When I left you last Chris & I had just met. Standing in front of the Big Fixer in the Elliot Neighborhood of Portland Oregon I invited him in to take a look. As we walked through the house causally looking around, his questions were more directed at me than about the house. I answered them in turn and asked several questions of my own. Both Chris and I had been filled in about each other from Rhonda. After a short time Chris began to loosen up and we started to strategise on a real estate portfollio buying campaign that would fit them. The Big Fixer was not quite what they were looking for just yet. I suggested that we start with something a little smaller, so that I could tell what type of rehabber they would be. I also didn't want them to be purchasing something over there heads to e... 03/23/2007

The Fixer house that I listed on Fargo in the Elliot neighborhood was drawing a lot of traffic. Today was definitely one of those days. When the call came in from Rhonda I was just shutting the door and preparing to go home for the day. Rhonda was very upbeat and convincing so I stuck around to show her the Fixer.                                                 The first thing I noticed was all of the Boxes and clothing in the back seat of her Nissan. She was definitely a bundle of fireworks. After a boisterous greeting she tossed her head back and let out a funny laugh as she explained to me that she was literally living out of her car. Yup she was homeless kinda. Rhonda had been living with friends for almost 2 years. Shuffling back and forth a few days here and a few days there. Not ... 03/22/2007

Today I get a call from "Bob and Mary" up the street. Bob is 81 and Mary is 78. They received a letter from a credit bureau that they didn't quite understand and asked if I would look at it. I said I would be glad to. (I was a bit flattered because all we ever talked about before was the weather and her Begonias in the front yard.)It seems that Mary had a piece of mail stolen from her car that had her social security number on it. They had requested that the credit bureau put a "fraud alert" on her records. Well the gist of the letter was, " We don't have any record of you ever having any credit." Further probing revealed that all their credit was under Bob's SS#, for the past 50 years! Not an uncommon occurrence for this older generation.I suggested that things will be tough for Mary i... 03/22/2007

Michele Webb's post You_Are_Your_Sellers_Agent_Your_Seller_Wants_You_To_Act_Like_It  today was excellent. She poses a question regarding representation and slips of the tounge. How Agent's often times will give away the farm in front of other Agents who could potentially be representing a buyer for that very property.It caused me to remember an incident that happened to me. When I first started selling all agents represented the Seller. The switch to Buyer and Seller representation was difficult for some agents. I made the transition without difficulty. This story takes place about a year after the Switch.I had been looking for an investment property for one of my new Buyer clients for about 2 weeks. He had been very specific about the price and area that he wanted. That morning while l... 03/21/2007

The Home had obviously just hit the market because my Phone was ringing off the hook. Buyer's from my Investors web site Portland_Flips were all calling on this little Victorian Home in Irvington.   This single story Victorian home built in Portland Oregon in 1888 was offered for sale by an agent I had not worked with before. I was able to move in quick and secure an offer for one of my web site Buyers. The Property was and Estate Sale and had not seen any maintenance in many years. It was priced right though. There was opportunity to do it right and make a profit By bringing out some of the charm and cleaning and painting a few nice things like this Old Light Fixture that the Buyer planned on Restoring.              Right from the start it was a little tricky working with the estate as... 03/20/2007

Working with Fixers in a fast paced market can present some interesting Challenges. It seems as though each and every year it becomes more and more difficult to find viable Projects.Some 6 years ago while looking for one of my long term clients. I came across this 1950's Mid Century Classic Located in the MT. Tabor Neighborhood. Mt. Tabor is named after an extinct Volcano located in Central SE Portland Oregon. The Mountain is also a City Park that holds many City events throughout the Year. The 1950's ranch style home while charming and dated was also sitting on a double wide lot. I sold the property to a Builder that I work with and he subsequently some 5 years later built a couple of Townhomes on the lot. In the fall of this last year the Builder asked me to find a buyer for the home.... 03/19/2007

The  little house     did show promise of Character from the outside. Fixers were hard to find and Chris was out of a project. He needed another Fixer to keep his Portland Oregon crew busy and this looked like a likely candidate. We hurried up the front steps Ducking under cover of the porch trying to avoid the rain drops. I knocked on the door and waited for the tenant to answer. As we shuffled back and forth damp from the rain, and a cool breeze blowing across our faces. We couldn't help but smell the acrid oder that seemed to be coming from a Pail on the front porch.  About that time the door opened to a completely darkened room. We were ushered in by the Tenant who said help yourself as he disappeared into the Dark. Chris and I began to make our way to the only glimmer of light we c... 03/18/2007

Portland Oregon Hiking TrailsBy Wayne B. Prunerhttp://www.yourhomeinportlandoregon.com/Wayne's Portland Oregon area Real Estate blogwww.activerain.com/waynepruner  Portland's Forest Park, the nations largest forested city park, offers a quick escape from city life. Within 10 minutes, you can escape from urban life and be surrounded by trees.Forest Park has an impressive trail system, featuring nearly 70 miles of trails, fire lanes and gravel roads. The expansive and varied terrain, marked by countless ridges and ravines, holds great appeal for hikers, runners, bicyclists, and equestrians.The 30 mile Wildwood Trail is the main route and branching from this route are about a dozen side trails, most of which loop back to the Wildwood Trail. These loops, with distances ranging from 3 to 9 m... 03/18/2007

Some 30 Days ago My long term Client Paul called me in the evening and asked if I would put a rental home, (cosmetic fixer) that he owned in the Irvington neighborhood of Portland Oregon on the market. Now I have known Paul for a lot of years and I know he is always a straight forward guy who pretty much already knows what he wants before he calls you. I was also familiar with the house in Irvington having been in it a couple of years before.After 20 Minutes or so we had Set the price and I set off to email Paul the paper work. Just before Supper I heard the fax go off in my office. It was Paul's listing all signed with a note from Paul Let's get it going tonight!After dinner I began implementing my (First Hour's marketing plan) for the property.Make copies for my fileScan all and email... 03/17/2007

Over the last several weeks since signing on to Activerain for my very first Blogging experience I have endeavored to learn Whats This Blogging All About ! Thanks to a great deal help from talented individuals likeLaurie_MannyColleen_KulikowskiJeff_Turner Kristal_KraftMark_FlandersKaren_George just to mention a few, and believe me there are more many more. By using the Search Function of ActiveRain and tapping into all of these resources of sharing I have been spending almost every waking hour of these past weeks trying to implement what I have learned.This last week the Rain began to fall. I have 3 new buyer clients as a result. One of those Buyer's called me directly after reading my Post on The_Cyber_World_Police_Taking_Over_Craig'sList. The title caught his attention and the Pics of... 03/16/2007

I was looking to take a break when my Cell phone rang. I looked down and saw that California Prefix attached to the number. You know how we Oregonians Love the California Buyer's? Sam was all excited. He had seen a listing advertised on Craig's list and wanted to know more about it. Unfortunately for Sam, like most homes that are well priced I had taken an offer the previous evening. This one was now sale pending. Sam and I hit it off on the phone though and I agreed to continue looking for him so Sam flew to Portland we met and he went home the following day. In the meantime I set him up on my Home Buyers search Tool at House_Hunt_Portland a web site developed for proactive Buyers. The following day I was looking at a group of Fixers that I had pulled from the Multiple Listing Service ... 03/14/2007

Here are our pictures from yesterday...It reminds me why it is fun to be an Oregonian. We also had a brand new exhibit open. The Black Bear Exhibit really does get you close to the black bears and shows you how big they really are. Pete was my favorite bear. He really was a ham for the camera, but non of the pictures turned out. (What a shame)Here are a few pictures from our trip anyway of the other favorite animals at the zoo.During the summer, they have the Birds of Prey show and the birds fly right over the crowd. KIDS LOVE IT!Open April 15 - September 15 (9am - 6pm)September 16 - April 14 (9am - 4pm)Adults - $9.75Seniors - $8.25Kids - $6.75Infants under 2 = FREEVisit their website for more informationHope everyone who visits has as much fun as me and my family do everytime we go. 03/14/2007

I love listing bungalows.  The bungalow, in Portland, Oregon, is one of the most popular home styles that vintage home buyers will ask for me to look for.  It is the home that you can imagine sipping your ice tea on the front (or back) porch during summer's warm afternoons.  It is also the home that invites you to curl up in your favorite chair with a good book to enjoy the warm, crackling fire during the wet Oregon winter months.This wonderful home was just screaming character.  It had all original baseboards, mouldings, hardwoods, and fixtures.  The windows were still all of the original wood and functioning. The fireplace was a classic craftsman.  The exterior had been recently painted in periods colors. It just needed a little TLC.  The owner had been in the middle of some restorati... 03/12/2007

A little over 2 years ago I was working with a group of 30's somethings. As they were Rehabbing this 1950's ranch that had never been touched. I Work very closely with my client's, not just being there Broker for the purchase and the re-sale I also act as a consultant throughout the project. Isa, the owner of the project and I were talking about outfitting the Kitchen with new appliances. We both felt that it was imperative to keep the home in that 50's style. Isa told me that she had found an appliance on Craig's list and wondered what I thought about purchasing on CRAIG'S_LIST .                                                                                                                I must admit I did not know anything at that time about the site. I was absolutely amazed. And Isa... 03/12/2007

Portland Oregon: Five Things to Do in AprilBy Wayne B. Prunerhttp://www.yourhomeinportlandoregon.com/Waynes' Portland Oregon area Real Estate blogwww.activerain.com/waynepruner    Portland Saturday Market - Celebrating its 34th year. Features handmade arts and crafts; food and entertainment too, from over 300 artisans. Portland Saturday MarketTaste of the Nation - A festival of food and wine that raises money for charity. Taste of the NationOregon Zoo - This highly acclaimed zoo is committed to preserving wildlife. Visit the Black Bear Habitat that opened in March. http://www.oregonzoo.org/OMSI - One of the nations top science museums and a top tourist attraction OMSI offers educational opportunities and stunning movies. OMSIFirst Thursday Gallery Walk - Walk between art galleries in do... 03/11/2007

The expired listing phone interview had gone fairly well. Bob definitely wanted to sell. In fact he had to sell. My on-line review of the former listing revealed many mistakes.Wrong School DistrictsWrong Cross streets with inaccurate directionsWrong number of BathsIncorrect type of HeatingIn general the former listing agent had made numerous fatal errors to what was otherwise a pretty good house. Now don't get me wrong the sale of this home was not going to be a walk in the park. But it certainly would be made easier with accurate information. The Listing presentation went fairly well. I was not sure how to read the Seller as he had played his cards pretty close. His relationship to his bed ridden spouse whom I never did meet was also kind of strange. She was not on the Title and Bob ha... 03/11/2007

Tired of being beat to the punch. Yes it still is a very aggressive market here in Portland Oregon. The early bird still gets the worm. For years I have worked very hard for all of my Buyer's and Seller's. Typically I would get up in the morning and check the Hot sheet from the local RMLS to see what properties had come on the market that matched my Clients criteria. I would also check Foreclosures and Fsbo's. By 8:00 AM I would hit the streets with printouts and my Clients criteria sheet.Typically this would mean that I would be viewing some 10 to 35 houses before noon. By 12:00 Am or 1:00 PM I was back in front of the computer checking once again the hot sheet to see what had come on the market since I had been gone. Out the door again for more previews and maybe even once again befor... 03/09/2007

                                                                                                      As many of you know I work a lot of FIXER_UPPER properties in Portland Oregon like this home located in the Alberta arts District at 432 NE Sumner. It was just 2 Summers ago when I met Chris a generation X'er and devoted Bicyclist. He had wandered through a Home that I had on the market that had just gone through a Major Renovation. Chris was definitely a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. I could tell that Chris had a strong love for Older Homes especially those built around 1908 or so. Over the next few weeks or so we had a few conversations until one day when Chris decided that the talk was over and it was Time for Action ! After a few days of intense looking without real... 03/09/2007

It had been over a year since I had talked with Joe and Rita. I had met them at an Open House on RODNEY  in the PIEDMONT_NEIGHBORHOOD in Portland Oregon. I remembered that Rita was a type A personality backed by a Let's get Going attitude. I also remember from last year that as much enthusiasm as they had the opposite was true financially. A year ago I had sent them to my lender  TAMMY_WITTREN of Northwest Mortgage. Tammy is very good at sitting people down, analyzing there problems and structuring a game plan for them to follow. As Rita began to speak I sensed that something was up. With a little prodding Rita began to unravel like a ball of yarn. Both Rita and Joe had been so impressed with the work done by one of my rehabbers a year ago they were certain they could do the same. They ... 03/08/2007

Portland Aerial Tram is a Big HitBy Wayne B. Prunerhttp://www.yourhomeinportlandoregon.com/Waynes' Portland area Real Estate blogwww.activerain.com/waynepruner The Portland Aerial Tram is up and running, and the view is great. It even has it's own website, http://www.portlandtram.com/. This project had controversy with cost over-runs and neighborhood resistance. However, all seems well now. Construction phases became publicity events and there was a contest to name the cars. "Jean" and "Walt" won; after Jean Richardson, the first female engineering graduate from Oregon State University and Walt Reynolds, the first African-American to graduate from OHSU, then known as the University of Oregon Medical School. 03/07/2007