mls: Spring is finally here (At least this is what I consider the first real start of spring)
- 04/08/11 07:19 PM
Though the calendar says spring was her, the weather certainly wasn’t letting us know that it was spring, (It was 38 at game time) but still those two things don’t mean spring to me. What means spring to me is to hear that first crack of that bat hitting the ball into outfield as my kids started little league this week.
It was nice as I got my camera back just hours before my son’s first game last night. Though I’m a Red Sox fan the only win I’ve gotten to see this year was my son, since he … (10 comments)
One think I love about Beaverton, Oregon and all of Washington County is that when you live here you can have a sense of pride. I've noticed a lot when people say, "Oh, you live in Portland?" The people who live in Washington County pipe right up and say "No, we live in Beaverton, just outside Portland" or Tigard, Hillsboro, it doesn't matter, we have a pride here and we don't want to be associated with another town even if is bigger, we are proud of where we live... Are you? … (8 comments)
mls: Yes, even you big banks can’t change the contract at the closing table
- 03/06/11 01:38 PM
Well, Friday was a good day, my client finally got the keys to her new house, but it wasn’t easy. The delay in close was because the bank on this foreclosure was refusing to sign the settlement statement. They said they were refusing to sign and to pay the buyers prepaids despite us putting that in the contract and them agreeing to it. They thought my client would fold and bring in the extra $1,800 netting them more, they were wrong!
How did we get the bank to finally play ball? The buyer advised me to send a letter … (25 comments)
Swings, basketball, and things to hang on that my kids love! What I love is they are smiling and don’t want to leave, but once they do, you can start to see them fall asleep on the way home! This tells me they got some exercise which is … (12 comments)
mls: As a teacher you job is to inspire, but I certainly didn’t expect this!
- 02/25/11 07:10 PM
As homeschooling dad and Realtor® in Beaverton, Oregon, I’m always on the looking out for ways to educate and inspire my children to do more. One of the things I did with my oldest daughter Meesha a couple years ago was have her do some guest posts on my blog.
These guest posts were “Book reviews by kids for kids” and originally they were done to give her homework and improve her writing skills as well as give her outside positive feedback that I knew the members of Activerain would supply. (And you didn’t disappoint)
Then her brother … (16 comments)
mls: Todd, but you said “Lease options are a great opportunity to buy,” why aren’t they now?”
- 01/20/11 06:10 PM
I love the power of Activerain, I get lots of business from my blog posts, even ones that are three and a half years old are still getting me calls. But, some of those posts I wrote three years ago don’t apply to today’s real estate market. Many of those posts were how to use lease options to buy Beaverton real estate, heck, I was using it to purchase and sell real estate. The problem with buying real estate that way today is that you are agreeing to a set price today that may not be the same next year. … (6 comments)
I don’t mind calling before a showing if someone lives there, but when there is a vacant listings being told I need to call the listing agent before showing is a little annoying. (If I'm not getting any useful information while doing so) Is there a lockbox on the property? YES, then let me show it and if I have any questions, I will call you! Yesterday was one of those calls I had to make before showing properties this afternoon. The listings said “Vacant, CALL LA”. OK, I’ll call the listing agent, maybe, just maybe she has some … (21 comments)
mls: Todd, why do you need to call to schedule a showing on a vacant home?
- 01/09/11 03:01 PM
Todd, why do you need to call to schedule a showing on a vacant home? Yes, the home is vacant, but sometimes the showing instructions require you to still call the owner or the listing agent prior to showings. This could be for many reasons, in some cases it could be because from time to time an out of state seller uses the property while in town for work. Other times it is to get vital information from the listing agent about the listings. Such as warnings about holes in the flooring, mold or other dangerous conditions that were too … (15 comments)
mls: Competition heats up in Beaverton for the under $150,000 homes
- 12/14/10 05:06 AM
Competition is heating up in Beaverton for the under $150,000 homes. More and more renters are getting their new lease agreements and realizing that their landlords are raising their rent. Combine that with the prices still dropping in Beaverton and you have more and more people seeing that they can get more home for the same money if they buy.
There is only one problem! When you have more buyers than sellers you get the traditional supply and demand model where prices start to rise. But, this time there was something that the normal supply and demand model doesn’t … (6 comments)
mls: Beaverton, Oregon and Beyond from Todd’s Eyes - The Oregon Zoo
- 08/11/10 05:31 AM
Today is the day I start my series that will come out every Wednesday it will be called “Beaverton, Oregon and Beyond from Todd’s Eyes” and will focus on what I see going on in around Beaverton, Oregon in life, real estate and anything that catches my eye. It might be a park, it might be the Oregon Zoo like today and you never know some Beaverton, Oregon real estate if a house is unusual enough and trust me I should be able to find unusual Beaverton, Oregon real estate with ease. So, today we start out as I enter … (11 comments)
mls: Are you thinking about doing a loan modification to keep from losing your home? WHY?
- 06/17/10 02:39 AM
WHY? Simple question that can save you lot of time and heartache when it comes to doing a loan modification and trying to keep your home. Many people are going through hard times right now and many of these people want to keep their homes and I’m betting if you are reading this you are one of them. But, my question to you is “What was the reason you need to do the loan modification?” If you saying because your payments are too high oris that because you are getting paid less or could it be you have a spouse who lost … (6 comments)
mls: My credit card company calls me a deadbeat and has raised my interest rate to 29%, but I don’t care!
- 05/29/10 03:17 PM
Can you believe this, 29% interest rate on a credit card and I don’t care? That is right, I don’t care! I’m not in anyway offended that my credit card company calls me a deadbeat, I’m actually really proud of the title. It has taken me a long time and alot more lessons earlier in life to get to the point where I’m called a deadbeat! What is a deadbeat to a credit card company? A deadbeat is someone who pays their bill in its entirety every month. You see when you pay your credit card in full every month, you don’t pay interest … (27 comments)
mls: Waiting on lightning is a lot like waiting for a buyer to call you when you aren’t advertising!
- 05/29/10 02:34 AM
One thing I love about selling homes when I am the listing agent is getting the calls from potential buyers for those homes. You can hear the hope in their voice that you have had the one home they have been looking for this whole time and have yet been able to find. This shot was one of 100 that looked exactly the same because I was waiting for lighning for over 2 hours (Never did catch it, but I had my camera ready) But, sitting there waiting for the phone to ring without advertising the home is a lot like waiting for lightning. The odds of … (14 comments)
mls: My dad taught me something the other day… It isn’t the size of the fish that matters, but how you tell the story.
- 03/18/10 09:37 AM
Every fisherman knows that the fish we catch get bigger and bigger every time we tell the story of our day out on the river or the lake. But, how does this apply to real estate? I learned a long time ago that the same little fish can look real big if you take the picture right. So, why can’t that apply to a living room, family room or master bedroom?
This is my dad's prize catch of the day Well, guess what? It can apply to those. That is what wide angle lenses were made for, or a great home stager. Look at … (69 comments)
Can a Cyber Monday sale work in real estate? Well, today I think I'm going to find out. You see last Friday was Black Friday and I thought I would try to have a Black Friday open house. It was a huge success (Read about it here) But, then we thought, how can we take this online like the stores do and will it have the same success.
It is now 7am here on the west coast and I'm just waiting for the paperwork! I have a 2nd seller that saw my success with Black Friday and thought why not when it … (17 comments)
mls: Selling your home quickly and for top dollar don't always have to mean sacrifice! (Part 3 of 4)
- 11/17/09 07:21 AM
In part one I told you how de-cluttering your home can help you sell it faster and prepare you for your move. In part two, I told you how to make your house smell like a home by baking a few cookies before every showing. Today in part three, weare going to discuss the all important curb appeal and for how for less than $50, you can make agreat first impression. One of the first things a buyer sees is your front door, they actually spend more time there than any where else in the home. The reason for that is they … (9 comments)
mls: Selling your home quickly and for top dollar don't always have to mean sacrifice! (Part 2 of 4)
- 11/04/09 03:27 PM
In Part one of "Selling your home quickly and for top dollar don't always have to mean sacrifice!", I talked about pictures and how they can help sell a home. In order to do that you need to visualize your move and de-clutter your home. In part two we are going to talk about how to enjoy your home while trying to sell it. One thing that can help sell a home is to cause an emotional reaction in your buyers. One way to do that is make them feel at home when they come into it. Have you ever walked in … (8 comments)
mls: Selling your home quickly and for top dollar don't always have to mean sacrifice! (Part 1 of 4)
- 11/02/09 10:27 AM
There are many factors that go into selling a home quickly and for top dollar, but sacrifice doesn't always have to be one of them. Many agents will tell a seller that the only way to sell a home quickly, especially in a declining market like we are in now, is to price the home aggressively. But there is a better way, you just need to find the right agent to get you going in the right direction. One of the biggest problems I see with a home sale are the photos that are used to sell a home. A good quality … (11 comments)
mls: Vacation time is fast approaching, do you plan on driving? Have something for the kids to do or it will feel like an even longer trip than it really is!
- 10/28/09 05:11 PM
I love going on long drives with my family. We try to do it as often as possible, so we can discover new places. Lucky for me, my family all lives within 20 miles of my home, but if you need to drive this holiday season, let me share some of our longer trip games and thing to do to occupy our kids. Many new cars come with DVD players and much as I love them, I don't like to create zombies out of my kids. But, if we are driving for more than 25 hours,then a DVD is almost a must, so … (12 comments)
Helping Families Home is a blog set up to help families find that perfect home for them. I have a family and I understand how hard it can be to find a home that everyone is happy with. Let me help you find that home and help your family home.
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