OPEN HOUSE 07/18 11-1!

This charming bungalow on a dead-end road is in the heart of St. Johns.  Blocks to shops, cafes, transportation and just over a mile to Cathedral Park and the St. Johns Bridge with access to Forest Park hiking trails.  This home sits on an oversized lot with a fantastic private yard for gardening and entertaining.  French doors lead from the large kitchen to the back deck.  Both bedrooms and the bath are on the main level.  The master bedroom has a large walk-in closet and access to the upstairs bonus room – great for an office, crafts or storage.

Also included in price tax ID R0149654 and R0149645 vacant lots. Also available ML 10055968 next door all zoned R24. This is a single level house with basement can be rented and 400sf 1 bed studio behind house. Great rental with huge potential.

Stunning 1st class remodel throughout with magnificent kitchen, on .46 acre lot at end of dead-end street in coveted Bridlemile. Formal entry, living & dining. Stunning kitchen with nook, large family room, 4 beds up with amazing closet/bath in master suite, office/den on main plus large bonus room up. Terrific yard with multiple decks and patios, 3 car oversized garage too.

Cul-de-sac location backing to farm land.  Perfectly situated on the lot for privacy. This home is  well cared for and updated.  Remodeled kitchen and baths,  double hung windows.  3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath and 2 fireplaces.   Central A/C. Back yard features a pavered patio, raised garden beds, a shed and mature fruit plantings.

Appreciate the carefree resort lifestyle in Charbonneau adjacent to Rural French Prairie, and easy access to I5. 

Charbonneau's Amenities Include -  Swimming Pool, Indoor-Outdoor Lighted Tennis Courts, 27-Hole Executive Golf Course, Marina, Fitness Center, RV Storage Yard, Club House, Convenience Store, Restaurant, Beauty Shop/Spa, Bank, Dry Cleaners, Walking  Paths,  Large Activity Field For Soccer and Baseball.

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 7/18 1-3!!

Remodeled kitchen featuring slab granite, built in oven/micro combo, downdraft gas cook top, all stainless appliances and an eat up bar.  New upgraded carpet and pad.  4^th bedroom  is oversized and can be used as a bonus room.  2 gas fireplaces.  Office on the main floor. Central A/C.  This home is in amazing condition.  Original owners and true pride of ownership shows!

Furthermore according to Yin, homeowners look for a new place to live every 7-10 years on average and as a result over the next 10 years we can expect anywhere from 50 million to 70 million home sales !  Wow !!

 As listed in the Portland Business Journal, The “Green Cities Index” ranks metro areas on a variety of environmental factors, including traffic congestion, transit use, water quality, carbon emissions, LEED-certified projects and number of “green” jobs. Read more here: http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/03/08/daily51.html?ed=2010-03-12&ana=e_du_pub

Portland has appeared at or near the top many times on many surveys.  At the same time Portland ranked 8th in the country for public transportation use.   More info on our transit system can be found at www.trimet.org

Given the population from the 2000 census being at 1.93 Million, projections are there is a 90% chance that in the year 2030 (only 21 years from today) the population could be as much as 3.2 Million (between 2.9m and 3.2m), and in 2060 between 3.61 & 4.38 Million.

The forecasts are for the seven county area of the Portland-Vancouver(WA)-Beaverton MSA and include the counties of Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill & Columbia in Oregon and Clark and Scamania in Washington.

With our urban growth boundary, the question remains... Where do we put them all ?  But the bigger question from Portland's top Prudential Realtor's point of veiw is what do I tell my clients when they ask me to look inside my crystal ball and predict where prices will go in the next several years.  Clearly with our land use restrictions, booming population and UGB (urban growth boundary) our prices have no place to go but up in the long run.  In fact even in our slower market, the last 8 weeks have been very busy for us on the Rob Levy team to the extent we just hired a new assistant / office manager to keep up with all the sales.

Clearly in my mind, both from my personal and professional experience, there has not been a better time to invest in the future of Portland.  Prices are down,rates are down, inventory is high and we know the future is bright.

For more information or to find some homes that really make sense to buy now, give us a call.  As Portland's top selling Prudential Real Estate team for two years running and with over 20 years experience.

Please listen to my podcast all about the $8,000 credit at http://www.roblevy.com/agent_files/talkrealty/player.htm

CLICK HERE to see the actual IRS form to claim the credit

We had a busy few weeks at the RobLevy team and again were #1 in the Portland area for Prudential Real Estate.  In fact, we have written more offers in the last 10 days than in the last 90 days.  It does seem to be picking up and the information above validates this.

If you know of anyone who could qualify as a first time home buyer (generally meaning someone who hasnt owned a home in more than three years), please

Portland Oregon offers great skiing...  The Mount Hood areas are 45 minutes to 1.25 hours away and offer all types of terrain, spectacular views, and lots of night skiing too.  In fact, one area has the largest lighted night ski area in North America.

The three main areas are Mount Hood Meadows.  This is my favourite and where I have my pass.  Its the farthest from Portland but I think has the best combination of lots of lifts, varied terrain and lighted night areas.

There is also historic Timberline lodge, this area also has several high speed lifts, and the historic lodge too.

Last but not least there is Mt Hood Ski Bowl.  Lower down the snow is sometimes damp, and the lifts are slower but thre is a combination of challenging terrain and beginner terrain.

We are lucky to live where we do here....  Its so close, I often leave work early and go up and snowboard for a while, then eat dinner, go out some more and come home.  Other days I head up early get in a couple of hours and come back and am at work by lunchtime.

There are of course many cross country areas too, its all in the Mount Hood National Forest...

So if you are thinking of moving to Portland or are a current resident, think about our gorgeous extinct volcano to the east...  We see it every day but not so many of us use it.

Here is a direct quote from Mr. Yun....   . “Given so much stimulus package discussion in January, some would-be buyers simply sat out for clarity and certainty on the nature of housing stimulus,” he said. “The housing market will soon get a lift from very favorable buying conditions – not only from improved affordability, but also from the stimulus of an $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit, and higher conforming loan limits that will allow more people to tap into 50-year low mortgage rates.”  The entire article can be seen by clicking here.  

As Portland's top Prudential Realtor, we are (finally) starting to see some movement in the starter home market which has been slow of late due in part from buyers not knowing about what is available to them, and also from investors not being able to buy due to the new limits on loans available for owners of more than four homes.  Both these issues have been alleviated somewhat in recent days.

For more information on the Portland, Oregon real estate market or to receive a list of homes available that meet your needs, or even a list of bank owned homes, contact us today.

Forbes Magazine has listed Portland as the 5th best city to buy a house in the United States for 2009.   Its an interesting list in that they excluded many cities where prices have plummeted such as Phoenix, or Las Vegas as they want areas where buyers can build equity in a stable area. You can read the Forbes article here.

To see the actual index, click on this link  and you can scroll through the cities listed.

The Portland area continues to win awards or be selected from everything as the greenest city in the US to the best city to raise a family.  Recently Portland was listed as one of the fastest growing cities from in-migration particularly from the educated early 30's crowd.

If you want more information on the Portland area and are considering a move here, email me and I will send you a link to our relocation guide.