World Class Wines and some Friday night tastings in Lake Oswego I'm always up for trying out a new place, so when a good friend of ours mentioned the Friday night wine tastings at World Class Wines in Lake Oswego, we went to check it out. I have passed this place numerous times while driving and until last night never noticed it was there..shame on me! Located right in the heart of downtown shopping in Lake Oswego, the location is just perfect for enjoying some tasting then taking a quick walk to enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants. Talking to one of the couples that frequent these tastings, they said they often grab a bottle of wine..or two from here and head down to the restaraunt "Scratch" where there is no corking fee. I'll have to check that place out another time as they s... 06/18/2011

Welcome to Ralph's Weekly Feature: Two Truths and a Lie: Guess Which One Is The Lie? Each week, I'm going to feature one Active Rain Member, with their photo, and what they are going to do is tell you 2 Truths about them and 1 Lie. The object of the game is to guess which of the 3 bits of trivia about them is a lie! Each new game will be posted on Friday, and then the answer will be revealed by the featured member a week later on the following Friday. It's a great way to get to know your fellow ActiveRain members and staff. This week, we will be featuring: Cindy Westfall Cindy is a Real Estate Professional with Prudential NW Properties, Portland Metro & Suburbs based out of Lake Oswego, Oregon Cindy is a REALTOR® that guides you through the process whether you're buying or selling a hom... 06/17/2011

05/18/2011

ANOTHER OPEN HOUSE DAY FOR A FELLOW BROKER ~ 1-4PM ~ 12 Scarborough Dr, Lake Oswego, OR.     Beautiful home with 2892 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2.1 baths. A two story contemporary with lots of features and it is move in ready.  The listing agent, Kristina Nunes, another broker in my real estate office needed someone to host this open for her, so I volunteered to help out.  I was hoping for a sunny day, but instead it is raining, so I am hoping for a good weather break.  This home has had lots of traffic so maybe, just maybe someone will come that really loves it.  Here is to a great and successful open. 05/15/2011

(Cindy's Blog about Portland Real Estate & Stuff) Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Lake Oswego, Oregon It's the Lake Each week I'll be posting a new picture on Wednesday morning. The title of the blog will have the City where the picture is taken and I'll post the answer Wednesday evening...not only here on my blog, but on my facebook business page as well. Feel free to click the link below to go to my facebook business page to add yourself there. I'll also be tweetin it at pdxrealtorstuff. Do you know where it is? Care to guess? Comments are welcome. I'll post the answer tonight. Hint:....Oh, this one is just too easy but ok...Many homes in this area have this easement Answer: It's of course the the Lake..ya know..Lake Oswego! Ok, so right now it's not looking much like a lake and ... 04/06/2011

Are you looking for a great park in Lake Oswego that you can have a small BBQ at, play a game of touch football or play catch with a Frisbee? If so, the Pilkington Park is the perfect park for you. This park features a large open area perfect for those places where you need a little more room. Heck bring you dog to this very pet friendly park and play catch with them as there is plenty of room to run. Now, though there is no playground equipment in the park itself, if school isn’t in session you can take a little hike up around the top of the hill and head over to Stafford Elementary at the edge of the park and use their playground equipment. Check it out, but don’t forget your picnic basket! 03/27/2011

An evening of fun at Maher's Irish Restaurant & Pub in Lake Oswego Oregon.  Last night a good friend suggested we head over to Maher's Irish Restaurant & Pub in Lake Oswego for some dinner and drinks. We have our usual haunts..but I always like to try a new place now and again. My hubby and I got there first and having never been there before didn't know what to expect. Pulling up to a house on B Avenue, it looked tiny..and as we parked behind it we could see there was an outdoor patio area. I'm not sure how long they've been in this new location..but the other one must have been REAL small! Getting there at 6PM it was already jam packed with people with the overflow of peeps outside at tables..one full one that had a firepit in the center..smart folks as the air did have a nip in it..... 03/12/2011

(Cindy's Blog about Portland Real Estate & Stuff) Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Lake Oswego, Oregon..yep...it's the Dog Park at Hazelia Field at Luscher Farm. Scroll down to read about it and see more pictures. Kris C. did guess correctly on my Facebook business page. Each week I'll be posting a new picture on Wednesday morning. The title of the blog will have the City where the picture is taken and I'll post the answer Wednesday evening...not only here on my blog, but on my facebook business page as well. Feel free to click the link below to go to my facebook business page to add yourself there. Do you know where it is? Care to guess? Comments are welcome. I'll post the answer tonight. Here are two hints: 1) This is on the side of Lake Oswego that is closer to West Linn 2) It's ... 02/23/2011

Buying a Home in Lake Oswego, OR -- Lake Oswego Real Estate Market Trends Year-End Review 2010 This post provides a comparison of property stats in Lake Oswego that were listed and sold in 2010.  Lake Oswego, OR area 147:  Information for DETACHED PROPERTIES (no condo/townhomes/attached) Buying a home in Lake Oswego . . . The charts below EXCLUDE foreclosures: Report Summary Total Listed: 1,909 Minimum Sold Price: $100,000 Total Active Units: 501 Total Sold: 616 Average Sold Price: $507,417 Units Sold/Months Back: 51     Median Sold Price: $445,000 Months of Inventory: 9.8     Maximum Sold Price: $6,150,000 Buying a home in Lake Oswego . . . The charts below INCLUDE foreclosures:  Report Summary Total Listed: 163 Minimum Sold Price: $120,000 Total Active Units: 43 Total Sold: 115 Averag... 01/03/2011

Lake Oswego View Home $525,000 17941 Meadowlark Lane Lake Oswego, Oregon 97034 - Breathtaking setting in Lake Oswego, rich in seasonal color and abundant in views... This Lake Oswego View Home has it all. Spacious, clean, and large with a potentially sub-dividable lot. Beautiful views, desirable neighborhood and LOTS of NEW updates throughout. Fresh landscaping and towering timbers surround the home. A refinished deck provides a natural space to enjoy the scenery, cozy up with a good book and entertain any time of the day. This Lake Oswego home for sale also features new interior and exterior paint and beautiful flowing hardwood floors. New carpeting, countertops, appliances, lighting & plumbing fixtures have been added, making this view home in Lake Oswego move-in-ready. Among the lis... 11/12/2010

Some interesting market stats from the Lake Oswego Real Estate Market for the period ending 11/11/2010   The average home sold for 95% of list price The average sale price in Lake Oswego is $473,349 There is currently about 7.9% months of inventory in Lake Oswego The Pending ratio is 12.7% (this means a little over 1 in 10 homes is selling every 40 or so days. See a complete list of Homes for sale in Lake Oswego. 11/12/2010

If you’re looking for some of Portland’s best hiking trails, head out to Tryon Creek State Park, and take along your dogs. They will be most thankful and you’ll get a wonderful workout. Or maybe you’ll stroll peacefully along the more level paths, not wanting to hike the hills. I’ve been tromping through this 670 acre park, which straddles SW Portland and Lake Oswego, for at least 25 years! I have the advantage of living a block away, so I head in, rain or shine (or snow sometimes), about 5 times a week with Ted, my pooch. That would be Ted’s walk of choice (the neighborhood streets don’t offer as many diverse smells). 8 miles of hiking trails keep us busy. Life gets mighty entertaining when we venture along the horse trails and come across one of those big beasts. The 3 mile bike path... 11/02/2010

As professional home stagers, most of us have a statement like this one that we share with our clients:  "How we live in a home is very different than how we prepare it for selling ..."   Recently on A/R another clever stager had this version, which I love:  "How you Dwell is not how you Sell .." The point is, none of us really "lives" in a showcase -- but when your home is on the market, you want your home to be as appealing as possible so that your target buyer who sees it either online or in person says, "I could live here!"  We recently worked with sellers in Lake Oswego OR who were moving out of ther home, but were willing to leave some furniture behind in order to help it sell.  We advised them on updating paint colors, light fixtures, cabinet hardware, and a few small cosmetic re... 10/30/2010

This beautiful new construction home in Lake Oswego, a lovely suburb of Portland OR has been on the market for nearly 4 years!  Now a foreclosure, our Portland home staging company was recently hired to stage it.  With about 3,300 sq ft the home has some wonderful features, but the previous online photos before staging indicated a couple of challenges which we felt could be overcome with proper staging.  We hope that this home will now be more appealing to the target buyer, and are crossing our fingers for a sale! This previous dining room shot on the MLS didn't show the full size of the room, so after staging it we took 2 photos to give buyers a better idea of the room's size and it's features ... The great room has fabulous windows that let in lots of light, but without furniture the ... 10/02/2010

Today was a lovely, lovely day at George Rogers Park located in Lake Oswego. Over 100 years ago, when Lake Oswego was an industrial city, known for iron smelting, the Williamette (pronounced:  Will-am-met) River was used as a depot for the area.  Easy access.  The first blast furnance (pictured) on the West Coast was built in 1866.  One of the ruins is still featured at George Rogers Park. As the city of Lake Oswego grew up, iron smelting ended, and it's now a lovely city south of Downtown Portland.  Preserving some of its history at George Rogers Park.                       George Rogers Park  ~  1866 Blast Furnace George Rogers Park includes: 26 lovely acres 2 Baseball/softball fields A soccer field, 2 outdoor tennis courts Access to the Willamette River, A memorial garden area Playgr... 09/12/2010

If I was buying in a house in Lake Oswego . . . this would be my Pick of the Week. Nestled on a culdesac in the Palisades Neighborhood of Lake Oswego, you would not go wrong with this beauty.  I've assisted quite a few clients who were buying a home in Lake Oswego, and had the planets aligned correctly -- this home would have been for sale while working with them.  Ah, they bought something else, but this home would definatley be on the "must see" short list. This split-level day ranch has 2,500 sq. ft. of ALL NEW system updates, including:  New roof, water heater, energy efficient furnace, electrical panel, sewer line.  The home is heated with forced air gas, has 3 fireplaces, central A/C, vaulted wood beamed ceilings, hardwoods, fresh paint in/out, baths and kitchen updates look great... 08/26/2010

Homes in Palisades Lake Oswego Take a meandering drive on South Shore Blvd, around Lake Oswego . . . and find the lovely homes in Palisades Lake Oswego.  The map below shows the sweet spot location of the homes in Palisades Lake Oswego.  Drive in, drive out . . . and you'll always have your lovely views! Homes in Palisades Lake Oswego are in the Palisades Park Community Club, which is a part of the Lake Oswego Corporation.  The LOC manages over 3,000 deeded property easements within the Lake access, and manages 415 acres of lake, and lakefront properties. Easement map Schools are with the Lake Oswego School District Palisades Elementary Waluga Jr. High Lakeridge High And suprisingly, homes in Palisades Lake Oswego are priced from $269,900 to $5,950,000.  The old adage of buy the lowest ... 08/13/2010

Village on the Lake Homes For Sale Lake Oswego Another outstanding neighborhood in Lake Oswego is Village on the Lake.  Many of the Village on the Lake Homes for sale Lake Oswego have marina and Lake access which is deeded, and gorgeous lake views. Village on the Lake Homes for sale Lake Oswego are nestled in with the terrain, with expansive lots and territorial views.  These are luxury homes which styles ranging from tradition to contemporary. The Village on the Lake Homes Lake Oswego offers quick access to George Rogers Park, a City of Lake Owsego Community Park, with access to the Williamette River, baseball and soccer fields on lovely 26 acre grounds. A great little shopping center is Lake View Village.  This upscale market area has a lot of great reastaurants, with local flare.  My... 08/13/2010

Homes for Sale in Mountain Park Lake Oswego Nestled in the northern area of Lake Oswego, Mountain Park Lake Oswego there is a great mix of homes for sale Mountain Park Lake Oswego -- including condos, attached and detached properties.  One of the few areas in a truly planned community that has homes for sale in Mountain Park Lake Oswego.  Sure, there's a few other developments with great condos, and attached homes . . . but Mountain Park really is well designed. For those who have already bought homes for sale in Mountain Park Lake Oswego they know what a well-designed, well-planned community this is.  It began development in 1968, on 700 acres atop Mt. Slyvania.  Since it's one of the largest, nationally recognized planned community, it was done with vision.  Speaking of vision . . . ... 08/13/2010

Homes in First Addition Lake Oswego If you ever wanted an old town feel, within a modern-day community, the homes in First Addition Lake Oswego might be just right for you.  The homes in First Addition are, literally, part of the old-town / downtown area ofLake Oswego. While not in a HOA, per se (no dues) there still is a sense of community with all the homes in First Addition Lake Oswego.  First Addition Neighbors (FAN) association offers residents a sense of the community.  As you can see from the homes in First Addition Lake Oswego that are currently for sale, some of the properties were built in 1900, 1905, 1925, and because of lot splits, there are some new developments being planned.  This is one of the unique features of the homes in First Addition Lake Oswego: wonderful classic ... 08/13/2010