Homes For Sale in Washington

03/03/2023

Is Your World Spinning?

01/15/2023

How Observant Are You?

I took over 700 public real estate broker property comments from our local RMLS system and created two word clouds.

One was for December of 2021 and the other for December of 2022.

Do you see any words in one but not in the other?

Or the same words that differ in size?

Do you see any patterns, insights, or explanations when comparing the two months one year apart?

01/13/2023

Interview with an AI: Episode 2 Internet of Things

Tom: Callame, I heard your have been busy.

Callame: As a language model, I don't have the ability to be busy or not. I am always here to help you with any questions or tasks you have, to the best of my abilities based on the information I've been trained on. Is there something specific you need assistance with?

Tom: What is a typical joke a 4 year old would tell in the United States?

Callame: Four-year-olds have a good sense of humor, but their jokes may be quite simple and heavily influenced by their understanding of the world around them. Here's an example of a joke that a four-year-old might tell:

"Why was the math book sad?
Because it had too many problems."

Keep in mind that children of different ages may find different types of jokes funny, and some may not understand certain jokes at all. Additionally, jokes that are popular among children in one country may not be as well-known or well-liked in another. But I hope this will bring a smile to you!

Tom: What is "The Internet of Things?"

Callame: The Internet of Things, I O T refers to the connection of everyday devices and appliances to the internet, allowing them to communicate with each other and be controlled remotely. This can include devices such as thermostats, security cameras, home appliances like washing machines and refrigerators, as well as more specialized devices like industrial sensors and medical equipment.

Keep in mind that the Internet of Things is a rapidly evolving field, and new developments and applications are constantly emerging.

Tom: What one thing could I do in my home that would be part of the internet of things which would not be too costs but make a big difference in my quality of life?

Callame: There are many ways you can incorporate the Internet of Things into your home to improve your quality of life, and the specific solution will depend on your personal preferences and lifestyle.

One relatively simple and cost-effective solution that can make a big difference in your quality of life is a smart thermostat. A smart thermostat allows you to control the temperature of your home remotely using a smartphone app or voice commands, so you can turn the heat up before you come home or lower the temperature when you're away to save energy. Some smart thermostats also learn your preferences over time and can automatically adjust the temperature to your liking. This can help you to save money on your energy bills and increase your comfort.

Additionally, many smart thermostats include additional features like room sensors, can integrate with other smart home devices and have integration with virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and others.

Another popular and budget-friendly option is smart lighting. Smart lighting allows you to control the lights in your home remotely, as well as set schedules and even control them with voice commands. This can help you to save energy and increase convenience.

Both of these examples don't require major changes to your home and can be easily installed by most people.

Tom: Good to talk with you again Callame. Thanks for your help.

Callame: You're welcome! I'm glad I could help. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any more questions or if there's anything else I can assist you with. I am always here to help you. Have a great day!

01/12/2023

I once saw a bird up high
and I began to wonder why

Could it because the view is the best?
Or was it just a high flying test?

So I ask Ai to make a guess and here is what it said:

"In general, birds tend to like the high places, trees, buildings, poles which offers them an easy protection from predators, and also as they fly they have a good vision of the surrounding and can spot prey more easily."

01/05/2023

Interview with an AI

Tom: Is it OK, if for conversational purposes I give you a name?

Callame: Sure, you can give me a name if you'd like! Do you have a specific name in mind?

Tom: Callame AI

Callame: Sure, you can call me AI if you'd like! Please keep in mind that I am just a computer program designed to assist with answering questions and having conversations, and I do not have personal feelings or preferences. I exist to help you, so please don't hesitate to ask me any questions you may have.

Tom: Then I will use "Callame" as your first name and "AI" as your last name.

Callame: That's fine, you can call me Callame AI if you'd like. Please keep in mind that I am just a computer program and do not have personal feelings or preferences. I exist to help you, so please don't hesitate to ask me any questions you may have.

Tom: I will keep that in mind. Thank you again. Even though I know you don't have feelings or preferences I enjoy reading your answers and know that subject to your programming, you give neutral unbiased, informative answers.

Callame: You're welcome! I'm glad that I can help. As an artificial intelligence, I don't have personal feelings or preferences, so I can provide neutral and unbiased information and assistance. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions you may have. I'm here to help!

Tom: Will artificial intelligence be able to help in the field of real estate as far as providing insightful information about improving a persons quality of life and with the design and implementation of efficient housing structures?

Callame: Yes, it is possible that artificial intelligence could be used to help improve the field of real estate in a number of ways. Here are a few examples:

Personalized recommendations: Artificial intelligence could be used to analyze data about a person's preferences and needs, and then provide recommendations for properties that would be a good fit.

Design and construction: Artificial intelligence could be used to help design more efficient and sustainable housing structures. It could also be used to optimize the construction process, potentially reducing costs and improving the quality of the finished product.

Property management: Artificial intelligence could be used to analyze data about properties and help landlords and property managers make more informed decisions about things like maintenance and repairs.

Market analysis: Artificial intelligence could be used to analyze data about the real estate market and help people make more informed decisions about when to buy or sell a property.

Overall, the use of artificial intelligence in the field of real estate could potentially help people find properties that better meet their needs and preferences, and it could also help improve the efficiency and sustainability of the housing industry.

Tom: Thank you for your time and I look forward to talking with you in the future.

Callame: You're welcome! I'm happy to help. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm here to assist you.

12/23/2022

Are People Still Buying Houses given High Interest Rates?

Looking at the Portland Vancouver metro area with homes that show a “pending” or offer accepoted date in November we find the answer is “Yes”!

598 accepted an offer in the City of Portland, 113 in Beaverton, 49 in Tigard, 41 in Milwaukie, and 268
in Vancouver.

Sounds like a lot of buying and selling is going on.

However, lets compare November 2021 to November 2022

Estacada had 92% fewer offers accepted this November than last.

Lake Oswego 59% fewer.

Portland had 40.5% less.

Camas Washington was down 62.3% and Vancouver a little over 45%

One City, Aloha had an increase in the number of sales.

What about your price range comparing November 21 to November 22?

Pending sales in the $301,000 to $350,000 range was up 33% in the Portland Metro area but down 14% in Clark County.

New inventory in the $1,501,000. to $2,000.000. range is down 54% in Portland but up 200% in Clark County.

The financing for closed transactions in Nov of 2022 will give you a good idea of what to expect with offers received as a seller or your competition as a buyer. Conventional Financing was 63.4% of the total, FHA 7.7%, VA 5.4% with cash being almost one of every five offers at 21.1 percent.

Homes are selling, people are buying them, but if you want to see where your location and price point fit in, contact me, Tom, through messenger or at QuickQandA.com and I would be glad to walk you through the information that applies to your situation!

04/10/2022

Does Bad Luck Run in Threes?

The question is, how do you look at things?

It is when trouble crosses my path that I consider it a personality test. Whether I Pass or Fail, is determined by how I respond.

As things break I ask:

Is it worth fixing?

Can I do it myself or do I need to hire someone to do it?

And how much time and or money will it cost to get the job done?

I once tried to replace the high beams in Patti's car. How hard can that be?After an hour or so I removed the old bulb, but dropped the new one, resulting in a trip to the mechanic.

I spent time and money. Oh my.

First of the week, the dishwasher stopped working. So after attending the YouTube Night Course on Dishwasher Repair I tested the two likely bad parts only to have them test OK. I still ended up replacing the one part they had in stock.

Success! The dishwasher once again sang its Happy Song once the dishes were clean.

Second came the wall clock which was accurate two times a day. One amazon order and 24 hours later that clock was once again something we could rely on to tell the time.

The third was Patti's much slower than normal laptop. Defrag the hard drive, change the optimization setting and remove a couple of startup programs and we are up to speed.

Did I pass the test? Each time it was not that the problem existed but rather, how did I respond.

How about you?

08/23/2018

7 Staging Tips for Tough Spaces

Home stager works magic in a Tribeca loft! 7 home staging tips for success.These staging tips will really help you success in home staging!

08/14/2018

50+ DIY Projects for Your Entryway

You've just stumbled upon the mother lode of DIY projects and ideas for your entryway. Over 50 ways to make your hallway pretty, organized and inviting.