Open Houses 2/214

It may be Superbowl Sunday, but kick off isn’t until 3:30. So there’s plenty of time to take in one of these great open houses. Enjoy!

Address Price Type Bedroom Bath Open
16200 Pacific Hwy #35 $299,000 condo 2 2 12 to 2
4109 Wolf Berry Ct $519,000 detached 4 2.5 12 to 3
1830 Cloverleaf Rd $598,000 detached 3 2.5 12 to 2:30
14232 Meadow Grass St $619,000 detached 4 3 1 to 4
17632 Woodhurst Pl $648,950 detached 5 4.5 12 to 2
1273 Wells St $799,000 detached 4 3 12 to 3
19463 Lorna Ln $899,800 detached 4 3.5 1 to 4
316 Ridgeway Rd $1,225,000 detached 4 3 12 to 2:30

Featured Neighborhood: Hallinan Heights

Hallinan Heights
Hallinan Heights
Lake Oswego has 25 individual neighborhoods and this week we are going to feature Hallinan Heights. Both Linda and I love this neighborhood, there is just something about it.

I think it’s unique boundaries are part of why it is so great. It is clearly defined by the Willamette River to the East, Oswego Creek and McVey to the North, Cornell Rd to the West, and Upper Cherry Rd to the South. It’s not a large neighorhood, but within it is a wonderful Elementary School and a very nice Park. It has a real feeling of community where people walk their dogs and picnic.

Hallinan Elementary School
Hallinan Elementary School
My kids did not live within the Hallinan Elementary School attendance area, but the play ground at Hallinan Elementary was hands down their favorite. We would drive across town to play on it. It’s a BIG playground with a great variety of equipment. As my kids got older, I learned to love it because it is adjacent to the playing field which has a great walking trail around it. So my kids could be playing and I could be taking a nice walk within sight of them.

The real estate in Hallinan Heights includes one very nice condominium complex on the Willamette River, Oswego Terraces. Built in the 1950’s, these mid-century buildings are solid and sleek. There are currently 3 condos for sale in the mid $250,000’s. While none of the waterfront units are currently for sale, when they do come along they boast some of the finest river views in the entire metro area. The complex is uniquely situated on a curve in the river that looks directly North to downtown Portland.

Wide Streets
Wide Streets
Most of the single family homes were built in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The wide streets have well landscaped and tidy yards. There are currently 8 homes for sale. The least expensive is 2442 square feet, all on one level, and is listed for $399,900. The most expensive is 3700 square feet of new construction with river and mountain views for $1,225,000.

My final boast for Hallinan Heights is that it is close to downtown Lake Oswego. Whether you want quick access to great restaurants, or you want to walk along the river at George Rogers Park, you are right there. I would estimate that you could walk to the Farmer’s Market at Millenium Plaza Park within about 20-30 minutes. Nice!

Do not hesitate to contact Linda or myself if you would like more information.
Dianne

Market Activity Jan 13-19, 2014

Last week in Lake Oswego there were 16 new listings, 16 pending sales, and 6 closed sales.
Here is the breakdown according to RMLS:

New on Market (Jan 13-19, 2014)

Address Type Price BR Bths SF
47 Eagle Crest Dr #48 Condo $104,900 1 1 696
10 Cervantes Circle Condo $125,000 2 1.5 912
4 Touchstone #128 Condo $154,900 3 2.5 1350
13060 Elk Rock Rd "A" Detached $175,000 1 1 502
181 Oswego Summit Condo $185,000 2 2 1383
17200 Robb Pl Detached $439,000 3 2.5 2218
1653 Devon Ln Detached $469,000 4 3 3181
13057 Sierra Vista Dr Detached $489,000 4 2.5 2510
4002 Tempest Dr Detached $539,900 4 3.5 4319
16158 Inverurie Rd Detached $559,900 4 2.5 2377
55 Aquinas St Detached $574,900 5 3 3720
4311 Orchard Way Detached $585,000 3 2.5 3010
13100 Boones Ferry Rd Detached $695,000 3 2.5 2370
3 Creekside Ter Detached $750,000 4 3.5 4355
19415 Sycamore Ave Detached $879,900 4 2.5 2188
820 Fairway Rd Detached $1,200,000 4 3.5 3758

Pending Sales (Jan 13-19, 2014)

Address Type Price BR Baths SF DOM
4 Touchstone #123 Condo $139,900 3 2.5 1351 4
3433 McNary Pkwy #702 Condo $164,500 2 2.5 1136 149
6397 McEwan Rd Detached $289,900 3 2 1008 127
15360 Twin Fir Rd Detached $314,900 3 1 1020 4
4690 Lower Dr Detached $339,900 3 2.5 1596 6
5057 W Sunset Dr Attached $349,900 2 2.5 1720 32
72 Weatherstone Condo $356,500 4 3.5 2465 84
572 2nd St Attached $379,900 2 2.5 1394 3
1230 Hallinan Cir Detached $380,000 3 2.5 1822 2
4401 Oakridge Rd Attached $400,000 2 2.5 1692 172
1228 Hallinan Cir Detached $450,000 3 2 1932 3
1491 Koawood Dr Detached $489,900 4 3 2510 29
2814 Vale Ct Detached $629,000 4 3 3192 70
18325 River Edge Ln Detached $899,995 3 3.5 4115 84
881 C Ave Detached $969,000 4 2.5 3128 0
17600 Upper Cherry Ln Detached $998,000 4 3.5 3900 283

SOLD (Jan 13-19, 2014)

Address Type List Price Closed Price Sq Ft CDOM
16775 Lake Forest Blvd Detached $287,000 $270,000 1544 61
5523 Royal Oaks Dr Detached $200,000 $300,000 1817 501
924 Laurel St Detached $360,000 $336,650 1965 62
17940 Meadowlark Ln Detached $499,000 $438,000 2,508 143
18064 Jenifers Way Detached $639,950 $635,000 2965 28
17700 Lake Haven Dr Detached $1,579,000 $1,600,000 4006 36

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

Open Houses 1/19/13

There are 18 open houses in Lake Oswego this Sunday. Enjoy!

Address Price Type Bedroom Bath Open
1531 Bonniebrae Dr $244,900 Attached 3 1.5 12 to 2
2719 Greentree Rd $449,950 Detached 5 3.5 1 to 4
4109 Wolf Berry Ct $519,000 Detached 4 2.5 1 to 4
5554 Royal Oaks Dr $525,000 Detached 3 2 1 to 3
55 Aquinas St $574,900 Detached 5 3 11 to 1
14 Del Prado St $583,000 Detached 3 3.5 1 to 3
421 Middlecrest Rd $629,900 Detached 3 2.5 1 to 3
3015 Royce Way $689,900 Detached 4 3.5 1 to 3
3826 Upper Dr $739,900 Detached 4 2.5 1 to 4
18112 Westminster Dr $750,000 Detached 5 4 2 to 4
18499 Old River Dr $819,000 Detached 4 3.5 11:30 to 1:30
4540 Lamont Way $874,950 Detached 5 2.5 1 to 3
13537 Fielding Rd $895,000 Detached 4 3.5 1 to 3
18325 River Edge Ln $899,995 Detached 3 3.5 1 to 3
2943 Lakeview Blvd $995,000 Detached 4 3 1 to 3
752 E Ave $998,500 Detached 3 3 1 to 3
17322 Cedar Rd $1,149,500 Detached 4 4.5 1 to 3
13310 Atwater Ln $1,249,900 Detached 5 4 2 to 4

Important Changes in 2014

xstreetsignThe coming of the new year brings with it some changes that may affect you as you buy or sell a home. I am going to touch upon 2 of them.

The Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

The intention of this legislation is to reign in predatory lending and safe guard our housing market from a collapse like we experienced in 2007. What it does is tighten up mortgage guidelines. This means verification of assets, having a strong credit score, and not making loans to people who can not realistically pay them back. The legislation went into affect on January 10, 2014, but lenders have been putting the guidelines into place for some time.

What this means to you is that you really do need to qualify for a mortgage. It also means that paperwork will be more extensive and processing your loan will take time.

I think it also means that it is more important than ever to get pre-approved BEFORE you make an offer on a house. Line up your financing in advance and you will have less stress while in escrow.

The Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Relief Act has Expired

In 2007, Congress passed this act to give tax relief to distressed home owners. Basically, the IRS considered any forgiveness of debt to be income upon which you were taxed. So if you sold your house with a shortsale (selling it for less than what you owed), did a deed in lieu of foreclosure, or restructured you debt, you could be required to pay taxes on any debt not repaid. The Mortgage Debt and Forgiveness Relief Act waived this taxation. This was a huge boon to helping distressed home owners. The act expired n 2012 but was extended for a year and now expired at the end of 2013.

Congress has not extended it. It is not looking promising that they will either.

This means that if you are facing the option of doing a shortsale, a loan modification, or a deed in lieu, you need to talk to a good tax accountant first. Do not get involved in any of these scenarios without good tax counsel. I also want to recommend good legal counsel.

Speaking of legal counsel, I was inspired to write this post after reading Kate Brooke’s newsletter. Kate is a local attorney with extensive real estate experience. To contact her, click here.

I hope you find this information useful.
Dianne

Market Activity Dec 23, 2013 to Jan 5, 2014

This Market Activity Report covers a 2-week period. Things are just slower during the full blown holidays, although listings, pending sales, and closed sales continued to chug along. There were 6 new listings, 21 houses that went pending with accepted offers, and 13 closed sales. I noticed how many condos are selling. Nice!

Here is the breakdown of activity according to RMLS:

New Listings (Dec 23, 2013 to Jan 5, 2014)

Address Type Price BR Bths SF
12892 Boones Ferry Rd Condo $279,000 2 2.5 1136
432 5th St Attached $310,000 2 1.5 1102
4720 Lakeview Blvd Detached $649,000 4 3.5 2939
4601 Upper Dr Detached $1,059,000 4 3.5+.5 3943
13888 Goodall Rd Detached $1,399,995 4 3.5 4435
17860 Crestline Dr Detached $1,795,000 4 5.5 7192

PENDING SALES (Dec 23, 2013 to Jan 5, 2014)

Address Type Price BR Baths SF DOM
4000 Carman Dr #103 Condo $125 1 1 818 13
3696 Spring Ln 3B Condo $129,900 2 2 1117 53
4000 Carman Dr #106 Condo $139,100 2 2 993 12
4000 Carman Dr #55 Condo $149,999 2 2 866 10
3808 Botticelli Condo $189,900 3 2 1288 71
13 Mountain Circle Attached $217,000 2 1.5 1374 394
1120 Boca Ratan Dr Attached $260,000 3 2 1611 8
16775 Lake Forest Blvd Detached $282,000 3 2 1544 61
16056 Reese Rd Detached $319,000 3 2 1667 14
18011 Tualata Ave Detached $330,000 3 2 1482 4
24 Becket St Detached $425,000 4 2.5 2527 288
1730 Yarmouth Circle Detached $429,000 2 2 1775 123
1571 Woodland Terr Detached $474,500 3 2 2400 80
5602 Southwood Dr Detached $498,900 4 2.5 2636 103
13036 Sierra Ct Detached $499,900 3 2 2214 80
14136 Heathrow Ln Detached $549,000 4 2.5 2955 624
13080 Thoma Rd Detached $875,000 3 2 2810 194
4153 Westbay Rd Detached $1,349,000 4 3.5 3374 193
800 Terrace Dr Detached $1,349,900 5 4.5 5166 98
13636 Goodall Rd Lt2 Detached $1,399,000 4 4.5 4380 329
937 Atwater Detached $1,500,000-$1,850,000 4 4.5 4500 30

SOLD (Dec 23, 2013 to Jan 5, 2014)

Address Type List Price Closed Price Sq Ft CDOM
15938 Quarry Rd B-4 Condo $145,000 $140,000 991 184
4418 Thunder Vista Ln Condo $239,000 $220,000 2200 83
18600 Indian Creek Dr Detached $279,900 $285,000 1607 34
6025 Kenny St Detached $314,900 $309,900 1,254 99
250 Furnace St Detached $389,000 $360,000 899 68
1602 Greentree Rd Detached $412,500 $383,500 1708 93
1125 C Ave Detached $575,000 $425,000 2558 127
716 Lakeshore Rd Detached $750,000 $580,000 1878 101
621 Country Club Rd Detached $674,900 $613,000 3300 59
14120 Redwood Ct Detached $624,900 $617,000 2755 257
13562 Peters Rd Detached $875,000 $815,000 3106 123
215 Chandler Rd Detached $875,000 $820,000 3118 197
14530 Uplands Dr Detached $969,000 $881,000 4080 409

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

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

imagesLinda and I want to wish you the very best of the season. We will be taking a break from the propertyblotter until January 6th. During this time we hope you will join us in treasuring these special times of love, family, faith, and friendship. To all of you, from both of us, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Dianne and Linda

Market Activity Dec 9-15, 2013

Real estate is a year around event, and last week in Lake Oswego showed that to be true. There were 6 new listings, 11 pending sales, and 12 closed sales.

Here is the breakdown of activity according to RMLS:

New Listings Dec 9-15, 2013

Address Type Price BR Bths SF
444 5th St Attached $330,000 2 2 1092
5687 Bonita Rd Detached $339,000 3 2.5 2048
5057 W Sunset Attached $349,900 2 2.5 1720
3020 Brookside Rd Detached $499,000 4 2 1926
14144 Goodall Rd Detached $849,000 4 3 3499
17547 Cherry Ct Detached $1,225,000 4 3.5 3700

PENDING SALES (Dec 9-15, 2013)

Address Type Price BR Baths SF DOM
100 Kerr Pkwy #13 Condo $85,900 1 1 617 89
100 Kerr Pkwy #10 Condo $115,000 2 1.5 823 5
1561 Bonniebrae Dr Condo $249,900 3 2 1393 30
4912 Lower Dr Detached $339,000 3 2 1539 4
3595 Tempest Dr Detached $389,900 3 2 2126 53
920 York Rd Detached $415,000 4 2.5 1836 23
13060 Elk Rock Rd Detached $474,900 4 3 3581 88
12 Buckingham Terr Detached $529,000 5 3.5 3642 128
14353 Trillium Ct Detached $625,000 4 2.5 3057 9
18108 Pilkington Rd Detached $799,950 3 3.5 4129 123
2070 Wembley Park Rd Detached $800,000 5 4.5 4935 436

SOLD (Dec 9-15, 2013)

Address Type List Price Closed Price Sq Ft CDOM
100 Kerr Pkwy #56 Condo $104,900 $108,000 823 4
4000 Carmen #88 Condo $117,000 $119,000 836 24
4 Touchstone #62 Condo $159,500 $144,000 1351 46
1261 Boca Ratan Dr Attached $270,000 $267,500 1,611 26
4990 Oakridge Rd Detached $329,000 $300,000 1700 80
2440 Greentree Rd Detached $349,900 $349,900 1850 28
340 4th St Attached $399,900 $399,900 1731 2
15677 Fieldstone Dr Detached $546,500 $544,000 2527 69
4763 Hastings Pl Detached $549,000 $560,000 2442 4
735 7th St Detached $969,000 $908,000 2945 125
18187 Siena Dr Detached $978,950 $920,000 3745 508
13050 Knaus Rd Detached $1,395,000 $1,300,000 4821 9

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

Open Houses 12/15/13

Lake Oswego has 13 open houses scheduled for this Sunday. Enjoy!

Address Price Type Bedroom Bath Open
12894 Boones Ferry Rd $299,000 Attached 2 2.5 1 to 3
67 Tanglewood Dr $434,900 Detached 4 2.5 1 to 4
3065 Royce Way $475,000 Detached 4 2.5 1:30 to 3:30
751 Briercliff Ln $508,500 Detached 4 3 12 to 3
18020 Jenifers Way $609,881 Detached 4 2.5 1 to 4
19524 River Run Dr $618,950 Detached 4 2.5 1 to 3
2814 Vale Ct $629,000 Detached 4 3 12 to 2:30
13374 Hidden Bay Ct $699,000 Detached 4 2.5 1 to 3
4540 Lamont Way $899,950 Detached 5 2.1 1 to 3
19463 Lorna Ln $900,000 Detached 4 3.5 1 to 3
2801 Lakeview Blvd $925,000 Detached 3 3.5+.5 1 to 3
13310 Atwater Ln $1,249,900 Detached 5 4 2 to 4
112 Northshore Circle $1,500,000 Detached 4 3.5 1 to 5

Dianne’s Top 10

ArtI really like Lake Oswego and thought I’d share with you my own top 10 list of things I enjoy about living here.

10. Walking. There are just so many great trails and walking paths. The Iron Mountain Trail, the bike path around the lake, all of the many trails in Mt. Park, the trails on Cook’s Butte, they keep me entertained and enjoying my walking habit.

9. The patio at Riccardo’s. It is a little bit of Italy to be enjoyed right here at home. Riccardo has a true Italian menu with a wonderful wine list, but the high-light for me is the back patio. A soothing water feature and wonderful flowers are to be enjoyed, but I think I almost like it better on a cold and rainy day. The over-hangs of the perimeter are generous enough to keep you dry, and the space heaters keep you warm. Cozy and yummy.

8. Breakfast out. I have 3 favorite breakfast spots: St. Honore, La Provence, and Babica Hen. I can’t say which I like best, but they all keep me coming back for more.

7. Summer concerts. I did quite a bit of blogging about them last summer. The point I want to make is go out and do it. A warm evening, a picnic dinner, and free music, it’s the good life.

6. Community School. Schools are a big part of what motivates people to move to Lake Oswego. It’s why I moved here. But there is an entire extra layer to what is available. Community school offers extra programs for kids seeking more. It may be more art, more sports, more language skills, more of what youngsters want to explore. It’s available at community school. I highly recommend the driver’s ed program.

5. Convenience. Lake Oswego is simply a convenient place to live. You are 15 minutes from downtown Portland, 30 minutes from the airport, 10 minutes for a huge shopping center (Washington Square), 3 minutes from a lifestyle mall (Bridgeport Village), it’s amazing. Within a 3 mile radius of my house I have 4 Starbuck’s and 5 grocery stores. Yet I live on a huge treed lot in a quiet neighborhood. Yep, my little slice of heaven.

Basket4. The Arts Council of Lake Oswego. Responsible for the Gallery Without Walls, the Art Literacy Program in the elementary schools, and the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, the Arts Council of Lake Oswego brings art front and center into our lives. For me, art makes life sweet and I want it in my life.

3. The flowers. Lake Oswego won the America in Bloom competition several years ago. It probably helped that one of the City’s former mayors owned a garden center. The hanging baskets in the summer are like fire works during the day. There is pretty much no public median that doesn’t have a planted bed. Even in the winter: there are pansies and decorative kale in abundance. It’s beautiful.

2. A wholesome place to raise a family. No not everyone in LO has kids, but if you do, it is a wonderful and supportive community. My kids got so much encouragement from this community. How refreshing that it’s cool to get good grades! It’s a pretty darn nice place to grow up. I wanted my kids to be safe riding their bikes and to have positive influences in their lives. I found it for them here in LO.

1. Friendly people. I moved here for the schools, but was completely not expecting how easy it is to make friends. I think that’s because it really is a small town. It’s easy to get involved and to have an impact.

Oswego LakeHonerable Mentions:
Lakewood Theater
Luscher Farm
The Dog Park
Christmas Tree Lighting with Santa
4th of July Parade
4th of July pancake breakfast
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
La Vang Vietnamese Restaurant
Pine Shed Barbeque
George Roger’s Park
Zupan’s heated lounge
Seeing the Lake
Seeing the Mountain

There you have it! I hope I’ve given you some good ideas of what to expect and what to enjoy in LO.

Dianne