Buying Advice Archives - Page 36 of 37

September 17, 2008

Say What?

SEERMKS

Recently, one of my clients voiced exasperation regarding abbreviations on the MLS. She wondered if I might change them so that others looking at her property online would not be as confused as she was. I explained that as much as I might like to do that for her, these abbreviations are mostly generated automatically by the system, and not under my control as a Realtor.

This got me to thinking… Those of us in “the business” get used to seeing these abbreviations, and though occasionally one comes up with which we are unfamiliar, we are acclimated to most of them. I am sure that many people searching for properties would benefit from a resource to assist in this regard. Until that time comes, I thought I’d offer a list of some of the more interesting ones. A few of these may only show up on Realtor-accessible information, but most can pop up for you when you’re searching and cause you to see stars… or question marks:

ACC-ACT According to Accountant

ACC-OWN According to Owner

ACT-SOL Active Solar Heat

ALY Alley

APOD Annual Property Operation Data

BI-DOVN Built-In Double Oven

BINLITE Built-In Lighting

CC&RS Conditions, Covenants & Restrictions

DEEDRES Deed Restrictions

ENG-RPT Engineering Structural Reports

EXTMANT Exterior Maintenance

FEASIBL Feasibility Study

FRM/FOR Farm/Forest

FRT-ELE Freight Elevator

GA+500’ Natural Gas over 500’ From Site

INVN Inventory Included

IRR-WAT Irrigation Water Available

I-STORG Inside Storage

JOINT-V Owner Would Consider Joint Venture

L Lower Level

LEGDESC Legal Description

LIM-ACC Limited Access

LSE-BAK Owner Occupied Will Lease Back

LSE-ESC Lease With Escalation

LSSECUR Leased Security System

M Main Level

MANTREC Maintenance Records Available

MINI-ST Mini Storage

MINRTRS Mineral Rights Reservations

MINSTEP Minimal Steps

MO HOA Dues Frequency Every Month

MRCHTIM Merchantable Timber

NATLITE Natural Lighting

NEGO Possession Negotiable

NONCONF Non-Conforming Use

NO-VALU Existing Structure of No Value

OPR-EXP Operating Expense Report

OWSECUR Owned Security System

PAS-SOL Passive Solar/Passive Solar Heat

PASTACC Past Accessibility

PDS Pressure Distribution System

PLB-ICE Plumbed For Ice

PW+500’ Power Over 500’ From Site

RDSPLIT Road Splits Property

REQFILL Requires Land Fill

ROD+1 Recording of Deed + 1 Day

ROLLSHR Roll in Shower

ROWCRP Row Crop

RPROTIM Reproduced Timber

SEERMKS See Remarks

SEPLVQT Apartment or Auxiliary Living Unit

SGI State GI Loan

SH-SEP Shared Septic

SOILRPT Soil Report Required

SPT-APP Septic Site Approved

SPT-CT Sport Court

SUB-INS Subject To Inspection

SUBJTEN Subject To Tenancy

SW+500’ Sewer Over 500’ From Site

SWR-AVL Sewer Available at Property Line

TAN-BDS Tanning Beds

TEST-AV Soil Test Available

TEST-RQ Soil Test Required

TIMB-CR Timber Cruise

U Upper Level

UG-UTIL Underground Utilities

W/D-HUP Washer/Dryer Hookup

WA+500’ Public Water Over 500’ From Site

WALKSHR Walk-In Shower

WD-DOOR Wide Door

WT-CERT Water Rights Certification

WT-RM Weight Room

WT-USEP Water Use Permit

XASTFAN Exhaust Fan

YR HOA Dues Frequency Every Year

August 27, 2008

Least and Most Expensive

Back in March I wrote a post about affordable homes in Lake Oswego. My definition of affordable were homes priced under $350,000. At the time, March 28, 2008, there were 20 houses for sale in Lake Oswego priced at $350,000 or less. I compared that number to houses in Sellwood, a close-in neighborhood in Southeast Portlnad, where at the same time there were 18 houses priced $350,000 or less. What is going on today? How has the changing market affected the availability of affordable houses?

As of today, August 25, 2008, there are 28 houses in Lake Oswego priced at $350,000 or less. These are detached homes: not condos or attached townhouses. The least expensive house for sale right now in Lake Oswego is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house with 1320 square feet in Lake Grove priced at $199,900. And how about Sellwood? As of today there are 32 houses for sale in Sellwood priced at $350,000 or less. The least expensive house for sale in Sellwood is a 1 bedroom, 1 bath house with 831 square feet for $175,000. So while there are more available in Sellwood, the difference in available, affordable housing is just 4 houses. This situation continues to reinforce my belief that Lake Oswego is a viable location for a buyer looking for affordable housing.

In the course of doing this research I found a couple of houses currently for sale in Lake Oswego that stand out as total bargains. There is a house in Rivergrove that backs up to the playground at Rivergrove Elementary School that has 1744 square feet, 5 bedrooms and 2.5 baths for $297,400. There is also a good deal up by Hallinan Elementary School that is 1500 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths for $289,000.

How about the other extreme? What is happening in the million dollar price range? There are currently 25 houses for sale in Lake Oswego that are priced at over $2,000,000. The most expensive is the same house that was the most expensive the last time I did this little comparison back in March. It’s on Oswego Lake with 5800 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and priced, still, at $7,500,000. Are these high-end homes selling? In the last 6 months just 3 homes have sold that were priced over $2,000,000. It makes me think that the other 25 that are currently for sale are going to be on the market for awhile.

Finally, there is a phenomenon I have been watching, and that is the spec homes that are currently for sale priced over $1,000,000. A spec home is a house that is built by a builder before there is a buyer. The builder is “speculating” on a future sale. Lots of money has been made by local builders in Lake Oswego in the last few years. As you drive through town you see lots and lots of new homes and homes under construction. How is the current market affecting these builders? As of today, August 25, 2008, there are 48 new homes for sale that are priced between $1,000,000 and $6, 300,000. And in the last 6 months there were 7 closed sales and 3 pending sales within this inventory. So it’s slow.

I find it all very interesting. With the slow market, I think there are some tremendous deals to be found. And I remain convinced that Lake Oswego is a viable option for a buyer looking for an affordable home.

August 14, 2008August 14, 2008

Ride, Run, Walk Around the Lake

Absolutely one of the best features of living in Lake Oswego is the ability to enjoy the lake. And one of my favorite ways to enjoy it is by riding a bike, or taking a walk or a jog around it. The first time I ran the lake was in 1980. I have done it many, many times since then. Although I have to admit that these days instead of running it, I bike or walk it. It’s just about 8 miles all the way around. Biking it, the challenge is to do it in one hour’s time. I know that does not seem very fast, but there are two substantial hills in the ride and if you can do it in an hour, you are kicking some serious #*%*. Walking it takes about 2.5 hours, and running it, back in my hey day, took just over an hour.

The route around the lake is not an obvious course. You need to have someone who has done it before show it to you. I suppose you could just journey out and figure it out, but there are a couple of spots where taking the right turn will not only make the route more enjoyable, but it will also make it more safe.

I am going to outline the basic route. **UPDATED: MAP AT BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE**

I will try to keep the directions easy to follow. I do the route in a clockwise circle. You can reverse it if you like, but I do it clockwise because with this route you warm up properly for the hills and then also cool down before you finish.

Start at the Lake Grove Swim Park, which is just North of the intersection of Southshore Blvd and Lakeview Blvd, along Lakeview Blvd. Proceed North on Lakeview. I suppose it is actually slightly Northeast, but for the sake of keeping it simple, head North along the shoulder of the road. There is a nice wide bike path and you’ll be enjoying the view of the lake and the stately mansions. You will go about half a mile before you come to the first right hand turn.

This is Summit. Yes, it’s called Summit because it’s a big hill. Summit will take you on a slightly winding route up to the top and then back down again. These are some of the best views of the lake because you are up so high and you really get to see the width and breadth of the water.

After you come down the hill, Summit will dead-end at Iron Mountain Blvd. Turn right which will have you heading East. This is a long, flat stretch of road through a heavily treed area with views of the Lilly Pond. Most of the length of this section does not have houses on it. As you come back into the housing area, in fact almost immediately as soon as the driving speed goes from 40 MPH to 25MPH, you want to watch for a sharp right turn just on the edge of the lower parking lot for Lake Oswego Country Club. This little street is called Milligan Lane. It is only a couple of hundred of feet long, and I don’t think it is well marked. So be watching and don’t miss it. If you miss it, you’ll add about a mile and a good deal of time lost in the surrounding neighborhoods trying to get back on course.

Milligan Lane will take you over a set of train tracks and drop you right on to Northshore Road. Turn left so that you are continuing to head East. This is just a spectacular stretch of scenery. You will be right down at the level of the lake meandering by fabulous homes and across quaint bridges with views of the lake and of Lakewood Bay. The road takes a couple of twists and turns, just follow the signs that identify Northshore. One of the homes you will pass, it will be on your right just before the humongous rock formation, is the house that was briefly occupied by Loren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, or so local legend has it.

After you cross the bridge with the view to the left of Lakewood Bay you will come to a 3-way stop, turn left. Go about a block and take the first right. This is is Fairmont. You are only going to go about 100 feet before you turn left onto Middlecrest. Middlecrest is not a through street. It has a barrier erected to keep out auto traffic, but there is a pass through for bikes and pedestrians. Stay on Middlecrest a couple of blocks to the traffic light at State Street.

Turn right on State Street and go a long block to the bottom of the hill where there is another traffic light at McVey Avenue. Turn right and head up McVey. This is the big hill in this route. Pace yourself because when you think you’ve gotten to the top, you have not. You could stay on it up to the traffic light at Southshore, but I have found another route that I like that is more scenic and just more interesting.

Before you get to the traffic light at McVey there is a right hand turn at Oak. Take this right and follow the route as it levels out and gives you a bit of a breather before the climb starts again. You’ll cross a little bridge in an area that feels like a grotto. It is cool and moist and very refreshing on a hot day. Just after the little bridge you’ll turn right onto Palisades Terrace. This is another beautiful neighborhood where the houses will completely distract you from your saddle sores or your tired feet. You are now about 5 miles into the route with just a couple more to go. The uphill climb starts again while you are on Palisades Terrace. You’ll know you’re there, believe me. Palisades Terrace dead ends at Southshore Blvd.

Turn right at Southshore so that you are heading West. You’ll continue to climb for about half a mile. At the top, not only is there a bench where you can sit and look out at the lake, but there is also a drinking fountain. Yahoo! Continue down Southshore as you descend the hill and begin to cross the canals. Southshore will end at Lakeview Blvd, where when you turn right you will find yourself back at the beginning where you started.

Once upon a time this was a pretty treacherous route because you shared the road with cars. Today, pretty much the whole way is either on quiet neighborhood streets or has nice bike paths to separate you from the cars.

What I like about it is that it has a variety of terrain. There are a couple of hills to challenge, but not beat you up too badly, and there are so many great views of homes and the lake.

I do have a slight modification I do for the bike ride at the bottom of McVey that will put you onto a more gentle climb up the hill. For the sake of wearing out my welcome in your brain today, I am not including it here. But if you’d like to know it, drop me an e-mail and I”d be happy to share. (jdgregoire@earthlink.net) Or perhaps it will become a future posting.

If you do try my route around the lake I’d love to hear from you. I also apologize if somehow my directions are confusing or get you lost. As always, I think in this public venue I should remind you to observe the rules of the road, wear a helmet, and stay safe. I think you’ll find that it is an amazing way to get some exercise and to take advantage of this great town. Enjoy!

View Larger Map

June 11, 2008

Go West Young Man!

I think a good question to ask is why our values are remaining relatively high compared to other parts of the United States. In one word: migration.

United Van Lines has tracked shipment patterns for people relocating within the United States since 1977. Their most recent study, which tracks migration patterns that occured in 2007, shows some interesting patterns.

The area of the country that lost the greatest number of people was the Great Lakes Region with Michigan leading the pack as the top out-bound location. Other states with high out-bound migration were North Dakota and New Jersey. When looking at the out-bound trends, one that caught my eye was that the migration out of California slowed down last year to the smallest percentage seen in five years.

So where were migration trends of states that had more people moving in than moving out? In the South and in the West. North Carolina was the #1 destination state with Alabama and South Carolina not too far behind. In the West, the states that lead the pack for in-bound migration were Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona.

The economics of real estate value has a whole lot to do with demand. In Michigan, where the auto industry is a huge employer and has had to lay off many of its workers, it would make sense that there would be people moving away, less demand for housing, and lowering prices. In states like Oregon, where there are more people moving in than are moving out, it would have the reverse of the same logic. People moving in creates more demand for housing which could help to keep home prices stable.

Having said all of that, I found the statistic about California really interesting. People moving to Oregon from California is a big part of the real estate market. If that source of buyers in declining, I do think that it will have an impact on our market. In addition, if those people who do move to Oregon from California are getting less for the homes that they are selling, then they will have less purchasing power when they arrive in Oregon.

It will be very, very interesting to see how this plays out over the course of the next year or two.

June 5, 2008

Lake Oswego Flood Zone Changes

Lakefront property owners in Lake Oswego are pretty comfortable overall with the knowledge that the lake is managed and dammed, and so concerns regarding rising water during heavy rains etc are not prevalent. The lake is owned and managed by the Lake Oswego Corporation (LOC), a local entity to which lakefront residents establish membership and pay dues. Every few years the lake is drained for a few months to allow residents to clean and repair boat docks along the lake and canals, and generally speaking, it is understood that the lake is a controlled body of water. Even so, in the flood of 1996, water did spill over in some areas because it was not able to be released quickly enough at the dam to compensate for the heavy inflow.

FEMA recently completed a study of the Lake Oswego area and has determined that it will change the flood zone designation for properties on the lake, as well as properties surrounding the canals, Tualatin River, and Spring Creek. The maps for the 100-year flood zone have been altered, and are available for viewing at www.ci.oswego.or.us/plan. The city’s website states: “Text amendments are intended to comply with FEMA’s regulations so that the City can retain eligibility for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.”

Lake Oswego must be compliant with FEMA’s requirements in order for Lake Oswego residents to be able to take advantage of their flood insurance policies in the event of a natural disaster. Lake Oswego property owners, especially those near the lake, would be well advised to double-check their property’s location on these new maps and its relation to the new flood zones, as they may be required to carry flood insurance now, even though that was not the case when the property was purchased.

According to Kelley Woodwick at Chicago Title, there is good news for sellers, in that flood insurance contracts may be transferred to new buyers at grandfathered rates and zones. Again, check the city’s new maps before June 18th to acquire information on the grandfathered areas… after the 18th, I am told that the information will most likely be removed from the website.

There are also new regulations resulting, including elevation requirements for remodeling and new construction. Significant remodeling jobs now require that the structure be at 104.5 ft elevation as compared to the old standard of 103.5 ft. New construction after June 18, 2008 will also be required to meet a 104.5 ft elevation requirement.

Checking with the City of Lake Oswego is always a good idea, and much information can be found at their website (above). Stay informed, stay protected, and stay dry!

May 14, 2008

In-Ground Oil Tanks

Oil Tank Decommissioning For most of the 20th century, oil heat was the primary method of heating homes. If you own or are considering purchasing a home that was built before 1965, chances are pretty good that the house had oil heat. And chances are also pretty good that the oil tank was buried in the ground.

Should you be afraid to buy a home with an in-ground tank? No.

Should you be afraid of selling your home if it has an in-ground tank? No.

In both instances the necessary steps that you should take are clearly outlined by the Department of Environmental Quality. As a seller, you want to minimize your liability and be certain that once the house is sold, you will never have the old oil tank come back to haunt you. To do this, you must obtain soil samples to prove that the tank has not contaminated the surrounding soil. If the tank is still in use, the soil samples will prove that the tank had not contaminated the surrounding soil at the time that the house was sold. If tank is no longer in use, you are encouraged to have the tank decommissioned.

Decommissioning the tank involves emptying it of oil, cleaning it out, and filling it with concrete slurry that will harden into a big cement rock in the ground. While decommissioning the tank is voluntary, many lenders and most buyers will make this a condition of the sale. If you do not take the necessary steps to prove that the soil was clean at the time the house was sold, and soil samples taken later show that a contamination has occurred, you can be liable for the cost to clean up the soil even after the house has transferred to a new owner. So, take the proper steps now to assure that you will not have a problem in the future.

Whenever work is done on an in-ground tank, it should be performed by a licensed and bonded contractor who is certified with the DEQ. After the work is completed, a certificated of compliance will be issued. This is paperwork that needs to be saved and transfered with the property to every subsequent owner. Cost to do soil testing will run about $200-$400. Cost of decommissioning will run about $800 to $1,200. Can it cost more, yes, but that is a minority of the cases.

If you are wanting to buy a house with an in-ground oil tank, should you be afraid to purchase? No. Simply make the soil testing and the decommissioning of the tank a condition of the purchase. You are strongly advised to get this taken care of before you buy the house. If you buy the house with an in-ground tank, and you discover later that the tank has leaked, you have now taken ownership of the problem.

How bad can it get? There certainly are horror stories of soil clean up costs running into the thousands and thousands of dollars. In my 20 years of selling real estate, the most costly clean-up I have encountered involved bringing in a backhoe to remove a tank and dig a hole about 15 feet in diameter. It cost the seller $8,000.

Information on oil tanks are surprisingly undocumented. There are not good resources for looking up records about in-ground tanks. The DEQ does not regulate in-ground tanks beyond requiring that they be reported if they have leaked. Then, the DEQ does open a file on them and there is a process to clean up the contamination and get the file closed. However, if no leak has been reported to the DEQ, they will not have a record of the tank. And do not rely on city records or fire department knowledge of in-ground tanks. This means that even if a seller has no knowledge of an in-ground tank, you may want to consider having the yard of an older home scanned with a metal detector to confirm that no tank exists in the yard.

In all cases, it is best to take every precaution to be in compliance with soil testing and tank decommissioning when you buy or sell a home. Taking the proper steps now will save both buyers and sellers heartache later.

Links: Oregon DEQ Tank Decommissioning FAQ

April 23, 2008May 2, 2008

Searching… Searching…

On a recent Broker’s Tour in Lake Oswego, my cohorts and I were discussing how important it is to include accurate information in listings, and we noted how easy it is to inadvertently choose the wrong “field” when entering data etc. I thought it might help the prospective home seller or buyer to know a little about how agents search for houses, specifically in using the basic search fields provided to them on the MLS.

Agents are able to search on the MLS for properties on behalf of a client using several methods, including:

Address Searches – Agents can search a specific area defined by their clients using street addresses and number ranges on specified streets, or a particular house using a specific address.
Area Searches – The MLS now allows agents to search a geographic area by providing a map on which an agent can “draw” boundaries of a search range defined by a client.
MLS# Searches- Agents can search MLS #’s provided by a client, and generate addresses for either drive-by viewing (prior to a client deciding to take a look inside), or for agent pre-viewing on behalf of a client.
Advanced Searches – This is where I want to focus today, as this is the most common search method utilized in order to find properties that most specifically meet a client’s stated preferences. There are a large number of available search criteria that can be utilized by a listing agent when inputting data in order to present a home in the best light possible, which is of course a good thing… as long as it is accurate information.

When using an Advanced Search, available options include, of course, bedrooms, and the # of baths, but also whether a property has a fireplace (gas or wood?), what the map grid location is, total square footage of the home, approximate square footage of the lot, neighborhood, zip code, year built, style of home, levels, where master bedroom is located (on which level), and many, many more categories including garage description (attached? 2-car?), square footage of bedrooms, accessibility, exterior features, elementary school, etc. The more defined and narrow the search parameters, the fewer homes will appear as options… so, many times only the most important specifics to the client are used in order to provide a variety of choices.

“Property Type” is one important category- options are: Attached (meaning a townhome), Condo, Detached (meaning a separate residence/house), Houseboat, In-Park (meaning a manufactured home in a park), Part-owned, and Residence/Manufactured. A few months back these options were changed and made more detailed so that, for instance, a manufactured home would not appear in a search wherein the client had specified a separate residence/house was what they wanted.

A common example of a simple error is the mistake of referring to a home in the “Style” field as a “Tri-Level” as opposed to the actual appropriate category of “Split-Level”. A tri-level actually has three levels to the home… a split has an entry area, one level down, and one level up.

Bottom line, if you are the Seller, your agent is describing your home in the listing in ways that accentuate its great points while reflecting it accurately. If you are the Buyer, your agent is doing their best to provide you with choices that match your needs, and using the information provided by the listing agents in good faith.

So, if you show up at a property and it was described in the listing in a fashion that makes you feel as if you’ve just wasted your time… you may want to ask your agent to speak to the listing agent about any mistaken data about the home. They will most likely be grateful, and of course, other agents and buyers will benefit from any needed correction.

If you are the Seller, encourage your listing agent to be as creative as possible in selling your home (this is, of course, their job!), but do check for accuracy when reviewing the data to be provided to prospective buyers in your listing.

Happy buying and selling!

April 17, 2008May 2, 2008

Why those little lots?

If you prefer a newer home, but also want a big back yard, then you will find yourself in a quandary. There are new houses, and there are large lots, but they just don’t seem to be found together. What’s up with that?

Those little lots are a direct result of Oregon’s land use laws. In the 1970’s a statewide commission was formed, the Land Conservation and Development Commission, also known as LCDC. The purpose of this commission was to develop a plan to conserve farm and forest land and keep Oregon from experiencing urban sprawl. Oregon’s greatest fear, at that time, was becoming California. And California was full of urban sprawl. There was talk that some day Portland would stretch south to Salem and there’d be no open fields: just miles and miles of strip malls and suburbs. The LCDC developed the statewide Urban Growth Boundary. This boundary is basically a line that is drawn around all urban areas. Inside the line the urban community is allowed to develop with residential housing and all of its supporting infrastructure. Outside of the boundary is mandated to be preserved for farm and forest use. This forces the infill of the property inside of the urban growth boundary. Every single city and town in the State of Oregon has an urban growth boundary. Compounding the issue is the 2040 Plan. This is a plan, developed in 1992, that projects the population growth of the state to the year 2040 and requires municipal planning departments to control new construction to accommodate those projected population needs.

So the State of Oregon has limited the supply of residential land and at the same time required planning to allow for future growth. Thus, the requirement that new homes be placed onto smaller lots. Even if a builder wants to build houses on larger lots, the planning process will likely force him to build on small lots, or his plans will not be approved.

There has been some back lash to the strict land use laws in the form of two recent ballot measures. Both ballot measures were designed to benefit people who had owned property since before the land use laws went into effect in the 1970’s. Ballot Measure 37 was passed in 2004. It allowed people who have owned property since the 1970’s to either develop the land as they saw fit or be reimbursed by the government for the loss of value that they had experienced from the land use laws. Ballot Measure 49 was passed in 2007. It modified measure 37 to allow for development of up to 4 home sites easily and more than 4 home sites to be a much harder process.

Oregon is the champion state for land use planning. It’s a highly charged subject that can stimulate rather heated conversation. But this is Oregon and that’s just how it’s done here. And those big new houses on smaller lots are what we often find as a result.

On a side note, there just isn’t much land left in Lake Oswego for the building of new homes. This has got the builders buying up old homes and tearing them down to build new houses on the old lots. In this case, the lots are very often not only large but in beautiful, established neighborhoods. And, yes, you do see quite a bit of this in Lake Oswego.

April 3, 2008

Only million dollar mansions, right?

Lake Oswego is known to be a community with very expensive homes. Lake front, river front, city views, mountain views, you can find some pretty special amenities here that do drive up the value of a home. So, yes, there are million dollar mansions in Lake Oswego. But does that mean that there are not any less expensive homes? No. In fact, I am of the opinion that the community is often over-looked by buyers because they make the assumption that there is nothing for sale in Lake Oswego that they can afford. So here is a quick moment of enlightenment to be shared: Lake Oswego has affordable houses.

As of March 28, 2008, there were 20 houses for sale in Lake Oswego that were priced at $350,000 or less. The least expensive home was priced at $199,000. It was built in 1947 and has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath in 1188 square feet. This compares to Sellwood, a neighborhood in Southeast Portland, where as of the same date there were 18 houses for sale at $350,000 or less. You actually had a larger selection of homes under $350,000 in Lake Oswego than you did in Sellwood! Yet, a buyer in that price range is very likely to over-look Lake Oswego as an option for them. Amazing!

And, yes, for the record, the most expensive home in Lake Oswego at that same time was a mansion on the shore of Oswego Lake for $7,500,000. Those mansions are part of the neighborhood, but they are not the neighborhood in its entirety.

March 25, 2008

The Peril of Orangeburg – Yes, Cardboard Crumbles

Neighbors in Lake Oswego have been educating each other about something called Orangeburg pipe, so I thought it might be something you’d like to know about. Orangeburg is a kind of sewer piping that was manufactured and used throughout the country between 1940 and approximately 1972, until ABS plastic piping was introduced and replaced its use.

The Fibre Conduit Company of Orangeburg, N.Y. was a major manufacturer of this kind of pipe, and with its widespread use, changed its name to the Orangeburg Pipe Co. — thus the common name of the product. If your home was built during this period, there is a good chance that you have this kind of sewer pipe lurking underground, so it is good to know what this could mean to you as either a homeowner, or someone contemplating a purchase.

Orangeburg pipe is actually “bituminized” fiber drain and sewer pipe 2” – 18” in diameter. Basically it was made of cellulose fibers impregnated with hot coal pitch and treated under pressure with a water-resistant adhesive. The joints of this pipe are gasket-less, and the pipe often softens and deforms with age which allows for root intrusion and general breakdown with time. Its lifespan is approximately 50 – 60 years, and so it is, generally speaking, at the end of its life cycle — which is why you should know about it.

On my block, it became an issue and a hot topic of conversation a few years back. Since then, when I bring it up, I often find it is a subject with which people are unfamiliar unless their lives have been directly affected. One set of neighbors had their sewage back up into their basement… not a pretty picture, and had to replace their sewer line in a hurry and under duress. Other neighbors have investigated their pipes and ordered their preemptive replacement in order to avoid the unpleasant fate of the aforementioned neighbors. One had sewer pipes replaced as a part of closing a real estate sale, and another decided on a preemptive replacement only to discover that their sewer pipe was NOT Orangeburg after opening up a big hole in their front yard.

So, if you decide you’d like to have a definitive answer to the Orangeburg question, you may wish to call a company that works with sewer lines to come perform a “sewer scope” at a cost to you of approximately $100. – $150. They will insert a camera down into the line, and be able to tell the condition of the pipes, whether there is root intrusion, and yes, whether you have Orangeburg pipes getting ready to collapse. AND, to top it off, they’ll leave you with a DVD which you may view from time to time for your entertainment… or not.

If you are a prospective home buyer, you will want to assess whether the home you are purchasing is a candidate for possible Orangeburg sewer pipes, and make the sewer scope a part of your home inspection process.

Photo courtesy of Mike Butkus.