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BEAVERS WIN!

Thursday, June 28, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Shawn Headlee
Hello all,
 
How about those Beavers?? What an amazing story of drive overcoming talent. Not to say they weren’t a talented team, but they were not of the level of some of the teams they faced. They truly believed they could beat anybody and did. It makes you wonder why more corporations don’t stress the family attitude. The head coach sure has it figured out, give your kids total confidence from you and they will learn to believe in themselves 100%. They had no clue they weren’t the most talented team on the field, they knew they were going to win, end of story.
 
I followed most of the College World Series on NCAASPORTS.COM, fantastic site for all college sports. 
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Travel to PDX with Ease

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Cathy Hill
 
This past weekend, I visited with several of my college friends in the California Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley. While I enjoyed living in northern California, I’m always so happy to come home to the beauty and quality of life we have here in Oregon. One of the things I appreciated most about my trip was the ease of getting to the airport using Tri-Met, Portland’s public transportation system.
 
I’m from Hawaii, which has an award-winning public transportation system called The Bus. When I was growing up, my mom, sister, and I took the bus everywhere. Last week, my trip to PDX involved hopping on the Max at the Sunset Transit Center. Getting to the airport cost me $2.00 and an hour of time, versus about $3.50 in gas, $50 in parking fees, and the immeasurable traffic frustration of a 4:00PM drive. The biggest dilemma we had on the ride that day was how to avoid the large bee buzzing around; such a small problem and such an easy trip! If you have questions about getting around Portland, call us at The Rob Levy Team – we’re always glad to help.
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Baseball and the Summer with the Boys

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Shawn Headlee
Good Morning All,
 
Hope you had a great weekend!! The Oregon State Beavers won their first game of the College World Series. NCAA.com is a great site to follow college sports scores. My nephew is enrolled at OSU for Construction Engineering. He moved in with me this weekend for the summer to work for Skanskausa as an intern this summer. It should be a summer of male bonding!!  I feel very lucky to have this time with him due to him growing up 6 hours away and me missing a lot of his child hood. We often forget how important family is and I hope you all called your fathers this weekend.
 
Don’t forget to watch OSU’s second game today at 4 against Arizona State.
 
Have a great week!
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Oden vs/ Durant! Who do You Think the Blazers Will Choose?

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Sandy Morley
 
Finally it looks like lady luck may have changed course for the Portland Trail Blazers after receiving the Number 1 Draft pick. The two biggest contenders for the position are Greg Oden, the 7-foot center from Ohio State and Kevin Durant who is a high-scoring Texas forward. The team is allowed two visits with each player before the June 28th draft and both are arriving this week for the first round of interviews and practice. The Trail Blazer’s GM Kevin Pritchard has said meeting with the two ball players in Portland this week will be the determining factor after a month of scouting and game-film study. He has also said he hopes to get to know the players as normal guys – to see if they laugh, have a sense of humor or take themselves to seriously. Last year the team chose Brandon Roy from the University of Washington - who proved to be a valuable choice when he was chosen Rookie-of-the-Year.
I think the Blazers will make the best choice possible – although my vote is for Oden. What do you think? It seems to be quite a buzz around town and season tickets are selling faster than they have in years. Maybe this year will bring back the spirit we used to have during the 90’s with players like Terry Porter, Clyde Drexler, Danny Ainge and Kevin Duckworth. Gotta love Rip City!
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Blues and Views on the Portland Waterfront

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Kate Baldus
 
Woo hoo!!! It is that time of the year again… my favorite festival in Portland is just around the corner. The 20th Annual Waterfront Blues Festival is scheduled for July 4th to July 8th along Tom McCall Waterfront Park. This year’s line-up is just as good as most years with the following artists scheduled to perform: The Neville Brothers, Koko Taylor , Joan Armatrading, The Blind Boys of Alabama , Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball, James Cotton Band with special guest Hubert Sumlin , Mavis Staples , The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Voice of the Wetlands Allstars (Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Johnny Sansone) , Eric Burdon and the Animals, Savoy Brown , Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, J.J. Grey and Mofro, Watermelon Slim,  Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Brian Auger and the Oblvion Express!
 
This year the festival’s four stages will host more than 125 blues performances from around the world. The festival began in 1988 and has grown to be the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi attracting more than 120,000 fans from all over. Get to the festival early and plan to stage hop from area to area to catch your favorite performers. Be prepared for warm weather as it is often hot and the waterfront provides little shade unless you take refuge under the food tents or the Morrison Bridge. If you are a lucky blues fan with a boat you can join water enthusiasts on the Willamette River and enjoy music while relaxing on the water.
 
Don’t miss these events:
Fireworks on July 4th
Specialty River Dinner Cruises throughout the weekend.
After Concert Dances
Educational Workshops
Children’s Activities
Blues Films
Local Brews & Food
 
All of the festival is produced by the Oregon Food Bank who uses the event as a benefit for fundraising. Daily admission is a donation of $8 per person/per day plus two cans of food. All of the proceeds benefit the Oregon Food Bank so please come out and support our community and enjoy the blues, brews and views!
 
 
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Move Here and Drink Good Beer!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Submitted by Kate Baldus

Many argue that Portland is the home of the microbrew revolution in the United States as it is well-known for its numerous breweries.  As early as 1888 Portland had a reputation associated with beer when the local brewer Henry Weinhard supplied beer to flow from the Skidmore Fountain but it wasn’t until the 1980s when the state law changed that the microbrewery explosion really took off. 

There are 40 breweries in the Portland/Columbia River Gorge area including McMenamin Brothers, Widmer Brothers, BridgePort, New Old Lompoc, and Walking Man to name a few.  No wonder Mayor Tom Potter officially nicknamed the city Beertown (a lot easier to understand then the nickname Stumptown – although I prefer the original!)

To really experience the flavors of local beer it is best to check out any of the numerous beer festivals hosted in the area. The Oregon Brewers Festival is held each July and is the largest gathering of independent craft brewers in North America (this year held July 26 through 29th on the waterfront!)  In October it is worth the drive to Hood River to check out the Hood River Hops Festival with local bands, breweries and wineries.  And if you are craving a tasty beer celebration after the summer months - it is always a good time at the Holiday Ale Festival with thousands of Portlanders pack in Pioneer Courthouse Square under large tents (This year November 29 to December 2nd!)  Of course there are many more local beer festivities around the city and state, just too many to mention!

If crowds of people and live music aren’t the way a Portlander enjoys a good beer then maybe a burger and local brew while watching a movie in one of Portland’s Pub Theaters would be a better idea.

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Dining Out in Portland

Monday, June 11, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Cathy Hill
Did you know that Portland has one of the highest numbers of restaurants per capita of any city in the United States? We eat out year-round, but in the summer we are out and about as often as possible, especially where outdoor dining is available. In Portland and the surrounding areas, you’ll find something for everyone, whether you love Thai food, all-American cuisine, or meals maximizing the availability of seasonal ingredients. You can find a list of locally grown, fresh ingredients, and their availability, by paying a visit to the Portland Farmers Market.
 
Most of us on The Rob Levy Team take advantage of the Passport Unlimited Card, which is a reasonably priced membership card offering a number of dining and lunchtime benefits. The list of benefits and restaurants is updated constantly, and the card is renewable on an annual basis. If you’re trying to find a great meal during your time in Portland, call us and we’d love to give you our recommendation!
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Portland's Interest Rate Future

Monday, June 11, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Shawn Headlee
Hello all,
 
Hope you all had a great weekend!! Interest rates have been on the rise the last 3 weeks. They are at a 1 year high, which may not seem like much, but they have gone up every day but 2 over the last 3 weeks. This is a sign that they may keep going up or go down. :) I say this in jest because no matter what anyone tells you, they don’t really know what rates are going to do in the future. Of course we can all guess, but that is all it is. I am guessing from the information that I have read, that rates will continue to go up and level off in the 7% range for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. I feel this way due to the billions of dollar in foreign money that is getting out of our bond market and looking for better places to invest. This selling of our bond’s drives the price of the bonds down and the yields up, in turn, raising mortgage rates.
 
Have a great week!!
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Buy a Home in Portland and Sleep in the Safest City in America

Monday, June 11, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Bruce Hecht
Portland, Oregon can now boast that they have one of the safest cities in the entire United States.  I was working with some buyers this week that are moving here for this very reason.
 
The most recently released figures from the FBI, shows Portland Oregon's crime rate is at a 40 year low.  We can attribute that to many things: more police, more educated young people that filter out the people that cause crime, and the Downtown Portland Business Alliance hiring more security and street clean up people.

Portland, Oregon homeowners have always had more sense of pride and they carry that throughout their lives.  They carry that to the workplace and they carry it to their communities.  We have more alternative fuel vehicles on the road than any other city.  We have more people that wear their safety belts that any other city.  All of these factors, in some way, influence the crime rate.

So if you want to sleep the best that you can, move to Portland Oregon, buy a home and relax!
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Portland's Happy Dogs

Monday, June 11, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Sandy Morley
 
Once again Portland finds itself high in the rankings for national recognition coming in 2nd next to Colorado Springs for having the happiest dogs. Men’s Health magazine ranked doggy happiness based on seven criteria, including percent of ownership, dog parks, pet stores, animal shelters, boarding/day, veterinarians and the fewest cases of heartworm. Portland ranked No. 1 for the number of dog parks and pet stores, No. 2 for veterinarians and heartworm and No. 8 for the number of animal shelters.   (Not to mention the number of bars and restaurants that are dog friendly!) 
 
The top five overall cities were:
  1. Colorado Springs, Colorado
  2. Portland, Oregon
  3. Albuquerque, New Mexico
  4. Tucson, Arizona
  5. Seattle, Washington
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