This modest home in the Gabriel Park-Vermont Hills area has a lot to offer in a starter home. Hardwoods throughout, except in the kitchen and baths where marmoleum are used. Some green elements are present including Richlite countertops in the kitchen and the organically maintained gardens. Though the house is just under 1200 square feet, there is both a master and hall bath and a darling living room with a fireplace. $319,000
Skyline
Of all the times I've driven down Skyline, I've never been on this road, and what a discovery! Lined with interesting houses, many with an expansive territorial views towards the coast range and sitting up at 1000 feet one feels like you can see forever. The home also enjoys a wooded view towards the back of the house, as well as a sloping lawn on this third acre lot. This 1942 home has a nice mix of traditional and mid century touches. The dining-living room area enjoy a view, as well as the kitchen and its nook. Pretty much every finish is newer and of good quality. In a surprise touch, the spacious master is on the lower level, but the windows on two sides let in plenty of light. A country feel minutes from the city. $560,000
Council Crest
I've seen this home from the street, and had no idea how beautiful it could be from the exterior. Apparently the owner was an architect and one can tell the difference as soon as you enter the door. The pictures, unfortunately, do not do the home justice. The view from every window has been calculated like a picture frame towards beauty, whether towards the city, a patio, or water feature. Though the home was built in 1990, there are parquet floors in the living room, lending a feeling that the home has been there much longer. An amazing entertaining area is built separately from the home with a lovely patio in between with walls of glass on either side. If you have entertained an idea of a contemporary home, I've never seen anything quite like this and I would love to visit it again. $850,000
Arlington Heights
This was one of my favorite listings in the last few weeks of touring. This Dutch Colonial is set on a quiet street in Arlington Heights, and is laid out nicely and move-in ready. Several french doors open to patio and deck space on the main floor which gives a feeling of elegance to this home. The home makes good use of its 2696 square feet with it's three bedrooms upstairs and a fourth down next to a family room with a small kitchen. The downstairs is not as finished as the upper living areas and there is a bit of slanted floor action on the top level- Still, this home has a great feeling and seems well priced at $650,000
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.
Portland's Montmore
With no through streets, the small neighborhood of Montmore adjacent to Bridlemile is a virtual cul-de-sac. This home sits at the edge of the major loop and backs to a green space, affording lots of privacy. Though the living room with it's floor to ceiling fireplace and ample windows is a wonderful space, the heart of the home seems to lie in the spacious kitchen. Two large angled skylights fill the room with light, one over the cooking area, and another over the eat-in kitchen table. There is currently a free standing island, but one can imagine a built in island, and updating the tile would give the room a lot of wow factor. The master is another great space and features a sliding door onto the deck. One imagines waking up and taking in the beauty of the trees first thing in the morning. With a laundry room/pantry located on the main floor, one can enjoy doing laundry without going into the nether reaches of the home. For the best of both worlds, a path connects this home to the Bridlemile community and would make an easy walk to the well regarded elementary school. Bonus, Montmore has a community pool. 4 BR 2.5 BA Well priced at $499,950
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.
Oak Hills
Rare as hens teeth, this townhome in Oak Hills is one of only twenty-four in a community of 650 homes on 40 acres. I've never been in a townhome that feels so much like a single family home. With it's 1600+ square feet there is ample room for both a family/great room and a living room. Choose from the eating bar or enjoy a more formal meal in the dining area. The corner unit gives both light and privacy and the home is also situated beautifully on the lot with few other homes looking back at you. A slider opens from the great room to the most darling landscaped patio- a place to let Fido out or barbeque in summers. Upstairs are three generous bedrooms, including a very large master. What a well thought out floor plan- and all across the street from the community pool, tennis, and pathways of Oak Hills. Low HOA's. $247,750
3/3 Homes for $399,000
Who would have thought just a few years ago that you could have bought a home in Portland Heights in this price range? This home really tugged at me, and it was my personal favorite of my tour. It sits up above many of the surrounding homes with mountain views towards the east. One can easily enjoy the view from a large deck off the dining area, but the deck itself looks capable of holding quite a large dinner party, a hammock, or whatever your cup of tea is. There is ample glazing on this side of the home to take in the light and views from the living room as well. One fireplace opens between both the living room and dining area, a great architectural feature. With glass block by the doorway and many period features, this home could well be hipped up or Dwelled up by a discerning mid century lover and turned into quite the showplace. Entry into Ainsworth and Lincoln schools makes this cosmetic fixer a great opportunity- just reduced by $100,000. $399,000
2/3 Homes for $399,000
The second home on this tour is on SW Burton, a wonderful street on the top of Sylvan Hill that holds some very special mid century homes, one of which was featured in the Street of Eames tour. This home, despite it's penchant for blue both in and out, has a great curbside appeal with the crisp lines created by the extra wide eaves. This home is on a .46 acre lot, similar in size to other lots on the street, many of which also drop down towards a forested area, though this home has some yard space. The price reflects that updates needed for most people- as I mentioned, a blue theme runs through the home. A quick search will show that the home is surrounded by other pricier homes and may show a return for the money invested. 3 BR, 2 BA 2790 sq ft. $399,000
1/3 Portland Homes for $399,000
I viewed three homes today in SW close in Portland listed at $399,000, or right below the $400,000 point to give an idea of the values in the area. The first home was this one on Jamieson Rd. which had some lovely features including a remodeled kitchen with Corian counters. The kitchen shares a space for an informal eating area, but this could also double as a great room. There are 3 bedrooms above grade, with a fourth and a family room below. Standout features are the living room, spacious enough for two seating areas adjacent to an outside deck- very much an entertaining layout. The master is also quite spacious with a walk in closet and bath. there is over 2000 sq ft on the first floor alone, over 3,000 total- and you can easily feel the difference in the room sizes. One will have to look past the carpet under which hardwoods lie, and a somewhat busy road, but this home has great possibility. $399,900
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.
Raleigh Park Atomic Ranch
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. $459,000
Check out the photos and pass on to your mid century loving friends. Contact me for a private tour. More pictures.
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?
Portland Shopping at Canoe
Recently I needed a place to purchase a client gift and was reminded by a friend of Canoe in downtown Portland. Of course! There's a great mix here of the beautiful and the practical, many times both are achieved in a single piece, such as their Heath pottery collection. From modern birdhouses to tiny bud vases, items are usually both functional and beautiful and are priced well for token "I'm thinking of you" gifts through extravagant "Making a statement" gifts. 
It's just the kind of place where you'll see something that you realize, quite suddenly, you cannot live without. More pictures and gifts.