willamette valley: January 2011 Residential Sold Statistics for Willamette Valley, Oregon - 02/04/11 03:54 AM
 
Overall sales (all Salem areas) were up by 11 units over January 2010.
This was the best January showing since 2008.
Area 20 was the only area that didn’t increase in sales year over year.
Comparing January 2010 & 2011, average sold price was down a little but median sold price was up!
 
Average Sold Price                      Median Sold Price
Jan 2010               $178,865                                     $155,000             
Jan 2011               $176,537                                     $157,500             
 
Click for the Marion County (minus Salem) and Polk County Report
Click for the Salem Report
 
*Note:  This information is an analysis of WVMLS "residential sold" statistics. 
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willamette valley: Are you connecting with potential buyers with your marketing words? - 10/23/10 05:07 AM
I have the great fortune to travel the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon, talking to hundreds of Real Estate agents about their business and their marketing. There are some buzz words on the street that I’m hearing over and over and they are “lifestyle marketing” and “fence sitters.” Let’s dive into these words that are coming up so frequently.
Lifestyle Marketing
Lifestyle marketing aligns your listing with a consumer’s aspirations, needs, desires, and values. Think about what that means for a moment. Get inside your potential buyer’s head and heavily promote the lifestyle components of that home, the surrounding area, … (8 comments)

willamette valley: How do your clients want to be vested? - 07/27/10 06:27 AM
Vesting is how your client will hold title to real property.  It is a good idea to have an understanding of the different methods of vesting so you can speak intelligently to your clients about this important aspect of home ownership.  As always you want to manage your risk level, so be sure to direct your clients to a real estate attorney, tax professional or your title and escrow company if there are complicated questions about vesting. 
Here are some basics...
HOLDING TITLE
The person(s) who are shown by the public record to own real property are called the "vested" owner(s).  The … (4 comments)