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        <title>Portland Real Estate Cafe Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/sellers/</link>
        <description>Keep up with the Portland real estate market!  Portland Real Estate Cafe blog provides valuable discussion for today's changing market.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/let-sp-and-pmi-help-inform-the-timing-of-your-selling-decision.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/let-sp-and-pmi-help-inform-the-timing-of-your-selling-decision.html</link>
            <author>info@portlandrealestatecafe.com (Portland Real Estate Cafe)</author>
            <title>When is the right time to bring your home to market?</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
This month's reports from S&amp;P and PMI both suggest that sellers could increase their net proceeds by bringing their home to market now instead of waiting for conditions to improve. &nbsp;Earlier this month when looking at the Portland Market Report, we observed increasing sales velocity and balanced levels of inventory in many neighborhood. &nbsp;We are advising many of our sellers to get their homes ready for market now instead of waiting until later in the Spring or early summer.

Eleven MSAs in S&amp;P's 20 city composite are reporting new lows. &nbsp;Portland is one of these eleven markets. The 20 city composite is now withing 2% of the March '09 trough. &nbsp;If the current trend continues, the housing market will enter into a &quot;double-dip recession.&quot;



In this month's PMI report, there is a special report about housing affordability. &nbsp;PMI compares housing prices and household income, and argues that over time the two should grow at similar rates, or&nbsp;homes would become increasingly affordable or unaffordable. &nbsp;From a national perspective, homes are now in balance with this historical perspective of affordability. &nbsp;There are many states, mostly land-locked states in the midwest, where homes are cheap by this measure. &nbsp;Oregon is one of ten states where homes are still &quot;expensive&quot; by this historical measure.

&nbsp;

If you are contemplating the sale of your home or investment property, give us a call and we will schedule an appointment to talk about your pricing strategy and market timing.

&nbsp;
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:13:42 -0700</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/notes-about-the-portland-real-estate-market-trends-feb-2011.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/notes-about-the-portland-real-estate-market-trends-feb-2011.html</link>
            <author>Bob@PortlandRealEstateCafe.com (Bob Broad)</author>
            <title>Notes about the Portland Real Estate Market Trends - Feb 2011</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
We just finshed reviewing the final Portland real estate sales stats for February 2011 and want to share the following highlights:

&nbsp;

North Portland. &nbsp;Very little change from January. &nbsp;This area has stabalized in a fairly balanced market. &nbsp;Inventory is flat, properties priced to sell are moving in approximately 2 months. &nbsp;Price per sq. foot stats are down $17/sf, caused by no sales over the last 90 days above $500K.

&nbsp;

Northeast Portland. &nbsp;Positive trends in pending sales which increased by 34 units, cleariong some of the aged inventory from the market. &nbsp;This indicates that the time good for sellers to bring their NE Portland homes to market, and for investors to purchase into the positive momentum.

&nbsp;

Southeast Portland. &nbsp;New Sales increased 43 units, reducing overall area inventory by 22 units. &nbsp;Over one third of the inventory priced between $300-350K and $400-450K was newly sold in February. &nbsp;The most dramatic positive shift happened between $150-200K, where the percent of pending inventory increased by 50%. &nbsp;Again aged inventory was cleared from the market, and it appears to be good a time to bring that SE Portland home to market.

&nbsp;

Portland West. &nbsp;Pending sales increased by 31 units, and overall inventory is flat. &nbsp;Sales rate of homes priced between $450-500K almost doubled, and sellers have been quick to respond leaving inventory flat in this segment. &nbsp; If you want to sell a home in the $600,000's you'll be interested to know that the sales rate doubled, and invnetory has been reduced 14%.

&nbsp;

Northwest Portland. Do you have a home that you want to sell that will sell for $400-$550K? &nbsp;30 of the 107 listings in February were pending. &nbsp;Prices increased $28/sf at the bottom of this range.

&nbsp;

Lake Oswego/West Linn. &nbsp;Inventory in this region is roughly twice that of the urban core. &nbsp;The one month increase in available inventory is misleading as pending sales increased 1.5 times the increase of inventory. &nbsp;Pending sales doubled in the $400K's, pulling some of the aged inventory from the market, meaning it's a better time to bring that home in the $400's to market.

&nbsp;

Beaverton/Aloha. &nbsp;Half the market is priced below $200,000, and roughly 1/4 of this segment is currently pending. &nbsp;Although a small segment, 43% of the homes priced between $450-500K were sold in Feb. and the pricing in this segment is up $35/sf from January. &nbsp;Now's the time to sell your higher-priced conforming-mortgage home in Beaverton.

&nbsp;

Tigard/Tualatin/Sherwood/Wilsonville. &nbsp;The pending sales rate increased from 13% of the market to 17% of the market as pending sales increased from 153 homes to 215 homes. &nbsp;In the segment priced below $200K the sales rate almost doubled (33-62), increased almost 50% between $250-300k and $350-400K, and almost doubled between $450-500K. &nbsp;Pricing, however, is off $11/sf across the area.

&nbsp;

Hillsboro/Forest Grove. &nbsp;Pending sales in February increased to 20% of active listings from 17% in January. Pending homes sales increased by 26 and inventroy went down by 28 homes. &nbsp;Pricing is generally stable. &nbsp;The increased activity was almost exclusively below $200,000, where 113 properties were under contract, up from 81 at the beginning of the month, and inventory was reduced by 30 homes.

&nbsp;

If you're thinking about becoming active inthe market in the next few months, it's time to give us a call and talk about the economics of the market, especially if you're a seller, and want to gain a better understanding of pricing and timing strategy for your home.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:21:25 -0700</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/spring-maintenance-tips-for-your-home.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/spring-maintenance-tips-for-your-home.html</link>
            <author>info@portlandrealestatecafe.com (Portland Real Estate Cafe)</author>
            <title>Spring Maintenance Tips For Your Home</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
As we approach spring, take note of storm and water damage to your home.&nbsp; Most houses sustain at least a few problems during the winter months. Make the repairs now, before starting on any remodeling or other major warm-weather projects. 

Check for damage to your roof

Signs include missing, curling, broken or cracked shingles. Pooling or ponds of water that fail to drain from flat roofs may indicate low areas and inadequate drainage. Moss growth can also cause damage to shingles.
Fix leaking or damaged roof flashing. 
Serious roof leaks are not caused by missing or damaged shingles, but rather by broken or improperly installed roof flashing. Repair or replace it, as needed. 

Clear gutters &amp; downspouts. 

Water damage often comes from clogged gutters and downspouts; dry weather affords the opportunity to clean them out.&nbsp; 

Check for cracked, broken or uneven driveways and sidewalks. 

Cold weather can cause cracking.&nbsp; This will help prevent guests and family members from slipping, tripping or falling. 

Check all the fascia and trim for deterioration

These areas can become weathered and worn and may lead to potential water damage. 

Repair storm doors. 

Winds can take a toll on storm doors. Often, the door closer becomes bent, breaks, or pulls away from the doorjamb. 

Repair rotted woodwork. 

Where wood sills or sashes have taken serious abuse from the weather, resulting in rot, use epoxy wood filler to repair the area. 

Service your furnace and/or air conditioner. 

With forced-air systems, air returning to the air handlers blower first passes through an air filter designed to catch dust and debris and help clean the air before its recycled back into your home. Change the filters quarterly or more frequently if they look dirty.&nbsp; 

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:05:30 -0800</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/portlands-build-remodel-landscape-show-free-tickets.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/portlands-build-remodel-landscape-show-free-tickets.html</link>
            <author>info@portlandrealestatecafe.com (Portland Real Estate Cafe)</author>
            <title>Portland's Build, Remodel &amp; Landscape Show - Free Tickets!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
See the latest in the areas remodeling and design trends at the Build, Remodel &amp; Landscape Show.&nbsp; Professionals will be on site to talk with the public about the latest and greatest in cabinets, countertops, flooring, windows, additions, basement finishing, and outdoor landscaping.&nbsp;

Call us or send an email for your free tickets! 

&nbsp;


   ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2011 10:46:16 -0800</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/faster-approvals-with-new-short-sale-program.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.portlandrealestatecafe.com/blog/faster-approvals-with-new-short-sale-program.html</link>
            <author>info@portlandrealestatecafe.com (Portland Real Estate Cafe)</author>
            <title>Faster Approvals with New Short Sale Program</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 


&quot;I'm done looking at Short Sales.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; Any broker that helps large numbers of buyers will report hearing this phrase uttered in disgust by frustrated buyers who cannot get a timely response from the bank's asset manager on their short sale offer.&nbsp; Sellers in the Portland market are frustrated too.&nbsp; I've noticed that they're not typically as vocal with their frustration.&nbsp; 

If I was facing a short sale, I know that I wouldn't want to draw attention to my problems by complaining that the bank is taking too long to make a decision. It's difficult enough to ask for help, so holding the bank accountable to respond in a timely manner seems too much to ask for.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

A speedy resolution is best for all parties:


Sellers can move on with their lives and down-size into a home that they can afford.

Buyers can purchase a short sale home with a greater confidence about the timing of their move.

Banks and investors can take advantage of shorter, more predictable timing to command higher prices and reduce the holding costs for the non-performing assts.&nbsp;

Approximately 20% of the homes currently for sale on our multiple listing service(Portland RMLS) are short sales.&nbsp;&nbsp; They linger on the market because many banks are reluctant to approve the short sale.&nbsp;&nbsp; By their very nature, short sales can be &quot;fraud-magnets,&quot; so many bank asset managers are reluctant to approve, and skeptical about both market value estimates and sellers hardship situation.Nationally, over 5 million households are behind on their mortgage. The $75 billion mortgage modification program isn't helping the broad majority of these financially distressed households.&nbsp; And the problem continues to jeopardize our economic recovery.&nbsp; As a result, the Obama administration has launched a new short sale program that will be implemented next month that intends to speed up short sale approvals.The program provides for government payments to servicing banks, investors and even relocation assistance for distressed home sellers. The program is designed to make approvals/disapprovals more predictable and to shorten the approval duration for short sales.&nbsp; Shorter approval timelines for short sales?&nbsp; Now that would be huge!&nbsp; Our market wont return to &ldquo;normal&rdquo; until weve worked through the large volume of distressed housing inventory, including Portland bank owned homes.You can read more about the new short sale program in the New York Times.&nbsp; If youre currently faced with unsustainable monthly mortgage payments and ready to take action, its a wonderful time to get started.&nbsp; Call one of our Portland short sale specialists now, so we can answer your questions and begin the process of getting your housing payments in sync with your current financial situation.&nbsp;&nbsp; Weve helped many other sellers, and can help you too. ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:42:30 -0800</pubDate>
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