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Displaying blog entries 21-28 of 28

Hillsboro the Next Pearl District?

Monday, May 7, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Submitted by Sandy Morley

The skyline of Hillsboro may see a change if condos 20 stories tall are developed in the next 20 years.  The city is already recognized for Intel's Ronler Acres campus, Orenco Station and Tanasbourne shopping helping Hillsboro win "Best New Suburb" by Sunset Magazine.  Planners envision developing the area south of Northwest Cornell Road as the new hot location for high-income singles and two-member households who prefer not to live in Portland.

Many major cities have suburbs of this scale although Portland is not usually considered for this type of development.  Initial plans show as many as nine 20-story buildings and a number of smaller towers housing condos, retail, office space and research centers located around a 35-acre park.  Imagine a "Pearl District" for the suburbs with transportation, upscale livability and many neccessities within walking distance.

With the opening of a new Genentech Inc. location and a handful of other big name companies city planners estimate 7,000 to 8,000 new jobs in the Hillsboro area and over 270,000 new residents to move to Washington County in the next 25 years.

Today I took a phone call from a prospective buyer looking to move from California to Hillsboro to work for Genentech.  The timing of her call and the Sunday Oregonian's article on the possible new Hillsboro development may be a sign that Hillsboro could be the next hot place to buy!  While we may not know for another 25 years if it happens, it will be interesting to see a suburb develop  that could be the first of many for large cities across the nation.  Once again the Pacific Northwest is embracing new ideas and leading the nation as the best place to live! Okay - maybe that is just my opinion :)

 

 

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St. Johns Parade - Why I Love this Neighborhood!

Monday, May 7, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Submitted by Kate Baldus

This Saturday, May 12th is the 45th Annual St. Johns Parade!  The theme this year is "Celebrate Community Volunteers" and usually draws a couple thousand spectators.  With the nice weather in the forecast it is the perfect activity to bring your friends and family to.  Find a spot along North Lombard near Anna Bannanas, Proper Eats, or Big Kahunas and take in the sights!  Classic cars, bands, street acts and floats will make their way down Lombard from North Buchanan to North New York ending at the community center.  The parade begins at noon and usually lasts until about 2 pm.  The festivities in the St. Johns Plaza begin at 10 am until about 6 pm.  Vendors will provide food, beer gardens and don't miss the hula dancing at Big Kahunas!

The best part about living in Portland is welcoming people of all ages to our neighborhood and celebrating the community spirit.  I hope you can make it too!  (You might even see me on a float!)

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How Important is your Credit Score? Mine Just Got Me a Sweet 2007 Acura for 1.9%!

Monday, May 7, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Submitted by Shawn Headlee with Columbia Mortgage                                                   

Happy Monday All!!  I had been researching buying a new car for months and finally went and did it.  This weekend I bought a 2007 Acura TL from Ron Tonkin Acura and love it.  Black on Black leather - awesome.  I was debating on how much of it I wanted to finance when they offered me 1.9% for 36 months.  Now, not everyone will qualify for that rate, but I knew my credit was good so I went for it.  Within 15 minutes I was signing the paper work for my first new car!!  The point I am making is that focusing on keeping your credit spotless saves not only time in those situations, but saves you a lot of money in interest.  This goes for purchasing a home also.  Unfortunately I can’t offer 1.9% on a home loan!  J

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Bend or Bust!

Friday, May 4, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Submitted by Sandra Hanis

Spring is here…not quite, it is another cold and rainy day! Time for a weekend in Central Oregon….just one of the awesome things about living in Portland. We are just 3 hours from Bend or Seattle and a little more than an hour from the beach or the mountains. Now, I am no longer interested in schussing down mountains or trying to stand aloft a surfboard but there is nothing not to like about having a few days to relax in central Oregon. I am fortunate to have family living there but there are also great resorts likeSunRiver or Eagle Crest where homes can be rented quite reasonably. It is a beautiful drive on Hwy 26 then turn onto 97 and pass through stunning vistas right out of the old west. An equally beautiful drive is going south on I-5 and turning toward Detroit Lake and passing through forested areas and rivers…soon coming into the charming town of Sisters before reaching Bend.

Bend is becoming something of a fine restaurant mecca lately. They have recently added many fine dining restaurants as well as fun places to grab some sandwiches or start your day with a great breakfast at Alpenglow Cafe. We picked up sandwiches at Cibo and took the dogs hiking oalong the Deschutes River. We enjoyed the hike as much as the dogs enjoyed the cold romp in the  Deschutes River along the River Trail. Sunday night we visited a small place Kababa with flavorful mediterranean food. The service in the restaurants is always friendly and my kids usually know a few of the people who are working there. 

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Thursday, May 3, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Aaron Levy
We all know the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” When it comes to selling a home, one might say, “A picture is worth ten thousand words.” A good picture can serve as the deciding factor over whether or not a prospective buyer will want to view a home. With pictures having such a great influence, it is extremely important that each image captures and portrays a warm and inviting feeling; otherwise, the appeal is lost.
 
Most people figure that the more pictures they take, the greater chance they have of capturing a decent shot. This, however, is not the case. A focus on the quality of a shot, as opposed to a focus on taking as many pictures as possible, will most certainly produce better results. It is important to explore the home and really take it all in before taking the first shot. Camera placement is everything, so figure out before taking a picture on where the best placement would be. Also, one must remember that the camera does not capture the exact image that you see with your own two eyes. Just as important is to know which way a home faces. For example: if a home faces west, it would be wise to take a picture in the early afternoon when the sun is hitting the front of the home directly.
 
When you list your home with The Rob Levy Team we do our best to describe your property with detailed information, virtual tours and quality pictures.  As you browse the RMLS you will see what a difference pictures make.  With our new Kodak V705 duel lens digital camera I will capture your home in the best possible light to appeal to Portland area buyers.
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Farmers Markets in the Portland Oregon Area

Thursday, May 3, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties

Everyone knows Portland, Oregon is an eco-freindly area, and as a result there are lots of natural foods stores here in comparison to similar sized cities. But starting at this time of year we start to see our farmers markets spring up.  There is a list of these under "Reccomended Links" at www.RobLevy.com but the top ones are the Portland Farmers Market which offers three locations.  Also the Beaverton Farmers Market opens May 12th, and the Tigard Farmers Market opens on May 13th.   There are many other Farmers Markets in the area from Forest Grove to Gresham, and these can be found by clicking HERE.

We encourage you to support our local markets, we do and let alone are we supporting our local farmers, we get to eat fresh, locally grown produce too!  Have fun, its one of the best parts of living in Oregon!

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Sleeper Investments Properties and Rents Going Up - Looking Better Everyday!

Wednesday, May 2, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Bruce Hecht
I was working with some out of town investors last week and they were looking for what they called "Sleeper Investments" and "up and coming neighborhoods".  We talked about those two things for a while and we came up with the following as our guidelines:
 
We focused on areas ,close  in to DT Portland Oregon , around already and within a few short steps or blocks from already established proven areas that boast all the amenities buyers and tenants look for.  Broad assortment of restaurants, coffee shops, internet cafe's,nightly entertainment, employment base.
 
Once we established our target areas and the acceptable parameters around them, we were off to the races.  My investors were looking to add to their portfolio of Portland, Oregon investments.  They bought their first duplex 4 years ago, then their second one 2 years ago.  They put 35% down on each property and now they realize a positive cash flow of approximately $500.00 per month per property.  Both of the plexes they purchased were in fine shape, they have put very little money into them since owning.  They have calculated that each plex have appreciated approximately 15% per year, needless to say, they are thrilled to death with their investments.  They pay a local property management company $75.00 per plex to manage them.  That cost is very reasonable.  It usually runs about 5-8% of the rent.

On our tour yesterday, we found 2 more plexes, one duplex and one 4 plex that looks promising.  Great locations, just steps away for what renters look for, easy access to all parts of town, short walk to a bus stop, close proximity to 3 different colleges and most of all, nice clean plexes that are already fully occupied with solid rents!
 
The exciting part is that there are many possibilities and direction an investor can go in Portland.  We have old,new, old and updated, we even have old and in need of TLC, just in case you want to do the work yourself and benefit even more from growing appreciation,a city that continues to grow, jobs,people and livability.
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Cannon Beach or Bust!

Wednesday, May 2, 2007
by Rob Levy, Prudential Northwest Properties
Submitted by Shawn Headlee
Hello all!  I Spent a wonderful weekend at the coast.  My appraiser I send all my business to purchased me a gift certificate for the Arch Cape House Bed and Breakfast. Arch Cape is 8 miles south of Cannon Beach and wonderful old property with lots of character.  Barbara, the owner, cooks a fantastic 3 course breakfast everyday that is included in the room charge. We spent a day in Cannon Beach and another in Seaside. The weather was great considering you never know what you will get on the Oregon coast in April! 
I found it interesting to talk to locals about real estate. They all stated that they would never be able to own a home due to the crazy price appreciation over the last 10 years. I let them know that I had just refinanced a clients 2nd home in Cannon Beach and it appraised for 1.6 million. They just laughed. 
 
I hope you all get a chance to go to the coast for a weekend soon, this time of the year is great due to smaller crowd. September and October are also great months to go also. The weather is a bit warmer and the kids are back in school.
 
Have a great week!!
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Displaying blog entries 21-28 of 28

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