selling real estate Archives - Page 131 of 136

June 24, 2009

Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts!!! ~ June 26, 27 & 28

artshow2 The 2009, 46th annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts is just a couple of days away! It is always such a thrill to be in Lake Oswego during the festival. There is an air of celebration with pedestrians everywhere in the summer sun walking from the Lakewood Center for the Arts to George Rogers Park and local eateries and gathering places. Of course residents wade through some additional traffic, but we don’t seem to mind… taking in the sights and sounds of art, music, and visitors from all over.

This year the event includes the exhibit, “Cutting Edges: Contemporary Mosaic Art”, and it promises to be one for the record books. Aside from being an awesome display of mosaic work by an international group of participating artists, it is also the largest mosaic fine art exhibit ever offered in the United States (wow). World-renowned artists will display gorgeous pieces using stone, metal, precious jewels, glass, recycled and found items. You may wish to stroll and take it all in at the Lakewood Center, and/or take the opportunity provided to learn about the history of the ancient art, its materials and methods.

Downstairs in the first floor hallway you may enjoy the juried exhibit, “The Artist’s Vision” by Northwest artists. Also here you will find the “Visual Arts Invitational Chronicle” exploring the artist’s vision of Lake Oswego, and at the end of the hall is art from our Lake Oswego Grade Schools and Jr. High Schools. Outside in the pavilion tent will be more than 1,000 pieces of art by both professional and emerging artists, along with the High School exhibit, and hands-on activities for children.

All the artwork at the Lakewood Center will be offered for sale, with the exception of some of the school pieces.

Across the street at George Rogers Park you will be able to stroll through the juried “Fine Arts Crafts Faire” and take in a visual feast from more than 110 artisans. Enjoy music while you do from such artists as Linda Hornbuckle & Janice Scroggins, Marv & Rindy Ross, the Crazy 8’s, Ellen Whyte, 3 Leg Torso and others! Kids will enjoy the “Missoula Children’s Theatre” and “Kids Day in the Park”, and Mom & Dad might enjoy a cold beer or glass of wine at the pavilion staffed by the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce.

Music at the Lakewood Center will include a wide array of delectable fare including piano, saxophone, samba guitar, and jazz from artists including Hailey Niswanger, Ronnie Robbins, John NIlsen, and many more.

For more information on exhibit locations, music schedules, activity schedules, parking & shuttle locations, please visit: http://www.lakewood-center.org/pages/lakewood-festival-events

See you at the Festival!

June 23, 2009

Lake Oswego Market Activity Report ~ June 15 – June 21, 2009

This last week Lake Oswego saw 33 New properties placed on the market, Pending sales at 15 and 9 Sold/closed.

Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):

NEWLY LISTED (June 15—June 21, 2009)

Address	List Price	# Beds	# Baths	Total SF	Prop Type	List Date
89 GALEN ST	$107,500	1	1	550	CONDO	6/17/2009
29 CRESTFIELD CT	$154,900	2	2	995	CONDO	6/16/2009
3688 SPRING LN	$179,900	2	2	1,120	CONDO	6/19/2009
12822 BOONES FERRY RD	$234,900	2	2.1	1,136	CONDO	6/16/2009
3480 DEVONSHIRE DR	$308,000	2	2.1	1,649	ATTACHD	6/20/2009
4948 SW MEADOWS AVE	$319,000	3	2	2,491	DETACHD	6/19/2009
1140 HALLINAN CT	$339,895	3	2	1,875	DETACHD	6/21/2009
4310 SILVER CT	$367,500	2	3.1	1,996	CONDO	6/18/2009
104 KINGSGATE RD	$379,500	3	2.1	2,000	ATTACHD	6/16/2009
668 MCVEY AVE	$399,850	3	1.1	985	CONDO	6/17/2009
1651 LARCH ST	$399,900	4	3	2,225	DETACHD	6/18/2009
17349 BANYON LN	$419,900	5	2.1	2,846	DETACHD	6/15/2009
540 2ND ST	$425,000	2	2.1	1,520	CONDO	6/17/2009
4693 LAKEVIEW BLVD	$449,000	3	2.1	1,728	DETACHD	6/19/2009
13342 AUBURN CT	$489,900	3	2.1	2,389	ATTACHD	6/20/2009
2405 Dellwood DR	$505,000	5	3	2,336	DETACHD	6/17/2009
11 MORNINGVIEW CIR	$547,000	3	2.1	2,921	DETACHD	6/17/2009
16925 Depot	$549,000	4	2.1	2,500	DETACHD	6/19/2009
668 MCVEY AVE	$549,000	3	1.1	997	ATTACHD	6/18/2009
953 A AVE	$599,000	3	2	2,628	DETACHD	6/15/2009
475 10TH ST	$623,500	4	2.1	2,932	DETACHD	6/19/2009
14121 GABRIELLE CT	$624,900	4	2.1	3,006	DETACHD	6/16/2009
4208 ALBERT CIR	$639,900	3	3	2,777	DETACHD	6/18/2009
113 FURNACE ST	$669,000	2	2.1	2,154	CONDO	6/19/2009
22 INDEPENDENCE AVE	$724,000	7	4.1	4,066	DETACHD	6/21/2009
4304 WESTBAY RD	$729,000	4	3.1	2,973	DETACHD	6/18/2009
13461 STREAMSIDE DR	$749,000	4	2.1	3,321	DETACHD	6/15/2009
898 CORNELL ST	$759,000	3	2.1	3,000	DETACHD	6/21/2009
3220 SOUTHSHORE BLVD	$1,199,999	3	3	3,629	DETACHD	6/18/2009
2070 RIDGE POINTE DR	$1,225,000	4	5	5,530	DETACHD	6/16/2009
1933 SUMMIT DR	$1,675,000	5	4.1	4,925	DETACHD	6/18/2009
2557 SOUTHSHORE BLVD	$1,895,000	3	3.2	3,604	DETACHD	6/15/2009
102 3RD ST	$1,999,999	4	4	3,400	DETACHD	6/18/2009

PENDING SALES (June 15-June 21, 2009)

Address	List Price	# Beds	# Baths	Total SF	Prop Type	CDOM
100 KERR PKWY	$125,000	2	1.1	823	CONDO	91
47 EAGLE CREST DR	$129,900	2	1	932	CONDO	52
276 CERVANTES	$183,000	3	2	1,209	CONDO	27
5063 Foothills DR	$229,000	2	2	1,031	CONDO	213
4366 WOODSIDE CIR	$319,000	3	2.1	1,762	ATTACHD	97
13840 VERTE CT	$324,900	3	2	1,926	DETACHD	8
18481 WAXWING CIR	$375,000	3	2.1	1,840	DETACHD	13
1299 HIDE A WAY LN	$399,000	3	2	1,893	DETACHD	127
17985 BRAEDEN CT	$554,900	3	2.1	2,559	DETACHD	38
762 3RD ST	$639,900	3	2.1	2,590	DETACHD	309
17751 MARYLCREEK DR	$690,000	4	3	3,505	DETACHD	112
15535 VILLAGE DR	$799,000	5	3	3,421	DETACHD	88
17215 LOWENBERG TER	$850,000	4	2.1	2,819	DETACHD	550
13010 KNAUS RD	$1,199,000	4	3.1	4,312	DETACHD	945
17334 BERGIS FARM DR	$1,399,000	5	4.1	5,654	DETACHD	335

SOLD (June 15-June 21, 2009)

Address	O/Price	Close Price	# Beds	# Baths	Total SF	Prop Type	CDOM
668 MCVEY AVE	$239,900	$220,000	3	1.1	1,184	CONDO	61
204 CERVANTES	$249,900	$246,000	3	1.1	1,138	CONDO	79
2130 WEMBLEY PARK RD	$379,000	$299,900	3	1.1	1,544	DETACHD	280
1716 HALLINAN ST	$369,500	$362,000	3	3	1,916	DETACHD	47
12103 ORCHARD HILL WAY	$429,000	$399,000	4	2.1	2,332	DETACHD	226
17445 LAKE HAVEN DR	$539,900	$537,000	4	3	2,949	DETACHD	9
15713 TARA PL	$615,000	$580,000	4	2.1	3,442	DETACHD	143
17970 ROYCE WAY	$995,000	$900,000	4	4.2	5,226	DETACHD	285
2605 SOUTHSHORE BLVD	$1,395,000	1340000	3	4.1	4,750	DETACHD	234

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.

June 19, 2009

Open Houses for Sunday, June 21st, 2009

Along with being Father’s Day, this Sunday will find 24 open houses in Lake Oswego:

15210 Boones Way, $175,000. 1124 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2 BTHS, open 1:30-4:30

109 Oswego Summit, $182,900. 1212 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2 BTHS, open 2-5

12844 Boones Ferry Rd, $229,900. 1136 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 1-4

4447 Golden Ln, $249,000. 1980 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2:30-5

4465 Golden Ln, $259,000. 1980 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2-4

16964 Gassner Ln, $330,000. 2208 sq. feet, 3 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1-4

5096 Tree St, $334,900. 1410 sq. feet, 3 BR, 1.5 BTHS, open 2-4

2315 Southshore Blvd, $335,000. 1970 sq. feet, 3 BR, 1 BTH, open 2-4

140 Touchstone Ct, $339,900. 1964 sq. feet, 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 12-2

15265 Boones Way, $349,900. 1560 sq. feet, 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 1-3

2705 Orchard Hill Pl, $434,900. 2250 sq. feet, 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 1-4

41 Hillshire Dr, $474,000. 2670 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1:30-3:30

11 Morningview Cir, $547,000. 2921 sq. feet, 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2-4

16920 Greentree Ave, $579,000. 2830 sq. feet, 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 2-4

11 Celllini Ct, $584,950. 3392 sq. feet, 5 BR, 3 BTHS, open noon-2

2814 Vale Ct, $659,000. 3192 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1-4

18246 Bella Terra Dr, $1,294,000. 4052 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 1-3

17464 Ridgeview Ln, $1,298,950. 4407 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

622 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,325,000. 4171 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

664 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,355,000. 4198 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

18110 Siena Dr, $1,394,000. 4311 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 1-3

657 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,395,000. 4371 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

17364 Ridgeview Ct, $1,425,000. 4436 sq. feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

17433 Ridgeview Ln, $1,495,000. 4704 sq. feet, 4 BR, 4.5 BTHS, open 2-4

Enjoy your weekend and a very Happy Father’s Day to the wonderful men in our lives, whether they be your father or simply someone who brings that fatherly spark to your day.

June 17, 2009

1-Level Homes

verte-front There are many reasons why a person might prefer to live in a single level home. Some are purely by choice. Things like the easy of movement while carrying laundry, or the preference for vaulted ceilings. Others are truly out of necessity due to disabilities whether they be mobility problems, advancing age, or even blindness. But for many people, living in a 1-level home is their preference.

For these people, when they go to purchase a home, it means that they have a much smaller inventory of homes to select from. And for the seller of a 1-level home, it means that they have a very specific niche in the real estate market. So when a single level home comes up for sale, it is likely to be well received by buyers.

Some quick statistics: in the year 2000, the size of the U.S. population that was age 65 or older was 35,000,000 people or 12.4% of the population. It is projected that by the year 2030 that percentage will grow to 19.6%, or 71,000,000 people. This means that the desirability of a one-level home is only going to increase.

Now the twist, just as the demand for single level homes in increasing, the availability of land to build single level homes is decreasing, at least in Oregon. Every city and county has building codes that require specific distances, or set backs, from the property lines. A builder is simply restricted to foundations that fit within the set backs of any particular piece of property. Because a 1-level home usually has a larger foundation, it means that the smaller lots that are common in today’s developments do not have the area necessary to build 1-level homes. And this means that the land that is big enough to build a 1-level home will cost more because it is larger. It also means that the 1-level homes that currently exist will be high-demand and valuable into the future.

An important concept to understand when you are buying or selling a single level home is how the value compares to other properties. Why is it that a 1500 square foot, single level home, can sell for as much as a 2000 square foot 2-story home? This goes back to the construction of the building. The two most expensive components in building a home are the roof and the foundation. When you have a 2-story house, this big expense goes twice as far. So a 1-level home is more expensive to build per square foot, and through out it’s life of being purchased and sold it will continue to pass along this higher expense.

So if you are lucky enough to have a 1-level home, I hope that you feel good about your investment. If you are looking to buy a 1-level home, there are currently 70 of them for sale in Lake Oswego. The least expensive is 1346 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, and was built in 1956. It is listed for $229,900. The most expensive is 5389 square feet, with 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and was built in 1993. It is listed for $1,850,000. The other 68 single level homes for sale cover every sort of size and pricing.

Whether you are wanting to buy or sell, whether you want a 1-level or several levels, Linda and I are here to help. Please do not hesitate to give us a call or to drop us an e-mail.

Dianne

June 16, 2009

Market Activity for June 8-June 14, 2009

I know that in my personal business it feels like things have picked up a bit. I think last week’s market activity also reflected that. We had 19 new listings come on the market, 12 homes go pending, and 14 sales that closed.

Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):

NEWLY LISTED (June 8—June 14, 2009)

Address	List Price	# BR	# BTHS	Total SF	Prop Type	List Date
15210 BOONES WAY	$175,000	2	2	1,124	CONDO	6/8/2009
109 OSWEGO SMT	$182,900	2	2	1,212	CONDO	6/8/2009
44 EAGLE CREST DR	$185,000	3	2	1,085	CONDO	6/11/2009
212 RIDGEWAY RD	$204,900	1	1	778	CONDO	6/12/2009
41 GREENRIDGE CT	$249,900	3	2.1	1,652	ATTACHD	6/8/2009
4438 THUNDER VISTA LN	$265,000	2	2.1	2,040	CONDO	6/8/2009
1432 LAUREL ST	$275,000	2	1	920	DETACHD	6/8/2009
3 SUMMIT RIDGE CT	$300,000	2	2.1	1,576	ATTACHD	6/11/2009
343 5TH ST	315000	2	1	910	CONDO	6/11/2009
16808 INVERURIE RD	324900	3	2	1,182	DETACHD	6/8/2009
16964 GASSNER LN	330000	3	3	2,208	DETACHD	6/8/2009
6310 CARMAN DR	349900	3	2.2	1,270	DETACHD	6/9/2009
19040 INDIAN SPRINGS CIR	369950	5	2	2,050	DETACHD	6/9/2009
5037 CENTERWOOD ST	379000	3	1.1	1,340	DETACHD	6/13/2009
2705 ORCHARD HILL PL	434900	3	2.1	2,250	DETACHD	6/12/2009
16439 LEXINGTON CT	474900	2	2	1,563	DETACHD	6/9/2009
891 G AVE	529900	5	2.1	2,420	DETACHD	6/11/2009
17471 CARDINAL DR	850000	4	2.1	3,056	DETACHD	6/9/2009
667 IRON MOUNTAIN BLVD	1650000	5	4.1	5,000	DETACHD	6/8/2009

PENDING SALES (June 8-June 16, 2009)

Address	List Price	# BR	# BTHS	Total SF	Prop Type	CDOM
3876 BOTTICELLI ST	$169,900	2	2	1,275	ATTACHD	202
668 MCVEY AVE	194900 – 224876	2	1	852	CONDO	765
4325 COUNTRY WOODS CT	$299,900	3	2	1,346	DETACHD	40
17850 PILKINGTON RD	$372,000	3	2.1	3,222	DETACHD	388
762 LAKE FOREST DR	$412,125	4	3	1,970	DETACHD	9
14371 HOLLY SPRINGS RD	$414,900	4	2.1	1,939	DETACHD	354
131 WILBUR ST	$425,000	2	2	1,312	DETACHD	106
16919 LAKERIDGE DR	$425,000	4	3	2,710	DETACHD	295
4181 COBB WAY	429900	4	3	2,248	DETACHD	28
15713 TARA PL	615000	4	2.1	3,442	DETACHD	143
17600 UPPER CHERRY LN	699000	4	3.1	3,867	DETACHD	133
17090 FERNWOOD DR	765000	4	3.1	3,998	DETACHD	302

SOLD (June 8-June 16, 2009)

Address	O/Price	Close Price	# BR	# BTHS	Total SF	Prop Type	CDOM
5101 JEAN RD	$295,000	$235,000	3	1	1,012	DETACHD	233
16446 INVERURIE RD	$349,900	$250,000	3	1	2,100	DETACHD	350
17071 BRYANT RD	$435,000	$320,000	3	2	1,500	DETACHD	302
1666 LAKE FRONT RD	$874,900	$395,000	4	3	2,825	DETACHD	680
13581 GOODALL RD	$1,100,000	$475,000	3	2	1,220	DETACHD	575
54 AQUINAS ST	$575,000	$485,000	3	2.1	2,802	DETACHD	249
11 BECKET ST	$550,000	$487,500	3	2.1	4,030	DETACHD	111
19431 KOKANEE CT	$529,000	$520,000	4	2.1	2,250	DETACHD	8
5868 SUNCREEK DR	749900	645000	4	2.1	3,174	DETACHD	68
2317 STONEHURST CT	$945,900	660000	4	2.1	4,455	DETACHD	374
4155 CANAL RD	$1,199,000	685000	4	2.1	3,736	DETACHD	678
2900 WEMBLEY PARK RD	697000	690000	4	2.1	3,383	DETACHD	4
3407 LAKE GROVE AVE	$1,298,000	875000	4	3.1	4,475	DETACHD	402
18224 Bella Terra DR	1495000	1275000	4	4	4,050	DETACHD	397

June 13, 2009

Lake Oswego Open Houses ~ June 14, 2009

There are 33 great properties to see on Sunday in Lake Oswego. No matter what price level or type of home you are looking for, you will be sure to find some fun options on the list below! Enjoy a beautiful Sunday!

Here are those that will be held open according to RMLS:

12846 SW Boones Ferry Rd $209,000 2 Bd, 1 1/2 Ba Open 9-11

16501 Lake Forest Blvd $319,900 3 Bd, 1 Ba Open 1-3

13840 Verte Ct $324,900 3 Bd, 2 Ba Open 1-3

3009 Wembley Park Rd $379,900 3 Bd, 1 1/2 Ba Open 1-4

16824 SW Inverurie Rd $389,900 3 Bd, 3 Ba Open 1-4

1023 Lund St $412,500 4 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 1-4

1531 Woodland Ter $429,000 3 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 1-4

1858 Southshore Blvd $449,900 4 Bd, 2 Ba Open 2-4

42 Hillshire Dr $474,000 4 Bd, 3 Ba Open 1:30-3:30

16439 Lexington Ct $474,900 2 Bd 2 Ba Open 3-5

15943 White Oaks Dr $495,500 4 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

4959 Bilford Ln $547,500 3 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

16920 Greentree Ave $579,000 4 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

11 Cellini Ct $584,950 5 Bd, 3 Ba Open 12-2:30

17879 Hillside Dr $619,900 3 Bd, 3 Ba Open 12-2

580 Weidman Ct $659,000 5 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 2:30-4:30

401 Ash St $680,000 5 Bd, 4 Ba Open 1-3

550 Middlecrest Rd $699,000 3 Bd, 2 1/2Ba Open 1-3

220 Greenwood Rd $785,000 3 Bd, 4 Ba Open 1-4

2688 Rivendell Rd $835,000 4 Bd, 3 Ba Open 1-3

15540 Village Dr $879,900 4 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 1-3

3030 Westview Ct $898,000 4 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 2:30-4

577 Middlecrest Rd $999,900 4 Bd, 2 1/2 Ba Open 1-3

14480 Kruse Oaks Blvd $1,149,000 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 1-3

18246 Bella Terra Dr $1,294,000 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 1-4

17464 Ridgeview Ln $1,298,950 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

622 Oak Meadow Dr $1,325,000 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

624 Atwater Rd $1,338,000 5 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 1-3

664 Oak Meadow Dr $1,355,000 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

18110 Siena Dr $1,394,000 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 1-3

657 Oak Meadow Dr $1,395,000 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

17364 Ridgeview Ct $1,425,000 4 Bd, 3 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

17433 Ridgeview Ln $1,495,000 4 Bd, 4 1/2 Ba Open 2-4

June 10, 2009June 10, 2009

Green Water (ing)

perennial Though you wouldn’t know it today to look out my window (cloudy & some drizzle), it is summer, sunbeams have been out in force, and temps have been shooting up along with the plants in our yards and gardens. Some of this has to do with the heat, and some has to do with the fact that we are watering things while there is heat. At this time of year, and especially during a recession, we all need a refresher course on watering, and Lake Oswego is only too happy to oblige!

7dees2 Water conservation experts from the Regional Water Providers Consortium (RWPC) are visiting Lake Oswego for a session with local residents where they plan to hand out free water gauges and lots of good tips for water-efficient landscaping and maintenance. This event will be held this Saturday, June 13th, at Dennis’ 7 Dees Garden Center, 1090 McVey Ave., from 10 AM to 2 PM.

The Consortium has an amazing website that reminds me how much there grass4 is to learn. I remember thinking, when I was much younger and of course knew much more than I do today (or thought I did), that being a native of Southern California (Hey… No ribbing… I’ve been here since 1978!) , I had a very hard time believing that there was truly any need to conserve water in Oregon… I mean come on! With all the rainfall, the huge river running through town, the snowy mountain peaks dribbling water through Portland all year long… How was I supposed to believe that we actually needed to pay much attention at all to water consumption? Well, in recent years we have all learned how integral our activities are to maintaining the living environment we so cherish and want to hand to our children. There really are limits to what nature can provide us in our current numbers & given the constraints of our infrastructure. Then, there is that money thing… Practical tips for saving money while saving water? I’m all ears!
Among the vast array of uselful material to be found at the RWPC site are the following good pieces of information:

Use Mulch! It is important to know what kind to use however: –Organic Mulches (aged manure, bark chips, wood chips) and compost material will significantly decrease the amount of water you will need for plant health. Specifically, the addition of as little as 5% organic material can quadruple your soil’s ability to store water, decreasing the watering needed. – Inorganic mulches like stones, concrete and gravel can be great for creating landscape patterns etc., but also “re-radiate” the sun’s heat and cause an increase in the amount of water needed to care for surrounding plants.
Create Watering Zones – These would be areas of your property wherein similar types of plants reside hopefully having similar watering requirements. (Lawn areas, rose garden, annual garden, perennial garden etc) This way you avoid the “one system fits all” mentality and the over-watering that results for some garden areas.
Adjust Watering Schedules Frequently – As the temperatures shift during the summer, you will want to adjust your watering schedules accordingly.
Managed Stress in the Landscape – There are all sorts of seemingly complicated formulas to help you determine how much to water a lawn at any given temperature. The RWPC site simplifies this information and helps you understand the “Stressing” concept, which basically means watering as little as possible forcing lawns to use their natural coping mechanisms and give you a green lawn all summer without the heavy over-watering that is so prevalent.
Water Plants Thoroughly but Infrequently – This causes roots to go deeper and therefore be more drought resistant/require less watering.
Water When Temps are Cooler – Preferably before 10:00AM or after 6:00PM.
Use Drip Irrigation Where Possible – Large water droplets close to the ground are much more efficient than sprinkler systems which lose a lot of water to evaporation.
Don’t Water in the Rain – Use rain sensors and gauges to eliminate unnecessary automatic watering when it is raining.

June 8, 2009

Market Activity for June 1st to 7th, 2009

This past week brought 28 new listings, 10 pending sales, and 6 sold properties. One of the challenges of doing this report is going back through the data to “weed out” the listings that have new RMLS numbers, but are not truly new to the market. I try to not include houses that were taken off the market in the last 30-60 days and then re-listed. Having said that, there are half a dozen houses on this list that came off the market last winter around the holidays and are now re-listed, so they may sound familiar to you. A couple of them have had huge price reductions.

Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):

NEWLY LISTED (June 1—June 7, 2009)

Address	List Price	# BR	# BTHS	Total SF	Prop Type	List Date
4629 LAKEVIEW BLVD	$179,900	2	2	1,178	CONDO	6/4/2009
188 OSWEGO SUMMIT	$195,500	2	2	1,383	CONDO	6/3/2009
16584 ROOSEVELT AVE	$263,000	3	1	1,188	DETACHD	6/5/2009
17570 MARDEE AVE	$264,900	3	1	1,050	DETACHD	6/5/2009
4433 THUNDER VISTA LN	$275,000	2	2.1	1,980	CONDO	6/5/2009
15265 BOONES WAY	$349,900	2	2.1	1,560	ATTACHD	6/1/2009
2315 SOUTHSHORE BLVD	$350,000	3	1	1,970	DETACHD	6/1/2009
26 BRIARWOOD RD	$389,900	4	2.2	2,554	DETACHD	6/3/2009
17280 WESTVIEW DR	399900	3	2.1	2,324	DETACHD	6/1/2009
2745 GREENTREE RD	400000	2	1	1,219	DETACHD	6/5/2009
762 LAKE FOREST DR	412125	4	3	1,970	DETACHD	6/1/2009
19 TOUCHSTONE	415000	4	3	2,789	DETACHD	6/2/2009
14433 HOLLY SPRINGS RD	419900	4	2.1	1,939	DETACHD	6/1/2009
692 2ND ST	425000	3	1	1,700	DETACHD	6/1/2009
13899 MAJESTIC CT	439000	3	2	2,357	DETACHD	6/1/2009
410 LAUREL ST	499000	4	2.1	2,064	DETACHD	6/5/2009
4043 ORCHARD DR	635000	4	2.1	3,339	DETACHD	6/6/2009
2834 GLENMORRIE DR	669000	3	2.1	2,459	DETACHD	6/1/2009
17473 REDFERN AVE	719950	4	2.1	3,052	DETACHD	6/5/2009
7 SCARBOROUGH DR	724950	4	2.1	3,367	DETACHD	6/5/2009
4070 VIRGINIA WAY	749000	3	2.1	3,510	DETACHD	6/4/2009
160 GREENWOOD RD	799950	4	0.2	2,448	DETACHD	6/3/2009
2681 SOUTHSHORE BLVD	890000	3	2.1	2,760	DETACHD	6/4/2009
19010 BRYANT RD	899000	4	3.1	4,878	DETACHD	6/5/2009
16461 CHAPIN WAY	947500	4	2.1	4,271	DETACHD	6/1/2009
18246 BELLA TERRA DR	1294000	4	3.1	4,052	DETACHD	6/4/2009
18493 RAY RIDGE DR	1359000	4	3.3	4,401	DETACHD	6/1/2009
17211 KELOK RD	1399000	3	3.1	5,384	DETACHD	6/5/2009

PENDING SALES (June 1-June 7, 2009)

Address	List Price	# BR	# BTHS	Total SF	Prop Type	CDOM
15010 TWIN FIR RD	$284,905	8	2.1	3,526	DETACHD	92
800 WOODWAY CT	$339,000	4	3	2,066	DETACHD	55
1234 MAPLE ST	$345,000	3	2	1,947	DETACHD	141
4070 WESTBAY RD	$449,996	3	2	1,828	DETACHD	33
6091 FROST LN	$479,900	5	2.1	2,540	DETACHD	210
523 2ND ST	$485,000	2	2	1,274	CONDO
2860 DELLWOOD DR	$505,000	4	2.1	2,966	DETACHD	34
1510 FERNWOOD DR	$574,950	5	3	3,291	DETACHD	123
17141 WALL ST	619000	4	3	3,540	DETACHD	354
4076 Orchard DR	719000	4	3.1	3,991	DETACHD	34

SOLD (June 1-June 7, 2009)

Address	O/Price	Close Price	# BR	# BTHS	Total SF	Prop Type	CDOM
44 EAGLE CREST DR	$124,950	$125,000	1	1	798	CONDO	63
12826 Boones Ferry RD	$299,900	$228,000	2	2.1	1,398	CONDO	156
1615 HALLINAN ST	$299,900	$277,750	3	1.1	1,500	DETACHD	231
18307 LONGFELLOW AVE	$339,900	$319,000	3	2	1,457	DETACHD	262
13470 PETERS RD	$474,900	$474,900	3	2.1	2,324	ATTACHD	15
569 6TH ST	$800,000	$490,000	4	2	2,168	DETACHD	359

June 5, 2009June 5, 2009

Open Houses for Sunday, June 7th, 2009

There are currently 31 homes scheduled to be held open in Lake Oswego on June 7th, according to the RMLS:

100 SW Kerr Pkwy, $97,900. 1 BR, 1 BTH, 617 sq. feet, open 1:30-3:30

4465 Golden Lane, $275,000. 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 1980 sq. feet, open 2-4

5094 Galen, $299,999. 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 1438 sq. feet, open 1-3

4 Weatherstone, $224,950. 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 1692 sq. feet, open 1-3

3009 Wembley Park Rd, $379,900. 3 BR, 1.5 BTHS, 1754 sq. feet, open 1-4

16824 Inverurie Rd, $389,900. 3 BR, 3 BTHS, 1896 sq. feet, open 2-4

16950 Lakeridge Dr, $479,000. 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 2305 sq. feet, open 2-4

41 Hillshire Dr, $494,000. 4 BR, 3 BTHS, 2670 sq. feet, open 1:30-3:30

14412 Meadow Grass, $500,000. 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 3563 sq. feet, open 1-3

624 Livingood Ln, $549,000. 4 BR, 3 BTHS, 2596 sq. feet, open 1-4

5400 Bay Creek Dr, $550,000. 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 2856 sq. feet, open 1-3

4736 Amherst Ct, $589,000. 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 2800 sq. feet, open 3-5

4691 Chelsea Ln, $599,000. 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 3102 sq. feet, open 1-3

11 Cellini Ct, $599,950. 5 BR, 3 BTHS, 3392 sq. feet, open 11:30-2:30

1322 Glenmorrie Dr, $725,000. 3 BR, 3 BTHS, 2752 sq. feet, open 1-4

4625 Firwood Rd, $899,900. 3 BR, 3 BTHS, 4976 sq. feet, open 1-4

511 6th St, $928,950. 5 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4000 sq. feet, open 1-3

17878 Hillside Dr, $970,000. 5 BR, 3 BTHS, 3462 sq. feet, open 3-5

2304 Oswego Glen Ct, $995,000. 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 3896 sq. feet, open 2-4

17178 Cedar Rd, $1,195,000. 5 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4209 sq. feet, open 2-3:30

17404 Bergis Farm Dr, $1,198,000. 5 BR. 4.5 BTHS, 5394 sq. feet, open 1-3

12819 Alto Park Rd, $1,225,000. 4 BR, 4.5 BTHS, 3944 sq. feet, open 2-4

2625 Summit Dr, $1,289,900. 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4212 sq. feet, open 12:30-2:30

2326 Oswego Glen Ct, $1,295,000. 4 BR, 4 BTHS, 4178 sq. feet, open 2-4

17464 Ridgeview Ln, $1,298,950. 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4407 sq. feet, open 2-4

664 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,355,000. 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4198 sq. feet, open 2-4

657 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,395,000. 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4371 sq. feet, open 2-4

16737 Maple Circle, $1,400.000. 3 BR, 3 BTHS, 1683 sq. feet, open 12:00-1:30

17364 Ridgeview Ct, $1,425,000. 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4436 sq. feet, open 2-4

17433 Ridgeview Ln, $1,495,000. 4 BR, 4.5 BTHS, 4704 sq. feet, open 2-4

975 Lake Front Rd, $1,695,000. 3 BR, 3 BTHS, 3232 sq. feet, open 2-3:30

Have a great weekend!

June 4, 2009

Home Staging Tips

goldendiningroom1 Spring is traditionally the strongest time of year to sell your home. If you want to sell, you need to get your home ready. You want to win the beauty pageant. The place to start, before you list your home for sale, is with proper home staging. The way you live in your home and the way you sell your home are two different things. It does add a layer of care to your already busy life, but it will payoff when you sell by getting your home sold more quickly and by helping you to get the best price possible.

Start by standing out at the street. This is your buyer’s first impression. Can you see the front door? Can you see all of the windows? Is the lawn green? Are flower beds free of weeds and bushes nicely trimmed? What about the color of the paint? Is it one of the popular shades used today or something from when you moved in in 1996? Is the roof clean and free of moss? If you said no to any of these questions, then you’ve got work to do. Too often homeowners let trees and bushes become over grown and drown the house. Over-growth makes you house look like a big blob. Do you want to buy a blob? Neither does a buyer.

Next stand at your front door. I believe this is the most critical moment for a buyer. Remember that they will pause here for a minute or two while the Realtor gets the key from the lockbox and opens the door. Your buyer will have time to look around and get a close-up look at everything around the front door. I truly believe that they make a decision at this point. If they like what they see, they will enter the house with a positive attitude and look for positive input to reinforce what they already believe. If they get a bad impression, they’ll be critical as they go inside and look to find fault; again to reinforce what they already have decided. The front door is usually a small area. Here is what you need to do. Wash or freshly paint the front door and the windows around the door. Sweep or pressure wash all of the walls and ceiling around the door to get rid of spiders, webs, moths, and bug stuff. Scrub the weather stripping at the threshold so that there is not one speck of grime. Make sure weather stripping is in good shape, but that the door opens and closes easily. Make sure the lock works! Now add some color. A couple of pots with flowers, a wreath on the front door. Please, no holiday decorations that are months old, or pots of dead easter lillies. Splurge and spend $20 on some nice flowers, then be sure to water them.

You’ve done it! You’ve gotten your buyer inside.

You are moving, right? Why not get a leg up on the job and start packing BEFORE you put your house up for sale. You want to de-personalize your home. Take down personal momentos, collections, most family photos, all of the stuff on the refrigerator. It should be like a model home that you want to move right into. And all of your very personal stuff keeps your buyer from feeling like it is “their” house. I recommend that you do this one room at a time. Just make a big pile in the middle of the room that you want to either store or donate/toss. It is ok to have a few family photos. For instance, a bookshelf with a combination of a few framed photos, some books, perhaps a small piece of art work or decorative glass, that is fine. But that hallway photo gallery showing Joey, who is now 35, in every grade of school he ever attended: take it down.

Less truly is more. As you clean out clutter and stream-line each room, you will make them look larger. A small home, well staged, can look bigger than large home full of clutter.

This is also true of furniture. Make sure you store away anything that gets in the way in hallways, at the top of stairs, as you enter rooms, and on stairway landings. The fact that you had no where else to put the furniture just screams “This house is too small!”. In addition, they could actually be a safety hazzard when you have a group of people seeing the house together and unable to maneuver on the stairs. Another important thought with furniture is do not cover up a homes features. Don’t place TV’s in front of windows, or dressers across closets, or a couch across the fireplace. Move the furniture around and show off each rooms best feature. Make sure to not have too much furniture. A few pieces in each room is all you need. For a living room: a couch, a chair, a love seat, and a coffee or similar table is plenty. If you have a piano, don’t be afraid to store the couch or the love seat. You want the room to feel big and not to be dwarfed by the furniture.

The kitchen and bathroom counters are the toughest to empty and also the most important. Many a buyer has ruled out a home because either the kitchen or the bathrooms seemed too small. You can make them big, with a little effort. As much as possible, but things away in cupboards. A few things may be impossible to put away because they are constantly in use. Hello? The coffee pot? With things you just have to have handy, cluster them into one group. So if you have the coffee pot, the decorative decanter of olive oil, and the pepper mill tastefully gathered in one corner, and nothing else anywhere on the counter, you’ll get away with it. Take away the cluster and string the three items around the kitchen and suddenly you got clutter. Bunching is a wonderful thing. The same thing holds true in the bathroom. I also highly recommend baskets or decorative boxes. If you use a container, you can pretty much fill the container and still keep things attractive.

The areas to focus your attention are: the entry, the living room, the dining room, the family room, the kitchen, and the master bedroom and bath. Do the whole house if you can, it will pay off. But if you have limits to your ability to take on this project, at a minimum, get to these rooms.

Now for those of you who are after the best money and the quickest sale, you’ll take it to the next level. Clean out closets and fold and stack everything in an orderly and tidy fashion. Get your kids on board helping you. Those big tubs that are made to hold toys are great. Tell them that when they are finished playing, just throw everything in the tub. It makes for a pretty quick clean up. Go around the house and wash all of the windows and clean out all of the window tracks. The pickiest buyer I have ever worked with did three things: checked the window tracks for dirt, looked inside the oven to see if it was clean, and opened the dishwasher to look at the outer framing of the door. If these areas were clean, she knew the rest of the house would be too.

Speaking of clean, it is absolutely the cheapest thing you can do to make your house show ready. No one, not one buyer out there, wants to buy someone else’s dirt. It just doesn’t happen. Pay attention to the bottom of cupboards, the baseboards, around the bottom of the toilet. Yep, everywhere.

You’ll need a place to store all of the stuff you are packing away. If you can, rent a storage unit or get one of those PODS that allow you to pack things and then have them stored off-site. If you can’t pay for storage, use your garage. I would rather have a staged home with a garage that is stacked wall-to-wall and top-to-bottom than an empty garage and a messy house.

There are a couple of good websites I found that will give you ideas and perhaps be helpful:

From the National Associaiton of Realtors, click here.

From US News and World Report, click here.

And to visit Barb Schwartz’s website, click here. Barb Schwartz is the queen of home staging. She has been teaching Realtors techniques of home staging since before I was a Realtor (over 22 years). I used to refer to staging a home as “Schwartzing” a home. That’s how ingrained in my head this lady is.

goldenoldlr At the top of this article is a photo of my listing in Mt. Park. I want you to compare that photo to the one that you find to the right. Can you see the big improvement? The photo to the right is how this room used to look. This was not a home with a problem of clutter. This was a house that needed to show case the homes features. The home owner moved the living room furniture to the other end of the room in order to showcase the wonderful windows. Where a TV cabinet had blocked windows, now what you see is light and sunshine. In addition, the owner replaced several windows that had broken seals. Now when you walk in, you step back and feel the wow factor. That is what sells a house.