Come get your Holiday shopping done and while you're there take a tour of the model homes at the Atwater Place in S.Waterfront. Don't fight the crowds. Free valet parking and refreshements.   When: December 11th, 2008  5pm-9pm Where: 0841 SW Gaines Stree | Portland OR | 97239 What: Holiday Trunk Show featuring: Cielo Home Ecru JD Madison Judith Arnell Jewelers Mabel & Zora And more...  Happy Shopping! 12/06/2008

Room Solutions Staging was contacted to stage a vacant Craftsman-style bungalow that was lingering on the market.  The owner had moved out of state and the listing agent was concerned that the home wouldn't show well without any furniture.  Staging a vacant home (even on a budget like this one) provides potential buyers with a frame of reference for their own furnishings and makes the home "feel" warmer & more inviting to viewers .... both in the online listing photos and in person .... To ensure that your listings look inviting to potential buyers, remember to consult with a professional stager.  You'll find them listed here on Active Rain for nearly every state and province. 12/05/2008

After reading Jim_Crawford's_Post  about expired domain names today ( I recommend you read it ). I started to wonder about the number of Agent's in the Greater Portland Oregon vicinity. It was very enlightening. I first began my search by going to our MLS_SEARCH_SITE  to ask them if they had number of Agents stats? The desk person did not have a clue but referred me on to someone who could answer the question but was not available today. Now I have been down this road before and recognize that often as not if the desk person does not have the answer it probably is not available. That of course does not mean they don't have the information they just do not have a search mechanism in place to track it. So in stead I decided to get a start on future years by logging the number of agents cu... 12/05/2008

Either way, I really don't care and I think it is a great idea, but can the American public accept the change that the United States Government has been trying to get accepted for the past 30 years?On Friday, here in Portland, Oregon, the US Government parked an armored truck in the middle of Portland's Pioneer Square and had a money exchange. They were exchanging one dollar paper money for the new one dollar coins. They are billing them as better for the environment because they last longer and are 100% completely recyclable, but I hear it also will save the government some $5 billion dollars a year.So, bring on the dollar coins, it has been working in Canada for years and they don't seem to be having any ill effects. 12/02/2008

It's estimated that only 10% of Buyers are able to correctly envision how to use an awkward vacant space, or if their furnishings will fit there or not ~ the remaining 90% can become confused when trying to figure this out. Our goal as Home Stagers is to help the 90% of potential buyers imagine how they might use the vacant spaces in a home.  We also show them how to create the best traffic flow from one area to another.  Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR was asked to stage a small space just off the entry to this home. When vacant, this awkward space had no purpose and felt like nothing more than a "pass through" to the rear patio, which contained a lovely garden. We wanted to highlight the rear garden by staging this space with lots of plants and garden-type furnishings. Now when ... 11/29/2008

The market is not as bad as you think....   As a Realtor in this market, from time to time, I wonder about my choice of career.  Today, as I was working on a second offer on one of my listings I began to become a little more optimistic.  Funny how that can turn itself around in a day!    These particular sellers had a buyer for their home after their second showing LAST AUGUST.  It was a very low offer, and we tried to make it work, but it wasn't meant to be.  Now that we have another offer, we have to rethink the whole process and the fear of not getting another offer is always lingering.  As I started to crunch numbers, I realized that Mr. and Mrs. Sellers are in an excellent position to buy their next home.  Here are the real life numbers and what they mean in today's market.  It is ... 11/26/2008

We Buy Houses in 1 Week! Is Now Buying Houses in Portland, Oregon ! For Immediate Release: November 26th, 2008 We Buy Houses in 1 Week, one of the nations largest house buying networks of investors in the United States now has investors in Portland Oregon who can buy your house fast! Yes, we can now buy your house in one week or less in Porland, Oregon and surrounding areas! We Buy Houses in any condition, any price range, and and location! We know that there are several smaller companies in your area that claim to buy houses fast, but hone seller beware. Most of these people are little "mom and pop shops" that lack the necessary skills and funding to not only buy your house, but more importantly they are not able to give you the equity you deserve becasue thye just don't have the fina... 11/25/2008

Recently the federal government has passed a bill giving first time home buyers up to a $7,500 credit if they purchase their new home between now through June 2009. A first time home buyer is anyone that has not owned a home in the last three years. For more information and frequently asked questions and qualifications - Click Here If you are a first time home buyer and are thinking about investing in a home this might be a good time to start looking. The tax credit coupled with low interest rates and lots of homes on the market = OPPORTUNITY!   Contact me, Ruth Price - Broker with the Hasson Company Realtors, with any questions regarding the real estate market in the Portland area. I can be reached at 503.802.8845 or at pricer@hasson.com   To learn more about my business visit my websi... 11/24/2008

October 2008 - Residential Property Portland Neighborhood Average Sales Price This Month YTD Average Sales Price Total Days on Market % Change in Value * North Portland $252,700 $268,400 91 2.20% NE Portland $316,600 $324,300 89 2.00% SE Portland $270,000 $278,200 96 -2.20% West Portland $466,000 $482,900 155 5.00% * % Change is based on a comparison of the rolling average sale price for the last 12 months with 12 months before Portland Metro Area total months of inventory 11.1 All Stats Provided by RMLS (Market Action Report - October 2008) To view the complete report available please click on the link below. http://www.rmlsweb.com/temp%2Fdocuments%2F1500-1699%20Market%20Action%20and%20Statistics%20Menu%2F1510%20Market%20Action%20-%20October%202008.pdf  Contact me, Ruth Price - Broker ... 11/24/2008

If you are a buyer shopping for a home now you will find some great buying opportunities this fall and winter. Positioning yourself to take advantage of market conditions might be the best investment you make in your financial future. I know there is much fear about what is going on with the financial markets, however one thing we tend to forget is that bad times do not last forever. Those that put fear behind and take advantage of the market will be the ones coming out ahead. Fear is the number one factor that paralyzes a buyer's decision making abilities. The two most common concerns that buyers have right now are the unknown and not wanting to pay too much for a property. Buying property for most people is emotional but logic is fundamental for making a good investment. Your personal... 11/24/2008

Visit My BLOG to find out more about Urban Homes and Condos in Portland Oregon. http://www.PDXUrbanHomes.com     11/24/2008

It's puppy season and this means a higher dog populous at your local shelter. To assist in remedying the lack of kennel space, the Oregon Humane Society is offering a ‘Black Friday Special'.... On Black Friday (November 28th) the shelter is adopting out any animal with a majority of black in it's coloring for half the adoption fee.  Unfortunately shelters across the country experience a smaller adoption rate for animals that are primarily black over animals with multi or lighter solid colorings. You can see by looking at OHS's first page of adoptable dogs.  Fourteen out of twenty dogs on this page have a majority of black coloring (and I'm not even counting ‘Berta' the dog they used for the ‘Black Friday Special' article).  Dogs are not the only animals with the color stigma. Black cats... 11/24/2008

While waiting, and hoping for potential buyers and investors to flock to an Open House I held yesterday, it suddenly hit me that together – sellers, small business owners, and our neighborhoods can work together to stimulate our real estate market, our economy – one Open House, one neighborhood at a time.   How can that we work together to promote, each of our respective interests or businesses?   Each Sunday around America, Realtors are holding Open Houses with an attempt to stimulate interest in their market.   Nearby are small business owners struggling to keep open their family-fun restaurants, coffee shops, insurance markets, and creative shops.   Imagine what could happen if we all worked together within the neighborhood.  Imagine the excitement we could bring our sellers if our O... 11/24/2008

I am very happy to announce that my website http://www.EduardsHomes.com is now live! I hope everyone likes it as much as I do. One great thing about this site is the ability to search Portland Metro area listings. Not only will the search find what you are looking for, but you can also view pictures, virtual tours, and get very useful information and statistics about the area and neighborhood. 11/23/2008

After reading the monthly real estate report for the Portland Metro area I started thinking, maybe the market isn't as slow as it may seem on paper. Maybe its the suburbs bringing the numbers down? In the past year I have moved away from the suburbs and started focusing a lot more on inner city homes with easy access to downtown and other popular areas. And to tell you the truth I am very happy I made this decision. While the market has slowed down it seems like the established older areas of Portland are doing just fine. Its important to note that while the Portland Metro area has experienced a 6% decline in home prices, both N and NE Portland home price have gone up 2.2%! This fact is amazing since by now everyone is accustomed to hearing the doom and gloom of real estate throughout t... 11/23/2008

Just in time for the holidays, the popular Moreland Farmers Market has scheduled a special market day. The First Annual Holiday Market will be held 25 November 2008, 1:00 to 5:00 pm, at the market's usual space, Bybee Boulevard at 14th Avenue SE.  Apples and cider -- and perhaps an apple pie?   You'll be able to take something home for dinner, find a special treat for turkey day, and grab some prepared food to put in the freezer.  Many of our favorite vendors will be there with lots of winter produce.  You'll find greens, winter squash, root vegetables, apples, pears, chestnuts, hazel nuts and more. Little Pots and Pans will offer their savory specialties.  Finales Desserts will be on hand with their fabulous desserts and pies. Baird Family Orchards, as well as vendors with goat cheese,... 11/22/2008

Last night after numerous attempts at trying to get a good picture of myself using the built-in camera on my mac, I’ve changed my face on Facebook – and after all that “work” (picknik.com is a great tool), I still find myself wondering – wondering if I’m really connecting with my friends, family, fellow Realtors, and business partners (the term “clients” always seems so impersonal).  I have a website, a Myspace & a Facebook account.  I even Twitter (trying to learn anyway).  But what does it mean to connect?  Has “connecting” come to mean that we see each others words, pictures, websites, and perhaps if we get techie, hear a recorded voice or perhaps even better see a video?  I sincerely belive that what all of us in business these days need is to help each other with referrals – I can ... 11/22/2008

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)... 11/21/2008

What is the single greatest challenge to the Portland Oregon economy? Is it Jobs ? Is it Money for lenders as the national news would report? Or is it apathy and falsehoods? Yesterday I was sitting down for a little rest and relaxation at a favorite hang out and heard someone in the background with a rather boisterous voice exclaiming to any and all who would listen to just how poor she thought the economy is. On and on she went describing one debacle after another about others tales of doom and gloom. Not stopping long enough to give names or credibility to the short stories she weaved. Building into a crescendo as more and more interest grew from the surrounding group she blurted " and if your thinking about getting a home loan you can forget about that ! " " There are no home loans a... 11/21/2008

Concerned about the environment, global warming, rising energy costs or home-related health issues?    Are you aware that there are more and more homes that address these concerns? Did you know that Earth Advantage*, a regional leader in green home certification, has a realtor certification program, EA S.T.A.R. (Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals)? According to Sean Penrith, Executive Director for Earth Advantage, the program goal is to "equip realtors with the necessary knowledge and tools to educate their clients on products, features, building methods and values that make homes energy efficient, healthier, and green." What might an EA S.T.A.R. certified realtor do for you?  A lot! They can point out features that are more efficient, such as Energy Star(r... 11/20/2008