Let’s face it, December is dark. The sun comes up about 7:30 and sets about 4:30. That’s just 9 hours of daylight. And that’s why Christmas lights are pretty darn important to me. I know they are put up to celebrate religious traditions. But as far as I am concerned they are put up for ME. I love them and need them to get through the month of the year with the shortest daylight. My own turkey barely has a chance to go cold on the counter before I am putting up my own Christmas lights. And I push the boundary on the other end too by leaving them up past Christmas. (Yes, one year I had them up until Valentine’s, but haven’t been that extreme in quite awhile.)
So when Linda and I first designed the propertyblotter, and had to think about what links we wanted permanently attached, the Christmas Ship Parade came immediately to mind. You will see our link to the Christmas Ships year around on our left tool bar. However, I don’t want to just assume that you have used it to see what it is all about. This year I want to point it out and suggest that you load up your car with family and a thermos of hot cocoa and drive over to Foothills Park on December 19th at about 6pm. This is the evening that the parade of lighted ships are scheduled to come as far South as George Rogers Park on the Willamette River. You can view them from George Rogers Park, and also from Roehr Park, but you would probably need to get out of your car. Personally, I love to sit in the car to watch them. Just find some Christmas music on the radio and stay toasty warm. When my children were little, we commonly did this with both of them bathed and in their pajamas.
There are about 20 or so ships that are organized and captained by volunteers. They do a nightly parade of both the Willamette and the Columbia Rivers with the evening parade location changing daily. I think the only time between now and Christmas that they will be as far South as LO is the 19th. If you are willing to drive North, you will be able to find them in other locations on other evenings. For a complete schedule, click here.
And if you want to find what I consider to be the top decorated house light displays, I want to recommend driving down Edenberry Drive in Westlake. The homeowners on the street go all out. It is gorgeous. Many of the side streets are also decorated. So swing through when you get the chance.
Enjoy the season. I know that I do: especially the Christmas lights.
Ok, so, it’s the holidays, and the Realtors are all running around serving their clients with Christmas trees on their car roofs… well, at least I am! Or was, earlier today. I visited another real estate office and noticed that I’m not the only one juggling real estate business and “extra” holiday activities and errands… and frankly we all are right now. So, I was thinking- What am I going to write about in the Property Blotter this time? I’ve got to take care of my clients and go shopping for Manicotti ingredients, champagne, Martinelli’s and all manner of other Christmas Party necessities. What will I write about? Food comes to mind of course.
I confess, I have been overextended into giving away some of my cooking secrets, and other hopefully interesting tidbits for the sake of expediency! What has the world come to? Anyway, here are a few little things I usually do not pass on to people… but for YOU??? Our Property Blotter reader? Here you go:
Manicotti: I make a killer Manicotti. It’s a well-known fact if I do say so myself, which is due to my dear Grandmother’s guidance and recipe… and which I am NOT giving you (she’d come after me from the afterlife!). So, you’ll have to come up with your own sauce and blend of cheeses, but I WILL tell you the biggest secret of all: ~How To Stuff Manicotti Noodles~ Basically, you stuff them while they’re hard. Using a pastry tube is something I incorporated last year and it worked much better than the “old country” method my Grandmother and I used, which was little by little with teaspoons. You stuff the noodles, line them up in a buttered pan till its filled with one layer, and pour your sauce over them all. Here comes the secret part: You then pour hot water… about 3/4 cup of it, around the edges of the pan, cover tightly with foil and bake according to your directions. The water steams the noodles, and your sauce retains the consistency you intended. Voila! (oops… not an Italian expression)
Hungarian Mushroom Soup: There is a restaurant in Portland called Old Wives Tales that is famous for this soup. I used to drive all the way there and take home large cartons of it. “Anything else, Miss?” “No. Just the soup please.” One day I experimented till I came up with nearly the same flavor. Sophisticated cooks will balk at this part, but I use 2 large cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup from the store. I then add several cloves of garlic (at least 5) chopped, at least a cube of butter, a 16 oz. carton of sour cream, 3 cartons of fresh sliced mushrooms from the produce section, one can of milk, and several tablespoons of paprika. Ta da! Secret, easy Hungarian Mushroom Soup.
Brussel Sprouts: For this I am going to give you a link to a great local cooking blog. A lot of people like to serve brussel sprouts during the holidays, and I believe there is some kind of superstition having to do with good luck when you eat them on New Year’s Eve. Anyway, this recipe is so good I can hardly describe it. The way you cook them is easy, involves lots of heavy cream and freshly squeezed lemon juice at the end. This method takes some of the “bite” our of them, and ends up sending you back for more till there are no leftovers. It’s that good (if you like brussel sprouts that is… and if you don’t, I’d suggest trying them this way to see if you change your mind). Here’s the link: Creamy Braised Brussel Sprouts
Ok, Addendum- Check. Closing Coordination- Check. Research- Check. Repair schedule- Check. Update Clients- Check. Documents Emailed- Check… Off to decorate the tree!
With just 5 pending sales and 8 closed sales last week, activity seems to be settling into the slower months of winter. However, we still had 20 new listings (not refreshed, truly new). At this time of year, people typically hold off on putting their house up for sale until after the holidays. To list your home now, you have got to be pretty motivated. I am suspicious that some of these homes are in financial trouble. I also know that corporations often move employees during the holidays if they are trying to close out a corporate year that matches the calendar year. Whatever the cause, we are back to more new listings than sales activity.
Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes): NEWLY LISTED (Nov. 30—Dec 6, 2009)
ADDRESS
LIST PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
LIST DATE
Address
List Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
List Date
59 GALEN ST
$99,000
1
1
550
CONDO
12/2/2009
334 CERVANTES CIR
$144,900
2
1
832
CONDO
12/4/2009
75 GALEN ST
$159,900
2
2
995
CONDO
12/1/2009
4 TOUCHSTONE
$190,000
3
2.1
1,351
CONDO
12/1/2009
287 CERVANTES
$195,000
3
1.1
1,144
CONDO
12/4/2009
45 SW EAGLE CREST DR
$205,000
3
2
1,348
CONDO
12/2/2009
100 LEONARD ST
$264,900
2
2
1,364
CONDO
12/3/2009
16890 CORTEZ CT
$324,900
4
3
2,016
DETACHD
12/4/2009
1841 CLOVERLEAF RD
349000
5
3
2,186
DETACHD
12/1/2009
837 OAK ST
380000
3
2
2,816
ATTACHD
11/30/2009
15 CHURCHILL DOWNS
380000
4
2
2,014
ATTACHD
11/30/2009
17942 SAINT CLAIR DR
524900
4
2.1
2,533
DETACHD
12/1/2009
1250 PINE ST
539000
4
2.1
2,856
DETACHD
12/3/2009
339 6TH ST
599900
3
3.1
2,258
ATTACHD
12/1/2009
18081 WESTMINSTER DR
599950
4
2.1
2,713
DETACHD
12/1/2009
15393 DIAMOND HEAD RD
756400
4
2.1
3,192
DETACHD
12/2/2009
1010 HOODVIEW LN
875000
4
3
3,058
DETACHD
11/30/2009
17802 SW Marylcreek DR
887900
3
4
3,825
DETACHD
12/6/2009
18175 PILKINGTON RD
899900
4
3.1
3,164
DETACHD
12/1/2009
444 6TH ST
1095000
4
4.1
4,541
DETACHD
12/1/2009
PENDING SALES (Nov. 30 -Dec 6, 2009)
ADDRESS
LIST PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
DOM
Address
List Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
CDOM
668 MCVEY AVE
$143,550
3
1.1
992
CONDO
59
5077 W SUNSET DR
$299,900
2
2.1
1,720
ATTACHD
102
4051 VIRGINIA WAY
$339,900
3
2.1
1,658
DETACHD
58
2753 VALE CT
$402,000
3
3
2,786
DETACHD
31
1575 IVY CT
$515,000
4
3
2,432
DETACHD
56
SOLD (Nov. 30-Dec 6, 2009)
ADDRESS
ORIG. PRICE
SALE PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
DOM
Address
O/Price
Close Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
CDOM
4 TOUCHSTONE CT
$137,900
$105,000
3
2.1
1,350
CONDO
371
14 POLONIUS ST
$300,000
$288,000
4
3
2,754
DETACHD
254
5096 SW TREE ST
$334,900
$318,000
3
1.1
1,410
DETACHD
462
1990 WEMBLEY PARK RD
$399,900
$390,000
4
3
3,162
DETACHD
27
2981 VALE CT
$512,450
$475,500
5
2.1
3,516
DETACHD
436
5382 ROYAL OAKS DR
$555,000
$492,500
4
2.1
2,970
DETACHD
194
135 FURNACE ST
$709,900
$647,000
2
2.1
1,927
CONDO
97
827 8TH ST
$898,000
$835,000
5
3.1
3,852
DETACHD
38
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.
There are 15 homes being promoted in the RMLS as Open Houses this Sunday. I will be holding open my condominium listing in Mt. Park: 4447 Golden Lane. I’ll be there from 1 to 4. I’d love to have you stop by.
This week we get to take a step back from our daily routine… usually we take a few days to kick back & enjoy family, friends, and good food… and at the very minimum, we enjoy a few extra moments or hours to reflect on all we have to be grateful for.
This has been quite a year. I don’t think there are many who have not been affected, or had a loved one affected by the roller coaster ride that has been our economy. Now that things are starting to turn, and we hear “the recession is over”, we may or may not be seeing big changes in our own lives yet, but we can look around, and take stock. Do we have shelter? A roof over our heads, warmth and food? Do we have family? And if so, do we remember to tell them each and every day that we love them? Do we have friends… real friends? If so, do we remember to let them know that they make our lives richer just by being themselves? Do we have a job? & If so, do we think about all the ways that job enriches our lives, providing goods and/or services to others and supporting our family? Do we have beauty in our lives? Do we remember to actually look at those hanging baskets in downtown Lake Oswego, or the beautiful lights and holiday dressing the town takes on this time of year? Do we see the beautiful little things that cross our paths everyday… often escaping our notice? Ok, I’ll stop, but hopefully this gets you thinking a bit. Maybe this year would be the year to start a Gratitude Journal. I have a friend who records everything that happened that day for which he is grateful every night before bed. He swears that it has turned his life around! Maybe this year we might start a new tradition with our children, and have them fill out two lists… one being everything for which they are thankful, and the other being, well, you know… the one that goes to the North Pole (make sure to address it to City Hall/North Pole this year though : )
I am grateful for so many things, and I know I speak for Dianne and I both when I say we are so thankful for our Property Blotter readers & clients. You make it all worthwhile.
I’ll leave you with a few quotes to start your holiday season off just right:
“Stand up, on this Thanksgiving Day, stand upon your feet. Believe in man. Soberly and with clear eyes, believe in your own time and place. There is not, and there never has been a better time, or a better place to live in.” –Phillips Brooks
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
—Melody Beattie
“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” –Cicero
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” –W.T. Purkiser
“Serenely full, the epicure would say, Fate cannot harm me, I have dined today.”
–Sydney Smith
There are 14 truly NEW properties in Lake Oswego this last week, 6 that went to PENDING status, and 9 that SOLD. Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):
NEWLY LISTED (Nov. 16—Nov.22, 2009)
ADDRESS
LIST PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
LIST DATE
Address
List Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
List Date
8 OSWEGO SMT
$135,000
2
2
1,140
CONDO
11/17/2009
668 MCVEY AVE
$143,550
3
1.1
992
CONDO
11/16/2009
16250 PACIFIC HWY
$179,900
1
1
841
CONDO
11/17/2009
323 CERVANTES
$183,000
2
2
1,265
CONDO
11/20/2009
852 5TH ST
$199,000
2
1
738
DETACHD
11/21/2009
1950 BONNIEBRAE DR
$200,000
2
1.1
1,056
ATTACHD
11/21/2009
65 GREENRIDGE CT
$215,000
2
2
1,314
CONDO
11/22/2009
14580 WILMOT WAY
$374,900
3
2.1
1,699
DETACHD
11/19/2009
19 BECKET ST
$399,995
4
3.1
3,818
DETACHD
11/16/2009
3075 ROYCE WAY
$450,000
4
3.1
3,667
DETACHD
11/16/2009
15085 GLEN EAGLES PL
$529,000
3
2
2,996
DETACHD
11/17/2009
4605 CHELSEA LN
$689,000
4
2.1
3,411
DETACHD
11/22/2009
3103 WEMBLEY PARK RD
$720,000
3
1.1
3,774
DETACHD
11/20/2009
18955 BRYANT RD
$859,000
4
2.1
3,610
DETACHD
11/17/2009
PENDING SALES (Nov. 16 -Nov. 22, 2009)
ADDRESS
LIST PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
DOM
Address
List Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
CDOM
1581 BONNIEBRAE DR
$255,000
3
2
1,393
ATTACHD
253
1284 HIDE A WAY LN
$349,900
4
3
1,931
DETACHD
46
3521 LANEWOOD ST
$399,500
3
1.1
1,675
DETACHD
5
875 LEE ST
$439,000
3
2
2,200
DETACHD
192
12430 ORCHARD HILL RD
$599,950
3
2.1
2,985
DETACHD
201
4304 WESTBAY RD
$629,900
4
3.1
2,914
DETACHD
153
SOLD (Nov. 16-Nov. 22, 2009)
ADDRESS
ORIG. PRICE
SALE PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
DOM
Address
O/Price
Close Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
CDOM
4000 CARMAN DR
$128,900
$120,000
1
1
767
CONDO
38
210 S STATE ST
$199,900
$196,000
2
1
1,284
CONDO
456
17752 SCHALIT WAY
$329,900
$295,000
3
2
1,463
DETACHD
62
805 SW COUNTRY CLUB RD
$279,900
$297,128
3
2
1,981
DETACHD
10
3 MASARYK ST
$499,900
$440,000
4
3
4,283
DETACHD
214
4691 HERITAGE LN
$539,000
$496,000
4
2.1
2,716
DETACHD
324
577 MIDDLECREST RD
$999,900
$872,500
4
2.1
2,000
DETACHD
504
17225 KELOK RD
$1,350,000
$1,350,000
4
3.1
4,161
DETACHD
0
1075 CHANDLER RD
1850000
1712500
5
4.1
5,946
DETACHD
8
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.
There is a wonderful assortment of Holiday Events coming up here in Lake Oswego. It is a great time of year and the community comes together to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
Adult Community Center Thanksgiving Luncheon
November 25, 11:30am, at the Adult Community Center. Enjoy a holiday feast with friends. Call 503-635-3758, to make a reservation.
Holiday Tree Lighting
November 27, 5pm. Kick off the holiday season with the lighting of the giant sequoia tree at Fifth Street and A Avenue. Enjoy free coffee and cocoa and listen to choir members from local high schools. Then, walk to Millennium Plaza Park to enjoy more caroling, refreshments, live music, and several characters to entertain the kids. Donations of non-perishable, canned food for the Oregon Food Bank and unwrapped toys are encouraged.
Gingerbread House Building
November 30, 6:30 to 8:30pm. West End Building, 4101 Kruse Way. Everything you need to build a beautiful gingerbread house is included. Ages 18 and older. $47 per family/house. Register at www.lakeoswegoparks.org (#4327200)
5th Annual Lake Oswego Holiday Market
December 5th & 6th, 9am to 4pm, Millennium Plaza Park. A traditional European Holiday Market where you can shop for unique treasures: crafts, greenery, eats and treats. Local musicians will provide a background of Holiday music. A family-friendly shopping experience.
Holiday Gift Workshop
December 12, 10am to 12pm, West End Building. Spend a morning making holiday gifts for family and friends, snack on treats, and enjoy a special guest/entertainer. For children ages 6 to 12. Cost is $22. Register at www.lakeoswegoparks.org (#4267100)
Carriage Rides
December 6, 12, & 19, 11am to 3pm, Millennium Plaza Park. Get into the holiday spirit and enjoy a memorable carriage ride through the streets of beautiful downtown Lake Oswego. The horse drawn carriage will pick you up at the entrance to Millennium Plaza Park. Adults $3 and children under the age of 10, $1.
Christmas Ship Parade Viewing
December 19th, 6pm, Foothills Park. Experience the sparkle of the ships and their reflections from the shore of the Willamette River at Foothills Park while enjoying hot chocolate and a warm fire. For more information, go to www.christmasships.org.
Adult Community Center Holiday Luncheon
December 23rd, 11:30am, at the Adult Community Center. Celebrate the season with food and music. Call 503-635-3758 to make a lunch reservation.
Adult Community Center New Year’s Luncheon
December 30th, 11:30am, at the Adult Community Center. Honor the last of 2009 and welcome 2010 with friends. Call 503-635-3758 to make a reservation.
The above information is brought to us courtesy of Hello L.O., the official newsletter of the City of Lake Oswego. Happy Holidays!
Hmmmmmm…. Not to bum you California readers out, but this is a pretty dreary week in Lake Oswego! I so often hear from family and friends in California though, that they really LOVE rain, and I can relate. Nothing better than to curl up with a book (or a laptop) by a fire near a window with a nice view & hear the rain on the roof. Lots of coffee shops prosper here for the same reason.
We have yet to see what the weather is going to look like this winter. I hear that at the recent “weather conference” held here in Lake Oswego, experts were torn over whether we would be having a relatively dry season, or even MORE snow than we had last year…. quite a gap in understanding among experts… (any readers who attended this conference or who would like to chime in are welcome!).
Lake Oswego turns 100!
Well, we are only 99 right now, but Lake Oswego is turning 100 in 2010. Already planning is underway for a “year-long celebration” that will kick off in January with a film at the Lakewood Center giving an overview of the city’s history and unveiling the “Lake Oswego Building Blocks” display; a visual history of 20 of the city’s neighborhoods which will remain on display throughout the year.
There will also be a scavenger hunt that will begin after the kick-off and last thru March (!!!) with clues given each week via he Lake Oswego Review and the city’s official website.
For more info or to get involved, contact Kern-Schilling at 503-675-3983, attend a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the West End Building or visit the Web site www.lakeoswego100.com later this month.
City Revisits “Affordable Housing”
There was an interesting article in the Lake Oswego Review about a week ago that highlighted some citizens’ work toward ensuring that in particular seniors, but also lower income families and individuals, have access to affordable housing. Paul Lyons, along with Ralph Tahran have been meeting with City Counselor Roger Hennigan and other interested parties. Mr. Lyons led a discussion at a recent city council meeting. He pointed out that the planning department is undergoing a periodic review of the Comprehensive Plan, and is hopeful that this is a good time to reintroduce this discussion which was sidelined in 2005. Here is a link to the article for anyone interested: Affordable Housing The article has generated lively debate in Lake Oswego.
Market Action Report
It is almost time for the October Market Action Report to be released by RMLS. I think it is interesting to note that there has been a new column added to the Residential Market Highlights and the Area Report called “Total Market Time”. This is an average of the cumulative number of days a property has been truly on the market. This time does not reset unless a property has been off the market for more than 30 days, and this statistic is evidently calculated for listings that sell in the month and year-to-date time periods that apply to any issue of Market Action. You know that Dianne and I have often mentioned the confusion that sometimes results from how “Days on Market” are shown when a property relists but is really not a new listing, and so I am glad to see this change in the Market Action Report which will more accurately reflect a property’s actual time on the market before sale.
The last time I posted our market activity report we had a comment that the numbers seemed pretty balanced, and for the last couple of months I think that has been true. I think that for the most part when houses come onto the market, home sellers are fully aware that they need to be priced right. That has lead to fairly strong sales. Again this week, we had 11 houses come onto the market and 11 houses go pending. The closed sales were just 5, so that is not as strong. But my sense is that the market is moving pretty well as long as prices reflect what a buyer considers to be a good value.
Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):
NEWLY LISTED (Nov 2—Nov.8, 2009)
ADDRESS
LIST PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
LIST DATE
Address
List Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
List Date
4000 CARMAN DR
$145,000
2
2
869
CONDO
11/6/2009
15200 BOONES WAY
$175,000
2
1.1
1,248
CONDO
11/4/2009
3365 UPPER DR
$329,900
2
2
1,378
DETACHD
11/6/2009
505 8TH ST
$389,000
3
1
1,050
DETACHD
11/6/2009
1720 MAPLELEAF RD
$449,000
3
2
1,529
DETACHD
11/5/2009
13448 AUBURN CT
$474,900
3
2.1
2,535
ATTACHD
11/3/2009
4040 VIRGINIA WAY
$524,900
3
2.1
2,623
DETACHD
11/6/2009
33 MORNINGVIEW CIR
$574,900
3
2.1
2,737
DETACHD
11/2/2009
5322 ROSALIA WAY
799999
4
2.1
3,500
DETACHD
11/3/2009
17370 CANYON DR
849900
4
3.1
3,408
DETACHD
11/5/2009
17384 BERGIS FARM DR
1295000
5
4.1
5,012
DETACHD
11/4/2009
PENDING SALES (Nov 2 -Nov. 8, 2009)
ADDRESS
LIST PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
DOM
Address
List Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
CDOM
4 TOUCHSTONE CT
$109,900
3
2.1
1,350
CONDO
371
14 POLONIUS ST
$300,000
4
3
2,754
DETACHD
254
161 C AVE
$449,900
2
2.1
1,719
ATTACHD
215
4311 ORCHARD WAY
$544,900
4
2.1
3,082
DETACHD
54
5 GARIBALDI ST
$574,800
4
3.1
3,250
DETACHD
8
4688 CHELSEA LN
$649,900
4
2.1
3,493
DETACHD
9
279 EVERGREEN RD
$674,500
3
3.1
2,136
ATTACHD
129
19463 LORNA LN
$805,000
4
3.1
4,024
DETACHD
21
827 8TH ST
$898,000
5
3.1
3,852
DETACHD
38
577 MIDDLECREST RD
$999,900
4
2.1
2,000
DETACHD
504
753 LAKESHORE RD
$1,385,000
3
3.1
2,562
DETACHD
51
SOLD (Nov 2-Nov. 8, 2009)
ADDRESS
ORIG. PRICE
SALE PRICE
TOT. BEDS
TOT. BATHS
TOT. SQ FT
PROP TYPE
DOM
Address
O/Price
Close Price
# BR
# BTHS
Total SF
Prop Type
CDOM
4 TOUCHSTONE
$119,900
$115,000
2
2
984
CONDO
43
15450 SW KIMBALL CT
$299,000
$233,000
4
1.1
1,104
DETACHD
344
5554 ROYAL OAKS DR
$399,885
$385,000
3
2
1,861
DETACHD
2
1531 WOODLAND TER
$414,000
$408,500
3
2.1
1,895
DETACHD
139
4691 CHELSEA LN
$629,900
$530,000
4
2.1
3,102
DETACHD
585
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.
I had a client once who told me about Trick or Treat houses. These were the houses he would take his kids out of the way to Trick or Treat at on Halloween so that he could get a peek inside. There are a couple of houses that are on this week’s list of open houses that may very well be due the honor of being a Trick or Treat house. Obviously the one on Glen Eagles Place. A gorgeous, high-end home that is spectacular. The other one is the one on Childs Road. Linda and I went through it on tour last Tuesday and it is just very unique. It’s an older home so has some features that are not so great if you don’t like the floorplans and limitations of an older house. But what is great about it is that it sits on this lovely lot on the Tualatin River. The main room is huge (it might even be appropriate to call it grand) and has this very large picture window that looks out onto the river. The house is extensively remodeled to today’s standards and is impeccably decorated. And look at the price. $489,900 for all of that on waterfront. Amazing.
Let’s face it, December is dark. The sun comes up about 7:30 and sets about 4:30. That’s just 9 hours of daylight. And that’s why Christmas lights are pretty darn important to me. I know they are put up to celebrate religious traditions. But as far as I am concerned they are put up for ME. I love them and need them to get through the month of the year with the shortest daylight. My own turkey barely has a chance to go cold on the counter before I am putting up my own Christmas lights. And I push the boundary on the other end too by leaving them up past Christmas. (Yes, one year I had them up until Valentine’s, but haven’t been that extreme in quite awhile.)
Ok, so, it’s the holidays, and the Realtors are all running around serving their clients with Christmas trees on their car roofs… well, at least I am! Or was, earlier today. I visited another real estate office and noticed that I’m not the only one juggling real estate business and “extra” holiday activities and errands… and frankly we all are right now. So, I was thinking- What am I going to write about in the Property Blotter this time? I’ve got to take care of my clients and go shopping for Manicotti ingredients, champagne, Martinelli’s and all manner of other Christmas Party necessities. What will I write about? Food comes to mind of course.
This week we get to take a step back from our daily routine… usually we take a few days to kick back & enjoy family, friends, and good food… and at the very minimum, we enjoy a few extra moments or hours to reflect on all we have to be grateful for.
There is a wonderful assortment of Holiday Events coming up here in Lake Oswego. It is a great time of year and the community comes together to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
