WINTER TIPS FOR HOME OWNERS.

Many people already have a routine down on what they will do and have around the home. I have been doing some thinking and realized that not everyone would know to do these things if they are first time home buyers. I remember 20ish years ago when I got into my first home, I had no clue. I did remember doing things around the house when I lived at home, but those memories soon got lost in everyday life by the time I got into that first home. I did have some small leaks that first year that could have been avoided had I taken action.

So for those that know this or can add something too it, Wonderful.

For those of you that can use this information and its new,Great and pass it on to somebody else down the road.

These are my suggestions that I share with you all.

1. If you do not have frost free faucets outside, Put a protective faucet cover over them. I do it anyways out of habit now.
2. Insulate your exposed pipes, under the house or in the basement if they are exposed. If your basement is always warmed this may also be over kill.
3. Keep you sidewalks and walkways clear of ice and snow. This is for your protection, the protection of your family and also to keep a possible lawsuit from happening if somebody slips and hurts themself.
4. Keep snow drifts off your roof . I do not know an easy way to do this for most people. I just climb up and use a plastic rake or snow shovel. I try to mind how deep I go so that I do not start scraping the roofing material and taking life away from it as I remove snow. If you look around there might be some better ideas or even a snow rake. I am simple and just get up there and remove the bulk. If you don't know how to do it or your roof is too high, call a professional in your area. Remember the Roof is dangerous , so if you can work from the ground or ladder that is the best way to do it. Always avoid the Power lines and those cable wires.
5. Don't let the gutters get overloaded with snow and ice. This will not only slow the drainage as it warms up, but create issues with the gutters pulling away from the house from the wieght, along with other damages that could possibly happen to the roof and siding.
6. I have a generator, You may never need one. I just like to have power at times.
7. Keep some extra Fuel around. I have a 5 gallon fuel can that I keep. I always have it for emergencies and use it every month and replace it with new. I has come in handy a few times over the years.
8. Create an Emergency Kit or Box.  Have your Flashlights, Batteries, Candles, Etc all in this one area.
9. I stock up on food during the winter in case we get snowed in I know that I will not run out of things in a few days.  Before the winter I seemed be going to the store newarly everyday for something.
10. Blankets are stored and easy to get too
11. Sleeping bags and extra pillows
12. Water, In the water goes down we have some.
13. I truely am not very PC about this but I am so much ok with that. Have dry WOOD for your wood burning FirePlace. :)       I love them and nothing is going to change it.   
14. There is a huge list on the internet of things that you can do. Depending on were you live and how bad things get. In the city, a day or two every few years is about all we get.
15. Be smart and safe. Stay in if you really do not have to venture out on the roads.

If honesty, integrity, market knowledge, trust worthiness Are important things to look for when choosing a real estate professional, then give me a ring.

Best to you and yours.

Timothy Butterworth

Real Estate  Broker

Corporate Office

215 SE 102^nd, Suite 300

Portland, Oregon 97216 

503-960-4589 Cell

503-287-3417 office

503-287-4657 fax

timothybutterworth@comcast.net

LICENSED IN THE STATE OF OREGON

Remember...each day. You decide the outcome...the rest of the world merely is part of your day...not the reason for it..

There has been many homes that have been sold at bank auctions lately. This is an area that I have had mixed feelings on for sometime but think that a negative situation can open up to a positive one.

I have been to a few over the last 15 years, long before I became a Real Estate Broker.  I did not like them much when I went. Maybe it was that it was a BLIND bid auction, or a fast pace one that I did not feel as though I could keep up with.  As time went on I decided that unless I needed to I would really like to stay away from the auctions. That was just me and how comfortable I was.

Some of the things I will point out is at auctions you really need to come in with CASH for several reasons.The Price is due within 45 days or less (30 being the average). You will find it near impossible to secure a loan right now on property in such a short time period. Even if you do, More then likely it will be a high interest loan with penalties for early payoff. So CASH really is the option. For one person to do this can be more difficult. A Small group could do this better as a collective but it would have to be set up in a way that was legal and hopefully fair to all members involved.

10 people , $20,000 each give the group the buying power of $200,000 minus all the small set up fee's and such.

Basically 1/10 interest in a group that can start positioning itself in the market again.

Before you ever bid on a property, get your own independent inspector and appraisal so that you know what your really getting. This will be money well spent and hopefully prevent one from buying a money pit.

Remember you are bidding with other people that will be competitive with you. If you ever want to really see how these work, sit in on one to get a feel. You can find good deals and bid on them only to have somebody else outbid you.

Another way is to hook up with a Real Estate Broker and have them search for Short sales. These would be homes that are pre foreclosure. There can be some great finds if your patient and willing to work with the banks and the agent. I will be honest with you, short sales are a great way to get a fantastic bargin. It takes a foreclosure off the owners future, but it can be a pain to deal with the banks(third party approval) that hold the sellers note. There is no FAST way around it. Real Estate Companies say they can move faster then others but I have found that they all move at the same speed if they have everything in order, and that is not very fast. The Banks are overloaded and understaffed.

So there it is, if you have some patience and are willing to ride the waves, you more then likely can get a great buy in the short sale area. Just remember that is is not going to be fast.

Worst case is the whole deal falls apart because the lenders might have dragged their feet or did not communicate information to another department. As Realtors we keep in close contact with everything that is going on, but beyond popular belief we can not walk in and ask for a file to be put on the top of a pile if we take the loss mitigater out for drinks.

Looking for a great deal? Look into Short Sales if you have the TIME and PATIENCE, you will save MONEY.

If honesty, integrity, market knowledge, trust worthiness Are important things to look for when choosing a real estate professional, then give me a ring.

Best to you and yours.

Timothy Butterworth

Real Estate  Broker

Corporate Office

215 SE 102^nd, Suite 300

Portland, Oregon 97216 

503-960-4589 Cell

503-287-3417 office

503-287-4657 fax

timothybutterworth@comcast.net

LICENSED IN THE STATE OF OREGON

This is not a new trend but many parents are not taking advantage of the market.

Looking into home investments for your college bound children.

Rents for apartments and homes have gone up while at the same time real estate prices have come down.

If your budget permits you to be creative, I would like to suggest a way to provide a place for your child to live while in school and position yourself in a market that is more attractive for buyers at this time.

JUST A THOUGHT

College Children rents for 4-5 years ( hopefully). Avergage cost in Oregon $45,000 roughly for a single bedroom appartment. This could very well go up over the next few years, I honestly do not know. But for 5 years that is a chunk of change.

Investment property could be a very nice solution instead of throwing money away on 4-5 years of your childs housing with no return at the end. Consider the purchase of condo or house close to your childs college.Recruit a roommate  to help offset the cost of the mortgage. Yes there will be extra upkeep on the home but that can be sorted out between your child and yourself. If it can not be worked out then you will have to factor in that extra part. As the owners of the property, you can write off mortgage interest costs to provide a wonderful tax benefit (Talk to you tax advisor for information on how much you can write off.)

CONFORMING  -  (up to $417k)

30yr fixed      4.875%   (5.060apr)   -   Owner-Occupied purchase or rate/term refinance

30yr fixed      5.500%   (5.729apr)   -   Investment Property

15yr fixed      4.750%   (4.940apr)

3/1 ARM       4.600%   (5.023apr)   -   fixed for first 3yrs 

5/1 ARM       5.100%   (5.536apr)   -   fixed for first 5yrs 

30yr FHA      5.000%   (5.439apr)

JUMBO  -  (over $417k)

30yr fixed      5.875%   (6.136apr)   -   up to $600k at this rate, slightly higher to $3.0mil

5/1 ARM       5.100%   (6.111apr)   -   up to $750k with no mortgage insurance

Best to you and yours.

Timothy Butterworth

Real Estate  Broker

Corporate Office

215 SE 102^nd, Suite 300

Portland, Oregon 97216 

503-960-4589 Cell

503-287-3417 office

503-287-4657 fax

timothybutterworth@comcast.net

LICENSED IN THE STATE OF OREGON

A few days back I was talking with a young couple that wanted to know how they would get into a home with the market the way it was. I thought about that statement for a moment and asked them if their credit was ok. They said that for the most part it was good but needed a little work. Ok! That would take some time but not forever. They both had a good job, that was good also. They had about 10 months left on a car loan and hoped to have all their credit cards paid in full or at least under 30% within a year.

Looking at the home prices right now and the market, I still fill that it is a buyers market for most situations. Notice I say most but not all. I think they will have time to get the credit bumps taken care of and clear some credit debt out of the way within a year. Having a paid off vehicle will help 

The biggest concerns were coming up with more of a down payment and being able to adjust to all the cost of owning a home. Those nice little costs we do not think about until it's broken and needs to be fixed.

I thought about that also and how that is sometimes a real eye opener also for first time home buyers

Well with $5000.00 in savings as of right now and a little work ahead of them I started to get my wheels turning. I thought about these young people that have a dream, a goal to own a home but looking at all the things that would make it hard.

Sometimes we must sacrifice something to gain something else. We must decide what is important. In the middle of the 2 starting to get somewhat depressed in the conversation and almost loosing hope, I asked if I might be straight forward with some questions and my own personal suggestions. They agreed and were interested in what I had to say.

But what was I going to say I thought. I had been watching the both of them chain smoke cig after cig and then it came to me.

The Answer is simple, but not easy I said.

Getting some paper out I and asked a few more questions.

Based on what I was told, I came up with a plan that I would use if it were me.

 I asked if I could SHARE my plan with them at the end on what I would do if it was me 

They were interested. So I showed them the paper with all my notes.

Smoking! 2 packs a day   $2920.00       Not smoking $ 0

Mocha's and lattes + tip  2 a day $ 3285.00  Coffee at home and on the go $365

Cable and movie channels  $960.00               Blockbusters unlimited( they already had it)

Movies, popcorn, drinks     $522.00               Blockbusters ......

Drinks and Pool                  $ 2080.00  limit it !!!! $700.00

Video Poker                        $600.00                Powerball 1 time a week $52

Dinners out                          $2400.00             Happy hour once weekly   $780

Bought lunches                    $3120.00             Take you lunches $1510.00

                                    --------------------------------------------------------------------------   

$15,887.00      MINUS       $3407.00

$12,480.00 SAVED in 365 DAYS

A small sacrifice! You bet!

That is what I would do if it were me and I needed some money in 365 days

I could see the wheels turning at that point.

We all must ask what will we give up to gain something new.

In this case it was explained to me that in 365 days the couple would have saved another $5000 to make a total of $10,000. If they started to modify their spending in the LUXURY area, they would save another $12,480.00 in that same 365 days if they stayed on plan.

NOT BAD!    Just think what percentage of that money saved could be used to help with the mortgage later on also.

Even if it was 50%  That is an extra $520 ($12,480 *.50)/12 towards the mortgage payment and maybe the other part could be used for those unexpected things that come up or maintenance.

I explained to the both of them that I really am a simple person and if it were I this is how I would do it because it would be a simple way to get from point A to Z. I like simple.

Sometimes things are so simple we don't see them until looked at from a completely different view.

This works  in this case, It may not work for you. Really Its YOU that needs to figure out what the simple sacrafice is. Its that simple.

Best to you and yours!

Timothy S. Butterworth
Oregon Realty Company
215 SE 102nd Ave
Portland OR 97216

timothybutterworth@comcast.net

Cell 503-960-4589

Office 503-254-0100
Fax 503-252-6366
VM 503-493-6711

Check to see if your area is on the list. I highly recommend seeing this band. Some bands are just too great to pass up.

We often struggle with the challenges we face in life or career especially when the market is down. We struggle and fight to just make it through to the next closing at times. If we are new in the business, it may seem an almost impossible task to accomplish. Not everything in life is easy and not every business starts off and is successful overnight. Be stubborn and keep your hopes and dreams alive. Rewards do not always come overnight but in time hard work is rewarded.

I would like you to take just a moment to look at the Band Snow Patrol The lead singer Irish born moved to Scotland to go to University. Later a band was formed. They were not an overnight success story at all. it was almost 14 years of hard work and not giving up but in the end they are known world wide now.

The first decade the average about 50 CD's sales a month altogether. Their last album eye's open sold 4.7 million worldwide. They have a new album coming out at mid month with expectations that will surpass their last sales.

In a business that is much harder to break into then most, this band fought, believed in themselves and kept going. The rewards in the end did come.

Though times are tough in all industries I guess my hope and idea for all no matter what your business or proffesion, is to not give up hope, push one and keep taking steps forward.

Even if you do not like the music or the band, its a great story of people that do not give up.

Nearly 30 years ago another band from Ireland was just starting to make waves in college. That band was U2

Best to you and yours!  Chasing cars

Live Music in the Portland Area. If you like live music, here are some places that have live music. Something for everyone hopefully.

Aladdin Theater

3017 S.E. Milwaukie Ave

Portland Or 97202

(Near My old nieborhood that I grew up in)

Berbati's Pan

10 SW 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204

Crystal Ballroom

(503) 225-0047
1332 W. Burnside
Portland, OR 97209

Doug Fir lounge

503-224-8499

830 E. Burnside St.

Portland Or

Dahlia "Nothing's Gonna Take Me Down" Jen is great, been watching her for 10 years now.

Dahlia "Last Dance"

Dahlia "I'm Not Scared"

Dahlia "Ghost Chair"

Dahlia "October's Colors"

Hawthorne Theatre
3862 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 233-7100

Holocene
1001 SE Morrison St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 239-763

McMenamins Edgefield
2126 S.W. Halsey St.
Troutdale, OR 97060

Local: (503) 669-8610
Elsewhere: (800) 669-8610

WONDER BALLROOM

128 NE Russell

Portland, OR 97212

503.284.8686

Rose garden

Celtic thunder coming

Celtic Thunder - Heartland, Raggle Taggle Gypsy Dec 6th

Roseland Theater

8 NW 6th Ave.

Portland, OR 97209

503-219-9929.

Blondie coming in 2-09

Satyricon

125 NW 6th Ave

Portland, OR 97209

Hello everyone! I have provided some of my Favorite happy hour places that are in the local area. All you have to do is click on the name of the restuarant to get more information at their website.

These are my Favorites in Portland and all are between $1.95-$6.00 happy hour choices.

The average being right around $3.95

If your on a late lunch or a tight budget, these are some wonderful places to go to.

I have tried to provide you with the happy hours they have to help you make you choices.

Have a happy hour meal soon!

Please feel free to bookmark or print this out for your use in the future.

Cheers!

The Benson 

503-228-2000

M-F  3-7pm

The City

503-221-2489

M-F  4-7pm and 10pm to close

Hubers

503-228-5686

Daily from 4-6:30pm and 9pm to close

( A most go to, I started to go here in 1978)

Jax Bar and Restaurant

503-228-9128

M-F 3-6pm and 10-12pm

Sat 10-12pm

Sunday All Day

Kingston Bar and Grill

503-224-2115

Daily 5-7pm and 11pm to close

Old Town Pizza

503-222-9999

Daily 9pm to close

Ringside Steakhouse (burnside)

(1978)

503-223-1513

M-Sat 9:45 to close and Sun 4-6pm

Bridgeport Brewpub

503-241-7179

M-F 4-6pm

T-Thur 10pm to close.

 Palamino

503-248-1690

M-F 4:30 -6:30pm and 9 - 11pm

Sunday all day

21^st avenue Bar and grill

503-222-4121

M-F 3-6pm

Bartini

503-224-7919

M-Sat 4-6:30pm and 9:30-close

Basta's Trattoria & Bar

503-274-1572

M-F 5-6:30

(meet Marco the owner and tell him Timothy sent you)

Gypsy

503-796-1859

M-F 4-6:30pm

Lucy's Table

503-226-6126

M-F 5-6:30pm

Muu Muu's

503-223-8169

M-F 3-6pm

Mint

503-460-0820

M-Sat  4-6:30pm

The Alibi

503-287-5335

M- F  3-7pm

Sat  12am free food buffet

Trebol

503-517-9347

Daily 5-6:30pm and 9pm -close

Gustav's Bier Stube

503-288-5503

Daily 3-6pm

Sun-Thurs 9pm-close

Fri-Sat  10pm-close

(Great German Food, Main Restaurant attached to it is the RHEINLANDER. I first went here in 1975)

The Hutch

503-235-4729

M-F 4-7pm

La Bodega Wine and Beer

503-943-6099

Daily 11am- 6pm

Pour Wine Bar

503-288-7687

Daily 4:30-6:30pm

The  Goodfoot Lounge

503-239-9292

Daily 5-9pm

Night Light Lounge

503-731-6500

Daily 3-7pm

Sellwood Public House

503-736-0179

Tues-Sun 3-6pm

Stanfords (Clackamas)

503-653-9400

Daily 3-6pm

Sun-Thurs 9-11pm

Fri-Sat  10-12pm

Players

503-726-4263

M-F 3-6pm

M-Thurs 9pm-close

(Great games for the family here)

If honesty, integrity, market knowledge, trust worthiness Are important things to look for when choosing a real estate professional, then give me a ring.

Call Timothy 503-960-4589

Looking for a home to buy? Needing to sell your home?

Timothy S. Butterworth
Oregon Realty Company
215 SE 102nd Ave
Portland OR 97216

timothybutterworth@comcast.net

Permission given for reprint.

© 2008 Timothy S Butterworth, All rights reserved

Please post a blog in Portland Oregon Home Buyers

 I am saving all the featured post for everyone that post something of interest.

I would love to see what we can get in here.

Best to you and yours

Cheers

Timothy

 Remembering that all is precious and fragile, enjoy every moment you have.

I will not be writing about real estate in this blog, it will not be about self help. I have no advice tonight on how to do something better or how to have a happy outlook.

Tonight I remember a special person Perla Caballero (now Hoblit) that touched my life so many years ago when she was just 19.  Perla was full of energy and excitement when she moved to Portland. I quickly became friends with her and her family. We talked much about music and bands, art and comedy. She was going to become a comedian someday. I was happy for her.  Shortly after moving to Portland Oregon, Perla lost her Mother Teresa in a horrid Car accident in California. Perla was devastating from this horrid accident but later became pregnant with a child, a little girl. She Named her Teresa in Honor of her Mother.

At 18 months of age Teresa Caballero was murder by her babysitter. Perla was still getting over the death of her mother when this horrid atrocity happened. I could go into great details and explain more, but I choose not too. I have provided a link to the to KGW 4 days after. The person the killed Teresa is serving a long sentence in prison. 4 years later and some justice has been done, it did not bring back Teresa. I have not forgiven the person that did this and I more then likely will never forgive them. I have become resolved in that. It is not my place to forgive them and I shall not. Perla has had a rough four years since but I must say that she has the heart of true warrior. She did go into comedy and has slowly been working her way up. She met a most wonderful man, Brian Hoblit, that she is now married too. The wheel of time has taken a new turn and now its time for the good chapters to pile up in Perla and Brian's life.

Link to KGW NEWS STORY 2004

Perla is 27 now; you never know who you might meet and how they may touch your life. Enter everyday with eyes' wide open.

November 18^th 2004

TERESA CABALLERO. Though time ticks by and life goes on here, you will never be forgotten and you are truly a little angel

November 2000 Perla!!! 19 years old

Perla 2005 breaking into comedy                           Perla and Brian  

Thinking of you Perla,Brian and Teresa. Love You.