There are currently 17 houses promoted on the RMLS as open houses this Sunday:
100 Kerr Parkway, $97,900. 617 sq. feet, 1 BR, 1 BTH, open 1:30-3:30
4447 Golden Ln, $264,900. 1616 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2-5
4465 Golden Ln, $299,900. 1980 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 1-4
18530 Pilkington Rd, $319,000. 1925 sq. feet, 3 BR, 2 BTHS, open 1-4
5096 Tree St, $334,900. 1410 sq. feet, 3 BR, 1.5 BTHS, open 2-5
2838 Greentree Rd, $429,950. 1781 sq. feet, 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2-4
14431 Orchard Springs Rd, $439,900. 1960 sq. feet, 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2-4
41 Hillshire Dr, $498,500. 2670 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1:30-2:30
3254 Duncan Dr, $549,900. 3997 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4
26 Westridge Dr, $569,000. 2862 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3 BTHS, open 12-2
340 8th St, $575,000. 1992 sq. feet, 3 BR, 2 BTHS, open 1-3
4114 Glacier Lily St., $599,000. 2470 sq. feet, 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2-4
2830 Park Rd, $625,000. 3116 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 1-3
2688 Rivendell Rd, $835,000. 3729 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1-3
4625 Firwood Rd, $899,900. 4976 sq. feet, 3 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1-4
2811 Arrowhead Ct, $1,499,000. 3740 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 1-3
16737 Maple Circle, $1,500,000. 1683 sq. feet, 3 BR, 3 BTHS, open 2-4
Have a wonderful weekend!
While waterfront living is not for everyone, it is certainly a feature that draws people to Lake Oswego. Think about it. You are 15 minutes from downtown Portland, but you can water ski in the morning before you go to work. Or if you don’t water ski, you can canoe, and swim, and just enjoy the serenity of living with a view of the water. If you are someone who thinks living on the lake sounds like a wonderful idea, there are a few things that you’ll want to consider. I am going to discuss the 3 specific areas of the lake and the current pricing for those 3 areas. I am not going to go into the history of the lake or the details of its management. For that, I’d like to refer you back to a previous post : 
Let’s start with the Main Lake. This is where you will find the highest prices. The most expensive house for sale in the lake right now is a private island that is accessed from Northshore Rd. It’s priced at $19,500,000. The house has 13,500 square feet, with 5 bedrooms, 6 full baths, and 2 half baths. The island is pretty good sized. I recall years ago calculating that it could be divided into multiple home sites. So there is a good deal of value in the land and not just in the house. The least expensive house on the main lake is priced at $829,000. It has 2484 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths. OK. That is just amazing. Why? Because the availability of buildable lots on the lake is extremely limited. 3 years ago there was quite a lot of buying and tearing down of old houses in order to build a new house. And the going price on the tear downs was running about $1,400,000, which made land value alone over a million dollars. So to see this house for sale for $829,000, that’s pretty amazing.
There are a couple of characteristics to houses on the main lake that affect the home that buyers select. First, the North shore of the lake has much better sun exposure. If you want to have full sun while you swim, you should look seriously at the North side. The South side has a large hill immediately South of it, which creates shade and less full sun. In addition, with the sun coming from the South, the front of the house will get more sun than the back, and the lake is on the back of the house. You should also know that on the North side there is a rail road track that runs very close to many of the houses. So if you think that the sound of a train will bother you, then you should be looking on the South side of the lake.
feet, with 4 bedrooms and 3 and 1 half baths. The least expensive is priced at $1,395,000. It has 3190 square feet, with 4 bedrooms and 3 full and 1 half baths. One of the unique areas on the bays is the Cabanas. These are homes that are built out over the water. They have a very small front yard and no backyard. Instead, they have decks that hang out over the water. You could literally fish off of your back deck. In addition, many have attached boat houses. Just like you enter a garage from a home, these cabanas allow you to get into your boat right from your house. It is an easy-care lifestyle for those who would rather go boating than mow a lawn.
square feet, with 5 bedrooms and 3 full plus 1 half baths. The least expensive is $599,000. It needs quite a bit of work, but still strikes me as an incredible deal with 3458 square feet. It has 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths.
I hope this helps you to get a sense of what pricing is like to live on Oswego Lake. I’ve been around Lake Oswego for a very long time. One of the things I see is that when people want to live on the lake, they often start out in a condominium or along a canal. And then as they mature and their income increases, they move to get onto the main lake. I also know of one couple who buys the run down houses and lives in them while they fix them up. They have lived in many homes on the lake, and made a good deal of money too.
Well, the cherry trees are in full bloom, temps are in the 80’s, and real estate activity continues to move forward… a gradually enlivened, seasonal bustle.
3190 Duncan Drive – This property is 2401 SF, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, built in 1986, and is bank-owned. It is at the bottom end of a long, steep, private drive shared by a couple of properties, and sits on a hill/perched above Boones Ferry Rd., which you can hear when outside, but not really see too well through the beautiful, natural greenery surrounding the home. Practically speaking, you enter from the driveway side into the kitchen 
area. Double attached garage, deck, large laundry room… generous living room w/fireplace opening to a dining room… flows nicely. Nice master on the main with walk-in closet and jetted tub. Large bath and bedrooms upstairs… You’d want to do some updating, especially in the kitchen and with flooring/new carpeting, but this just seems like a great opportunity in Lake Oswego for someone at $259,900!
4411 Lakeview Blvd.– This home is a split level (sometimes I confess not to like them personally), but this one is a nice layout with a very open entry where you feel like you’re in the living room as you are entering/not in a little hallway as some tend to feel. It is 1828 SF, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, built in 1972 and remodeled. It has seasonal lake views, and is basically across the street from the 
water. It is close to the intersection of Bryant and Lakeview, and so is close to schools, shops etc etc etc. It is just a really nice house with a great flow, and tasteful updates. Enter the back from a sitting room off the kitchen with beautiful picture window. The backyard is large & very relaxing.You’ll hear the train when it passes (I happen to LOVE the sound), but you’ll be in good company! …other homes on 
Lakeview currently for sale range from $425,000 to $7,500,000. The listing agent states: “Sellers will entertain offers between $299,000 and $338,876.” This home is also listed as a “possible short sale w/one lender”. I am told that the Broker’s Price Opinion (BPO) has already been finished, and the listing agent’s experience is that the Rep is very responsive. Seems like a great deal to me, especially at the bottom end of the range that is specified!
18791 Indian Creek Way – This property is 1965 SF, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, built in 1977 and remodeled. When we say remodeled, this one is really gorgeous. Dianne and I both looked at each other and said “This is nicely done.” The living room and fireplace are inviting, the feel is open and airy, there are stainless gas appliances, a wine fridge, 2 gas fireplaces, hardwoods, vinyl
windows… lots of them, skylights, and a beautiful backyard patio surrounded by English Gardens (it was evidently featured in Sunset magazine) great for entertaining. The home is advertised as having Bryant Woods pool membership, and proximity to the grade school and middle school is excellent. The price on this one is $439,900. Compare what’s out there… this one is special.
1921 Park Forest Ct– This home is 2531 SF, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, built in 1975 & remodeled. The owners have relocated, and I have to say that both Dianne and I were very impressed with this one. The owners took great care in special details, and this home includes high-end features like a gourmet kitchen with beautiful slab 
quartz countertops, a spa w/fireplace, walk-in stone & tile steam shower, air jet tub & heated floors. The plank wood floors are a favorite of mine. The windows in the living room are large and feature beautiful tree’d views, the baseboard detail is stonework throughout the home, and there is a hot tub outside which is 
included “as is”. This one is situated above SouthShore Rd in back. Greentree Pool and Lake Easement is advertised as available. The entry to this home is deceiving… Once you’re in the door you feel like you’re on vacation. There is a water feature to your left as you enter, and the beautiful quartz kitchen with spacious pantry to your right. Walk in and the fireplace and windows say “relax”. The owners wanted that “spa feel” throughout. The asking price is $529,000.
17675 Cardinal Drive – This home on the Blue Heron Canal is 3458 SF, 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, built in 1966 and is advertised as a fixer. Dianne and I took a look at it yesterday, and were very impressed with the waterfront location. The living room is open and the window views are out onto the deck & water. The home needs 
extensive cosmetic fixing such as wallpaper removal, flooring updates, kitchen updates, etc. We are not inspectors, but truly, the feel is of a solid home that has been well lived in with just not much attention to updating. At $599,000 on the canal, I’d say this one deserves some attention.
It feels like the new listings are coming onto the market in a fairly consistent way with 15 to 20 new listings, not “refreshed” but actually new, each week. Last week we saw 16 new listings. There were 4 pending sales and 5 closed listings. I keep waiting to see evidence of the spring market kicking in. That would be reflected in an increase in both pending and closed sales. So far, it remains a bit sluggish. On the plus side, we have one pending sale at close to $1,000,000. The remainder of the pending and closed sales continue to favor the more moderately priced homes. I am also continuing to see that the cumulative days on the market continue to embrace both extremes. It seems like houses that were over-priced, and that have gradually bitten the bullet to bring the price down to a point where price meets market demand, are selling with very long market times. The other extreme are the new listings that are able to look at current market conditions, price realistically, and are selling in a very short period of time.
Two weeks ago I posted information about Tryon Creek State Park and mentioned that there are two neighborhoods in Lake Oswego with trail access into the Park. One is First Addition and the other is Forest Highlands. In our archives you’ll find a neighborhood profile for 
There is, in fact, a beautiful condominium development in Forest Highlands, Red Fox Hills. The condominiums are all townhouse style: they are attached on the sides but do not have neighbors above or below. Amenities include expansive lawns and gardens as well as a pool and a recreation facility. Current pricing ranges from $226,000 for a 2 bedroom, bath and a half unit, to $399,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 full bath unit. All units have garages.
And then there is that wonderful proximity to Tryon Creek Park. The entrance from Forest Highlands is at the turn about at the end of Boca Ratan Dr (right behind Red Fox Hills).
Ok, things are starting to get interesting- Lake Oswego saw 29 new properties hit the market last week (these are properties that are brand new on the market -or- have been off the market for a minimum of 30 days). All told, there were 45 that are either truly new, or have been “freshened” showing as new listings. (Dianne and I will have plenty to see on tour tomorrow!) We had 7 go pending, and 6 that closed, so sales remain steady for now at this rate.