Dianne Gregoire – Page 16 – Property Blotter

May 20, 2023May 14, 2023

The Urban Growth Boundary

A big part of understanding real estate in Oregon is knowing about the Urban Growth Boundary.

It was put into place in 1973 under the leadership of Republican Governor Tom McCall. What the boundary does is make development choices intentional and public rather than piecemeal.

Every single town in the State of Oregon has a line drawn around it. Within the boundaries of that line urban and suburban development is allowed. Outside of the boundary is reserved for agriculture and forests. Lake Oswego is right on the edge of the UBB. From LO you can drive to the countryside in just minutes. In the countryside you’ll find wineries, farmstands, Christmas tree farms, and the beautiful rolling hills that lead to the Mountains and the Willamette Valley.

It’s controversial because it is forcing density within the boundary. The boundary has been expanded, but it’s a tedious process that requires lots of legal wrangling. The planning departments in towns have to project for population growth and then plan today to accommodate the growth in the future. This means that even if builders want to build on larger lots, they simply can’t get those large lots approved. They are forced to build on smaller lots to accommodate future population projections.

It also means that land within the boundary is super valuable. If houses become run down, they get torn down. In those cases the land is more valuable then the house and the land gets re-built. I think it has helped the Tri-County Metro area to not have slums. Yes, there are parts of town with lower economic demographics, but there are not slums.

The density within our UGB is going to increase now that multi-family units are allowed in residential neighborhoods. That’s a whole other blog post.

For a map of the Portland area UGB, click here.

As always, thank you for reading the blotter.

Dianne

May 17, 2023May 17, 2023

Market Activity May 8-14, 2023

Last week in Lake Oswego there were 11 new listings, 3 of which sold quickly and are represented here as pending sales. There were 20 properties that went under contract and moved into pending status, and there were 9 sold/closed transactions.

See below for RMLS data.

New on the Market May 8-14, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet
44 Eagle Crest Dr #37	Condo	$240,000	2	1	908
5225 Jean Rd #501	Condo	$455,000	3	2	1500
18839 Kristi Way	Detached	$649,500	3	1.5	1344
5829 Benfield Ct	Detached	$749,900	4	2.5	1744
15911 Fir Grove Ct	Detached	$959,776	4	2.5	2584
16164 Parker Rd	Detached	$1,300,000	3	2.5	2315
15575 Village Dr	Detached	$2,595,000	4	2.5	3163
3190 Douglas Circle	Detached	$2,998,000	4	3.5+.5	5007

Pending Sales May 8-14, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet	DOM
86 Kingsgate Rd B104	Condo	$299,900	2	2	938	6
55 Galen St	Condo	$315,000	2	2	989	15
16250 Pacific Hwy #75	Condo	$388,000	3	2	1593	109
3652 Spring Ln 4F	Condo	$400,000	2	2	1117	19
5650 Lakeview Blvd	Detached	$549,000	3	2	2715	45
3575 Upper Dr	Detached	$595,000	2	2	1376	0
16309 Overlook Dr	Detached	$645,000	4	3	2567	4
200 Burnham Rd #311	Condo	$678,800	3	2	1862	22
644 Ellis Ave	Detached	$875,000	4	2	2335	47
17143 Rebecca Ln	Detached	$890,000	3	2.5	1943	13
1421 Cherry Crest Dr	Detached	$925,000	4	3	2785	5
1448 Greentree Circle	Detached	$945,000	4	2.5	2649	43
191 3rd St #6	Condo	$950,000	2	2	1523	33
5434 Rosalia Way	Detached	$985,000	4	2.5	2677	20
16960 Stafford Rd	Detached	$1,000,000	4	3.5	2845	20
17649 Woodhurst Pl	Detached	$1,550,000	5	4.5	5669	4
1965 Egan Way	Detached	$1,850,000	5	3.5	3899	3
13337 Leslie Ct	Detached	$2,595,000	4	3.5	4197	15
13751 Cameo Ct	Detached	$3,995,000	5	4.5+.5	4262	24
16309 Lake Forest Blvd	Detached	$599,900	3	2	1583	4

Sold/Closed May 8-14, 2023

Address	Type	List Price	Sold Price	Sq Feet	CDOM
15446 Stephanie Ct	Attached	$480,000	$480,000	1582	0
1966 Wembley Pl	Detached	$649,900	$721,100	2103	4
5865 Southwood Dr	Detached	$950,000	$1,010,000	3035	2
13254 Twin Creek Ct	Detached	$1,188,000	$1,050,000	3470	4
515 Laurel St	Detached	$1,725,000	$1,563,000	3382	199
1658 Village Park Ln	Detached	$1,750,000	$1,775,000	4634	3
929 Cumberland Rd	Detached	$2,800,000	$2,580,000	5095	250
13777 Cameo Ct	Detached	$3,395,000	$2,995,000	6984	240
17147 Old River Dr	Detached	$2,995,000	$2,995,000	6900	6

Criteria:Homes in the 97034 and 97035 zip code, listed, pending or sold between the dates listed above as reported by the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS). DETACHD refers to Single Family Detached Residence, MFG refers to manufactured housing, and ATTACHD refers to single-family residences with some portion of the structure attached to another property, but not constituting CONDO ownership. DOM stands for days on market, or the number of days from when the listing became active and when it received an acceptable offer, with CDOM standing for “cumulative days on market” accounting for “refreshed” listings.

May 7, 2023May 7, 2023

Summer at the Library

The Lake Oswego Library has some really fun activities planned for the summer season.

Let’s start with The Seed Library. That’s right, a seed library. Housed is a repurposed card catalogue at the Fiction desk, there is literally a huge selection of seeds for you to take home and grown in your garden. The seeds are for plants that do well in our area. The seeds do not have to be returned, but your are encouraged to harvest seeds from what you grow and donate them back to the library for someone else’s enjoyment.

The Summer Library Challenge is for children, teens and adults. Kids will receive a free book just for signing up. Then, all summer long, they will have chances to win prizes as they read books. Adults can set their own challenge, share their progress through the summer, and get chance to win a Powell’s gift card and a two-night stay at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon.

The Children’s Library is offering Take-Away Crafts each week from June 19th to August 11th. Simply drop by the library, pick up your craft, and take it home with you for a fun summer diversion.

Then there is Programs in the Park. Every Wednesday, June 21st to August 9th, from 2-3pm, at Rossman Park (555 4th St) drop in for crafts, nature workshops, art activities, special guests, and more. Then, enjoy the end of summer party on August 16th.

You can sign up for the summer challenge by clicking here.

The Lake Oswego Library is about so much more than books! It’s truly a treasure in our community.

Dianne

May 5, 2023May 5, 2023

Market Activity April 24-30, 2023

Last week in Lake Oswego we had 12 new listings, one of which sold quickly and appears here as a pending sale, 12 properties moved into pending status, and 14 sold/closed listings. This is very balanced with similar numbers in all 3 categories. This shows that it is neither a or a seller’s market. However, it feels to me like the market has shrunk as compared to last year. For May, these number feel small, at least to me.

See below for RMLS data.

New on the Market April 24-30, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq. Feet
55 Galen St	Condo	$325,000	2	2	989
159 Oswego Summit	Condo	$395,000	2	2	1506
18314 Fernbrook Ct	Detached	$550,000	3	1.5	1036
114 Greenridge Ct	Attached	$624,000	3	2	1824
1368 Boca Ratan Dr	Condo	$625,000	2	2	1763
20 Partridge Ln	Detached	$850,000	5	3	3448
4798 Auburn Ln	Attached	$879,950	3	3.5	2700
60 Touchstone	Detached	$885,000	4	3	2657
17143 Rebecca Ln	Detached	$890,000	3	2.5	1943
592 Weidman Ct	Detached	$1,150,000	3	2.5	3035
14611 Uplands Dr	Detached	$1,595,000	3	4	3118

Pending Sales April 24-30, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq. Feet	DOM
16200 Pacific Hwy #5	Condo	$499,900	2	2	1207	173
16880 Tracy Ave	Detached	$510,000	3	1	1080	97
4179 Douglas Way	Detached	$565,000	3	2	1447	4
4748 Amherst Ct	Attached	$675,000	3	2.5	3015	46
5434 Rosalia Way	Detached	$985,000	4	2.5	2677	5
23 Masaryk St	Detached	$1,050,000	3	2.5	2902	6
2468 Marylhaven Pl	Detached	$1,295,000	4	3.5	3606	34
5598 Luce Ln	Detached	$1,370,000	4	3	3432	4
5290 Childs Rd	Detached	$1,499,000	4	4.5	3671	47
1930 Indian Trail	Detached	$1,560,000	3	3	3260	5
566 4th St	Attached	$1,599,000	5	4.5+.5	3512	7
17367 Lake Haven Dr	Detached	$2,249,900	5	3	4225	2

Sold/Closed April 24-30, 2023

Address	Type	List Price	Closed Price	Sq Feet	CDOM
47 Eagle Crest Dr #31	Condo	$242,500	$260,000	1009	4
237 Cervantes #19	Condo	$315,000	$292,200	1216	54
4413 Thundervista Ln	Condo	$418,800	$416,000	1741	4
5465 Childs Rd	Detached	$789,000	$784,925	1544	7
1865 Mapleleaf Rd	Detached	$799,900	$800,000	1686	12
7 Hotspur St	Detached	$825,000	$810,000	2195	19
567 2nd St	Condo	$1,095,000	$1,095,000	1412	2
1380 Bonniebrae Dr	Detached	$1,250,000	$1,258,000	2940	5
4799 Lamont Way	Detached	$1,325,000	$1,325,000	3142	4
16461 Chapin Way	Detached	$1,475,000	$1,475,000	4012	4
16650 Fir Ln	Detached	$2,100,000	$2,100,000	3859	2
15880 Oswego Shore Ct	Detached	$2,225,000	$2,125,000	3977	26
13132 Thoma Rd	Detached	$3,650,000	$2,935,000	5434	336
14655 Uplands Dr	Detached	$3,300,000	$3,390,000	4775	211

April 24, 2023April 24, 2023

The Importance of Open Houses

In my 36 years in real estate, I’ve seen quite a few changes, as you can imagine. But one of the biggest ones is the importance of open houses.

In my early career the common perception was that open houses were a waste of time. I knew of agents who flat out told their seller clients that they would not be doing them. I’ve never had the belief. While it was true then, and is true today, many of the people who come through open houses are not actually buyers. But I have always done them. First it shows my seller clients that I am using every tool in my tool box to get their house sold. But second, I have sold numerous houses from people who have come through my opens.

What is different today is that open houses have become way more critical. Today’s buyer is able to be very independent. Nearly everything that they need to know about a houses is available on line. They like to be in the driver’s seat and tour houses independently of their agent. Then when they find a house that they’re interested in, they get their Realtor involved.

The first weekend of marketing is a true event. The routine is to put a house on the market on Thursday or Friday, market the open house date and time for Saturday and Sunday, and then hold it open and let the hordes inside. It works!

I hope that you find this information useful. As always, thank you for reading the blotter.

Dianne

April 22, 2023April 22, 2023

Market Activity April 10-16, 2023

Last week in Lake Oswego there were 9 new listings, 4 of which sold quickly and appear in this report as pending, 18 pending sales, and 13 sold properties. Check out the market time on the pending sales. 11 of the 18 went pending in one week or less. Conditions for selling a house are really favorable right now.

See below for RMLS data.

New on the Market April 10-16, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet
35 Crestfield Ct	Condo	$299,000	2	1	921
624 Livingood Ln	Detached	$975,000	4	3	2612
17656 Woodhurst Pl	Detached	$1,395,000	4	2.5	4597
1584 Oak St	Attached	$1,450,000	3	3	1860
3600 Upper Dr	Detached	$1,999,950	5	3	3771

Pending Sales April 10-16, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet	DOM
48 Eagle Crest Dr #5F	Condo	$300,000	2	2	1370	60
4413 Thunder Vista Ln	Condo	$418,800	2	2.5	1741	4
212 Greenridge Dr	Attached	$549,000	3	2	1292	1
5720 Kenny St	Detached	$630,000	3	2	1416	4
1966 Wembley Pl	Detached	$649,900	3	3	2103	4
3290 Childs Rd	Detached	$739,900	3	1	1708	9
5465 Childs Rd	Detached	$789,000	3	2	1544	7
18701 Bryant Rd	Detached	$789,000	3	2	1995	33
13594 Blazer Trl	Detached	$797,500	3	2	1996	73
51 Touchstone	Detached	$875,000	4	2.5	3105	6
191 3rd St #6	Condo	$950,000	2	2	1523	7
17502 Erin Ct	Detached	$999,000	4	3	3142	7
4799 Lamont Way	Detached	$1,325,000	4	3	3142	4
2803 Southshore Blvd	Detached	$1,495,000	4	3	3747	12
515 Laurel St	Detached	$1,588,000	4	3.5	3382	199
2950 Upper Dr	Detached	$1,899,000	3	2.5	3396	2
17147 Old River Dr	Detached	$2,995,000	4	4.5+.5	6900	6
2643 Southshore Blvd	Detached	$3,595,000	3	3.5+.5	4872	93

Sold/Closed April 10-16, 2023

Address	Type	List Price	Sold Price	Sq Feet	CDOM
46 Crestfield Ct	Condo	$295,000	$310,000	923	3
5133 Timbergrove St	Detached	$649,900	$635,000	1440	25
1501 Fernwood Dr	Detached	$799,900	$804,000	1934	6
4199 Fruitwood Ct	Detached	$949,000	$1,015,000	2230	3
18490 Ray Ridge Dr	Detached	$1,100,000	$1,188,000	3426	4
5308 Southwood Dr	Detached	$1,195,000	$1,200,000	3003	2
430 9th St	Detached	$1,199,000	$1,203,500	2756	2
2481 Marylshire Ln	Detached	$1,495,900	$1,370,000	4091	66
1261 Wells St	Detached	$1,600,000	$1,650,000	4316	105
13310 Atwater Ln	Detached	$2,350,000	$2,245,000	5697	22
4983 Park Bluff Pl	Detached	$2,349,500	$2,250,000	4088	239
13151 Thoma Rd	Detached	$4,500,000	$3,520,000	5461	208
1455 Chandler Rd	Detached	$5,475,000	$5,100,000	5588	155

April 8, 2023April 1, 2023

Lake Oswego Reads 2023

This is the 17th year of the Lake Oswego Reads program. The idea behind the program is to encourage the community to all read the same book at the same time. It draws the community together and creates connections on a very special level.

I am a reader. I always have a book going and a book lined up to start just as soon as I finish my current selection. I have really enjoyed the books chosen for LO reads. While the program is spearheaded by the library, community input is encouraged and the books that get selected have all been outstanding.

This year’s selection is The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. As explained by Melissa Kelly, the Director of the Lake Oswego Public Library, “The Seed Keeper is a novel of strength, perseverance, wisdom and hope. I was swept away by the story of Rosalie, a Dakhóta woman navigating a personal and family history of loss and hardship, who finds solace and strength in her relationship with nature and the life-giving seeds that the women of her family have nurtured across generations.”

Along with reading the book, there is a full month of events to enhance the experience and to bring people together. This year the events include an art show, programs about Native American Culture, nature walks to explore native species of the Willamette Valley, seed planting a Luscher Farm, and more. It all culminates on April 25th with a presentation given by the author. For the full calendar, click here. It will keep you busy if you do all of it!

Happy reading everyone!

Dianne

April 5, 2023April 5, 2023

Market Activity March 27-April 2, 2023

Last week in Lake Oswego there were 9 new listings, 20 of which sold quickly and appear in the report as pending, 12 pending sales, and 4 sold/closed properties.

The spring market, in my opinion, is getting off to a slow start. However, what is coming on the market is selling quickly. It remains a great time to buy or to sell a house. I am expecting the inventory to increase as we get further into the season.

See below for RMLS data

New on the Market March 27-April 2, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet
4 Touchstone #80	Condo	$245,000	2	2	984
4000 Carman Dr #60	Condo	$324,900	2	2	866
16250 Pacific Hwy #55	Condo	$370,000	2	2	1305
6 The Grotto	Detached	$649,000	3	2	1381
5178 Lower Dr	Detached	$694,500	3	2	1764
3290 Childs Rd	Detached	$739,900	3	1	1708
1228 Maple St	Detached	$2,279,000	4	3.5	3505

Pending March 27-April 2, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet	DOM
47 Eagle Crest Dr #31	Condo	$242,500	2	1	1009	4
4 Touchstone Dr #151	Condo	$299,900	3	2.5	1351	38
5062 Foothills Dr H	Condo	$429,000	3	2	1252	151
16200 Pacific Hwy #14	Condo	$500,000	2	2	1207	5
5650 Lakeview Blvd	Detached	$549,000	3	2	2715	2
16472 Bonaire Ave	Detached	$650,000	3	2	1464	5
13125 Vermeer Dr	Detached	$715,000	4	2.5	2046	5
7 Spinosa	Detached	$749,900	3	3	2295	9
19211 Indian Springs Rd	Detached	$759,000	4	3	2132	71
7 Hotspur St	Detached	$825,000	4	3	2195	19
2318 Hillside Ln	Detached	$1,195,000	4	3.5	3258	14
4947 Park Bluff Pl	Detached	$2,400,000	4	4.5	4292	372

Sold/Closed March 27-April 2, 2023

Address	Type	List Price	Closed Price	Sq Feet	CDOM
44 Eagle Crest Dr #23	Condo	$229,000	$231,250	798	44
219 Cervantes #219	Condo	$325,000	$267,500	1100	110
1120 Boca Ratan Dr	Attached	$550,000	$550,000	1611	44
49 Da Vinci St	Detached	$899,900	$822,000	2351	24

March 26, 2023March 26, 2023

Featured Neighborhood: Evergreen

There are 25 distinct neighborhoods in Lake Oswego. 23 of the 25 have active neighborhood associations, including Evergreen. These are not Homeowners Associations. They don’t have rules and regulations or charge dues. Rather, they give neighbors a place to discuss the character of their community and organize as a group when issues arise.

Located South of A Avenue, West of 10th Street, North of the lake, and East of State Street, the primary feature of this neighborhood, in my opinion, is it’s easy access to restaurants, the Farmer’s Market, and downtown LO.

Housing includes condos, townhouses, detached homes and apartments. There are currently just two houses for sale. Both are new construction of about 5,000 square feet and pretty expensive: $3,600,000 and $3,825,000. There are two houses in escrow: a 1952 “fixer” for $875,000 and a lakefront house on Cabana Lane for $2,498,000. In the last 6 months 4 houses have been sold. The least expensive was fairly large house built in 1958 that sold for $864,000 and a 2022 built house that sold for $2,095,000.

Cabana Lane is one of my favorite streets in Lake Oswego. The houses are built on stilts over the water of the lake. They are very close together and have small front yards, but their back yards are, literally, the lake. Most of these houses have attached boat garages. This truly is lake living.

It’s a very walkable neighborhood with quiet streets and abundant, large trees. I personally love to take walks in the Evergreen neighborhood. I park my car at Foothills Park and then take the Curlicue Trail up into the Evergreen area. My walk includes the loop around Lakewood Bay. It’s mostly flat and just really lovely. As a bonus, I can take a break for coffee at Peets, or lunch at one of the many restaurants in the area.

To learn more about the area, here is a link to the Evergreen Neighborhood Association. https://sites.google.com/site/evergreenneighborhood/

I hope you enjoyed learning about another of LO’s great neighborhoods. As always, thanks for reading the blotter.

Dianne

March 24, 2023March 24, 2023

Market Activity March 13-19, 2023

Last week in Lake Oswego there were 5 new listings, one of which sold quickly and appears here as a pending sale, 11 houses that went pending, and 6 sold/closed properties.

I find myself intrigued by the low number of new listings. This is the time of year when they amp up. We should see this number increase significantly in the next 30 days.

See below for RMLS data.

New on the Market March 13-19, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet
13254 Twin Creek Ct	Detached	$1,188,000	4	2.5	3470
2318 Hillside Ln	Detached	$1,195,000	4	4.5	3258
2020 Wembley Park Rd	Detached	$1,199,000	3	2	1712

Pending Sales March 13-19, 2023

Address	Type	Price	Bedrooms	Baths	Sq Feet	DOM
4433 Thunder Vista Ln	Condo	$450,000	2	2.5	2002	7
16061 Waluga Dr	Detached	$450,000	1	1	676	45
11 Eagle Crest Dr	Detached	$575,000	2	2	1522	4
5133 Timbergrove St	Detached	$649,900	3	2	1440	25
1865 Mapleleaf Rd	Detached	$799,900	3	2	1686	12
567 2nd St	Condo	$1,095,000	2	2	1412	2
765 10th St	Detached	$1,099,000	3	3	2526	122
18490 Ray Ridge Dr	Detached	$1,100,000	3	3.5	3426	4
16800 Lakeridge Dr	Detached	$1,290,000	4	3	2416	11
13310 Atwater Ln	Detached	$2,350,000	5	4	5697	22
13132 Thoma Rd	Detached	$2,975,000	5	5.5	5434	336

Sold/Closed March 13-19, 2023

Address	Type	List Price	Sold Price	Sq Feet	CDOM
30 Crestfield Ct #30	Condo	$339,000	$315,000	9989	11
23 Aquinas St	Detached	$775,000	$775,000	1840	10
1265 Rockinghorse Ln	Detached	$875,000	$850,000	2452	211
24 Grouse Ter	Detached	$1,200,000	$1,100,000	3673	16
776 Carrera Ln	Detached	$1,499,000	$1,375,000	3449	221
15791 Twin Fir Rd	Detached	$1,739,000	$1,620,000	4035	197