Special offer

Tigard, OR Real Estate News

By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
    Choosing the new "it" room is a huge gamble for home builders.  Obviously the more specialized the room the bigger the risk.  For a while there, every Street of Dreams home seem to have a wine cellar.  Although that is a pretty safe bet nowadays, it's still very specialized.  Something like a craft room, as long as it doesn't have built-ins, could easily become a bedroom if the home owner is not into that.  "Pocket libraries" can be put in hallways or tucked into the landing point of the stair.  www.pickellbuilders.com  These make for great decoration and don't take up a whole room of the house.  Books have always made for great interior design, it's like putting your knowledge on display.  Or maybe someone would want it to seem that way.  It's also popular to remodel a room in your...
Comments 0
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
    People nowadays are looking for similar things for their interiors as they do their exteriors.  They want varied textures, materials and colors along with energy efficiency, environmental responsibility and durability.  Details are also making a comeback from the "clean lines" that could only be considered not boring for so long.  Technology is also playing a big role, like the lighting, heating or even oven that can be controlled from a computer or phone far from home.  The design is more thought-out too.  The lighting can be designed to save energy, improve safety and create a different mood for each room in your house.  www.squaredlightingcontrol.com      Old materials are being used in new ways to create more interest.  For instance, metal tiles add a contemporary backdrop for a...
Comments 0
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
    Nowadays people are getting more and more opinionated about the materials used in their home.  With the emergence things like HGTV people are more informed and more curious about ways they can make their house last longer, more energy efficient and cost effective.  They are doing their homework and choosing the paint, materials and furnishings that won't fade or discolor in the summer heat, even if it costs a little more in the short term.  Although natural materials are still a prized possession, man-made materials are now being made more environmentally friendly, less expensive and can be made to look natural.      They now have waterproof fiber rock board made from recycled materials and able to withstand winds up to 242 miles an hour.  Wall sections are placed on a traditional s...
Comments 1
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
May 20th is the 25th Anniversary of the Historic Irvington Home Tour featuring 10 homes, Depression Era Mural Art at the Irvington School and even a strolling barbershop quartet.  There will also be a lecture by HGTV Curb Appeal designer Paul Duchscherer.  Tickets:$20 a person$15 if you are 65 yrs old or over$10 for each lecture (there are two showings)$35 if you buy Admission and BOTH lectures as a packageChildren under 7 not permitted except infants in "front packs".Where to buy tickets:www.irvingtonhometour.comArchitectural Heritage Center 701 SE Grand Ave Wed-Sat 10am-4:30pmBroadway Books 1714 NE Broadway Mon-Sat 10am-9pm Sun 12pm-5pmCafe Destino 1339 NE Fremont AveNew Seasons Market Concordia 5320 NE 33rd Ave 8am-10pm dailyAt the door; Portland White House Bed and Breakfast 1914 NE...
Comments 0
By Wayne B. Pruner, Tigard Oregon Homes for Sale, Realtor, GRI
(Oregon First)
Tigard Oregon Affordable Housing for First Time Home BuyersBy Wayne B. Prunerhttp://www.yourhomeinportlandoregon.com/ Wayne's Portland Oregon area Real Estate blogwww.activerain.com/wayneprunerOwning your own home is one of the best investment you will ever make.  Home owners enjoy tax benefits and annual appreciation in their homes.  The sooner you become a homeowner, the sooner you can take advantage of these benefits.  The long-term gain in value is very significant.There is still affordable housing in the Tigard area.  I have a client who is looking for a three-bedroom, two bath, single-family detached home, under $300,000.  He is a first-time home buyer.  There are currently 17 properties in the Tigard area that meet this criteria.  I have driven by or been in all of them. Most wou...
Comments 0
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
Have you ever wondered what happens when your loan goes to underwriting?  Actually, have you ever wanted to know what underwriting is?  For most buyers, and many Realtors, the underwriting  concept is like having your loan disappear into a black hole.  But, understanding the concept could give you a "heads up" on some things to anticipate before making your initial loan application.The lender's underwriter determines a buyers"s purchasing power by using a set of guidelines to help determine the degree of risk in making the loan.  The underwriter often uses the 4 C's: Credit History: How much you owe; if you pay bills on time; how often you borrow, do you live within your means; Will you repay the loan?Capacity: Income vs. expenses; occupation, income, how long in same line of work; mont...
Comments 0
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
OK - Fess up! We have all done STUPID things in our past, and our loving parents are always willing to remind us of these either STUPID, or embarrassing things that we did. So, I really want to hear what you did when you were younger that was funny, embarrassing or just plain STUPID that you still get laughed at about at family events. So to start things off, I will tell you my, STUPID thing I did as a kid and I won't tell you how old I was to stop any further embarrassment. Back in the day, I rode horses almost everyday. One day on a hot summer afternoon, I thought our horse would want to come inside with us and watch "Mr. Ed" and for the record, I was wrong! My parents still comment on how many years that hoof print was in the linoleum flooring in our entryway. So what is your story?
Comments 25
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
 I will start this story by telling you a little bit about myself. I was DJ for 18 years and have a very large record and CD collection, over 13,000 records and 6,000 CD's. Today is the day I became old as I was listening to a Beatles record, when it all of a sudden skipped as my daughter jumped off the couch. This is the statement that made me feel real old real quick! "Dad? Why does your big black CD skip when I jump off the couch?"CD's? CD's? Have I not taught you kids anything? You couldn't see your walls for the first 4 years of your life because of my records. (We got a bigger house so I could have more storage for my records)I'm not ready to be old yet!
Comments 5
By John Bacon
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
Incorporated in 1961, Tigard is a clean, suitable to live in and affordable community located south-west of Portland. Combining the amenities of a modern city with the friendliness and community spirit of a small town, Tigard is part of the Portland metropolitan area. Located at the junction of Interstate 5, Highway 99W and Highway 217 - a mere 11 miles from the Portland core - Tigard offers easy access to major interstate transportation routes.The City's "open door" policy encourages residents to attend weekly city council meetings, and observe the four-member council and mayor make important decisions. Tigard is a future-oriented community promoting citizen participation through Citizen Involvement Teams that represent the community's four geographic areas. These teams allow citizens ...
Comments 0
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
    Thinking about selling or buying a home in Tigard this summer, but spooked by all the negative press about real estate in Tigard, OR and nationally?  Take heart, consumers are beginning to respond to more favorable housing market conditions,  but new home construction will be dampended until inventories decline further, according to the February forecast by the National Association of Realtors.     David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, is looking for a steady rise in existing-home sales.  "After reaching what appeared to be the bottom in the fourth quarter of 2006, we expect existing-home sales to gradually rise all this year and well into 2008," he said.  ". . . home sales may appear weak in comparison with the record  surge in 2005, but they will be sustained at historically high l...
Comments 0
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
Market Activity in the Portland Metro Area seems to have slowed down when comparing March 2007 with March 2006. New listings increased nearly 24% in the past month, while accepted and closed sales dropped by 9.7% and 23% respectively.The 10,557 active residential listings at the end of March would last approximately 4.9 months at the month’s rate of sales.FIRST QUARTERS/YEAR-TO-DATEWhen comparing market activity through March 2007 to the same time in 2006, the first quarter appears to be off to a slow start. The number of closed sales decreased 6.2%. Pending sales also dropped 4.8%. However, new listings have jumped 20.3%.APPRECIATIONThe average and median sale prices for the twelve months that ended with March 2007 are compared to the prices for the twelve months ending in March 2006. ...
Comments 0
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
Yes, we actually sold one of our listings without the buyer ever setting foot in the home.  Got a call from a Realtor a couple of weeks ago telling me that he was sending over an offer for one of our listings, but his client (who is relocating to Portland) was in Las Vegas and had not actually seen the house in person.  The agent asked his client why he wanted to write an offer for a house he hadn't seen the inside of.  The buyer said he was satisfied with the virtual tour and the multiple (25) pictures of the home posted on our site.Of course we were a bit nervous about the buyer changing his mind once he went thru for the inspection, which he was attending in person, but he still loved the home and said it was exactly what he expected.Now, we have sold homes to investment buyers that ...
Comments 33
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
By law you need to put some kind of consideration down to make a contract valid. Be it earnest money or a boat, there has to be something of value given to a seller in order for a contract to be valid.  There are many different investment opportunities, but today I'm going to focus on just one.The FIXER UPPER and how to buy it with little or NO MONEY DOWNFirst of all if you are in the investment property business and you usually only have one thing in mind...making money and that is what this blog will teach you how to do. First thing I suggest is find a Realtor that can teach you about lease options and owner financing. These two approaches can save you tens of thousands of dollars in taxes and monthly payments on your investment properties. (Read my futures articles on how to save on ...
Comments 0
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
I've heard this from seller after seller, "I need the equity from my present home to purchase my new home". I tell them "Yes you do, so why are you throwing it away, by selling it the traditional way?"Let me teach you a better way! Offer your home with owner financing or lease-option. The fact that you need the equity for you new purchase is exactly what you are going to get plus! Offer your home for sale with owner financing. Tell a new buyer with 5% down, you will finance them at 7.5% for 5 years and then at the end of 5 years there will be either a balloon payment due or a .5% interest increase per year until the loan is refinanced or paid off. The key to this is making it a win-win for everyone involved. No one loses in this process. The buyer saves money! With traditional bank fina...
Comments 2
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Most of the time a great deal is already gone before you even know that it was for sale? Why is this? The plain and simple truth is because the investors have a Realtor that is always looking for them! When your Realtor has found one, instead of putting the home on the market so anyone can find it, they call their investor and say I've got a property for you! The investor has learned to trust that Realtor and tells them to put an offer in on the property unseen.Now as a Realtor, I also do this for a select number of investors. Unlike most Realtor though, I have a select number of investors I work with and I work backwards with them. Yes you read that correctly...I work backwards with them. I actually have a buyer for them, even before they put an offer on the investment property that we...
Comments 0
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
The title of this post is true if you're a buyer, but if you're a seller read to the end.OK - Let me explain the title first. I am an OREGONIAN through and through. I do not own an umbrella when it comes to the rainy weather we have here; I like to call it liquid sunshine.If you are a buyer and it has been raining for two weeks straight. YOU SHOULD BE ALL SMILES! This is a great time to go look at homes and get a great price on a home. The psychology behind this is most buyers don't want to go look at homes in the rain and sellers get very discouraged and will sometimes accept lower offers when no one has looked at their home for two weeks. So, let's go visit some open houses and get the sympathy factor by getting all wet.If you are a seller or just a home owner, this title is a complet...
Comments 0
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
     Ever wonder why investors seem to find those great deals before anyone else does? The reason is they work with Realtors that specialize in Pre-foreclosure (Short Sales). The reason Pre-foreclosure is so profitable is because the seller usually has waited to long to get a full market value price on their home and still avoid the foreclosure sale by the bank.  I'll let you in on a little secret though. The bank banks don't want the homes back.    Now, this doesn't mean that you can get a deal immediately! You have to have patience and lots of it, that is really the reason the investors get the deals. They aren't looking to move in to these homes, they put the offer in and WAIT, WAIT and WAIT some more. It can be up to 2 years to get one of these homes, but they do get rewarded for th...
Comments 0
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
You are now all expecting something amazing, different and so totally impossible that you can't possibly do it in your lifetime.Nope, this is something that  most anyone can do. If you don't already own a home, buy one today! If you already own a home, PAY IT OFF and don't take loans against it. How is this going to make you rich? Think about it, either you will pay it off in 30 years or less, then you won't have any mortgage payments or rent to pay each month. Take the money you were spending on your mortgage and put in savings each month and not only will you have a lot of the money at the end of the year, you will have a lot of equity in your home that you can do whatever you want with now! Happy retirement and enjoying being RICH!Start your search here for a home 
Comments 0
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
As an investor you will get the unwanted guests eventually. It is just a matter of time, but there are ways to curb your chances of getting them.Have you had an unwanted guest in your rental property? If you are a landlord and you haven't experienced one of these guests, count your lucky stars. But, if you have, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Who are these unwanted guests? They are the ones that don't pay rent, leave a mess or just plain wreck your property leaving you with huge expenses and loss of rental income.Most of these people aren't doing this for the first time. (I promise) But, the big mistake I find with landlords is their questionnaires they give to tenants before they let them move in and the follow up of the landlord.One of the questions I always see is, What is ...
Comments 0
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Foreclosure can is an unfortunate fact of life in the United States. However, as an investor it can be a way to make massive amounts of profit. First thing you need to do is find a Realtor that has negotiated a home that was in pre-foreclosure with a bank. This is the key to finding properties and saving thousands of dollars. If the Realtor has never negotiated with a bank they are less likely to succeed in getting the bank to drop their fees and sell you the property for less than they are owed.The second reason to find a Realtor who has negotiated with banks is because along with getting a severely discounted price they maybe able to negotiate a discounted interest rate on a loan for that property. The bank doesn't want the property back and they already know what the property is wort...
Comments 0