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Displaying blog entries 11-20 of 29

WHAT YOUR CREDIT SCORE MEANS.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Shawn Headlee
We all know by now that the higher your credit score the better, but do we really know how it all works? I found a great article that explains not only how credit scoring works, but what the future holds for the credit scoring model.
Credit score
Percentage
499 and below 2 percent
500-549 5 percent
550-599 8 percent
600-649 12 percent
650-699 15 percent
700-749 18 percent
750-799 27 percent
800 and above 13 percent
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Ranch Homes: The cool new thing?!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Ranch homes are currently regaining some of their popularity in the Portland real estate market. This is due to issues of affordability and more importantly because these homes fill the needs of today's home buyers.

The ranches of yesterday were typified by single level living and open floor plans, a bonus in the NW sometimes grey environment. Large windows bring in light and attached garages provide families with convenience. With land more available then, the larger lots provide a more spacious yard. These "ramblers" are seen in most older neighborhoods as in-fill homes and in suburban neighborhoods such as Raleigh Hills and Arranmore.  The Rob Levy Team is well-versed in appreciating the benefits and locations of this, until now, under-appreciated market.

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Buyers For Your Home Are Everywhere

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
On Saturday while at a birthday party for Kate, our marketing assistant for the Rob Levy team I realized as a Realtor in a social environment how much real estate comes up as a conversation subject.  In fact, I recently read that in the USA real estate has now surpassed sex as the most talked about topic at social gatherings. 
This lead me to thinking that our home sellers also are always talking about their homes too, and in response we developed a "home card" for all our sellers to carry around with them so they can give it to prospective buyers they meet from time to time.  This is perfect for both social environments as well as co-workers etc, or wherever real estate conversations come up.
Check out our home card at the link above, and if you are thinking of selling your home, contact us today about creating a home business card for you.
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The Benefits of a Virtual Tour

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
 Submitted by Aaron Levy
Virtual tours are considered to be a major advantage when listing and marketing a property on the internet. They can help sell a property rather quickly and easily by giving the home the maximum amount of exposure necessary. With a virtual tour, a property is available for viewing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week--ideal for buyers who live out of the area. A buyer can inspect and re-inspect properties at will without an agent at hand, which means less hassle for the agent and seller, and also less traffic coming through the house.
The virtual tour is a great tool for the buyer who doesn’t want to waste valuable time viewing every single property of interest. A real interest of an on-site inspection is developed with the virtual tour. This way, the buyer will be more informed when it comes down to making the decision of which properties he/she wishes to view. When it comes to making such a major purchase, it is always nice to explore a prospective new home in person, and having viewed the virtual tour will give you an advantage that others might not have.
In some rare situations, a buyer has even purchased a home without ever setting foot in it!
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Great homes, great schools, great sites, great opportunities!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Bruce Hecht:
I was working with some buyers this past weekend, they had some pretty specific goals in
mind for what they wanted in a home.  2400+ sq ft, 4+ bedrooms, OK sized backyard, newer construction, 3+ car garage, things like that.  It started to sound like there would be no chance to find them what they wanted.
 
But as we began our search and tours, another hidden, very important requirement floated to the top of the search requirements, the schools.  They have 3 kids that are in elementary school or will be starting in the near future.  We stopped searching for homes immediately and chose to focus on looking for schools first.
 
Great school sites can be found from our team website, these really narrowed the home area(s) that my buyers were willing to look in.  They drew the line at 7 out of 10.  This was the lowest score they were willing to accept for the elementary school that the home they would buy, feeds into.

With this information in hand we continued to search for two full days and found a beautiful NEW construction home in an outlying suburb of Portland Oregon.  The home has 2600 sq ft, with ALL of the nicest upgrades you could want - for $15,000 less than my buyers wanted to spend.  This new subdivision is also close to the Oregon beaches, by a nice lake where my buyers can take their kids to go fish and plenty of walking trails, and a really deluxe park that is in the sub division.
 
We are writing the offer up now.
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Escrow: Not so scary after all!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Tammy LeMaire
The world of escrow can be confusing and scary to the homebuyer, below are a few key facts about escrow;
 
1.) Escrow is a neutral third party
2.) Escrow is designed to work as a liaison between Seller, Buyer, Lender and Real estate agents.
3.) Escrow handles the legal documents which transfer ownership of the property.
Purchasing or selling a home often involves large sums of money and even larger amounts of paperwork.  The escrow officer is necessary to prepare these documents with close attention to detail for each party involved.  For more information about escrow please call The Rob Levy Team.
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Japanese Culture in Portland

Friday, April 13, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Submitted by Cathy Hill

Born in Japan near my mom's family and raised largely in Hawaii, I'm accustomed to a wonderful cultural mix in my community.  Here in Portland, I'm pleased to say I've found lots of Japanese culture - everything from memorable sushi to impressive landscape and furniture stores.  In particular, my mom and I have located our favorite sushi restaurant, Sinju.  Not only are the portions hearty, but the atmosphere is a nice blend of contemporary and traditional.  Sinju has locations in downtown's Pearl District, as well as the ever-growing shopping center, Bridgeport Village.  Mio Sushi is also a favorite, with locations from Hillsboro clear out to Northeast Portland.  Without question, Uwajimaya market is the culmination of all things Japanese; food, books, appliances, greeting cards, stationary, pharmaceutical products, and even dinnerware!  I make several visits each month, as the fresh fruits and vegetables are also seasonally updated.

Perhaps the most impressive display of Japanese culture in Portland is located in Forest Park, just west of downtown.  The Japanese Gardens, visited 1988 by His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, Ambassador from Japan to the United States, declared it as "the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan." The gardens are breathtaking, and change with the seasons.  There are a multitude of gardens, including a Flat Garden, Strolling Pond Garden, Tea Garden, Natural Garden, and sand and Stone Garden.  Guided tours are available year-round.  The Japanese Garden is a not-for-profit organization funded entirely by donations, membership, memorials, grants, and gate admissions.  If you're looking for Japanese culture in Portland, you won't be disappointed.  Call me at The Rob Levy Team - I recommend Uwajimaya and The Japanese Garden to all of my friends and clients who are looking for new and interesting things to do in Portland!

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Downsizing can be liberating!

Friday, April 13, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
 Submitted By Cathy Hill
While selling my house in Sherwood, I was searching for just the right condo in the West Portland area.  I looked in Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, and Beaverton.  I settled at The Courtyard at Progress Ridge, which is west of Hwy 217 and just south of Scholls Ferry Road.  In my community, there are townhouses (rowhomes), condos, single family homes, and even some apartments.  There is a 40 acre lot across the street where a new mixed-use retail/business complex will be constructed.  New Seasons Market, one of my favorite stores, has signed a lease with Gramor Development and will be open in late summer 2008.  I'll never leave home!
 
Leaving 2400 square feet for 1000 seemed daunting, and I must admit the adjustment took awhile.  I've found creative ways to use space, and great storage solutions at simple stores like Ikea, Home Depot, West Elm, Target, andLowe's.  For me, having less 'stuff' means I get to enjoy more of Portland whenever I want to - I am literally in and out, and I still have a garage, room to barbecue, and room to plant!  I would never have imagined how liberating it was going to be when I downsized, but I wouldn't trade the simplicity for yardwork, frozen pipes, gutter cleaning, and moles!  If you're considering condo living and want some insight into the options, please call us at The Rob Levy Team.  We sold 4 condos this past weekend alone!
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Portland’s Bustling Music Scene

Wednesday, April 11, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Aaron Levy - Resident Rocker!
Are you a musician who’s considering moving to Portland? No matter what kind of music you’re into, be it folk, funk, bluegrass, jazz, blues, indie-rock, metal or good old fashioned rock & roll, you can certainly find it all here! Portland is one of the most musically diverse cities on the West Coast whose musical community is prominent and comparable to the likes of Seattle, San Francisco, Memphis and New York City. This certainly isn’t a recent development; in fact, the Pacific Northwest has been on the map for more than four decades.
It all started with The Kingsmen--originally from Portland who then relocated to Tacoma, Washington--with their smash hit “Louie, Louie”. Their worldwide success spawned a flood of bands from all over the area, and to this day their influence can still be seen and heard. In recent years, Portland has produced many artists of significant impact on popular culture, including The Shins, The Dandy Warhols, Everclear, Pink Martini, and Elliot Smith.
Perhaps more notable is the overwhelming amount of band activity that exists in Portland today. With 10+ major music venues located within the metro area (and an even greater number of smaller, intimate venues, such as local café’s and bars), practically any band can find their audience.  Musicians will love moving to Portland - for relocation information on the music scene in Portland please email The Rob Levy Team!  If you want to see a great local band - check out my drumming skills with The Eegos, Reptilian Civilian, or The Super Destroyers (Willamette Week 2006 Show of the Year.)
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Rob Attends 2007 Prudential Real Estate National Convention.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Rob Levy
I just got back from the PREA convention in San Diego, California where I attended my 10th annual convention, every year since our company became a Prudential franchise.
 
This year was particuarly interesting as it was in San Diego, right in the middle of a real estate market which is dropping in price, vs Portland Oregon where our prices are appreciating and have every year since 1986.  Of course, our market hasnt had the up and down gyrations of the SoCal market, but we are now seeing a lot of our market fed by both people "cashing in the chips" in California and moving to Portland, and  also  investors looking here for a good and steady 5-8% expected appreciation - per a recent article in the Oregonian.
 
If you are thinking of moving here from California ( or anywhere else), contact us today at www.RobLevy.com and we can show you how your home can be both a great investment, and also a great place to live. I should know, after all I moved here from Los Angeles in 1984 to raise my family and have never looked back.
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Displaying blog entries 11-20 of 29

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