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All About Lake Oswego, Oregon real estate topics

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Market Activity Report March 14th – 20th, 2016

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope everybody is having a wonderful day of great breakfast food, colored eggs, and possibly mimosas!

I’m kind of late posting for my week, but at least I got to wish you a happy holiday. Last week we saw a huge boost in pending properties, boy are people buying houses right now. 13 new houses entered the market, a whopping 32 houses went pending, and 14 homes closed.

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS:

New on the Market (March 14-20, 2016)

Address Type Price Bedrooms Bathrooms Sqft
77 GALEN RD CONDO 164,900 2 2 993
6925 SW MONTAUK CIR CONDO 175,000 2 1 968
4 TOUCHSTONE #81 CONDO 184,000 3 2.5 1351
6330 SHAKESPEAR ST DETACHED 479,900 4 3 2184
5311 CHILDS RD DETACHED 559,000 4 2.5 1766
1991 WEMBLEY PL DETACHED 599,900 4 2 3042
18386 DEERBRUSH AVE DETACHED 639,000 4 3 2420
3472 TEMPEST DR DETACHED 675,000 4 2.5 3146
17343 BROOKHURST DR DETACHED 749,000 4 2.5 3443
18493 RAY RIDGE DR DETACHED 1,050,000 4 3.5 4401
16686 MAPLE CIR DETACHED 1,195,000 4 3.5 3311
17312 BERGIS FARM DR DETACHED 1,250,000 4 4.5 4808
3140 CHILDS RD DETACHED 1,850,000 5 6.5 6692

Pending Sales (March 14-20, 2016)

Address Type Price Bedroom Bathrooms DOM
86 KINGSGATE RD H-104 CONDO 124,900 2 2 7
96 GALEN ST CONDO 129,000 1 1 1
48 EAGLE CREST DR 3E CONDO 157,900 2 2 139
48 EAGLE CREST DR #2D CONDO 174,900 3 2 125
73 OSWEGO SMT CONDO 179,900 2 2 4
282 CERVANTES CONDO 219,900 2 2 29
3968 CARMAN DR CONDO 239,900 2 2.5 61
5995 SHAKESPEARE ST DETACHED 349,500 3 1.5 5
2500 GREENTREE RD DETACHED 399,900 3 2 4
1304 LAUREL ST DETACHED 417,500 3 2 6
1531 WOODLAND TER DETACHED 448,000 3 2.5 4
17755 HILL WAY DETACHED 475,000 3 3 4
44 DA VINCI ST DETACHED 519,000 4 2 4
17367 LAKE HAVEN DR DETACHED 550,000 3 2 0
16017 OAKRIDGE CT DETACHED 569,000 3 2 3
919 CUMBERLAND RD DETACHED 605,000 4 3 25
17455 BROOKHURST DR DETACHED 648,950 4 2.5 36
17126 HOFER CT DETACHED 668,000 3 3 38
18000 CARDINAL DR DETACHED 674,900 4 3 50
411 REDGEWAY RD DETACHED 695,000 3 2.5 5
877 CORNELL ST DETACHED 698,500 3 3 11
18056 SW WESTMINSTER DR DETACHED 744,000 4 2.5 2
18217 DELENKA LN DETACHED 749,500 4 3 61
16652 WOODSMAN CT DETACHED 779,000 3 2.5 11
13825 MELROSE PL DETACHED 835,000 5 4.5 183
625 3RD ST ATTACHED 837,000 3 2.5 183
18982 BRYANT RD DETACHED 865,000 4 3.5 4
17622 LAKE HAVEN DR DETACHED 1,050,000 3 2 46
2809 ARROWHEAD CT DETACHED 1,560,000 3 3 20
1870 TWIN POINTS RD DETACHED 2,200,000 5 4 182
3142 LAKEVIEW BLVD DETACHED 4,350,000 4 5 298

Sold/Closed (March 14-20, 2016)

Address Type List Price Close Price Sqft DOM
4 TOUCHSTONE #110 CONDO 165,000 164,000 989 28
21 BITTEN CT ATTACHED 359,900 359,900 1972 3
19416 TUALAMERE AVE DETACHED 350,000 368,000 1296 6
8 SUMMIT RIDGE CT ATTACHED 379,900 395,000 1642 4
17015 CHAPIN WAY DETACHED 550,000 590,000 2816 2
4672 AUBURN LN ATTACHED 585,000 585,000 2732 2
14489 CAMDEN LN DETACHED 550,000 590,000 2816 2
1495 WOODLAND TER DETACHED 649,500 630,000 3862 12
1921 GLENMORRIE LN DETACHED 658,000 668,000 2375 1
4867 UPPER DETACHED 799,900 779,000 2845 141
183 FURNACE ST CONDO 1,000,000 955,000 2126 7
822 6TH ST DETACHED 1,099,900 1,082,000 2748 194
3137 DOUGLAS CIR DETACHED 1,450,000 1,450,000 4246 0
3190 DOUGLAS CIR DETACHED 1,559,000 1,650,000 4840 579

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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Spring Cleaning

Spring is a great time to give your home a good once over. You should do it if you are about to list your house for sale, but you should also do it as a matter of keeping up with maintenance and repair. Being a good steward of your home will maintain and even increase it’s value. So it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to it!

As you sort, wash, and organize, there is likely going to be a good deal of stuff to dispose of. Oregon is a mecca for recycling and properly disposing of debris, so I thought today would be a good time to go over some basics.

Curb side recycling is amazing. Here in LO you can sort your weekly pick up into garbage, recycling, and yard debris. We have 4 different curb side containers. For yard debris you can put small stuff like grass clippings and leaves and for larger stuff you can put in branches and limbs that are cut into sections. No, you can’t have a tree popping out of the top of the can. It has to be cut up and fit into the can. For recycling you can put out paper, plastic containers that have necks (think containers with twist on tops) and tin cans and clean aluminum. Glass has to be sorted separately and put into its own container.

You can not recycle at the curb plastic bags or molded plastic like the clam shells that vegetables come in. You also can not recycle glass light bulbs or broken dishes.

Yard debris can also be put at the curb in biodegradable bags for an extra pick up charge.

But what to do with the things that can’t be recycled curbside? Here are some answers.

IMG_0894Far West Recycling is right her in Lake Oswego (341 Foothills Rd). They take metal, glass, styrofoam, and elctronics. I have recycled old TVs and computers here for a small donation.

S & H Logging is also local (20200 Stafford Rd) and they take yard debris on a large scale. I’m talking pull every single scrap out of your yard and take it in the back of a flat-bed truck quantity of yard debris. The great thing at S & H is that they also sell landscape supplies like bark dust and compost. So you can take to them what you want to get rid of and bring home what you need.

SouthmetroIMG_0893 is the place to take everything else. Located in Oregon City you can take to them wood waste, garbage, motor oil, paint, appliances, plastics, they pretty much handle it all.

Please, please, please don’t put stuff into landfills that can be recycled. When I travel to other states and see pop cans in the garbage I have a physical reaction to the waste. It is so easy to recycle this stuff. I know not every single citizen of this state is so emphatic, but I do think it is part of our common community. When in Oregon….

Happy house cleaning!
Dianne

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Market Activity Report Feb 01 – 07, 2016

Hello Everybody!

This week as I was doing the market activity report I thought about what my mother, Dianne Gregoire, had pointed out to me a week before: that there are not many condos available in Lake Oswego right now, or at least it seems this way. As I was doing the report I made a mental note to actually count out the condos that where available, then those that where pending and sold. Turns out she was right: there are only two condos available within the week of 01-07, then one pending, and one that has closed. How weird! Maybe that means we have a lot of condo owners that are happy where they are (I mean can you blame them, Lake Oswego is a pretty wonderful place to live!)

This week we have 9 new listings, 19 pending homes, and 11 sold properties.

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS:

New on the Market (Feb 01-07, 2016)

Address Type Price Bedrooms Bathrooms Sqft
4 TOUCHESTONE #155 CONDO 189,900 3 2.5 1351
16913 CANAL CIR DETACHED 599,000 3 2 2525
17126 HOFFER CT DETACHED 668,000 3 3 2541
17742 MARYLCREEK DR DETACHED 780,000 4 2.5 3288
17540 RIDGEVIEW LN DETACHED 1,195,000 4 3.5 4345
4018 COHO LN DETACHED 1,199,000 4 4.5 5128
2445 GLENMORRIE DR DETACHED 1,295,000 5 5 5106
1973 CHERYL CT DETACHED 1,899,000 5 4.5 6436

Pending Sales (Feb 01-07, 2016)

Address Type Price Bedroom Bathrooms DOM
31 CRESTFIELD CT CONDO 184,500 2 2 2
1755 KILKENNY RD DETACHED 300,000 3 1 146
4305 SILVER CT ATTACHED 339,000 3 2.5 7
4333 WOODSIDE CIR ATTACHED 349,000 3 2 69
16309 LAKE FOREST BLVD DETACHED 369,900 3 2 120
15948 QUARRY RD DETACHED 400,000 3 1 227
1720 YARMOUTH CIR DETACHED 422,800 3 2.5 73
510 2ND ST ATTACHED 435,000 2 1.5 0
9 ORIOLE LN DETACHED 439,000 3 3 81
14850 TWIN FIR RD DETACHED 439,900 4 3 2
15585 PARTRIDGE DR DETACHED 519,000 4 2.5 182
736 EVERGREEN RD DETACHED 549,000 3 2 84
2 CREEKSIDE TER DETACHED 549,900 5 2.5 44
5124 LAKEVIEW BLVD DETACHED 579,000 4 3 126
14221 DOLPH CT DETACHED 598,000 3 2.5 23
72 NANSEN SUMMIT DETACHED 849,000 4 3 140
670 IRON MOUNTAIN BLVD DETACHED 1,595,000 4 3.5 72
1933 HIGHLANDS LOOP DETACHED 2,750,000 4 3.5 187

Sold/Closed  (Feb 01-07, 2016)

Address Type List Price Close Price Sqft DOM
4634 LOWER DR CONDO 139,900 139,900 1260 4
48 EAGLE CREST DR 5E CONDO 205,000 197,000 1443 16
5849 FERNBROOK CIR DETACHED 419,500 421,000 1239 3
4331 LORDS LN DETACHED 509,000 452,500 2320 89
14356 HOLLY SPRINGS RD DETACHED 510,000 475,000 1939 60
9 FALSTAFF ST DETACHED 509,000 485,000 2436 105
6402 FROST ST DETACHED 499,900 499,000 2800 0
5554 ROYAL OAKS DR DETACHED 525,000 520,000 1861 262
19365 35TH CT DETACHED 579,500 598,000 2484 6
3820 SOUTHSHORE BLVD DETACHED 1,098,888 1,055,000 4855 158
17265 LAKE HAVEN DR DETACHED 1,429,000 1,495,000 3911 672

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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Market Activity Report Jan 04 – Jan 17, 2016

So this week I will be covering the missed week, previous to this one, as well as this up-to-date week. This way we can still get a good look at the market as a whole, and let me tell you: it is looking good! We have lots of new houses that have entered the market, one of which is a house I have been fond of ever sense I was a little girl growing up here in Lake O, you can find this lovely house at 17210 cedar rd.
We have 27 new houses, 39 pending houses, and 15 sold.

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS:

New on the Market (Jan 04 – Jan 17, 2016)

Address Type Price Bedrooms Bathrooms Sqft
44 EAGLE CREST DR #1 CONDO 150,000 2 1 908
3968 CARMAN DR CONDO 239,900 2 2.5 1129
17 SUMMIT RIDGE CT ATTACHED 342,500 2 2.5 1558
11 SUMMIT RIDGE CT ATTACHED 349,900 2 2.5 1576
21 BRITTEN CT ATTACHED 359,900 3 2.5 1972
6 THE GROTTO DETACHED 375,000 3 2 1381
5329 CHARLETON CT DETACHED 379,900 3 2 1120
18088 BELMORE AVE DETACHED 405,000 3 1.5 1304
3759 LANEWOOD ST DETACHED 419,000 3 2.5 1783
13160 PETERS RD DETACHED 460,000 3 2.5 1946
490 G AVE DETACHED 499,000 5 2 2126
741 BRIERCLIFF LN DETACHED 519,000 4 3 2765
7 FALSTAFF ST DETACHED 524,950 4 2.5 2740
1669 OAK ST DETACHED 525,000 5 2.5 2649
136 D AVE ATTACHED 575,000 2 2.5 1741
4672 AUBURN LN ATTACHED 585,000 3 3.5 2732
14221 DOLPH CT DETACHED 598,000 3 2.5 2081
19201 REDWING CT DETACHED 599,900 4 3 2471
1495 WOODLAND TER DETACHED 649,500 4 2.5 3960
17562 BLUE HERON CT DETACHED 650,000 4 3 2712
524 WEIDMAN CT DETACHED 669,000 4 2.5 3450
18217 DELENKA LN DETACHED 769,900 4 3 4166
13825 MELROSE PL DETACHED 835,000 5 4.5 4490
18024 EASTRIDGE LN DETACHED 1,298,000 5 3.5 4141
13900 GOODALL RD DETACHED 1,429,000 4 3.5 4212
16895 CHAPIN WAY DETACHED 1,500,000 4 3.5 5182
17210 CEDAR RD DETACHED 1,975,000 4 3 2813

Pending Sales (Jan 04 – Jan 17, 2016)

Address Type Price Bedroom Bathrooms DOM
95 OSWEGO SMT CONDO 124,900 2 1.5 56
86 KINGSGATE RD F202 ATTACHED 134,900 2 2 3
65 OSWEGO SMT CONDO 144,999 2 2 79
3804 BOTTICELLI ST CONDO 150,300 2 1.5 59
4000 CARMAN DR #62 CONDO 163,350 2 2 8
15938 QUARRY RD 3A CONDO 169,900 2 1 17
67 OSWEGO SMT #67 CONDO 184,900 2 2 70
45 EAGLE CREST DR #208 CONDO 185,000 2 2 152
4386 THUNDER VISTA LN CONDO 249,900 2 2.5 36
1248 OAK ST DETACHED 310,000 2 1 54
6213 HARRINGTON AVE DETACHED 339,000 3 1 79
6140 BURMA RD DETACHED 399,900 5 2 75
5340 CHINOOK CT DETACHED 399,900 3 2 58
6210 CHILDS RD DETACHED 400,000 3 1.5 153
6105 SHAKESPEARE ST DETACHED 410,000 4 2 227
1720 YARMOUTH CIR DETACHED 445,000 3 2.5 41
16835 FERNWOOD DR DETACHED 449,900 4 2 132
1140 HALLINAN CT DETACHED 474,950 3 2 55
116 MIDDLECREST RD DETACHED 564,888 3 3 2
17765 TREETOP LN DETACHED 579,000 4 3 42
17568 ERIN CT DETACHED 619,900 4 3 10
19285 MEGLY CT DETACHED 654,900 5 3 46
6413 MCDUFF CT DETACHED 699,900 3 2.5 62
6087 SW CARMAN DR #2,3,4 DETACHED 725,000 3 2.5 134
16987 ALDER CIR DETACHED 749,000 3 2.5 266
5218 WESTFIELD CT DETACHED 775,000 4 2.5 5
4845 UPPER DR DETACHED 799,900 4 3 124
1992 PALISADES TERRACE DR DETACHED 849,900 5 3.5 25
18262 BRYANT RD DETACHED 899,900 4 3.5 601
17446 BRYANT RD DETACHED 925,000 4 4 13
18945 BRYANT RD DETACHED 987,000 5 3 79
3115 WEMBLEY PARK RD DETACHED 1,035,000 4 3.5 3
717 5TH ST DETACHED 1,089,000 4 2.5 6
12822 ALTO PARK RD DETACHED 1,199,000 4 4.5 179
4287 HAVEN ST DETACHED 1,249,950 4 3.5 18
1144 BAYBERRY RD DETACHED 1,299,900 6 3 60
17264 LAKE HAVEN DR DETACHED 1,495,000 4 3.5 672
1150 FAIRWAY RD DETACHED 3,295,000 5 5.5 472

Sold/Closed  (Jan 04 – Jan 17, 2016)

Address Type List Price Close Price Sqft DOM
115 OSWEGO SMT CONDO 135,000 135,000 1212 0
48 EAGLE CREST DR 2D CONDO 164,900 142,500 1623 410
534 S STATE ST CONDO 149,250 148,000 829 232
57 CHURCH ST CONDO 159,000 170,000 636 3
3886 BOTTICELLI ST CONDO 220,000 205,000 1132 30
200 BURNHAM RD #205 CONDO 220,000 225,000 1305 3
3910 CARMAN DR CONDO 239,900 234,000 1129 83
4230 SUNSET DR DETACHED 379,900 379,000 1563 1
123 3RD ST CONDO 450,000 440,000 1206 22
6192 HARRINGTON AVE DETACHED 498,900 440,000 2817 40
26000 GLENMORRIE DR DETACHED 495,000 495,000 1370 0
6411 FROST ST DETACHED 499,900 503,000 2430 28
1371 KOAWOOD DR DETACHED 599,900 606,000 3534 115
13624 GOODALL RD DETACHED 1,599,000 1,399,000 4411 262
16842 ALDER CIR DETACHED 4,750,000 3,200,000 5144 68

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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Lake Oswego Reads

loreads2016_4
2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the annual Lake Oswego Reads. It’s pretty simple. The idea is that “the city that opens the same book closes it in greater harmony”. I am a pretty avid reader and I think I have read the chosen book at least 8 years of the 10. Great thought is put into the selection as it needs to appeal to a broad population of young and old. It needs to be engaging, but also appropriate for schools. The committee that chooses the books have done a great job.

Chief Joseph, Nez Perce, 1903
Chief Joseph, Nez Perce, 1903
I am particularly excited about this year’s selection as I have been a fan of Timothy Egan for some time. I really like good non-fiction. The first book I read of his was “The Big Burn” about Gifford Pinchot and the formation of the National Parks Service. From there I read “The Worst Hard Times” about the great depression and the dust bowl. Both of these books left me with better knowledge of important events, but also thoughts about how those times were truly dramatic (they made soup out of tumble weeks!). So I was excited that Timothy Egan is the author of this year’s selection “Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher”.

It’s the true story of Edward Curtis, an uneducated man from Seattle with a burning talent for photography and the drive that became his life’s mission, photographing the tribes of the American Indians before their lives were irrivocably changed by modern man. I am about 3/4 of the way through the book and it is a great read. I have so much more appreciation for Indians of the Willamette Valley and the Columbia River Gorge, but also for Indians in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Alaska, really our entire country.

The friends of the Lake Oswego Library are giving away free copies of the book on January 11th, this Monday, at 6:30pm, at the Lake Oswego Library (706 4th St). Then through out the months of January and February are a series of events that range from exhibits of Edward Curtis photography at the Library and LO Heritage House, to sampling of Native American foods, drum circles, and many other events. The highlight, in my opinion, will be the talk that Timothy Egan will be giving on the evening of February 10th at Lake Oswego High School. The event is free, but you do have to obtain your ticket in advance. They will be given out on January 23rd, 11:00-11:30, again at the Lake Oswego Library.

Lake Oswego Reads is one of many reasons I love this town!
Cheers to you and happy reading,
Dianne

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Secret Rooms

One thing that always interested me about custom houses is the potential for them to have secret rooms, panic rooms, or underground bunkers. It isn’t that I am paranoid of ever needing to use them, it is more so that the mysterious allure of them existing is something that intrigues my inner child. Books like: The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, and even Anne Frank had a hidden passageway that were either critical or whimsical. In movies they where what bridged the gap between what is real and what is fantasy: Coraline, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Sleeping Beauty.
In person I have only a few recollections of seeing thoroughly hidden secret rooms, one that was more-so just a tiny door which lead into a much larger room. And in girl scouts I had a troop mate that had a hidden reading nook in her house above her bedroom. Of course I visited the Winchester Mansion, which had secret rooms, secret stair cases, and a wild assortment of wacky architectural direction.
My friends know that I am a broker, and often times will send me links to custom houses where people have put forth the effort to make secret rooms. About nine times out of ten they are panic rooms (my friends and I are really into zombie games, so it is kind of a joke with us). But every now and then we stumble across hidden man caves. Where sports and games line the wall of a hidden room, and one entire side of the wall is a large flat-screen TV; of course designed for the discerning and incognito game enthusiast. The hidden reading nook is a popular one, where you climb a tiny staircase behind your bookshelf to a little cozy room next to a window.
In perspective you can really have a secret room for just about anything. The whole point to it being there is that is, for whatever reason, your personal little space.

So that is what I have to share with you this week. I hope you all are having some good holidays this time of year. Have fun and stay safe!


*disclamer* This photo does not belong to me.

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Market Activity Report Dec 07 – Dec 13, 2015

It is nice too see that the market for Lake Oswego is very healthy this winter. Also a proud shout-out to my Mother! Her listing at 2 Walking Woods went pending.
7 new houses hit the market this week, 17 have gone pending, and 11 beautiful Lake Oswego homes sold. What a great start to the Holidays.

Following is the breakdown for you according to RMLS for last week:

New on the Market (Dec 07 – Dec 13, 2015)

Address Type Price Bedrooms Bathrooms Sqft
4000 CARMAN DR #12 CONDO 158,500 2 2 866
228 RIDGEWAY RD CONDO 159,900 1 1 746
4386 THUNDER VISTA LN CONDO 274,900 2 2.5 1925
524 COUNTRY CLUB RD DETACHED 549,900 2 2 2168
1992 PALISADES TERRACE DR DETACHED 849,900 5 3.5 4140
MEADOWCREEK CTR DETACHED 975,000 4 4 3421
556 7TH ST DETACHED 1,239,000 5 3.5 3911

Pending Sales (Dec 07 -Dec 13, 2015)

Address Type Price Bedroom Bathrooms DOM
380 BOTTICELLI ST CONDO 167,000 2 1.5 21
200 BURNHAM RD #205 CONDO 220,000 2 2 3
3886 BOTTICELLI ST CONDO 220,000 2 1.5 30
454 5TH ST CONDO 323,000 2 1.5 28
5800 SEVILLE AVE DETACHED 399,000 3 1.5 40
14356 HOLLY SPRINGS RD DETACHED 489,000 4 2.5 60
1651 LARCH ST DETACHED 489,900 4 3 2
225 HIDALGO ST DETACHED 499,900 4 2.5 21
6150 KENNY ST DETACHED 559,000 3 2.5 137
2 WALKING WOODS DR DETACHED 599,900 4 3 85
1805 GLENMORRIE TER DETACHED 689,000 3 2.5 8
16717 SYLVAN CT DETACHED 699,999 4 3.5 176
18383 ANDUIN TER DETACHED 759,900 4 2.5 0
1330 PINE ST DETACHED 775,000 4 3.5 149
17154 LOWENBERT TER DETACHED 819,960 5 3.5 65
17620 WOODHURST PL DETACHED 1,050,000 4 4 290
990 TERRACE DR DETACHED 1,075,000 4 2.5 186

Sold/Closed  (Dec 07 -Dec 13, 2015)

Address Type List Price Close Price Sqft DOM
5225 JEAN RD #201 CONDO 224,900 205,000 1500 72
42 ORIOLE LN DETACHED 350,000 355,000 1290 8
16500 LAKE FOREST BLVD DETACHED 339,900 357,500 960 5
15213 QUARRY RD DETACHED 399,000 390,000 1761 19
3778 RIVERS EDGE DR DETACHED 769,000 660,000 3022 101
19133 MEGAN PL DETACHED 774,500 725,000 3724 115
13461 STEAMSIDE DR DETACHED 796,000 775,000 3321 70
1600 OAK ST DETACHED 900,000 865,000 4385 83
17353 RIDGEVIEW CT DETACHED 1,285,000 1,179,000 4032 198
3070 WEMBLEY PARK RD DETACHED 1,459,000 1,409,500 4032 127
1097 CHANDLER RD DETACHED 2,450,000 1,910,000 5313 410

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 Holidays in Lake Oswego!

It is indeed a Winter Wonderland every year in Lake Oswego!Candy

Here are just a few options for your To-Do list:

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Write A Note With Your Offer

With the cold weather out in force, and people preparing for the holidays, it would be safe to assume that the real estate market might be slow; that houses and the demand for houses decrease. However I have personally noticed that this is not the case.

I am working with about five people right now, who are all buyers. Three of which are ready to pick a house and start calling the moving company, two are just casually looking for “the house” to emerge from slumber somewhere within the Portland Metropolitan area. It is with my active buying clients that I am starting to see a trend: Every house we place a bid on has some kind of bidding war going on! Most of which have a set deadline where the listing agent will present all offers to the seller, and the seller will pick their highest and best bid to win the house.
Unfortunately, for those looking to move right now, this means that you may have to pay more for a house that needs a bit of work. Something I was telling one of my clients just last week was:
“The cost for this house is not in the quality (as it needed a new roof and some major work in the kitchen, yard, and bathrooms), but what you are paying for is the convenience of location.” (not to mention it had other bids, but we did not know this at the time)
This was kind of a jagged pill to swallow because she did not want to move so far out of town that she felt so out of reach from her friends and family, but she also did not want to spend all of her money on a house that would require more money to fix up. I don’t think anybody wants to feel left out of the goings-on when you have everybody so close into Portland.
So one of the things that I have suggested when we decide we want to enter into a bidding war for a property close to home, is write a letter. Simple and sweet. The thing about writing a small one-page note (and maybe a scanned picture) is that you are reaching out to the seller on a more human level. Selling your house can be pretty emotional, sure the highest and best bid might be the greater offer. But sometimes there are sellers that are willing to sell their home to a reasonable buyer who reminds them of themselves, or has something interesting going on in their lives (marriage, children, cool hobbies). I once had a buyer whose bid was accepted because I had mentioned that my buyer collected motorcycles! It really could take just that simple thread of showing a bit of identity with your offer that means you beat all offers out of the water.

In any case, my buyers are still surfing the market looking for the right house, as I have noticed all have multiple offers. And I’m sure if you are in the market to buy right now you may be running into the same issue. So try writing a little one page note introducing yourself and your family, and who knows. It might just evoke the holiday spirit, and you win a bidding war on the house of your dreams.

Written by: Whitney Gregoire