Author: Dianne Gregoire

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Happy Holidays!

We here at the blotter want to wish you all the best of the season. Merry Christmas, Happy chanukah, Happy Kwanza, and just all good wishes to you and your family, no matter the holiday you are celebrating.

We also want to let you know that we are going to take this week and next to be with our family and so the next post will be the week of January 8th. The market activity report will combine two weeks. Please enjoy the respite, as I know that we will.

We may be taking a break from the blotter, but we are also still busy with real estate. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need help or have a real estate related question.

Thank you for reading the blotter. Here’s to a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2018!
Dianne, Linda, and Whitney

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Holiday Lights

I think my favorite part of the holiday season are the lights in the evening. It get’s dark by 5pm. The lights coming on actually gets me excited for the dark evenings. So today I thought I share some photos I took yesterday evening at Millennium Plaza Park.

I also highly recommend driving about to view the neighborhoods at this time of year. Probably the most well-known for light displays is Westlake. Edenberry Dr has been named by Redfin as one of the top 5 streets to view the Christmas lights in the Portland area. Then there is First Addition. The City of Lake Oswego is holding a light contest this year. Homes will be judged this evening starting at 5pm. They are giving a special medallion and a $75 gift certificate to the winning home.

I’m also enamored with the variety of lights that are now available. From the old-fashioned bulbs, to multi-striped icicles that flicker in a digital pattern. It’s lovely.

My thanks to the home owners who make the effort. You make the short days and long nights a pleasure.
Happy Holidays!
Dianne

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Market Activity Dec 4-10, 2017

Amidst the shopping, trips to the post office, parties, and general hubbub of the holidays, people are still putting their homes up for sale, looking at houses, and making offers. Last week in Lake Oswego there were 8 new listings, 18 homes that went into pending status, and 16 sold/closed sales.

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS:

New on the Market (Dec 4-10, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft
4 Touchstone #93 Condo $224,900 3 3 1351
5059 Foothills Dr G Condo $319,000 2 2 991
4 Adams Ct Detached $487,000 4 2.5 2287
520 2nd St Condo $499,000 2 1.5+.5 1520
4654 Auburn Ln Attached $624,900 3 3.5 2732
3665 Olson Ct Detached $695,000 4 3 2517
802 Clara Ct Detached $769,000 4 3 2857
18048 Eastridge Ln Detached $1,375,000 4 3.5 4336

Pending Sales (Dec 4-10, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft CDOM
100 Kerr Parkway #59 Condo $189,900 2 1.5 823 24
4 Touchstone #148 Condo $224,900 3 2.5 1351 27
204 Cervantes Condo $225,000 3 1.5 1138 27
1784 Bonniebrae Dr Attached $339,000 2 1.5 1393 19
5092 Galen St Detached $424,900 2 2 1178 3
52115 Bonita Rd Detached $495,000 3 2.5 1761 16
3290 Wembley Park Rd Detached $539,500 5 3 2656 62
5059 West Sunset Dr Attached $549,000 2 2.5 1734 73
14307 Camden Ln Detached $560,000 3 2.5 1932 116
804 4th St Detached $575,000 3 1.5 1396 6
8 Westminster Dr Detached $623,000 3 3.5 2258 169
339 6th St Attached $769,000 3 3.5 2258 81
2155 Ridgewood Rd Detached $775,000 4 3 3454 39
1976 Palisades Terrace Dr Detached $865,000 4 2.5 3898 260
14405 Pfeifer Dr Detached $925,000 5 3 3853 134
15800 Oswego Shore Ct Detached $1,155,000 4 3.5 4047 269
1350 Ridgecrest Dr Detached $1,175,000 5 3 3534 159
18137 Meadowlark Ln Detached $1,429,000 4 4.5 5306 90

Sold/Closed (Dec 4-10, 2017)

Address Type List Price Sold Price Sq Ft CDOM
47 Eagle Crest Dr #8 Condo $175,000 $170,000 932 101
5225 Jean Rd #511 Condo $275,000 $275,000 1,400 9
100 Leonard St 2-1 Condo $429,000 $420,000 1,364 24
5907 Kenny St Detached $450,000 $456,000 1300 34
18971 Indian Springs Cir Detached $529,000 $495,000 1312 43
13606 Blazer Trail Detached $525,000 $515,000 1676 19
100 Leonard St 2-2 Condo $525,000 $562,500 2585 79
272 Greenwood Rd Detached $565,000 $562,500 1676 2
1682 Highland Rd Detached $649,000 $587,500 2234 111
624 Livingood Ln Detached $695,000 $685,000 2596 24
4006 Canal Woods Ct Detached $775,000 $768,675 3514 152
2983 Lakeview Blvd Detached $799,000 $786,000 2583 22
16610 Woodsman Ct Detached $799,000 $799,000 3462 8
4296 Sunset Dr Detached $800,000 $800,000 2600 0
17519 Brookhurst Dr Detached $859,000 $820,000 3758 46
12834 Alto Park Rd Detached $1,475,000 $1,365,000 3973 66

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.

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Value Other Than Money

Owning real estate is a tremendous way to build wealth. Not only are you providing yourself or others a place to live, but you are very likely going to experience the growth of the value of the property over time. So when most of us think about real estate value, we are thinking about what the monetary worth of the property is. This value is extremely important. It will have a major role to play in decisions to buy and to sell. It is really the top priority when value is considered. But there are two other significant factors that also have great value.

Time
Timing is really important as well. Timing plays into things like the termination of a lease, the birth of a baby, relocation for a job. Your life will create circumstances that motivate you to make decisions about buying and selling and these circumstances will move you forward.

Timing is also a super big consideration if you own a home and want to move just for simple circumstances of change. You want a bigger/smaller/one level/bigger garage/different house. How do you coordinate selling one and buying another? Everyone prefers to just move once, and everyone wants to buy the perfect next house. How do you put this together? I counsel people that you have to choose which is of greater importance, the money or the time? If you want to maximize the highest sales price and the lowest purchase price then you need to make the money the priority. You need to put your house on the market and get it under contract before you make an offer on the new house. Then you make the offer on the new house with some negotiating power because you have got your prior house in escrow. This also means that you may not find the perfect next house right away, and you may have to find interum housing while you take time to house hunt. If the idea of selling before you find your perfect house scares you, then you are prioritizing time. You can go shopping, but you have to find a way to buy without having sold. You may end up floating two mortgages if you close on one house without having sold the other. Or you may have to make a contingent offer based upon the sale of your current home. To get the person selling the house you want to buy to give you a chance to do this, you are essentially going to have to make it worth their while. You present a risk to them because your current home may not sell right away. To entice them to take this risk you will likely have to pay full price (or even more than full price) for the next house. In addition, when you finally do list your current home, you are going to need to price it to get it sold quickly. This may be a list price below what you otherwise may have wanted to try.

Good Will
Good will is the reason that I wanted to write this post today. Good will goes a long way and is very beneficial to everyone involved.

Here is the scenario. This is based upon an experience I had about a week ago. I am going to mix up the details a bit to retain people’s privacy, but you’ll get the idea.

I represented buyers who made an offer on a house that has been on the market for 2 months. We offered $9000 below the asking price and asked for the washer, dryer, and refrigerator. The seller countered agreeing to just $4000 below the list price and not including any appliances. My buyers felt that this was in fact something similar to a full price counter offer because the appliances are easily worth $4000. They countered back agreeing that no appliances would be included, but wanting a price $6000 under the list price. We were now just $2000 apart. Then we waited for 2 full days. When we finally got a response, the seller had countered again at $4000 under the list price with no appliances. She had not budged. My clients agreed to these terms and we also realized that this home owner was pretty much tough as nails. Then we had the home inspection. It did not go well. The 9-year-old roof is leaking in multiple places, the furnace needs to be replaced, and the house has aluminum wiring. Each one of these items is expensive. My guess is $25,000 or so in needed repairs. We just didn’t want to negotiate these items with this seller. She agonized over her refrigerator and a couple thousand dollars. We just knew she’d want to nit pic the needed repairs. My buyers walked away. I honestly believe that if they felt like they had gotten more of a win in the negotiation of the offer they would have been motivated to at least attempt to negotiate the repairs.

I want to also say that nobody is out to “get” the other party. Everyone in the sale is wanting the best for themselves, but it goes so much more smoothly when everyone approaches the sale with compassion. So I want to put it out there that good will is important and should be taken into consideration. Be good to one another and set a tone of cooperation. Everyone will win when this happens.

Thanks for reading,
Dianne

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Market Activity Nov 20-26, 2017

It has officially begun, the holiday market. Real estate activity has dropped back to just 6 new listings, 12 pending sales, and 8 closed sales last week in Lake Oswego. This is about a third of what the activity is like in the spring and summer, and about half of what is was just a month ago. But think about it, with all of the hectic activity of the holidays, there were new listings, pending sales, and closed sales. Real Estate is 365 days of the year. Happy Holidays!

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS:

New on the Market (Nov 20-26, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft
5058 Foorhills Dr A Condo $364,500 2 2 1252
18017 Tualata Ave Detached $379,900 3 2 1124
5215 Bonita Rd Detached $495,000 3 2.5 1761
2757 Lakeview Blvd Detached $925,000 4 3 2854
910 A Ave Detached $999,000 3 2 3324
1947 Summit Dr Detached $1,999,500 5 5.5 5570

Pending Sales (Nov 20-26, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft CDOM
100 Kerr Pkwy #27 Condo $121,900 2 1.5 832 7
200 Burnham Rd 3300 Condo $215,000 1 1 973 17
3433 McNary Pkwy #604 Attached $269,900 2 2,5 1136 7
14332 Sherbrook Pl Detached $450,500 3 2.5 1770 25
106 Greenridge Ct Attached $469,950 3 3 3198 4
210 Northshore Rd Detached $529,900 2 1.5 2050 56
385 Livingood Ln Detached $610,000 3 2 2083 8
1625 Fernwood Dr Detached $629,000 3 2 2182 82
3220 Duncan Dr Detached $649,000 4 2.5 3042 141
2983 Lakeview Blvd Detached $799,000 3 2.5 2583 72
14167 Taylors Crest Ln Detached $915,000 4 2.5 3675 177
5303 Amberwood Ct Detached $999,999 3 2,5 3634 15

Sold/Closed (Nov 20-26, 2017)

Address Type List Price Sold Price Sq Ft CDOM
4103 Jefferson Pkwy Condo $329,900 $322,500 1359 6
5526 Yorkshire Pl Detached $599,500 $575,000 2,449 26
653 3rd St Detached $574,999 $585,569 1,522 1
2810 Dellwood Dr Detached $564,900 $615,000 2278 7
1051 Forest Meadows Way Detached $1,850,000 $1,640,000 5505 162
1940 Highlands Loop Detached $1,698,000 $1,660,000 4080 250
12901 Goodall Rd Detached $1,995,000 $1,902,500 5333 414
1495 Oak Terrace Detached $2,795,000 $2,425,000 3983 86

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.

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The Importance of Property Disclosure

First, a bit about disclosure law in Oregon. Our State has a property disclosure law that requires a person selling a house to tell what they know about the house, and in particular, any known defects. To accomplish this there is a 5-page form that sellers complete and then give to their buyer. Once the buyer and/or the buyer’s Realtor receive this form a clock starts ticking. The buyer has 5 business days to simply change their mind. They get their earnest money back and have no need to provide any justification. Think of it as being like the 3-day lemon law when you buy a car. Same thing. You can wake up one morning in the disclosure period and simply not want to buy the house. There are exemptions made for bank foreclosures, trustees, and essentially parties who have control of the property but no knowledge of the material condition of the property. There is also the possibility, very, very slim, that a seller would refuse to complete the disclosure form. They can actually do this. However, this means that the disclosure period does not end and a buyer can terminate with no cause at any time. What person selling a home would want to leave such an open ended way for a buyer to terminate? Also, what buyer would want to buy a house from a person who won’t tell them what they know? Even if a person selling a home refused to fill out the form, it does not relieve them of their legal obligation to tell what they know.

For Sellers
Property disclosure is probably the single most important thing you are going to do when selling a house. Tell what you know. It is that simple. I recommend that you over disclose as opposed to under disclose. So if the kitchen sink leaked and you fixed it, tell about it. During the home inspection the home inspector will find the water stains, now dry, underneath the kitchen sink. If you haven’t told about it, it will create an element of distrust for your buyer who will want to know “how come they didn’t mention that?”

To fully disclose you will need additional pages. There is a form for this, or you can simply write it out, sign it, and have it attached to the disclosure form.

Don’t be afraid of disclosing. At the time the buyer receives the disclosure form, they have just experienced the excitement of getting their offer accepted. They are usually happy and ready to learn about their new home. They are mentally in a place where they will take news in a good way. This will probably not be the case a week or two into the transaction when the buyer is also coping with all that they learned in the home inspection.

Tell what you know. It is your most important responsibility and it is also the place that you are mostly likely to get into trouble if you don’t tell what you know. This knowledge is to the best of your ability on the day that you fill out the form. If you don’t know the answer to a question, that’s OK. You are not expected to go out and find the answer. It also means that after completing the form, if you do learn new information, you should amend the document to keep it current.

For Buyers
The disclosure period is a wonderful opportunity to allow yourself to take a deep breath and make certain that this is the house that you want to buy. It takes some of the pressure off when you make you offer, particularly in a really tight seller’s market. You can go into your offer knowing you’ll have this cooling offer period. Bear in mind that those exemptions are out there for properties like bank foreclosures.

When you receive the seller’s disclosure statement, you have a right to expect it to be completely filled out, with no unanswered questions, and with explanation for anything the seller tells you that raises concerns. If the roof has leaked, and the seller checked the box “yes”, but then says nothing more, you have the right to ask for a better explanation. I have sent property disclosure forms back to the listing Realtor and refused to accept them that were poorly completed. Doing this forces the seller to give it another go and to do so more thoroughly. That is an unusual step to take, but it may be necessary.

Ask questions. Even with a good explanation, perhaps you don’t have a full picture. It’s OK to ask for receipts or contact information for a contractor. The more knowledge you have, the better.

In General
Both buyers and sellers benefit from thorough property disclosure. We are lucky to live in a state that requires it.

Please let us know if you have any questions,
Dianne

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Market Activity Nov 6-12, 2017

While the market is slow as compared to June, it is still both strong and consistent. Last week Lake Oswego had 12 properties come onto the market, 22 received accepted offers and go into pending status, and 13 closed sales.

I have the belief that the greatest strength in real estate at this time of year is that people are motivated. They are buying or selling because they truly want to. There is much to be thankful for, including our healthy real estate market.

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS:

New on the Market (Nov 6-12, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft
100 Kerr Pkwy #59 Condo $194,900 2 1.5 823
4 Touchstone #148 Condo $224,900 3 2.5 1351
204 Cervantes Condo $225,000 3 1.5 1138
16250 Pacific Hwy #47 Condo $225,000 2 1 1305
5061 Foothills Dr A Condo $309,500 2 2 991
21 Masaryk St Detached $615,000 4 2.5 2773
1661 Woodland Terrace Detached $625,000 3 2.5 3178
4910 Lower Dr Detached $675,000 3 2.5 2151
5303 Amberwood Ct Detached $999,999 3 2.5 3634
16987 Alder Circle Detached $1,095,000 2 2.5 1991
3485 Upper Dr Detached $1,169,000 4 2.5 $3,332
4726 Upper Dr Detached $1,499,000 4 3.5 3962

Pending Sales (Nov 6-12, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft CDOM
45 Eagle Crest Dr #415 Condo $199,500 2 1.5 1056 119
5225 Jean Rd #313 Condo $265,000 2 2 1200 63
88 Greenridge Ct #88 Attached $270,000 2 2 1314 24
4085 Jefferson Pkwy Condo $299,900 2 2.5 1302 60
17635 Deemar Way Detached $379,999 3 2 1488 172
17 Touchstone Detached $499,999 5 3 2569 70
13606 Blazer Trail Detached $525,000 4 2.5 2418 19
17323 Ashley Ct Attached $525,000 3 2.5 2117 0
5524 Langford Ln Detached $550,000 2 2 2038 44
18866 Indian Springs Circle Detached $619,900 3 3 2004 20
16 Bernini Ct Detached $620,900 4 3.5+.5 4642 22
18632 Deerbrush Ave Detached $624,900 3 2.5 1962 6
5418 Washington Ct Detached $679,900 3 2.5 2074 28
29 Del Prado St Detached $735,000 4 2 3037 7
2481 Marylshire Ln Detached $768,000 4 3.5 4091 241
4006 Canal Woods Ct Detached $775,000 5 3.5 3514 143
555 Atwater Rd Detached $799,000 5 3 4016 127
12750 Fielding Rd Detached $995,000 3 2 3018 41
18909 65th Ave Detached $1,050,000 4 2 4858 16
768 7th St Detached $1,300,000 4 3.5 2802 121
1940 Highlands Loop Detached $1,698,000 5 4.5+.5 4080 250
1000 Atwater Rd Detached $2,695,000 5 4.5+.5 6531 41

Sold/Closed (Nov 6-12, 2017)

Address Type List Price Sold Price Sq Ft CDOM
88 Cervantes Circle Condo $200,000 $197,000 912 5
16219 Bonaire Ave Detached $449,900 $421,000 1,594 101
13 Belmore Ave Detached $509,900 $457,500 1,844 69
1437 Greentree Circle Detached $624,900 $585,000 2400 96
655 8th St Detached $649,900 $610,000 1611 27
4361 Southshore Blvd Detached $695,000 $630,000 2406 54
5455 Langford Ln Detached $845,000 $820,000 3398 132
12808 Elk Rock Rd Detached $999,000 $887,500 3970 204
13526 Snowberry Ct Detached $905,000 $905,000 3,718 0
15476 Diamond Head Rd Detached $1,395,000 $950,000 3743 26
18639 Pilkington Rd Detached $1,400,000 $1,350,000 4148 118
16938 Alder Circle Detached $1,950,000 $1,750,000 3241 122
14050 Goodall Rd Detached $2,000,000 $2,000,000 6,714 0

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.

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Featured Property: Lot 10 Sunny Slope

There is a rather magic area in Lake Oswego, Sunny Slope. It is relatively unknown to most because there are very few houses and very little traffic. It is about half a mile from Westridge Elementary School and tucked onto the South side of Cook Butte. Technically it is not in the city of Lake Oswego’s city limits. It is actually unincorporated Clackamas County, but it has a Lake Oswego address and Lake Oswego schools.

Lot 10 Sunny Slope is currently for sale. It has 3.27 gently sloping acres and is offered for $489,900. The property is served by a community well and has electricity at the street. To build a home a septic system will need to be installed. The road is paved and the terrain is beautifully forested. It is outside of the urban growth boundary and is not dividable. Surrounding homes are multi-million dollar properties of estate quality. To enjoy a video, drone tour, please click here.

As a Realtor in Lake Oswego I see builders buying existing homes, on much smaller lots, paying $400,000 or even more, tearing those houses down, and building beautiful new homes. Think about that. For pretty much the same land cost, a new home can be built on over 3 acres. Lot 10 in Sunny Slope just strikes me as a tremendous value and opportunity.

To see it, drive up Westview, turn right on Hillshire and follow it up and continue when it becomes Rivendell, turn right on Barton and then left on Hill Top Rd. The lot is almost at the end of Hill Top. You’ll see my for sale sign. The boundary of the lot is marked with bright orange survey tape tied onto trees. A new home built here will have a Hill Top Rd address so you can also use that in your GPS.

While the lot is currently forested, there are likely views that can be opened up to the East, the South, and the West.

Please contact me if you have any further questions. I can easily be reached at 503-803-6298 or diannegregoire@oregonfirst.com

Best regards,
Dianne

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Market Activity Oct 23-29, 2017

There was a bit of a shift in the numbers last week. Just 11 new listings came onto the market but a surge in pending sales to 24, and in closed sales to 21, is a clear picture of the coming holidays. Lots of people planning to get into their new homes before festivities get into full swing. It is a great time to sell your house with lower inventory and strong, serious demand.

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS:

New on the Market (Oct 23-29, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft
668 McVey Ave Condo $149,900 2 1.5 976
3 Mountain Circle Attached $439,000 3 2 1464
5880 Rockwood Ct Detached $450,000 3 2 1772
14332 Sherbrook Pl Detached $450,500 3 2.5 1770
56 Condolea Ter Condo $575,000 3 2.5 2958
13758 Regency Ct Detached $614,000 3 2.5 1986
559 Sunny Hill Dr Detached $629,500 4 2.5 2450
6073 Carman Dr Detached $775,000 3 2.5 2751
18909 65th Ave Detached $1,050,000 4 2 4858
13707 Fielding Rd Detached $1,295,000 4 3 3337
3919 Southshore Blvd Detached $1,899,000 4 3.5 $4,150

Pending Sales (Oct 23-29, 2017)

Address Type Price BR Baths Sq Ft CDOM
47 Eagle Crest Dr #8 Condo $175,000 2 1 932 101
4000 Carman Dr C45 Condo $180,000 1 1 767 4
200 Burnham Rd #303 Condo $220,000 2 1 1199 53
54 Galen St #54 Condo $239,900 2 2 995 4
100 Leonard St 2-1 Condo $429,000 2 2 1364 24
5907 Kenny St Detached $450,000 3 2 1300 12
1675 Hallinan St Detached $465,000 3 2.5 2450 84
100 Leonard St 2-2 Condo $525,000 2 2 1676 79
19240 Maree Ct Detached $525,000 3 2.5 1964 2
4954 Bilford Ln Detached $575,000 2 2 1890 46
9 Falstaff St Detached $577,000 4 2.5 2436 217
19180 Indian Creek Ave Detached $599,900 4 3 2392 7
13422 Vermeer Dr Detached $619,000 4 3 2682 29
2033 Ridgewood Rd Detached $674,000 4 2.5 2668 451
17519 Brookhurst Dr Detached $824,900 4 4 3758 46
5406 Langford Ln Detached $845,000 3 2.5 3415 5
5349 Carman Grove Ln Detached $869,900 4 3 2847 189
13845 Amberwood Circle Detached $885,000 4 2.5 3277 70
6615 McEwan Rd Detached $928,000 4 1.5 1492 2
1011 Lake Shore Rd Detached $1,195,000 3 3 2820 69
13593 Westlake Dr Detached $1,350,000 4 3.5 4172 73
610 4th St Detached $1,525,000 4 2.5 3394 49
1000 Atwater Rd Detached $2,695,000 5 4.5+.5 6531 21
1495 Oak Terrace Detached $2,795,000 4 4 3983 86

Sold/Closed (Oct 23-29, 2017)

Address Type List Price Sold Price Sq Ft CDOM
45 Eagle Crest Dr #220 Condo $210,000 $210,000 768 10
57 Church St Condo $214,900 $226,000 636 5
58 Oswego Summit Condo $238,500 $232,000 1,212 57
562 S State St Condo $259,000 $259,000 778 17
5495 Tree St Detached $459,900 $399,500 1388 51
17710 Hill Way Detached $429,900 $417,000 1637 42
7 Saint Helens Circle Detached $400,000 $420,000 1275 3
574 2nd St Attached $479,000 $465,000 1394 51
9 Becket St Detached $489,900 $478,900 3,115 5
13188 Vermeer Dr Detached $495,000 $486,500 1854 19
1931 Kilkenny Rd Detached $535,000 $500,000 2411 68
16580 Maple Circle Detached $585,000 $515,000 2059 67
6236 Wayzata Ct Detached $639,000 $589,000 2,752 107
320 Berwick Rd Detached $775,000 $775,000 2780 0
5665 Grand Oaks Dr Detached $899,000 $905,900 4226 9
456 Lake Bay Ct Detached $945,000 $975,000 2393 2
547 Middlecrest Rd Detached $1,098,000 $1,100,000 1888 55
915 Skyland Dr Detached $1,590,000 $1,275,000 7072 204
2757 Glen Haven Rd Detached $1,590,000 $1,590,000 4604 85
4256 Lakeview Blvd Detached $1,700,000 $1,700,000 3117 103
853 G Ave Detached $1,800,000 $1,900,260 4423 18

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.

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Tips For a Great Lunch Spot

Years ago Lake Oswego had very few good restaurants. Getting a bite to eat at lunch tended to mean driving into Portland. Not so today. Today Lake Oswego has many great places to grab lunch. I thought today I’d share a few that I particularly like.

Pho’ LaVang is hands down my favorite place to get pho’, and this includes better than the many restaurants that make pho’ in Portland. I first visited Pho’ LaVang when it was a tiny little restaurant in a strip mall on Pilkington Road. It was mostly take out with only a very small table for 2-3 people. The man who owned it was chatty and friendly and wonderful. He introduced me to Vietnamese cuisine and I have loved it ever since. The popularity of the food quickly allowed the restaurant to out grow its cubby-hole location until it expanded to it’s current home at 16120 Lower Boones Ferry Rd, right in the heart of Lake Grove. They serve salad rolls, stir fry dishes, salt and pepper squid, kungpao, and more. My favorite is is the vegetable pho’. The broth is slow cooked, deep and rich, with plenty of fresh vegetables and tofu.

Curry in a Hurry is on the other end of town in the Palisades Shopping Center (1235 McVey Ave). This Thai restaurant has a comfy neighborhood atmosphere that is inviting and relaxing. Pad Thai, spicy noodles, all manner of curry dishes, fried rice, yakisoba, all of the classic Thai dishes that I love. The prices are amazing. I had lunch a week or so ago for $7.50 and it included a cup of coconut milk and vegetable soup.

Pine Shed Ribs is located in the same strip mall where Pho’ LaVang got its start: 17730 Pilkington Rd. Specializing in Santa Maria Tri-tip, this classic pit barbecue is a well honed machine of deliciousness. I’m not a big meat eater, but I do love good barbecue. Along with tri-tip and ribs you’ll find chicken and sausage. They serve great sides to compliment the great meats: everything from pinquito beans to mac n cheese and corn bread. Yum!

This is just three of many options. Our little town has done a great job of fostering some wonderful restaurants. I highly recommend that you come on down and give them a try.
Dianne