Refrigerator Magnets are Toxic Refrigerator magnets are a sign of just how serious you are about selling your home. If you are going to sell your home, you have to accept that your daily routine is going to be interrupted for the foreseeable future. It cannot be avoided. You will have to keep the house clean all the time and may have to leave your home when buyers come through. If you cannot even make the effort to clean off your refrigerator, do not whine to your agent about the lack of offers. If your home is not getting very many showing, it could be because your showing instructions may not be buyer friendly. Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs. His phone number is 5... 08/28/2008

Last week I wrote a post called "If you can't sell it, I'm going to rent it (HUH?)" and this week I have to retract that statement...Well, ok, not completely, but in this situation I did.You see this seller read this article and gave me a call because they wanted to know more about what I was saying. (Thank you Activerain) After meeting with them, I had to tell them that they should keep the property as a rental and enjoy retirement!Why did I tell them this after writing that article? They were in a special situation, they were buying a new house with cash and the house they were considering selling has been paid in full for over 5 years now. They could have sold the house and taken the money and enjoyed it, but they didn't need it.But, if they hired a property management company to man... 08/27/2008

Do you own a home that might be considered a cosmetic fixer, or even a major fixer, and you want to sell it? There are two options. First, sell it as is for a discounted price, or second, fix it up and put it on the market and hope to get all your money back out.So, the first thing you do is call your favorite Realtor, who may not be doing so well right now, and is glad to hear from you. You tell him you are thinking of selling. You hear the excitement in their voice and they ask when they can come over and list it.At this point you put the breaks on that conversation and tell them you have some questions first before you put it on the market. They tell you that they will happily answer those questions for you.You ask them, "Is it better for me to fix up the property or is it better for... 08/25/2008

Seeing my mom cry has giving me a new perspective on real estate and why it is so important to hire a real estate professional to help you through the process of buying and selling a home.You see, my parents were in a situation that they would never move from their house that they have lived in for the past 30 years. But, three weeks ago, they were thrown the opportunity to buy a property that my grandfather built that appraises for $700,000 for only $250,000. This property is an amazing property that overlooks the river from the deck.However, the process was so overwhelming for her. My mom and dad are both teachers, and very smart, but this was even more than they could understand. Despite me talking to my dad everyday, I realized that he doesn't completely understand what I do or what... 08/25/2008

Are you hoping to be one of the buyers out there who score a deal during the bad housing market?  Taking a look at foreclosures are a good bet for you but there are some things to keep in mind.  There are plenty of foreclosures out there right now and lenders are definitely looking to get rid of them.  This isn't exactly the time to be holding on and waiting for a better offer.   Apparently there are different stages of foreclosure and they all have different amounts of risk and reward so you can choose what fits your comfort level. Pre-Foreclosure A home goes into pre-foreclosure when a borrower has fallen behind on his payments, but the house has yet to be auctioned off.  If you wanted to go over all the delinquency notices that are filed with the county by the lenders when an owner ... 08/13/2008

This home has great spaces for entertaining family & friends, located on on Bull Mountain in Tigard at the edge of the urban growth boundary. Overlooks serene fields and a large pond. 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths and 2,215 sq ft on two levels. 08/12/2008

The Tony and Libby Kelly Group | Keller Williams Portland Premiere | 503-753-7300 12165 SW Ames Lane, Tigard, OR Sellers found house they like, motivated to sell, bring all offers. Dramatic, custom view home w/Greatroom floorplan. Extensive woodwork, hardwoods an 4BR/3.5BA Single Family House offered at $527,968 Year Built 1996 Sq Footage 3,436 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 3 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 3 Car garage Lot Size 15,246 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Dramatic, custom view home w/Greatroom floorplan. No wasted space! Features extensive woodwork, hardwoods, finishings & attention to detail. Huge kitchen w/7ft cooktop island, granite, SS appls, custom lighting. Maple family rm built-ins. Master suite w/marble in BA & 10X10 closet. Level backyard w/designer cedar fencing. ... 08/08/2008

The Tony and Libby Kelly Group | Keller Williams Portland Premiere | 503-753-7300 13746 SW 130th Place, Tigard, OR This exquisite Bull Mountain Traditional features custom hardwoods w/ inlays, open kitchen & family rm floorplan. 5BR/3.5BA Single Family House offered at $497,500 Year Built 1998 Sq Footage 3,400 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 3 full, 1 partial Floors 3 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION This exquisite Bull Mountain Traditional features custom hardwoods w/ inlays, open kitchen & family rm floorplan, vaulted ceilings, & a fantastic cul-de-sac location nestled against a lovely greenspace. Spacious master suite w/coved ceiling, and jetted tub in masterbath. Huge lower level w/2 BRs, full bath provides potential in-law suite. Additional 897 sqf... 08/08/2008

Metzger Park: National Night Out The National Night Out was well attended by Metzger neighborhood families. This national event is designed to improve safety in neighborhoods by introducing firefighters, law enforcement, parametics and neighbors to each other. This was a family freindly event that had free ice creram, cookies, and punch provided by local businesses. The fire truck was a big hit with the kids and "McGruff the Crime Dog" was making friends. A good time was had by all at Metzger Park. Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. Wayne is also a licensed Oregon contractor. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estat... 08/05/2008

Even though it has very little snow fall, Portland, Oregon is about 130 miles farther north than Toronto, and over 200 miles farther north than Boston. Cannes, France, the sunny summer playground of the rich, is about 10 miles farther north than Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Cape Town and Sydney are known for having unusually pleasant year-round climates, and they are all almost identical distances from the Equator. Similarly,San Francisco and Melbourne, Australia are both known for mild and fast-changing climates, and they are identical distances from the Equator. Cold Estcourt Station in the northernmost tip of Maine has only 4 residents yet London, England is still almost 300 miles farther north. the US/Canada border in the west is determined by the 49th Parallel ... 08/04/2008

Have you locked in your mortgage rate.  Some people simply haven't been paying attention and think the  housing market and mortgage rates are the same as 2005.  It is no longer the best idea to wait for rates to drop.  More than likely you are going to miss out if you don't act now.  Rates are no longer stable like the used to be and people don't seem to realize that.  Many people didn't get their rates locked back then when it would have been easier, and at the time there was no need.  Things are different now and things can change drastically at anytime.     If good rate presents itself you need to get it locked in, in writing from your lender.  The way things are now, even if the rate dips down it won't be by much and it will be very temporary.  You've got to take the deal when you h... 08/04/2008

Cook Park in Tigard, Oregon located off Durham Road, near Tigard High School, is a very large park with lots to do and is just a short walk from a few neighborhoods in Tigard.  It has 4 baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts, and volleyball courts. If you are looking to have a picnic, there are also plenty of BBQ stands and picnic tables. If you prefer to reserve spots they also have covered areas, one of which that can accommodate up to 250 people.If you want to go for a nice nature hike, this is a great park for that as there seems to be a lot of wildlife around for everyone in the family to look at. Now, they even have a butterfly viewing area. I remember as a kid, even seeing a turtle in the park.If you used to go to Cook Park years ago then you remember the giant rocke... 08/03/2008

Last Thursday has been an event in Northeast Portland for about a decade.  The last Thursday of every month the streets, stores and restaurants of Alberta street are flooded with people.  It is thought that there are currently around 10,000 people participating in this event each month.  Now it is time to take measures to keep up with growth.  Vendors are putting merchandise on the sidewalk, which is already over flowing with pedestrians.  There are also some sanitation issues to deal with.  No one wants this to go away so steps need to be taken to ensure safety of participants and those who live in the area.  They are even having TriMet re-route some buses.  The Northeast Portland area has made great strides in recent years and keeping the community involved will only improve it more.... 08/01/2008

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 400,000 borrowers with $68 billion in loans may benefit from a rescue bill.  This bill is to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by offering at-risk borrowers the chance to refinance their old mortgages into new low-cost fixed-rate loans. To qualify borrowers must live in their homes and have loans that were accuired between January 2005 and June 2007. Also, they must be spending a minimum 40% of their gross monthly income on all household debt to be eligible for the program.  They do not necessarily have to be in default but they do have to prove that they will not be able to continue to make the payments.  This is to avoid people defaulting purposely to get a lower payment. There are more contingencies to this refinance offer.  All other ho... 07/25/2008

  The next big plan for helping out the mortgage industry is to full inform investors of the types of mortgages they are buying into.  The idea is to promote confidence in the investment they are making so that mortgage-backed securities will be bought once again.  A group representing the buyers and sellers of mortgage backed securities unveiled a plan on Wednesday to recharge the moribund mortgage market. In order for lenders to raise enough money to offer as many loans as they do, they have to bundle their mortgages and sell them to investors as mortgage backed securities.  Lenders such as Countrywide, Wells Fargo and Wachovia will package a random assortment of these loans together and sell them to investors with very little information offered to the purchaser. But then the losses ... 07/22/2008

This 1400 sq ft one level ranch with 2 spacious bedrooms & 2 bathrooms is located in the Summerfield neighborhood in Tigard, OR -- an active adult community with its own 9-hole executive golf course, rec center, pool & tennis!  This home has been completely updated with new carpeting & vinyl flooring, new counters in the kitchen and bathrooms, new S/S kitchen appliances, new bathroom fixtures and fresh paint throughout.  Easy care landscaping allows for more time to relax with family and friends. 07/17/2008

June Residential Highlights   June sales activity was mixed when compared to that of May 2008. On the other hand, activity continues to follow a downward trend compared with 2007. From May to June, there was a 0.8% increase in closed sales (1,877 v. 1,863) - the second straight month of increasing sales. New listings also grew a slight 0.6% (5,213 v. 5,182). Pending sales, however, dropped 6% (1,996 v. 2,124).  On the other hand, comparing June 2008 with June 2007, closed sales dropped 31.3% and pending sales decreased 30%. New listings were also down 16.3%. See table below.  At the month’s rate of sales, the 17,788 active residential listings would last approximately 9.5 months, up slightly from 9.2 months in May.   Second Quarter   A look at the second quarter of 2008 compared with th... 07/15/2008

Showing Instructions Can Doom a Quick Sale In order to sell your home for the highest price in the shortest amount of time, there are many factors to consider. Some of the more important items are the price of the home, selecting the right Realtor, and having attractive curb appeal. These are my top three, but almost as equally important is having the property available for showings when buyers want to see it. Not on your schedule, but on theirs'. Restrictive showing instructions can doom a quick sale. Selling your home is a monumental inconvenience to a families' daily routine. Keeping your home clean and available for daily showings takes hard work and planning. You need to keep in mind that it is important to take advantage of the physiological mindset of Buyers.  When they are hot, ... 07/13/2008

The crazy-low home prices have finally begun to lure real estate investors into the market. Sharon Restrepo, a broker in South Florida, where home prices have dropped nearly 27% over the past 12 months, recently bought a three-family home from a very motivated seller for a mere $65,000. It listed for $195,000.  She can rent the three apartments out for about $1,500 and turn a profit, while she holds on to the property until the market recovers. If you fancy yourself an investor, the down times are when you truly make your move. Some places can be rented out while waiting for the market to swing the other way.  Others can be bought distressed and then renovated.  Either way, you have to wait for the market.  Some of these deals are not obvious.  People are not necessarily listing their ... 07/02/2008

Mortgage Math Made Easy Many years ago I acquired this table that makes easy work of figuring out your monthly payment on a home purchase without the need of a financial calculator. Professionals in the real estate business need a financial calculator, but the average homeowner or first time home buyer can get by quite nicely with this table. I have randomly compared this table against my financial calculator and they come within less than a dollar of each other. This table can help a person decide if they can afford a house and offers a comparison of the dramatic difference a change in interest rate can have on your monthly payment. I have added the examples below the table to help with clarity. Bonus real estate math: Real estate usually appreciates in value, but it can also depreciat... 06/27/2008