Homing in on Portland

12/09/2023

PDX "Design Star" Emily Henderson creates a new affordable rug line. Don’t miss the link to the 22-item lineup!

Styles start at just $90.

12/07/2023

Here’s big news from the RMLS’ Nov Market Action Report out yesterday. Metro area inventory jumped to 3.5 months – almost a 10-yr high stretching back to Feb 2014, when the supply of homes for sale hit 3.9 months.

Are lots of new listings coming to market? No, new listings are well below what we saw in 2022 & 2021. But at the same time, the number of homes under contract, the number of closed sales and the speed of sales are also down significantly vs the 2 years prior. (2023 is represented by the amber lines in the trend charts below, with green for 2022 and blue for 2021.)

In other words, fewer people are trying to sell their homes, but more of those who do have to reduce the price or are failing in the attempt. Meanwhile, buyers are taking more time to offer on a home and more of those who do exit the sale before it closes.

The current Altos report for PDX shows that 16% of homes are relisted, whereas under 10% is normal; and 53% of properties see a price reduction, whereas 30% is normal.

More than ever, it’s vital to pick your listing agent with care. Let’s talk strategy customized to your specific goals and circumstances.

Found your happy place in Portland?
I can help with that!

11/30/2023

Local designer Kelly McDougall transforms Oak Hills kitchen into airy, inviting workhorse with vaulted ceiling, open plan working triangle and handsome finishes. (Sunset doesn’t mention the neighborhood but I found it on the designer’s website!)

This Portland, Oregon, kitchen had low ceilings and outdated features. The design team created a half-vault ceiling and added new fixtures.

11/28/2023

Who knew that Portland’s housing market is linked to our unique urban psychology? Experts in large-scale personality testing across geographies have found that though dead-last in extroversion among 53 US cities, we rank very high in openness and have become more so with time. Attracted by the local taste for individuality, freedom of expression, art and unconventional lifestyles and leisure activities, very open people – who also tend to be highly educated and affluent – have migrated here, moving the needles on both “weirdness” and home prices.

Our city is low on one critical trait, and it explains everything in Oregon's largest metropolis.

11/23/2023

The first order of business for a creative couple in renovating their 1912 Portland Craftsman? A magical, layered space (with Narnia-inspired reading nook in closet!) for their 4-year-old daughter that she can age into.
https://www.domino.com/design-by-room/portland-toddler-room-closet/

11/20/2023

As we head into Thanksgiving week & the holiday season, Edith Sitwell sets the right priorities. But if you’re not yet comfortably at home, winter can be a very good time to accomplish that – with less competition for both buyers and sellers.

11/11/2023

A flexible schedule can be the best & worst thing about realtoring. We’re so often in demand after business hours & on weekends. This week I took time off on Wed & rediscovered one of the things that’s so special about PDX. My son (a hotelier who also works weekends) & I did a 3-mile trek to the summit of the Gorge’s Cape Horn Trail - just 35 mins from his Hollywood apartment.

10/07/2023

Keeping my promise 2 months on. After 80 days on the market, this Rummer closed last week at $950K or 4.7% below the $997K list price. I confess I thought the final sale price might be lower. Just goes to show the appeal of this architectural style...even near a highway.

https://www.pdxmonthly.com/home-and-real-estate/2023/07/property-watch-beaverton-portland-oregon-updated-rummer-house

09/30/2023

Heceta Head Lighthouse

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwEKnm0vIxE/

09/28/2023

What malaise?! Advertising giant Wieden & Kennedy launches pro bono grass roots campaign to unite locals in celebrating and supporting what’s special about our city. Get involved by following and sharing stories with the hashtags and
Mural photo: wiredforlego (Flickr Creative Commons)
https://www.kgw.com/article/money/business/portland-is-what-we-make-it-wiedenkennedy-new-campaign/283-a80968f5-55dc-4270-9424-de3d82eb0dd0

09/20/2023

Lower priced houses have fared better in the correction than those in middle and upper tiers…and that spells opportunity. Based on Zillow Home Value Index data reported in fortune.com, the graphic shows average net savings in Portland Metro when you move to a better house. You can offset higher interest rates by getting an adjustable rate mortgage, negotiating a seller buydown and/or refinancing in a few years. Let’s talk!

https://fortune.com/2023/09/07/housing-markets-hot-bottom-top-cold-home-price-bifurcation/?utm_source=search&utm_medium=advanced_search&utm_campaign=search_link_clicks

Found your happy place in Portland?
I can help with that!

09/16/2023

Having met reno specialist Michael Howells over coffee last January, I was pleasantly surprised to find this story of a recent project among my Google news alert results, especially since I had complained to him about the lack of age-in-place-friendly options in our stock of detached housing. After a retired couple bought a 1-level 1958 ranch in Portland Heights, he led a to-the-studs remodel to make it their forever home.

Laura + Paul looked long and hard for a not-too-big, 1-story no-basement "blank slate" house, with potential to become a beautifully appointed "last" home, appr…