February. The manufacturer, Colorado Railcar Manufacturing LLC, seems to be having money problems. Also, more time is needed for saftey testing, especially after that commuter rail crash in Los Angeles. Apparently CRM has been having financial issues for months and when Tri-Met realised that CRM's suppliers were not being paid, Tri-Met stepped in and paid them directly, putting the project $3 million over budget. Buying from another manufacturer is not an option because CRM is the … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Corvallis OR is the most secure small city in America!!!
- 09/26/08 11:56 AM
Apparently Corvallis Oregon is the place to be if you don't want to have to worry about things like terrorists, extreme weather or job loss. Farmers Insurance has ranked the security of small and large cities by looking at things like crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, environmental hazards, terrorism threats, air quality, life expectancy and job loss. I've been to Corvallis and I most certainly believe it. Local Boyz (Hawaiian food) should actually be your first reason to move there but security is a good second! PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW PODCAST ON THE HOMEPAGE OF OUR WEBSITE … (0 comments)
Market activity in the Portland metro area appears to have slowed in August, compared to the same period a year ago. Comparing August this year with that of August 2007, new listings dropped 27.1%. Closed sales were off last year’s pace by 30.7%, while pending sales also fell 22%. In a month - to - month comparison (July v. August 2008), new listings dropped 16% (4,398 v. 5,237). Closed sales were down 3.3% (1,770 v. 1,831) and pending sales decreased 4.7% (1,908 v. 2,003). At the month’s rate of sales, the 17,556 active residential … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Another Top 5 for Portland!
- 09/10/08 11:42 AM
Houses in Sunnyvale, Calif. are typically on the market for 66 days, making it the fastest-selling real estate market in the country. Sadly, that is more than double what it was a year ago when it was just 31 days on the market. Buyers are in a "wait and see" state of mind no matter where they live. They know that houses isn't likely to go any where so they are waiting for prices to drop even more. Obviously some places are doing better than others but no area is exempt from the slow housing market. The cities with the strongest … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Top 5 "Green" Cities
- 09/09/08 08:56 AM
Portland Oregon has been listed in the top 5 "greenest" cities. Portland is in the Pacific Northwest and has more than 500,000 people. It has been a model of sustainable living for decades. They are recognized for smartly mixing urban and outdoor spaces. Portland did not wait for it to become popular to be "green". Since its 1903 Portland has been leading by example to encourage cities to embrace green space in their urban planning. Thirty years ago Portland demolishing a six-lane highway to develop a waterfront park in its place. There are about 92,000 acres of green space, including 74 … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Want to Buy a Forclosure?
- 08/13/08 11:43 AM
Are you hoping to be one of the buyers out there who score a deal during the bad housing market? Taking a look at foreclosures are a good bet for you but there are some things to keep in mind. There are plenty of foreclosures out there right now and lenders are definitely looking to get rid of them. This isn't exactly the time to be holding on and waiting for a better offer. Apparently there are different stages of foreclosure and they all have different amounts of risk and reward so you can choose what fits your comfort level. … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Geography Facts
- 08/04/08 10:51 AM
Even though it has very little snow fall, Portland, Oregon is about 130 miles farther north than Toronto, and over 200 miles farther north than Boston. Cannes, France, the sunny summer playground of the rich, is about 10 miles farther north than Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Cape Town and Sydney are known for having unusually pleasant year-round climates, and they are all almost identical distances from the Equator. Similarly,San Francisco and Melbourne, Australia are both known for mild and fast-changing climates, and they are identical distances from the Equator. Cold Estcourt Station in the northernmost tip of Maine has … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Last Thursday
- 08/01/08 04:42 AM
Last Thursday has been an event in Northeast Portland for about a decade. The last Thursday of every month the streets, stores and restaurants of Alberta street are flooded with people. It is thought that there are currently around 10,000 people participating in this event each month. Now it is time to take measures to keep up with growth. Vendors are putting merchandise on the sidewalk, which is already over flowing with pedestrians. There are also some sanitation issues to deal with. No one wants this to go away so steps need to be taken to ensure safety of participants and … (0 comments)
tigard real estate agents: Bailing Out Sub-prime Borrowers
- 07/25/08 09:29 AM
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 400,000 borrowers with $68 billion in loans may benefit from a rescue bill. This bill is to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by offering at-risk borrowers the chance to refinance their old mortgages into new low-cost fixed-rate loans. To qualify borrowers must live in their homes and have loans that were accuired between January 2005 and June 2007. Also, they must be spending a minimum 40% of their gross monthly income on all household debt to be eligible for the program. They do not necessarily have to be in default but they do have to prove … (1 comments)
June sales activity was mixed when compared to that of May 2008. On the other hand, activity continues to follow a downward trend compared with 2007. From May to June, there was a 0.8% increase in closed sales (1,877 v. 1,863) - the second straight month of increasing sales. New listings also grew a slight 0.6% (5,213 v. 5,182). Pending sales, however, dropped 6% (1,996 v. 2,124). On the other hand, comparing June 2008 with June 2007, closed sales dropped 31.3% and pending sales decreased 30%. New listings were also down 16.3%. See table below. At the … (1 comments)
tigard real estate agents: The Year of the Investment Buyer
- 07/02/08 10:21 AM
The crazy-low home prices have finally begun to lure real estate investors into the market. Sharon Restrepo, a broker in South Florida, where home prices have dropped nearly 27% over the past 12 months, recently bought a three-family home from a very motivated seller for a mere $65,000. It listed for $195,000. She can rent the three apartments out for about $1,500 and turn a profit, while she holds on to the property until the market recovers. If you fancy yourself an investor, the down times are when you truly make your move. Some places can be rented out while waiting … (0 comments)
In this forum we will offer discussions on a wide variety of subjects, but focus on Portland Metro and real estate. Hopefully our insights and experiences will inform, educate, challenge and entertain our readers week after week.
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