An Evening With Jackson Browne At Portland's Keller Auditorium I can remember in the early seventies, my best friend called all excited about this singer called Jackson Browne. I walked down the block to her house where we hung out in her bedroom, plopped the vinyl on the record player and listened to his debut album over and over again. Aah..the sound of that needle hitting the vinyl and finding it's groove. Long gone are those days where you could just while away several hours and listen to music...that is unless Jackson Browne comes to your neck of the woods to play. Last night, good friends, my hubby and I had the pleasure of whiling away a few hours listening to Jackson Browne. Not on vinyl...although they were selling the old type albums in the lobby, but live in the Keller Audito... 01/20/2013

When you operate a small business, sometimes the marketing activities you find most useful don't work in every situation. A smart business owner tries a variety of ways to  find clients, and then keeps them happy in hopes that they'll refer others to you in the future. You never know when the small things you do in your day-to-day business will result in something bigger later on. Planting seeds is something we should do continuously, since that usually ensures that a later harvest will come our way. This week I was contacted by homeowners whose large country home had been on the market for nearly a year. They asked for information on our home staging services, and said they'd just signed on with a new agent, who suggested that they consider staging their home; she'd given them three s... 01/06/2013

Sellers, A Freezing Home Won't Give Portland Buyers That Warm Cozy Feeling I was showing a home today and got there a little bit earlier than my clients. I new the home was vacant and pulling up to it I could see that it has been neglected with tree limbs and heavy wet leaves covering the driveway. Perhaps the inside was better I thought, but opening up the door I could feel the cold hit me. Today the weather was about 45 degrees with the sunshine making it feel warmer in spots. I don't know what the temperature was inside, but I do know that after turning on all the lights I went back outside to wait where it was warmer. When my clients pulled up, I could see that they were disappointed that the house didn't look as nice as it did in the pictures. As soon as they walked inside though..... 01/04/2013

In many parts of the country (including Portland) home staging has become an established real estate marketing tool.  Why?  Because staged homes look better than vacant homes (or messy occupied ones), and "visual appeal" is important to buyers. Think about it ... when you're at your farmer's market selecting fruits and vegetables, you choose the ones that look the best, the freshest ... because our eyes naturally prefer the ones without obvious flaws.  If you buy a used car, it had better be clean inside and out, and smell great too -- besides be in good running condition.  The same goes for a home on the market.  Clean it .... dress it up a bit .... stage it to sell.  The inspection will take care of determining the home's condition, but the first thing a seller must do is get buyers ... 12/26/2012

Zoo Lights at The Oregon Zoo is fabulous this year!   Wonderful time was had by all and this is one of the very best ZooLights I have been to! Here  is the schedule according to their site.  You can find more info about admission, etc. as well on the site here:   ZooLights schedule Sunday-Thursday hours: ZooLights gates are open from 5-8 p.m. Guests may stay on grounds until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday hours: ZooLights gates are open from 5-8:30 p.m. Guests may stay on grounds until 9:30 p.m. Train: Train will begin running around 5:15 p.m. There will be no ZooLights on Monday, Dec. 24 or Tuesday, Dec. 25 Welcome to ZooLights 2012Beautiful LightsGreat TrailsLots of WonderFascinating trulyThis was the most amazing part – pointilism with lights created this one – a giant LiteBright!another vie... 12/22/2012

Angie's List is a great resource for homeowners to find reviews by local consumers about service providers in their area.  Take almost any category of service provider, and you'll find them included in Angie's List. Angie's List also provides helpful articles including this one that you can read here: Affordable Decorating Ideas.    Whether you're selling your home or just need some ideas on how to easily update or freshen it up, you'll find easy tips in this article. Angie's List asked our Portland home staging company for some "Before & After" photos to help with this story along with some of our decorating and staging tips.  Here are a few of the ones they used in this article: This living room needed easy updates  After our recommendations were followed, the living room is now much... 12/18/2012

$175,000 - Entertainer's Dream in NE PDX (445 NE 113th) Location: Portland, OR Just use your imagination to bring this home back to it’s original glory. 4bd/2 baths in 2900 sqft. Period kitchen with breakfast bar and original cabinets. Sunken living room with period fireplace . Light bright family room with hardwood floors under carpet and original brick fireplace. Possibility for second living quarters downstairs. HUD Owned– Sold As-Is www.HUDhomestore.com - Case # 431-454971Buying a HUD owned home isn't complicated - in fact, it is often easier than purchasing a traditionally sold home. Ask us how we can help you purchase not only the home of your dreams, but make a smart investment as well. HUD Owned– Sold As-Is www.HUDhomestore.com - Case #431-423819 Buying a HUD owned home isn't c... 12/10/2012

Christmas Ship Parade On The Columbia River, Portland OR 2012(Video) I'm fortunate to own a floating home on the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon where the Christmas Ship Parade goes by a couple of times during the season. It was a perfect Portland evening to watch these gorgeous ships, listen to the cheers of appreciation as well as hear the holiday music playing from them. Talk about putting you in the holiday spirit! So, I took my camera and walked to the dock in front of my floating home to get the best view and took some video. Now...what I did  forget was that the  dock I was on would move with the small wakes when the ships went by and at one point I thought I was going in the river! They come by again next week...I hope the weather is just as perfect! I did have to smile when ... 12/09/2012

Pink Skies On The Columbia River, Portland Oregon After battling the typical Friday afternoon traffic on I-205 from West Linn to our Floating home on the Columbia River, I was able to finally sit down and relax with a nice warm cup of coffee and enjoy the view of the Columbia River.Tonight the Christmas Ship Parade will be going right by home, so I'm excited. The traffic was worth it when I looked out the window and noticed the sky...an odd color that I haven't seen before..very pink. Of course I had my camera at the ready for the ships so I ran outside to capture this beautiful sky. I love the way the tree branches look..they have a beauty all their own Pink Skies, Nothing But Pink Skies..Smilin At Me Search For Your Portland Floating Home Here 12/07/2012

Do you REALLY know how much money you will need at retirement?  What steps have you taken to plan ahead?  Whether you are 5yrs or 25yrs away, you need to know your numbers ... and most people don't.  I thought this article would be a good starting point or refresher.  Then take a look at your assets, real estate loans, total debt, and see if there is any re-arranging that needs to be done to help you reach your goal sooner.Read the article below, and then call or email me with questions.  I'm connected with some of the best Financial and Estate Planners in our local market!  503.698.5801 Receive our Daily Homeowner News and Rate Updates Email:   For Email you can trust     Click the Image below or read today's article at http://tinyurl.com/ahg95bp   12/07/2012

In the Portland real estate market, we continue to see that staging your home helps it sell faster when these other factors are in place: It's priced right It's in good condition (and staging is part of that, when done properly) The listing agent uses effective marketing methods to capture the target buyer Our Portland home staging company was recently hired by the Trust Department of a local bank to stage a Vacant home in a lovely 55+ community that features a golf course and lake.  The listing agent told me that the single family homes that make up this community usually sell in less than 30 days; however this particular home had been lingering on the market for seven months.  It was a bit dated, but what it needed most was some life and color added to the white and beige paint, carpe... 11/27/2012

Penguins Back In Their Pen At The Oregon Zoo The Oregon Zoo in Portland is spectacular and even though it is raining this weekend, it might be a good time to go check out the penguins in their brand new pen - completed this last Thursday, the happy birds are all settled in and ready for you to come see them! You can find more info on the zoo at their site:  http://www.oregonzoo.org/ We highly suggest getitng a membership and supporting this amazing facility.   Membership ranges from $49/year to $104/year and pays for itself quickly.  It is a great place to come to visit animals, but also has some wonderful walking trails.   11/16/2012

Some of Yours + Some of Ours Get Blended in an Occupied Staged Home ~ Home Staging Tips in Portland Oregon ~ Our Portland home staging company is often asked to stage a home that's occupied by the sellers while it's on the market.  In this case we provide a home staging consultation first, to advise them what to keep, what to pack up, and any easy cosmetic updates including painting -- to be completed before we return to stage the house. Sometimes, the sellers tell us that they'd like to replace some furniture, or have us bring in some decor items, accessories, plants, or art.  When this happens we're happy to rent some furnishings to them while their home is on the market, and we "blend" the sellers' items with our staging inventory to get the best results.  Our goal is always to ensur... 11/10/2012

Speculation abounds about the local real estate market.  Now that the election is over, will housing prices and mortgage rates go up, or further down down? That's the magic question, and it seems everyone has had an opinion.  Here's mine ... For the last few months, I have said that mortgage rates will eventually rise after the election, regardless of the winner.  I will stand by that projection.  The only real question is how fast, and how much. Now, any prediction on mortgage rates, stock market values, or home values ... is like walking into a lion's den and taking a seat in the corner ... you know the lion is coming, and it's only a matter of when, and how aggressive. Given the re-election of President Obama, I believe this will temporarily be good for housing and those looking to ... 11/06/2012

Recently our Portland home staging company was hired to stage a very small home in a lovely 55+ retirement community.  Their model apartment was ready for a new resident and I previewed the property to find that it was just over 600 sq ft. When staging such a small space, you want to make sure that you accomplish a few important goals: Show the Function of each space clearly Don't over-crowd those spaces with too much furniture Ensure the space looks warm and inviting, where the target buyer would want to spend time whether alone or when entertaining friends and family Here are some Before & After photos of the staging of this small model apartment (ironically, we staged it the same week we staged a Portland home that's 6,400 sq ft -- ten times larger!)   What you see when you enter:  ... 11/06/2012

Whoa, back up the cart ... don't pay off your mortgage? YEP, you heard right. In today's video, I'm going to give you a great reason why having a mortgage could be a good thing! www.CallNewman.com 10/25/2012

Wow is all I can say ... average selling prices for home in the Portland area have blown away projections, and the same holds true nationally. What's the reason for this, and will it continue? These questions are answered in today's video. www.CallNewman.com 10/24/2012

How long do you have to wait to get your keys for your new home? Or how long will your refinance loan take, so you can start benefiting with today's record-low mortgage rates? Watch today's video for crystal clear answers www.CallNewman.com 10/19/2012

Did you know that buying a home during the holiday season can save you time and money? Watch today's video as I give you the top 5 reasons why you should consider buying a home for Christmas! FYI ... low prices, and mortgage rates are just one reason! www.CallNewman.com See current Portland mortgage rates for most common programs at www.NewmanRates.com 10/16/2012

As usual, we went from summer to winter in "0-to-60." Now, I LOVE the Pacific Northwest but this time of year, I find myself adjusting from outdoors to indoors and while “adjusting”, I found this cool event calendar. Just plug in your dates, select an event type and click search. It pulls up a huge list of stuff to do. I love it…perfect for a rainy day when you don’t feel like being a work-a-holic, you’ve seen all the movies that are out and you’d like to explore your own city. Search, click and enjoy! Event Calendar Link: http://www.travelportland.com/calendar/calendar Please visit my sites at: https://www.facebook.com/JenWoodburySellsHomes/ http://jenwoodburysellshomes.info/ http://jenwoodburysellshomes.com/ Call Jen Woodbury, an experienced Oregon real estate broker at 808-936-8957 a... 10/15/2012