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Displaying blog entries 101-110 of 117
Helping your Children Invest in Real Estate!
Submitted by Sandy Morley
This past week I have been working with a client who is from out of state and would like to buy a property for his son while he attends a four year college in Portland. The family decided that rather than pay rent with the possibility of having to move mid-semester that it would be a wise investment to purchase a property where the son could live and also rent out an additional room or two to fellow classmates.
After home/condo hunting within a couple of miles from the school we found the perfect townhome for the son. With no HOA or lawn to take care of the son will have little upkeep on the property. As a student he will also have a built-in population for renters, but if all else fails - he can always use Craigslist, the online community that helps people around the world find housing and other goods/events.
The benefit of owning the property in an active and growing city such as Portland means that in four years when the son has graduated the townhome will have increased in value if the area trends remain the same. At this time they family can choose to sell the property, continue to rent, or perhaps the son will not want to leave his new home and the great city of Portland.
Earthquake Awareness for your home in Portland Oregon?!
Submitted by Kate Baldus
How to increase the value of your home!
Call to Buyers! Great Homes! Terrific Rates!
Submitted by Sandra Hanis
The market in the Portland metro area is far and away one of the strongest markets in the country. Currently sellers are seeing this and putting great homes on the market at very competitive prices. With the exception of a couple of key areas in the city we are seeing a number of great choices for buyers in all price ranges.
The last few buyers I have worked with from N to NE to SE and in neighborhoods like Raleigh Hills, Murrahill, Tualatin, Bull Mountain, Hillsboro, we have found more homes to their liking than we have seen in springtime for the last few years. Call your lender or use our in-house lender, Shawn Headlee. You will find interest to be extremely favorable to buyers as well as find many loan programs allowing you into your first home or possibly a move-up property, maybe even a second home or investment property.
Realtors have more time than in the last 2 years and you will feel less pressure to get just the right place. I encourage you to call one the Rob Levy Teams' experienced buyers agents. We know the neighborhoods well and are anxious to help you find the home of your dreams. If you are not quite ready yet, we are more than happy to help you explore your many options! Call us today!
MAKE SURE YOU READ YOUR CC&R'S
BEFORE YOU BUY ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS
Submitted by Sandy Morley:
Will you live in your next home for at least 3 years? If the answer is "Yes," you should purchase rather than continue renting. With average appreciation, you'll break even on your closing costs after 2 years. Starting with the 3rd year until you sell you will be putting money in your pocket. Remember that the most expensive aspect of real estate is buying & selling, so the longer you can live in the home the better. However, purchasing makes sense if you can make as little as a 36 month commitment.
St. Johns is not a town - it is a great neighborhood in Portland!
I recently bought a house in the St. Johns neighborhood in North Portland - close to the University of Portland. I am constantly reminded that people in Portland and surrounding areas think that St. Johns is its own town. While it was originally a separate incorporated city it was annexed by Portland in 1915. The drive from downtown Portland along Highway 30 and across the stunning St. Johns Bridge is only about 10-15 minutes and actually less time then most commute to many of the popular eastside neighborhoods. The best part is that St. Johns is still relatively undiscovered (which is probably why I could afford to buy there!)
St. Johns is named for the settler James John who laid the original eight block town site in 1865. This outdoorsy neighborhood is bordered by the Columbia River to the northeast and the Willamette River (separating it from Sauvie Island and Linnton) to the northwest. Most locals add the Cathedral Park neighborhood and refer to the entire area as St. Johns, including the main business district on Lombard/Ivanhoe as "Downtown St. Johns."
Why visit, live or play in St. Johns? There are some great new businesses opening in the neighborhood such as Greg's, Orlean's Candle Company, and Proper Eats. Anna Bannanas has become a staple of downtown St. Johns with live music some evenings and healthy goodies and coffee selections. If you want to relax you can catch a film at the St. Johns Theater on Lombard serving pizza and beer. To top it off, what neighborhood would be complete without a McMenamins... Across from Blockbuster on Ivanhoe, this particular pub and theater was built in 1905 as the National Cash Register Company's exhibit hall for Portland's Lewis and Clark Exposition. To arrive in St. Johns, this ornate building was barged down the Willamette River to its current location where it has housed a Lutheran Church, American Legion Post, bingo parlor, and home for Gypsy wakes.
Many Portlanders "trek" to St. Johns for the numerous parks and natural areas. Take a stroll across the bridge and immediately up into forest park (over 70 miles of hiking trails) or discover disc golf at Pier Park, considered one of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the northwest. Kelley Point Park and the Smith and Bybee Lakes wildlife sanctuary are just a five minute drive from downtown St. Johns and great for wildlife watching. In the summers the bike lanes are filled with avid bicyclists making the loop from downtown Portland through St. Johns and down Highway 30.
While my friends might not visit because they think I live a little far away (boy are they missing out!) I have fallen in love with my neighborhood. Friends of Trees activities, packed community centers for neighborhood association meetings, fun events in Cathedral Park and downtown St. Johns festivals make this neighborhood a great place to live - Just don't forget that it is still considered Portland, zip code 97203!
The ReBuilding Center: The best place to start when remodeling!
The ReBuilding Center!
The ReBuilding Center originally opened to the public in 1998 and has expanded to over 60,000 square feet of warehouse space filled with useful building materials. A huge help for the environment it has the potential to divert nearly ten tons of construction and demolition waste per day by 2008! The ReBuilding Center is a project of Our United Villages, a non-profit community enhancement organization developed by dedicated volunteers.
Also check out the North Portland Tool Library... with over 300 brand new tools it will lend out to North Portland residents for FREE!
Submitted by Kate Baldus; unlicensed assistant to Rob Levy
Mow your grass or shovel snow, you decide!
Submitted by Bruce Hecht
Mow your grass or shovel snow, you decide!
Sounds like it could be the better of two evils. Not for some buyers I was working with the other day. They were trying to decide where to relocate to and they could pick from anywhere. They chose
While I was touring them around the city, they saw Crocus, Daphne and Daffodils all in full bloom. We even saw a few pink cherry blossom trees starting to bloom. They mentioned part of their relocation decision making was the weather in the different cities. Using a number of online weather websites they found tons of information as far as averages, seasonal and allergy information. After all of their research, they chose
Just the other day I looked up a few of the other cities that had made their original list. One had a high of 12 degrees and the other was in the middle of the worst snow storm in 100 years. I looked at the same day weather for
Displaying blog entries 101-110 of 117