Ate-Oh-Ate

Ben Dyer has added so much to the Portland dining scene. One of the partners in Laurelhurst Market, and Simpatica Dining Hall has now added the plate lunch to his repertoire.

Ate-Oh-Ate is a reference to the area code of Hawaii, where Mr. Dyer hails from. The space off of E. Burnside is casual, friendly and reasonably priced. This is soul food eating, with traditional dishes like Loco Moco- a hamburger patty with two over-easy eggs on rice and smothered with gravy. Like the logo indicates, the pig is featured pretty heavily on the menu, one choice being the Kahlua pig featured with double starches- both rice and macaroni salad. OK, they offered a salad instead, but why bother at a certain point, right?

Odds of Selling in Portland

While in the heyday of the real estate in the Portland market one could easily price above the latest home sales as the frenzy of buying combined with very few homes available drove prices upward on a monthly basis.

A review of the 19,085 active listings last year, 2010, in Mulnomah County shows a clear guide towards pricing strategy in todays real estate market. The majority of the sales last year occured in the first 0-30 days of the listing and sold for an amount closest to the list price. Fewer sales occurred as the listings stayed on the market with the greatest loss of the sales price to the seller as time wore on.

Only 42% of the homes listed last year actually sold.

There are many tools that I share with clients to help guide them towards the most effective pricing strategy, and avoid any further loss of value.

Paulson Advises Buy Real Estate Now

John Paulson, the hedge fund operator who made billions betting against subprime mortgages- before any of us knew what they were, is now saying  that this is the best time in 50 years to buy a home noting that “your debt and interest payments get locked in at record lows, while the price of your home will rise.”

In an article on Forbes.com, Paulson states, "If you don’t own a home buy one,” Paulson recommended; ” if you  own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”

Rebuilding Your Credit Score

When ever a hear someone say that print is dead, I immediately pre-lament the loss of the NY Times. They make the most mundane subjects interesting and readable. This article speaks lucidly about how the FICO score (the score that dictates what kind of credit you qualify for and how much it will cost you) works, and good strategies to rebuild a not so stellar score. Read the article.

Portland Nightlife

Don't even think about visiting this place if you are on a diet. However, if you are looking for top notch sandwiches, tasty cocktails and the best potato salad I've had in Portland, this is your place! Bunk Bar lies across from Clark Lewis in the east bank area of Portland and the two restaurants could not be more different. Well priced with a super hip, very Portland vibe, Bunk Bar was a great place for a casual meal before a planned night of bowling at Grand Central. While we scored a table at Bunk right away, we weren't so lucky at grabbing a lane. The good news is, they do take reservations for weekend evenings now. Even if you can't bowl, it's a great way to hang out with friends and mix with lots of different kinds of people from super hip to super geek.

Measuring Disputes

Every transaction I am in is completely different and also the same. The same because the process takes us down the same path. Navigating the path can be different because the homes and the people change every time.

This article in the NY Times caught my eye because it reminded me of a home that I listed where the measurements became an issue for the buyers after an offer had been made and accepted. Because of that transaction, I will now only use either the county information or a licensed appraiser to draw up a floor plan for the purpose of listing the square footage. Even just a few feet of floor space can sabotage a sale. Read of the NY lawsuit.

Portland Market Action

January allows a review of last years market in the proverbial rear view window, and the latest Market action has no real surprises- which is good news. National reports, such as the Case Shiller, showed Portland with a loss of 7% last year while our local statistics show an average decline of 11.9%. Obviously, the average means that some areas have lost more value than others while no homes have been exempt from some kind of loss.

For the past three years new listings have risen dramatically in January, and we are now at 11.3 months inventory compared to Decembers 7.9- but again no surprise as many sellers will wait until after the holidays to put their homes on the market, or re-list them after a break. Last year we were at 12 months in January and down to 7.8 by March. NE Portland has moved into the hottest position in faster sales with the lowest DOM (days on market) at 119, while the average in Portland for last year was 145. Lake Oswego leads in DOM at 258, again with the highest average sales price as well.

We are still seeing sales of some homes go pending within a day or two of listing, sometimes with competitive offers. The Multnomah Village home just posted in my featured listings is a prime example.  These homes are priced very well and in good condition for their market. There are buyers out in the market, if extremely discerning.

Interest rates have edged up, but are still historically extremely low. If you are considering selling and buying up, with the proper strategy you should come out ahead in this market. Much has been said about the large shadow inventory looming, so listing now may be a good strategy to avoid a potential crush. Read the Market Action.

Seattle Overnight

I love going up to Seattle, but I have made myself believe the trip was only worthwhile if we stayed for a minimum of two nights. I was proven wrong on a recent trip where the pace seemed easy as we still packed so much (food) into our stay.

Avoiding the Friday night commute, we headed up Saturday morning just in time for brunch at Spring Hill in West Seattle. I've never had better corn beef hash- theirs is made from scratch, laden with sumptuous rich pieces of corned beef. Naturally, we felt a bloody mary was in order to kick off our vacation, and we joked that their spicy version with hunks of preserved meat and pickled vegetable could have sufficed for a meal in itself.

I do enjoy the shopping in Seattle, and this trip found a new to me and dangerous shoe store, A Mano, selling handmade Italian shoes. During my checkout, the proprietess confessed she had to visit a similar high-end store whenever she came into Portland, Halo Shoes, which has recently moved into the Pearl.

Remembering that the shopping was supposed to be for my husband J, we headed to several stores including All Saints, an uber hip British chain and Ian, where J found several great pieces at reasonable prices.

We refreshed ourselves at the Hotel Andra, and headed out for the evening- one of us in their new Italian boots. Stopping for a glass of champagne and a nibble of oysters at the reliable Campagne Cafe, we now felt fortified enough to head into Capitol Hill to our dinner reservation. A good thing we were fortified, too. Underestimating the distance to the restaurant, we headed off on foot. What started out as a jaunt started feeling like a death march as the blocks wore on and the rain began to fall. Luckily for our marriage and reservation, a cab was flagged for the last few blocks to Spinasse.

We've had many a meal in Seattle, and this was our best by far. The wait staff seemed to anticipate our every need, moving us to another table when the bar area became crowded, and helping us plan our way through their courses so we could try as much as possible. The first course was sublime, a roasted leek flan with a cream and steel head roe studded sauce. The house made tajarin with sage and butter was recommended and did not disappoint. Another unusual delight were the rabbit meatballs wrapped in caul fat and served with a caramelized turnip puree and horseradish. When we were sure we were too sated to even think about desert, our waitperson brought us out a complementary plate with two spoons to enjoy along with our coffee.

After a such a satisfying meal, one finds it hard to believe one can ever be hungry again. And yet, we found ourselves in the Capitol Hill neighborhood ready for breakfast. The neighborhood, so quiet and foggy on a Sunday morning and marked by a vintage sign made me feel like a Seattle insider. Oddfellows casual atmosphere was perfect after our elegant dinner and the rustic egg and smoked bacon sandwich was the un-fussy antidote to enjoy with our NY Times and strong coffee.

We always seem to combine out trips to Seattle with a visit to SAM, this trip being no acception with the last few days of the Picasso exhibit to enjoy for a several hours.

Nearby, a late afternoon repast at the venerable bistro, Le Pichet where we tried their french onion soup. Every last buttery, oniony, cheesy bite was enjoyed thoroughly. As we left, a musician was setting up for their usual live Sunday music.

Driving back to Portland, we were rather surprised that we had only been in Seattle for 26 hours.

Cookie Party at the Parry

As a mother of a child with Aspergers Sydrome, supporting children with emotional and behavioral needs seems a natural fit. For the fourth year, I've taken a "mobile cookie party" to the Parry Center, a residential treatment center where kids from 5-17 years of age can have some holiday fun expressing themselves with pounds of frosting and sprinkles.

Aided by my college age daughters and several of their friends, we set up tables laden with jars of sprinkles and bags of colorful frostings and distributed hundreds of cookies to small groups of children over the course of two hours, about 40 kids in all. The children especially enjoy the attentions of my volunteer helpers as they decorate their snowmen, and gingerbread men and ladies sitting side by side. For the second year, my garden group, the Fir Grove Garden Club helped me bake the hundreds of cookies we brought to the Parry.

Thanks to the generous contributions from my office, clients, friends and neighbors, we were also able to deliver huge bags of socks and underwear and dozens of personal journals for the children. Thank you so much everyone for your help in making this party for the kids possible. I'm looking forward to year number five being the "Cookie Lady" for the Parry Center.

Crank

While visiting the new Vino location at SE 28th and Ash, our friend and proprietor  Bruce Bauer mentioned a new bike shop had opened around the corner. Bruce's generous nature has always supported the businesses around him and we've always benefitted from his discoveries, so we loaded up our wine cases into the car and walked into Crank bike shop.

Striking up a conversation with of the owners, Chris Harbert, and feeling absolutely no pressure to buy, I found myself looking for a bike. In short order, I was standing next to a one that would suit my needs at a reasonable price, the Fuji 2.0 Absolute. This hybrid between a road and trail bike would be ideal to ride around the hills in my neighborhood through rain or shine. We made an appointment for me to come back into the shop for my "fitting".

My most recent experience on on bike was to commandeer my sons vintage trail bike for the summer to see if I was truly serious about taking up biking and committing to buying my first real grown-up bike, one that wasn't found sitting under a Christmas tree.

Chris explained to me that most of the discomfort one can experience on a ride, such as sore shoulders, or in my case, fingertips going numb were caused by a poor fit on the bike. When I returned to the shop, I came with my bike clothing on and Chris had my bike mounted so he could watch me "ride" it in the shop. He carefully adjusted the alinement of my knee over the pedal, and my leg extension. He cut the handlebar length so that my arms would be at the correct angle and not put stress on my neck. I got off and on the bike for just under an hour while Chris adjusted the bike to order.

I couldn't believe how much power I felt on the bike when I took it out on its maiden voyage through my neighborhood. It was much lighter than the previous one I had ridden, but even so it seemed much easier taking it up the hills than pulling a few less pounds could account for. My hands did not and have not gone numb, which was a regular occurrance in the past and riding is more enjoyable overall. The fit between my sons bike and my own is night and day.

The Showers Pass cycling jacket I bought at the store- to ensure I wouldn't wimp out of my rides when it is raining has kept me warm and dry without overheating. Bonus, that the company is local. Can I rave a bit about local businesses without sounding too Portlandia?

Sold Twice Midcentury

Some of you may remember my earlier post regarding the virtual staging of my Atomic ranch listing in the Raleigh Park neighborhood. This home was quite unique which gave my marketing approach an extra challenge: much of the home's main level had been maintained perfectly as it was built in 1948. The seller very much wanted to pass the home on to buyers that would appreciate the vintage features that had survived for over 60 years.

These same features would also prove to be ones that were not so appealing to the mainstream of buyers at a time when we have few to begin with. How much should I show of the vintage features? Play them up or down? I decided it best, for many reasons, to sell the house I had. I took extensive pictures of the mid-century details that I linked to on the listing.  In an effort to appeal to the larger market, I showed the home with some minimal virtual changes. Thankfully, both I and the home connected with a buyer during an open house and the sale closed late December.

That same buyer in late December, for personal reasons, had a need to re-sell the house within a week of their closing and asked me to re-list the house. This was New Years Eve.

Within hours, I was showing the house to a backup buyer while my husband prepared dinner for our eight dinner guests that were due to arrive. The new buyers wrote an offer the next day.

The marketing for the home has gone somewhat viral, having been picked up on a very interesting mid-century blog called Retro Renovation, receiving a lot of notice from around the country with almost 700 "likes" counted on the article. The Architectural Heritage Center will be featuring the home on their upcoming kitchen tour. The Oregonian has also expressed an interest in an upcoming article.

Wallpaper Makes a Comeback

Anyone who has ever taken off a room of wallpaper has probably let fly a few choice words and wondered why anyone in their right mind would ever put it up in the first place. Of course this musing is autobiographical. So WHY would I ever consider doing such a thing again?

Wallpaper has changed. It's not just some monotonous pattern. It's not meant to evoke some country cabin. It doesn't have to have a border of flowers running along the top.

The gateway drug for this were the Vynil decals I've used in a bathroom to add a big dose of whimsy. Now I'm considering a just roll or less of wallpaper for a small accent wall in my living room and I'm looking at a geometric or mid century pattern that will be the perfect backdrop for our Eames lounge chair.

It looks like the pain of taking off wallpaper is kind of like that of childbirth,  fading with time.

This wallpaper website rocks-  you can search for wallpaper either by color, style, motiff or era. And for further exploration an interesting NY Times article, extolling the virtues of super cool "wallcoverings".

Virtual Staging in Raleigh Park

I recently listed a home that sits on a perfect lot, in a sought after neighborhood, that has great street appeal and wonderful features. What's the catch? Rarely without exception, every home on the market has one or two features that need special handling and marketing to find the right buyer.

This home has a completely intact mid century kitchen. It has only had two owners in its 60 years, and both of them kept the kitchen as it was and in mint condition. I imagine the new owners may want to update it, but how to show it can be done without a complete and costly remodeling?

I decided to try virtual staging. I imagined the new homeowners as mid century enthusiasts, but perhaps more on the Dwell, spartan side of mid century. Conferencing by phone, I asked the staging company to add Nelson lamps to the kitchen, update the vintage upholstery in the kitchen booth, and replace the vintage fridge and range with stainless appliances. I asked them to continue the look into the living room (which is currently staged with the seller's asian style furniture) to bring the two rooms in harmony.

Virtually staged rooms need to be empty, so my seller and I (with the help of our husbands/partners) decided to pull out the furniture out so I could take new photographs and then moved the furniture back in its place.

While virtual staging is in its infancy, I see great future here in showing future buyers another way to view a home past what they see in front of their eyes.

I'd love to know what you think. See more of this home.

Jeff Kovel of Skylab Architecture

The Departure Lounge, Doug Fir Restaurant and Lounge, and the Hoke (Twilight) House have enriched the landscape and experiences of us Portlanders, and all brought to us by Jeff Kovel of Skylab Architecture. On a recent speaking engagement, Mr. Kovel shared a bit about his background and his particular approach to architecture.

Inspired by a modern home his parents buitlt in the 80's, Jeff knew architecture would be his career. A visit to any of his designs will demonstrate to you what Jeff means when he says his work is "serious play." With the Doug Fir, there is a blend of styles informed by the northwest frontier and the modern aesthetic.  The Departure Lounge is more Miami than Portland. The entryway is a long dark corridor, and gives a start contrast when it opens to an airy, bright interior and chic rooftop bar. The Hoke House was a spec home, purchased immediately by a Nike executive. The home is a lovely juxtaposition between nature and strong modern lines. Featured in the Twilight movie, the home will probably influence the taste towards modern for millions of people. And perhaps a few of them will become architects as well.

Among other current projects, Skylab is working with prefabricated housing, creating designs that can be customized depending on owner's budget. The homes are made of building blocks, known as modules that can be "played with" in various configurations. Another example of what Jeff calls "building stories with materials," it looks like Skylab will keep us challenged and amused for years to come.

Selling a Home is "Not for Sissies"

Someone just shared with me a very common sense article in Money magazine about bridging the gap between buyers and sellers in the market today. They echoed something I have observed intensify over the last six months, the standoff that sometimes exists between buyers and sellers. Many sellers understandably recall what they could have sold their house for just two or three years ago, making it difficult to accurately price their home today. However, I do see that changing. Sellers know, as one colleague told me recently, that  "Selling a home is not for sissies," and are pricing much more in alignment with the market. Our multiple listing service shows homes selling within 3% of the listed price (the last listed price- comparable solds, listing history, condition and many factors effect the final sales price). I have also observed, as this article does, that buyers, wary of the market continuing to descend are looking for the best value. Some buyers will end up losing out on a good home for drawing the line too hard in the sand while negotiating. Negotiating works well as a conversation that continues between the buyer and seller to produce the best outcome. Negotiating skills in a realtor are more important than ever, given the current scenario.

So while I read many articles on real estate, I pass few along, and this one has some salient points. Read the Money Magazine article.

Atomic Ranch Midcentury

This home I recently listed created such a buzz in the realtor community it drew 70 brokers to the professional open house. What's so special? Rarely do we see a midcentury in such pristine condition. And not pristine condition of a home that wasn't so hot to begin with- we've all seen those. This home was obviously custom built with high end materials, sited beautifully on a .38 acre lot in a great neighborhood.

So many features were marveled over on the tour- the honeycombed glass on either side of the main doorway is not only beautiful, but functional. The glass panels swing out to allow fresh air in- and then hidden screens pull down over the space. The living room fireplace is a graceful curve of wood. Beyond the fireplace is a floor to ceiling window that takes in the sunny level backyard. The kitchen is completely original with it's white masonite walls trimmed in metal. Most cabinet doors are rounded. A rounded built in cabinet repeats the shape above in glass display shelves. Beyond that is a restaurant style booth with an industrial glass table top and a stainless riveted base right of of a rocket ship. The booth is surrounded by a wraparound window.

Two of the four baths are pristine masonite with glass block windows- the colors are neutral- not the burgundys and aqua blues one might expect in a vintage bath.

The house is currently decorated with a vintage eye, but the home could go Dwell very easily for a super sleek mid century modern look.

Check out the photos and pass on to your mid century loving friends. Contact me for a private tour. More pictures.

Portland's Pastrami Masters

On Friday nights Ken's Home Plate on Hawthorne was the go to place for J and I. It was exalted home cooking, rooted in French technique that would travel intrepidly around the world at times, but Ken always managed to pull it off. I still long for his smashed potatoes and fried chicken, his warm salad with octopus- sigh.

What a trade off though! Ken's partnership with food writer Nick Zukin filled a Crater Lake sized hole in Portland cuisine producing the best pastrami I've ever enjoyed, served daily at Kenny and Zukes. It's moist and flavorful- swoonably delicious. And go ahead and have the fries with it, you're not here to diet. They've got a well edited and reasonable wine list if you like a little Cotes du Rhone with your pastrami. On the other hand, they probably have the best soda pop selection of any place in town. Speaking of towns, even the noted deli town of NY has noticed our deli in the NY Times article earlier this year.

If you haven't been, go. If you have been- I bet you can taste that reuben now.

Portland's Reed College

What and education when my dear friend S took me on a tour of the Reed College Campus recently. In 1908 forward thinking Portlanders fostered this liberal arts school that has produced the second highest number of Rhode scholars for any liberal arts college- 31, over 50 Fullbright Scholars and two MacArthur (Genuis) Award winners. With all the controversy swirling around the Reed campus for drug use, perhaps we have forgotten that the campus students are serious scholars, often filling the library evening after evening and into the weekends.

The campus includes a natural area and wildlife preserve known as Reed Canyon, filled by Crystal Springs. The most recognizable building, the Old Dorm Block, was designed by A.E. Doyle and it's Gothic-Tudor style looks the ideal prototype of the college campus. The psychology building was designed by noted architect Pietro Belluschi. Another interesting and somewhat surprising feature is it's very own nuclear reactor used for for instruction and research.

The campus housing is enviably private and attractive, including four newer LEED certified residence halls and easy walk to the newer wellness center nearby offering alternative medicine including accupuncture and biofeedback. The dining hall with it's floor to ceiling windows is operated by Bon Apetit and offers sustainable cuisine with many vegan options- after all the 2009 Princeton Review said Reeds students ranked number 3 in students that study most and number 5 in "clove smoking vegetarians".

Thanks to my dear friend S who recently started working with Reed as a development officer- (about half of the students there receive assistance with their tuitions), Reed is much more to me than a beautiful campus on the way to the neighborhood of Eastmoreland, and another great reason to be proud to call Portland my home.

Zestimates in Portland

I recently attended a social networking day sponsored by Inman News, a major compiler of news for the real estate industry. One of the presenters was from Zillow. He asked that real estate agents "not throw Zillow under the bus" when speaking to their clients. Why would he say that? Perhaps more than a few of the several hundred realtors attending had a past experience with a seller who wished to base the market price of their home on a "Zestimate" from Zillow. I myself had that experience back in the prime of the market. I knew that Zillow could report accurately the price of homes that were sold. But I also knew that Zillow could not tell which street a buyer found more or less desirable- and as we all know there are better or worse streets in the best of neighborhoods. Nor could Zillow tell which home had been completely remodeled for a higher value or had a bedroom off of the kitchen that would cause a buyer to run for the hills when they saw it.

So the Zillow presenter shared a tool that I was not aware of- perhaps to mollify any smoldering past resentments in the room. At the bottom of Zillow's main page is a very small link to their accuracy ratings for major cities, Portland included, which I recently visited. For Portland they give themselves a median accuracy of 9.4%. On a house marketed for $400,000 that is close to $40,000 off from the Zestimate. Further, 78% of the homes valued by a zestimate were off by up to 20%, translating into a $80,000 difference on a $400,000 home.

Again, Zillow is a great place to see the "solds" and actively marketed homes in your neighborhood. However, for a real market value of your home, the thoughtful analysis of a trusted real estate professional can't be beat.  Visit  the zestimate accuracy chart.

Portland's Party Central

Gazing down at you from the walls are the head of moose dear and bison. Underneath them lies anything you can possibly need for a party. From the mundane tables, cutlery and glassware for a conventional gathering, to pinatas, chocolate fountains, and hot dog rollers, Barbur Rentals has it all. Cotton candy anyone? How about a game of roulette or bingo? Or a tiki booth to serve tall umbrellaed drinks from? For a 50's themed party a few years ago I rented a huge see through plastic shell to serve iced shrimp cocktail.

But wait there's more. Wander outside and you can rent anything from a boat to a tractor. Sure you can get a shovel- or twenty. Next to the shovels are small plastic barrels for the lemonade at your next company picnic. Easily entertained, I always enjoy coming here and imagining my next party. Now, how can I work a moose head into my next party theme?