Tigard Oregon real estate blog>>real estate blog

Your Phone System Can Cost Your Company Money

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:53:59 -0600

Your Phone System Can Cost Your Company Money

I've had it. My auto insurance company, MetLife, has the phone system from hell. It's one of those voice prompt systems where they ask you questions, supposedly "to serve you better", and you respond with spoken words. There are several prompts, some redundant, and the process takes about three minutes to get to a real person. We have five family vehicles that we insure them for about the last five years and I have always tolerated this system. But no more, I'm done with them.

My son bought a Jeep and I was trying to add it to the policy on Friday. This would have been vehicle number six. Two times I went through the whole process only to have my call inexplicably terminated when I got tantalizing close to a real person. On the final attempt I was yelling at the phone, because we all know that these voice systems work better the louder we speak. I then saw that my poor dog was freaking out! She thought she had done something wrong. I immediately consoled her and gave her a treat.

I called my local agent and he answered the phone. He quoted me a price that was actually lower than what I had been paying. This I would have never discovered if MetLife had a better phone system. Their letterhead has the motto "Outstanding People and Service". I don't think so.

Real estate agents have long know the benefits of answering their phones. A missed call can mean a significant portion of our monthly income. Please, Mr. & Ms. Realtor, don't say you provide outstanding service unless you answer your phone.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs and he is also a licensed contractor. Wayne knows houses. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.

Fixing the Gates of Hell

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:02:07 -0600

Fixing the Gates of Hell

I have many gates in my life. Since I own rental property and my children are boys, I have to do many gate repairs. I have learned over the years how to make a gate as sturdy as possible. One problem that stumped me for awhile was the lack of a sturdy gate latch. Almost all the ones being sold were of the same design; flimsy metal and short screws. The screws that attach the metal piece to the gate work loose over time and strip out the holes and never stay tight.

My solution to that problem was to weld the piece that goes on the gate to a piece of angle iron. I then can use 3" screws to secure it in place. This distributes the holding force over a wider area. I have never had to "readjust" a gate since using this method.

No Personal Guarantee Needed

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:35:14 -0500

No Personal Guarantee Needed

In many cases, no personal guarantee is needed when signing a commercial lease in the present economic climate. It's just a matter of firm and sound negotiating techniques. Commercial real estate sales and leasing activity in most areas is just as bad, or worse, as the residential real estate market.

Most commercial Landlords are experiencing high vacancy rates and when they have a prospective Lessee they are willing to make concessions, including waiving the personal guarantee. Lessee's with the financial ability and courage to move forward in the current economic climate are hard to find. Landlords are willing to compromise to get any rent out of vacant properties.

Recently I talk with 2 small business owners, (who were not clients of mine), that had rented office space. Neither one had to sign a personal guarantee. They both told the Landlord that if a personal guarantee was needed, they would go elsewhere. Both Landlords readily tore up them up.

This is a Lessee's market. Push hard for concessions, including no personal guarantee.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs and he is also a licensed contractor. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.

Super, Simple Posting to Craigslist

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:13:32 -0500

Super, Simple Posting to Craigslist

I can't believe how easy this is! And Free!

I've always wanted to post my flyers on Craigslist. I know there are websites, such as postlets.com and vflyer.com, which host flyers on the web that you can then upload to Craigslist. I am the first to admit that I am "computer and internet challenged" and these sites may allow me to upload my own flyers, but I could not figure out how to do it. A mortgage broker offered to do this for me, so I have been letting him.

So after the baseball game last night, I set out on figuring how to do it myself. Naturally I started by Googling it. This led me to a helpful video on Utube by deriktutt. (I think there is a Utube video for everything.) In a nut-shell, he said in a Word document write your text, imbed your photos, save in Paint as a jpeg, upload to Photobucket.com, take the HTML that Photobucket.com generates for you and imbed it in the Craigslist ad.

I tried to paste a flyer I had created with Publisher in Paint, but it would not work. Nuts. So after fumbling around for a hour or so, I had that Eureka moment. (I love it when a plan comes together.) I use Publisher 2007 and it allows you to save your flyer as a JPEG File Interchange Format. Bingo! Works like a charm.

So the steps are:

•1. Create your flyer in Publisher and save it as a JPEG File Interchange Format document.

•2. Open a free Photobucket.com account and upload your flyer.

•3. Copy the HTML that is generated.

•4. Create a Craigslist ad and paste the HTML in the body.

So easy even a caveman can do it!

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs and he is also a licensed contractor. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog

Landlords Must Follow New Oregon Laws

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:56:23 -0500

Landlords Must Follow New Oregon Laws

I am a Landlord so it is wise for me to keep abreast of laws that can affect my investments. I will offer a summary of these laws, as I understand them. Further investigation is required on your part.

Starting Jan. 1, 2010 Landlords must disclose their smoking policy in writing.

HB 2393 doubles the fees Sheriffs can collect for performing legal duties.

SB 777 creates a 60 day no-clause notice for terminating a tenancy. Ouch!

There are new laws governing abandoned property.

A Landlord may not charge a pet deposit for a service animal or charge a cleaning fee.

I have only touched on the residential laws that affect me directly. There are several more bills that affect other types of real estate.

Oregon laws heavily favor the Tenant. It's essential to know what is new.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs and he is also a licensed contractor. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.

Personal property can help a house sell faster.

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:16:28 -0500

Personal property can help a house sell faster.

The Seller of this home is obviously a well-heeled, astute, serious seller. I am in a quandry on what to do if my buyer wants this egg-carton collection. How do I come up with a value for this collection that does not insult the Seller and have him reject our offer, and still be fair for my client? What is the current market value of this collection? I have not seen anything as unique as this on Antiques Road Show and a Google search of "egg-carton appraisers" turned up nothing. I hope this home does not sell before I get this figured out!

To see other things that really help a house sell faster, read Refrigerator Magnets are Toxic.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs and he is also a licensed contractor. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.

Tigard Farmers Market: Produce to Die For

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:31:36 -0500

Tigard Farmers Market: Produce to Die For

The Tigard Farmers Market is located at Young's Funeral Home in the parking lot at 11831 SW Pacific Hwy., The Market runs through Oct. 26, 2008 and is held every Sunday from 9AM to 2PM. This is a temporary location until the permanent one is built in downtown Tigard.

In addition to fabulous produce, there are beautiful flower arrangements, craft and food booths, and live entertainment. One thing that pictures cannot capture are the fragrant smells that envelope the Market. Support your local small business owners. Small bills and change are always appreciated and remember to bring your reusable grocery bag.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs and he is also a licensed contractor. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.

Refrigerator Magnets are Toxic

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:12:48 -0500

Refrigerator Magnets are Toxic

Refrigerator magnets are a sign of just how serious you are about selling your home. If you are going to sell your home, you have to accept that your daily routine is going to be interrupted for the foreseeable future. It cannot be avoided. You will have to keep the house clean all the time and may have to leave your home when buyers come through. If you cannot even make the effort to clean off your refrigerator, do not whine to your agent about the lack of offers.

If your home is not getting very many showing, it could be because your showing instructions may not be buyer friendly.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog. Wayne is also a licensed contractor.

Metzger Park

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:52:53 -0500

Metzger Park: National Night Out

The National Night Out was well attended by Metzger neighborhood families. This national event is designed to improve safety in neighborhoods by introducing firefighters, law enforcement, parametics and neighbors to each other. This was a family freindly event that had free ice creram, cookies, and punch provided by local businesses. The fire truck was a big hit with the kids and "McGruff the Crime Dog" was making friends. A good time was had by all at Metzger Park.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. Wayne is also a licensed Oregon contractor. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to do in September 2008

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:40:06 -0500

Portland Oregon: 5 Things To Do in September 2008

By Wayne B. Pruner

www.YourHomeInPortlandOregon.com

Wayne's Portland Oregon area Real Estate blog

www.activerain.com/waynepruner

Art in the Pearl 2008 - Art In The Pearl
The twelfth annual Art In The Pearl Fine Arts and Crafts Festival will be held Labor Day weekend in the beautiful and historic North Park Blocks of Portland, Oregon. Considered one of the nation's premier art festivals, Art In The Pearl features the jury-selected work of 125 artists from across the USA and Canada. The creativty is amazing! 8/30/08 and 9/1/08

Oregon State Fair - Oregon State Fair
The Oregon State Fair is a 144-year-old statewide tradition. The State Fair brings together the best of Oregon, including agricultural exhibits, animals, food, wine and beer competitions, cultural events and world class entertainment. 8/22/08 - 9/1/08

2008 Portland Pirate Festival - Portland Pirate Festival
The 2008 Portland Pirate Festival returns for two days of buccaneering music, dance, historical reenactments, and shopping under the St. Johns Bridge in historic Cathedral Park. 9/20/08 and 9/21/08

Portland Juggling Festival 2008: Sweet 16 - Portland Jugglers
The Portland Juggling Festival 2008 is on its way! Join us for a weekend of juggling, unicycling, and prop manipulation in the beautiful Rose City. 9/26/08 - 9/28/08

Portland Saturday Market - Celebrating its 34^th year. Features handmade arts and crafts; food and entertainment too, from over 300 artisans. Portland Saturday Market

Showing Instructions Can Doom a Quick Sale

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:27:17 -0500

Showing Instructions Can Doom a Quick Sale

In order to sell your home for the highest price in the shortest amount of time, there are many factors to consider. Some of the more important items are the price of the home, selecting the right Realtor, and having attractive curb appeal. These are my top three, but almost as equally important is having the property available for showings when buyers want to see it. Not on your schedule, but on theirs'. Restrictive showing instructions can doom a quick sale.

Selling your home is a monumental inconvenience to a families' daily routine. Keeping your home clean and available for daily showings takes hard work and planning. You need to keep in mind that it is important to take advantage of the physiological mindset of Buyers. When they are hot, you need to get them in your home. If they have to delay gratification, they may fall in love with another house.

Restrictive showing instructions, such as: appointment only, 24 hour notice, listing agent must be present , or owner must be present; tend to damper the buying mood of most people. Requiring the listing agent or owner to be present would inhibit many Buyers and make them uncomfortable. While it is certainly possible to sell your home with these kinds of restrictions, they will certainly lower the number of showings of your house and increase it's time on market. When your home is up for sale, it needs to be available for showing with two hours notice. You really need to commit to having your home ready for showings 100% of the time during showing hours. Showing hours should start at 9 AM and go to 7 or 8 PM to allow Buyers to view your home after work. Many people achieve these targets and you can too.

I can understand that having strangers going through your house can make you uncomfortable. You need to stop thinking of your home as being your personal sanctuary. Accept that selling it is just a business transaction and a tool to help you move on to achieve future goals. To help attain additional piece of mind, remove any valuable personal property and put it in a secure storage facility.

There are few legitimate reasons to restrict the showing of your home. Anything less than easy availability is going to increase the time it takes to sell your home and most likely result in a lower sale price. However, if restrictions are needed, talk with your Realtor on ways to minimize their effects. The more motivated and committed you are as a Seller, the easier it will be to sell your home.

Please read a related topic about refrigerator magnets.

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to do during July 2008

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:12:59 -0500

Portland Oregon: 5 Things To Do During July 2008

2008 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival - Waterfront Blues Festival Celebrate the Blues at the 2008 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on the banks of the beautiful Willamette River in downtown Portland. Proceeds help the Oregon Food Bank fight hunger. July 3-6

Oregon Brewers Festival 2008 - Oregon Brewers
Oregon is the home to many craft beer makers and is going to celebrate the 21th annual Oregon Brewers Festival. Oregonians love their beer and this festival is regarded as one finest craft beer festivals in the nation. Each summer, the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon welcomes more than 50,000 beer lovers to the four-day event. Aficionados come from all over the country and the world to experience this hop roots festival, which began as a way to expose the public to microbrews at a time when the craft brewing industry was just getting off the ground. July 24-27

Portland Saturday Market - A Portland mainstay that features handmade arts and crafts; food and entertainment too, from over 300 artisans. Portland Saturday Market

Portland Farmer's Market Portland Farmer's Market bringing the best of the country to the heart of the city since 1992. A vibrant gathering place where friends meet and shop with a direct connection to over 250 vendors having deep roots in Oregon and Washington, including farms, nurseries, bakeries, meat and seafood providers, cheese makers, and specialty foods producers.

OMSI - The largest collection of Chinese fossils is on display, featuring over 20 complete skeletons. After that, enjoy the planetarium, OmniMax Theater, and the science exhibits. All June.

Oregon Zoo - Visit an acient rainforest, see a moving dinosaur, and dig for fossils. This dinosaur exhibit lasts through Labor Day.

Mortgage Math Made Easy

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:55:37 -0500

Mortgage Math Made Easy

Many years ago I acquired this table that makes easy work of figuring out your monthly payment on a home purchase without the need of a financial calculator. Professionals in the real estate business need a financial calculator, but the average homeowner or first time home buyer can get by quite nicely with this table. I have randomly compared this table against my financial calculator and they come within less than a dollar of each other. This table can help a person decide if they can afford a house and offers a comparison of the dramatic difference a change in interest rate can have on your monthly payment. I have added the examples below the table to help with clarity.

Bonus real estate math: Real estate usually appreciates in value, but it can also depreciate in value. Here is the math and how it generally affects the value of your property.

Appreciation: Suppose the annual appreciation of property in your area was 5% a year over the last 3 years and your house was purchased for $250,000.00

$250,000. X 1.05 x 1.05 x 1.05 = $289,406.25 is the present value

Depreciation: Home values in your area have depreciated 4% per year for the last 2 years and your house was purchased for $250,000.00

$250,000.00 x .96 x .96 = $230,400.00 is the present value

These simple comparisons can help you see the dramatic affect interest rates can have on your financial decisions.

Monthly Mortgage Payments

Principle and Interest

Interest Rate %	5	10	15	20	25	30
4.00	18.42	10.12	7.40	6.06	5.28	4.77
4.25	18.53	10.24	7.52	6.19	5.42	4.92
4.50	18.64	10.36	7.65	6.33	5.56	5.07
4.75	18.16	10.48	7.78	6.46	5.70	5.22
5.00	18.87	10.61	7.91	6.60	5.85	5.37
5.25	18.99	10.73	8.04	6.74	5.99	5.52
5.50	19.10	10.85	8.17	6.88	6.14	5.68
5.75	19.22	10.98	8.30	7.02	6.29	5.84
6.00	19.33	11.10	8.44	7.16	6.44	6.00
6.25	19.45	11.23	8.57	7.31	6.60	6.16
6.50	19.57	11.35	8.71	7.46	6.75	6.32
6.75	19.68	11.48	8.85	7.60	6.91	6.49
7.00	19.80	11.61	8.99	7.75	7.07	6.65
7.25	19.92	11.74	9.13	7.90	7.23	6.82
7.50	20.04	11.87	9.27	8.06	7.39	6.99
7.75	20.16	12.00	9.41	8.21	7.55	7.16
8.00	20.28	12.12	9.56	8.36	7.72	7.34
8.28	20.40	12.27	9.70	8.52	7.88	7.51
8.50	20.52	12.40	9.85	8.68	8.06	7.69
8.75	20.64	12.54	10.00	8.84	8.23	7.87
9.00	20.76	12.67	10.15	9.00	8.40	8.05
9.25	20.88	12.81	10.30	9.16	8.57	8.23
9.50	21.01	12.94	10.45	9.33	8.74	8.41
9.75	21.13	13.03	10.60	9.49	8.92	8.60
10.00	21.25	13.22	10.75	9.66	9.09	8.78

Payment = (multiplier) x (# of thousands)

Example: payment on a $150,000 loan for 30 years at 7.25% is

(150 x 6.82 = $1023.00 per month)

To breakdown the payment to principle and interest the first month:

$150,000 x 7.25% = $10,875. ÷ 12 = $905.25 monthly interest

$1023.00 - $905.25 = $117.75 monthly principle

Wayne B. Pruner, Realtor®, GRI 503-891-0795

Oregon First

waynepruner@oregonfirst.com

5 Portland Activities in June

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:28:39 -0500

5 Portland Activities for June

Oregon Zoo - This month a dinosaur exhibit goes up and lasts through Labor Day.

OMSI - The largest collection of Chinese fossils is on display, featuring over 20 complete skeletons. After that, enjoy the planetarium, OmniMax Theater, and the science exhibits. All June.

Portland Saturday Market - Celebrating its 35^th year. Features handmade arts and crafts; food and entertainment too, from over 300 artisans. Portland Saturday Market

Portland Rose Festival - One of Portland's signature events starts May 29 and ends June 8. This event features a parade, amusement park rides, family entertainment, and scores of different food booths. Rose Festival Association

Please, no more catalogs!

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Fri, 23 May 2008 23:52:30 -0500

Please, No More Catalogs!

Our mailbox is stuffed each week with unwanted catalogs. My wife occasionally buys something mail-order, but now she sometimes gets 8 different catalogs a week. Around Christmas, that number can swell to 20. I would estimate that recycling these catalogs generates up to 25% of our paper waste each week. A tremendous waste when multiplied by millions of addresses. I hate waste! There is a new free website that helps cut down on this waste. You can register at www.catalogchoice.org to be removed from mailings of participating companies. The only drawback is that you have to opt out of each individual company, and there are thousands. A better option would be that you have to opt- in to get catalogs, but that will never happen. I'll do my little part to save some tress and add each catalog as we get them. As of 5/23/08, 871,444 persons have opted out of 11,331,765 catalogs.

Spread the word. Every little bit helps!

Who's looking for you? Stalkers or your graduating class?

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:00:44 -0500

Who's looking for you? Stalkers or your graduating class?

Google has a new telephone number search feature. Type a phone number in the Google search bar, and the owners' name comes up with the ability to generate a map directly to their house. This is like a national reverse directory. For free.

If your child gives out their phone number, they can be mapped directly to your house. Not all cell phones are immune. My home and cell phone pop up all over the place. I want people to find me, but some may not want to be found. It is a bit disturbing how easy it is to find someone.

There are times that I look up a number for business reasons. I always Google a person's name and phone number if I am, or a client, is going to do some business with them. I like to have whatever advantage I can get. Now I am beginning to wonder if it is getting too easy to get personal information.

Search for your number at http://www.google.com/ . If you want to block your personal information, go to http://www.google.com/help/pbremoval.html. This will probably make it harder to find a number, but not impossible. Unlisted numbers do not come up, but, for a fee, that information is also available.

Professional staging sells home faster.

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:14:33 -0500

Professional staging sells homes faster.

It's no secret that sellers are taking a beating in the current real estate market. If you do not need to sell, now is not the time to try. If you do need to sell, because of a job transfer or family reasons, you want your house to stand out from the many other listings on the market. According to StagedHomes.com, staged homes sell on average around 31 days. The current average time on market is considerably higher than that. My observations of local sales confirm that staged homes do sell faster, and for close to the asking price.

Professional stagers try to create a pleasing, neutral first impression for buyers. Buyers need to picture themselves enjoying the home. All distractions need to be removed. Staging may be emotionally hard on sellers. They have decorated their home to their tastes and have added all these personal touches, such as family photos and items with sentimental value. Now they have to market their home for sale by removing most of the things that have made it their home.

Stagers have an eye for design and pleasant color combinations. They almost always start with cleaning and de-cluttering and rearranging furniture. Then they may suggest painting some rooms and adding some furnishings, to completely staging a vacant home.

Prices vary, but initial consultations start around $300.00 and go up from there, depending on how much work needs to be done and how much furniture needs to be rented. Staging certainly costs less than future price reductions.

Sellers need an edge in this market and with proper pricing and great staging, you can position your home sell your home faster than any other in your neighborhood.

Commercial Leases: Negotiating the Personal Guarantee

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Sat, 03 May 2008 19:11:45 -0500

Commercial Leases: Negotiating Personal Guarantees

When entering into a commercial lease, the Landlord often requires a personal guarantee from the business owners, even if they have formed a corporation or LLC, and may refuse to rent the space without one. This means that the guarantors will make the lease and other payments if the business fails. Landlords often ask for a personal guarantee from start-ups and other small businesses. This is a risk for small business owners because the company is usually their sole source of income. Bankruptcy becomes a very real option, because if the company cannot meet its expenses, it is unlikely that the owner can continue to pay them. However, if you are a credit rated business with experience, demonstrated growth, and a strong balance sheet, you may be able to convince the Landlord to waive the personal guarantees.

Personal guarantees may be unavoidable, but there are ways to limit their impact. A Landlord may accept a "good guy" guarantee. This makes the guarantor liable until the tenant leaves the premises, even if it is before the lease is up. The Landlord will not enforce the personal guarantee if the company is going out of business and the rent is paid up. The business may still be liable for the rest of the term of the lease.

You may be able to limit your personal guarantee to the amount of the Tenant allowance the Landlord offers. If the Tenant receives $40,000 dollars from the Landlord to make leasehold improvements, offer to guarantee this sum on a sliding scale. The personal guarantee would be for the entire $40,000 the first year and decline by $8,000 each year, assuming it is a 5 year lease. Point out that you are putting additional money of your own into improving his building and you will never be able to remove these improvements.

Since most business fail within the first two years, negotiate to limit the term of the guarantee to the first two years only, provided all rents and other payments are up to date. If the Landlord balks, offer to allow your financials to be examined to determine the strength of the company. The guarantee will be waived if sales are improving and expenses are under control.

Many times the Tenant leases a space because of the reputation of the Landlord for fairness and fiscal responsibility. This Landlord keeps Tenants happy and maintains the building to high standards. Negotiate for your personal guarantee to terminate if the building or your lease is sold.

Keep in mind that if more than one person guarantees a lease, and they leave the business or their share is bought out, their personal guarantee is still valid and enforceable by the Landlord.

This article does not constitute legal or financial advice. Leases and personal guarantees are complicated legal documents. Seek qualified advice from legal and financial professionals before signing any documents.

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to do in May

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:59:32 -0500

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to Do in May

Oregon Zoo - National Bear Awareness Week - Oregon Zoo is celebrating with daily public feedings of our bears, enrichment activities, and animal talks, culminating in the popular Bear Fair. May 10 - 16

OMSI - The largest collection of Chinese fossils is on display, featuring over 20 complete skeletons. After that, enjoy the planetarium, OmniMax Theater, and the science exhibits. All May.

Portland Saturday Market - Celebrating its 35^th year. Features handmade arts and crafts; food and entertainment too, from over 300 artisans. Portland Saturday Market

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta - 2008 will be the 24th birthday for the largest Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in North America.

2008 Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country - Willamette Valley Wineries More than 100 wineries are open to the public from 11 AM to 5 PM during two weekends in the Wine Country. Activities include tasting of new releases and older vintages, barrel tastings, specialty foods and sales of limited quantity wines. Some wineries have live music and some charge a tasting fee.

Portland Farmers Market to open

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:26:00 -0500

Portland Farmers Market to open

The Portland Farmers Market opens April 5, 2008. Downtown Portland residents do much of their shopping there, and can't wait to get out after being required to shop at a store all winter. However, do not expect much variety at first, just lots of greens and roots. Also, the full complement of eateries probably will not show up until May. Please bring your reusable shopping bag and lots of small bills. Located in the Park Blocks by Portland State University. Portlandfarmersmarket.org

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to do in April 2008

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:03:28 -0500

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to Do in April 2008

Oregon Zoo - Packy's Birthday - The Oregon Zoo is noted for it's Asian elephant program. Come celebrate Packy's 46^th birthday on April 12^th.

OMSI - The largest collection of Chinese fossils is on display, featuring over 20 complete skeletons. After that, enjoy the planetarium, OmniMax Theater, and the science exhibits. All April.

Portland Saturday Market - Celebrating its 35^th year. Features handmade arts and crafts; food and entertainment too, from over 300 artisans. Portland Saturday Market

2008 Portland Auto Swap Meet - http://www.portlandswapmeet.com/ - Presented by six Portland Oregon area antique car clubs, The Portland Swap Meet is the largest auto parts swap meet on the west coast with approximately 4,200 vendor stalls and over 50,000 shoppers this April 4, 5, 6 at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center.

Go to a Blazer game. Rose Quarter - Brandon Roy is an All-Star! It's been a long time since we have seen Blazermania! The season is wrapping up and next year looks like it will be a good one.

The IRS will help you get your Economic Stimulus Rebate

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:30:52 -0500

The IRS will help you get your Economic Stimulus Rebate

The IRS is offering free tax help to those who do not normally file a tax return so they can receive an Economic Stimulus Rebate this spring. More than 300 IRS offices and hundreds of free tax preparation locations nationwide will open March 29, 2008. There are two Portland locations for this event: 1220 SW 3^rd Av., at the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center Walk In Office, and the time is from 9AM to 3PM; and the other location is at 2201 Lloyd Center, #2010, and the time is 10AM to 4PM. For more information, go to this IRS link.

Are Portland and Tigard condos right for you?

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:11:55 -0500

Are Portland and Tigard condos right for you?

Spring is upon us and buyers maybe considering purchasing a condo in Portland or Tigard. There is no doubt, that in the last few years, they have become a viable housing choice. They can be an affordable first home, a vacation retreat, or a desirable home for retirement. Whether you are buying a condo for your personal residence or for use as a rental, here are some issues to consider.

Condo Advantages

A condo is usually less expensive that a similarly sized house.
They appreciate in value, although usually at a lower rate than a single family home.
They may offer amenities not available in single family homes.
They enjoy all the tax benefits of homeownership.
Exterior maintenance is the responsibility of the Condo Association.
Condos offer more peace of mind on security issues if you are away for an extended period of time.
A well run Condo Association, coupled with a desirable community atmosphere, will make your unit more saleable.

Condo Disadvantages

You have to abide with the rules of the Condo Association.
The monthly fees you pay could increase, even if you do not agree with the increase.
Poor management may affect resale values.
Your neighbors may make noise. Poor soundproofing is a major complaint with condos.
Generally speaking, condos are more sensitive to trends in the real estate market than single-family homes. They are among the first to experience stagnant or declining appreciation and the last to recover.
High fees, compared to other nearby condos, can hold down your market value and increase the time it takes to sell your unit.

As a condominium owner you share walls with your neighbors and you are buying all the space contained within those walls. Whatever square footage you have when you buy is what you have to live with. You only own the space within your walls and you cannot expand it, like in a single-family home. In addition, you share ownership of all areas outside of the walls. The land, exterior of the building, amenities, roads and sidewalks, and all common areas are owned by the condo association.

By choosing to live in a condominium, you are choosing to live within a community arrangement. You are living in close proximity to others and you will be sharing space with them. Meet the people who will be your neighbors. Find out what they like and dislike about the condos.

The Condo Association

Every unit owner is a voting member of the Association. You must abide by the majority decision. Owners elect a Board of Directors, who enforce the bylaws, handle maintenance and deal with disputes between owners. A well-run condo association can offer considerable benefits to owners. Someone else takes care of maintenance issues (outside of your unit) and pays for them. This frees up time that you would have to devote to exterior maintenance. The association may offer amenities that you cannot afford on your own, such as, tennis courts and swimming pools. You can expect to pay monthly association fees, in addition to your mortgage, to pay for the amenities, upkeep of common areas, and the management of the Association.

Association Rules

Condos are governed by a set of rules (bylaws) called CC&R's; Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions. As a unit owner, you are required to abide by these rules, whether you like them or not. Some examples are:

Number of parking spaces you have.
Number of visitors you can have
Color of curtains in your windows
Noise levels
Pet restrictions
Limits on the interior renovations
Landscaping restrictions
Renting units

Other key issues

Management: Is the association well run? Does management pursue discounts on repairs? Are the tenants happy with this management?

Reserve funds: Are there adequate funds to cover operating costs and repairs. Are there any future "special assessments", (costs in addition to monthly dues), planned for repairs or improvements. Example: If the roof needs replacing, and funds have not been previously allocated for this expense, a large special assessment can be levied on each owner. This could easily be thousands of dollars.

If you are buying a new condo, the developer may have set the monthly fees low to attract buyers. This is an indication that fees will increase in the future to cover operating costs.

Rental units: A low percentage (20 % or less) of rental units compared to owner occupied units is desirable. Also, when obtaining a loan, there may be requirements that the number of rental units be below a certain percentage.

Lawsuits: Are there any pending lawsuits against the Condo Association? Does the Condo Association have any pending or planned lawsuits against another party, such as, a builder or developer who did shoddy work?

When purchasing a condo, be sure to get it inspected, and carefully read the Sellers Disclosures. If you are buying a new condo, make the sale contingent on your approval of a professional inspection after the unit is completed.

Here is a different concern that I have had recent experience with that may be of interest to you in deciding to purchase a condo. It is quite common for new condo buildings to have retail space on the ground floor. I represented a restaurant in lease negotiations on a new, small development. After the restaurant opened, residents vigorously complained about noise and smell issues. They all bought their units knowing that a restaurant was going in. The restaurant was clean and was operating normally, but animosity developed against the restaurant. The other owners had not realized the impact a retail operation would have against their "ideal" living conditions. Also, the restaurant owners had no control over the subsequent increase in association fees after new Association management took over.

Condos are like any other real estate. Research the neighborhood and recent sales. Evaluate your future needs and what you can afford. Weigh the pros and cons and make your purchase decision.

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to do in March

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:25:47 -0600

Portland Oregon: 5 Things to Do in March

Oregon Zoo - Zoo's Gone Wild Spring Break Party - Can't head for the tropics for Spring Break? Stop by Oregon Zoo instead. Wear your Hawaiian shirt and stroll around to tropical tunes. Keepers, volunteers and zoo staff have collaborated on a "vacation" chock full of activities that are just as fun for the animals as they are for the people. March 24 - April 8.

OMSI - The largest collection of Chinese fossils is on display, featuring over 20 complete skeletons. After that, enjoy the planetarium, OmniMax Theater, and the science exhibits. All March.

Energy Trust Better Living Show - Energy Trust of Oregon Balance and harmony through green building practices. Do what is right for the planet.

52nd Annual Portland Roadster Show
Presented by Multnomah Hot Rod Council at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd, Portland
Fri - Sun, Feb 29th to Mar. 2nd, 2008

Go to a Blazer game. Rose Quarter - Brandon Roy is an All-Star! It's been a long time since we have seen Blazermania!

Creative Selling of your Tigard Home

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:45:07 -0600

Creative Selling of your Tigard Home

If you are trying to sell your home in Tigard now, you know that it is a buyer's market. You have been keeping the house in tip-top showing condition and you have selected a Realtor you are convinced is doing a good job of marketing your home in the places that buyers are likely to search for homes, but, coupled with the time of year and the current housing crisis, showings are down and buyers are scarce.

Any offer that does come in will most likely be less than what you want. If you have owned your Tigard home for three years or less, and need to sell, you can not expect to make much of a profit. If you have owned your home for more than three years, there is some wiggle room. Cherish any offer that does come in. These buyers have chosen your house, so you do have something to work with. It may be time to act "outside the box" and shake things up, provided that negotiations between the agents are going nowhere. Orchestrate the following or very similar scenario with your agent.

These are not ordinary times and you may have to take creative measures to get your house sold. Contrary to my usual advice in normal times, I suggest the buyer and seller meet in the house. This allows you to interject a personal connection into the negotiations. Take your time through this whole process. No posturing and no contrary opinions. This is an exercise in fact finding and cooperation. Your aim is for the buyers to invest some quality time with you. It's hard for them to say no to someone they like.

Set the scene with the smell of freshly baked cookies that you will serve with a beverage. Take them on a tour of the house again. Listen carefully as to why the buyers like your house and reinforce those sentiments with your complete agreement. Listen for other clues. Do they love the drapes or the throw rug in the entryway? Is there a particular painting they like? Answer in a positive fashion that "They could be included." Discover some incentives you can offer them to get the price up.

Find out if financing is holding them back. This may have already been discussed between the agents, however, your task is to get the buyers talking to develop trust and rapport in finding a solution to a common goal. If financing is an issue, you can help them with closing costs or a rate buy-down. This preserves some of their personal cash and might be all that is needed to make the sale. Would you spend a few thousand more dollars to get your house sold?

It is possible that the negotiations had stalled because the agents negotiating styles clashed or there was some underlying personal tension. If you have been close to making a deal, getting face to face with the buyer may solve what ever obstacles need to be overcome. There is no guarantee that this approach will work, but what do you have to lose by trying? These are uncertain times in the real estate market and imaginative solutions are required.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Tigard Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.