Yes, most of us well intended folks want to save energy and help out the planet, but do we have to do it with those hideously ugly CFL's? Here's a beautiful solution, a graceful compact fluorescent that can actually add to the design factor of your home lighting. Here's the link so you know the difference between your lumens and your watts- and a tradition bending light to show off your bright ideas. put.http://blog.rejuvenation.com/stories/introducing-the-plumen/
Hyland Hills Home
This Hyland Hills home in close-in Beaverton is completely move-in ready. The love that has gone into the remodel is apparent from the Brazilian hardwood floors to the kitchen with all the cabinets, slab granite counters and SS appliances. Looking more closely, you will notice all the windows have been upgraded, along with the 97.5 high efficiency furnace. No real urban home can be complete without the raised bed gardens and the optional chicken coop which you may consider taking on for your own fresh eggs. You won't find better for $235,500. More photos here.
Raleigh Hills
This gorgeous ranch sits beautifully on .38 landscaped acres, evoking a private country getaway. The home is one of the few in the neighborhood with all the square footage on one level, yet allowing multiple areas of the home to spread out into. The dining and living room are quite spacious at 18 and 24' respectively. A more intimate family area off the dining room allows access through a slider to a lovely patio taking advantage of lovely views. A den/media room depending on the household needs provides another cozy space. Bridlemile/Lincoln schools, Washington Cty taxes. $475,000
Affordable Bridlemile
From the cheery front door, to the lovely, private lawn expanse, this new listing has so much to offer. This little-known area of Bridlemile has no through streets and acts as a large cul-de-sac. Ideal floor plan for families that want to keep little ones close by, with three bedrooms together on the main floor, one with a master bath. The kitchen has a lovely built in buffet and a spacious dining area that opens to a deck with barbeque and summer dining area. The downstairs family room, surprises with it's size and nod to the Craftsman look with the open beamed ceiling. The back yard couldn't be more private in the suburbs, and a level lawn provides area for garden and play. Bridlemile-Lincoln cluster schools. $345,500
Raleigh Park Garden Tour
Portland gardeners are as rabid as any other Portland group, cyclists, coffee drinkers, book lovers, or vegans for that matter. Now with Spring trying to make it's way into our town, Portland Nursery is bustling with the promise of finding that perfect plant, adding new ones to our gardens or filling in the losses from the wintertime.
My son smirks everytime I mention my garden club. He says it conjures up versions of ladies in big hats wearing gloves and tittering over rose specimens. None of us wear big hats, and our gloves tend to the gardening variety. The Fir Grove Garden Club has been a part of my Raleigh Hills neighborhood since the 1940's victory gardens and we have a mission. We currently maintain the West Slope Community Library garden and we are in the midst of a huge re-design away from a perennial garden to a more structured garden with conifers, red twig dogwoods and year round interest. The library has thousands of visitors every year and is an important community hub.
Toward that end we are hosting our third biennial garden tour. With the large lots available in our neighborhood, we have attracted some great gardeners who will be opening up their gardens June 4th. Barbara Ashmun, a well known Portland gardener and writer is taking part, as is the Sherman-Nelson garden. Vern Nelson writes the Hungry Garden column for the Oregonian and their garden is about all things edible including duck and chicken (eggs). You will probably find Vern entertaining visitors in the garden the day of the tour. With a total of seven gardens, many ideas can be garnered from a found DIY garden to structured plantings with a tea house. The gardens are set in Montclair and Raleigh Park- a step back in time to primarily 50's style homes.
Buy your tickets here- we now have a web site with garden pictures. A great mothers/fathers day gift perhaps? Our garden scouting trip to Portland Nursery.
Portland Market Action: March 2011
Sales are picking up from February with closed sales up 50% in March of this year from the previous month. Inventory has dropped to 7.1, which means if no other homes were put on the market, at the current rate of sales it would take 7 months to sell all the inventory that exists today. The norm for the last several years shows inventory reaching as high as 12 months in December, descending through the summer and picking up again in the fall. In a normal market, 6 months inventory is seen as an even market between the supply and demand of sellers and buyers. A continued low inventory would signal a positive change in our market.
Looking east, Mt. Hood sales have dropped 45% from 2010 numbers- in my mind an indication of second home sales falling. Beaverton's numbers have only shown a 1.5% drop from 2010 numbers. Read the entire RMLS report.
Springwater Corridor
When the sun finally arrived recently, we Portlanders poured out of our homes in celebration. It was time for J and I to throw the bikes in the back of the truck for a nice long ride on the Springwater Corridor. The ride starts for us at OMSI on the east bank, offering really gorgeous city views. The Willamette looked like a crowded toddlers tub, choc a bloc with boats of all sizes, including the Dragon Boats out for their practice runs. As we rode south towards Oaks Park, the real views turned out to be the people, the trueist cross section of Portlanders you can imagine. Punk girls with multi-colored hair and all black clothing, serious cyclists with skin tight riding jerseys, families yelling at their kids to stay on the right side of the pathway, mom and pop types in tie-die ambling along, well behaved dogs taking their owners for a walk, even a few homeless with their belongings in milk crates on the back of their bikes shared the trail.
While the trail can be a bit congested between OMSI and Oak Park, it opens up considerably on the small stretch through the Sellwood neighborhood before the trail begins again, crossing McLoughlin and heading out through Gresham and over 20 miles total into Boring.
We were content with a 14 mile round trip, enjoying the greenery of Johnson Creek and the light industrial beyond. A great coffee stop reward near OMSI, if you haven't tried it yet, is Water Avenue Coffee. They roast their own award winning beans, offer lovely pastries and sandwiches, as well as a "side car" of espresso next to your espresso drink. What a great city we live in.
Portland Pop Up:Boke Bowl
Everyone has heard of, and many of us have our favorite food carts. But have you enjoyed the latest "pop up" restaurant in Portland, Boke Bowl?
Not owning your own restaurant doesn't proclude you from popping into an existing one, substituting your menu and serving your fare. After making reservations on their website, I had lunch recently at Decarli's in Beaverton for Boke Bowls 7th pop up experience.
In our house, we occasionally "doctor" ramen with assorted veggies, poached eggs or other leftovers for an ad hoc meal. Boke Bowl completely takes off on this experience with home made ramen noodles and your choice of broth and add-ons, such as pork belly, fried chicken, or fried oysters. I tried the miso broth that came with little islands of mushrooms, kale, and fresh water chestnuts as well as tender olive oil poached shrimp. The oysters were wonderful, just fried with a light batter and served with a tangy remoulade.
On top of taking over the restaurant, they brought in their own DJ spinning during our meal. I wouldn't mind at all a takeover of my place. In the meantime, make a reservation for lunch here. For a more in depth Boke Bowl experience, visit my friend Kathleen's blog.
Rummer Tour: Oak Hills
If you've ever been curious about what these homes are or if you have flirted with the idea of owning one, now is your chance to visit eight Rummer homes in one day. The Historic Preservation League of Oregon is hosting this tour in Oak Hills where Robert Rummer himself will be on hand during a presentation to answer questions.
"Rummers" are known for their vaulted ceilings, and inner atriums that some owners leave open to the elements or enclose into the house. They are built on slab and tend to be on a smaller scale with a high use of glazing to let in light and give the feeling of living outdoors. There has always been a lot of speculation on how much borrowing Rummer did from the nearly identical Eichlers of California- but perhaps that just adds to their intrigue in Oregon.
The tour is May 21st. Buy tickets here.
Arts and Eating Weekend
In this story, yours truly is forced to visit the Bay Area and celebrate a family birthday for days on end. We started out a Boulevard, a beautiful Belle Epoque era restaurant where the food and service are equally stellar, then a bit tipsily onto the Balenciaga exhibit at the de Young Museum. As much as I love beautiful clothing, I still did not expect my strong response to this show. The designer had such an understanding of his craft, he was able to create nothing short of wearable sculptures with fabric. The exhibit was sinfifcant as it demonstrates the influence of Balenciagas Spanish heritage- the Catholic church, bullfighting and traditional Spanish clothing, directly to his designs. The exhibit continues through July 4th. You must go up to the observation floor of the de Young and see the dizzying views of the city and Bay.
The following day took us to the area known as the "gourmet ghetto" in Berkeley, an area of top notch food shopping and restaurants that brings back the European experience. Need cheese? Of course, the Cheese Board, for meat on to Magnanis. Our carb needs took us to Acme breads. A small line forms outside of the unassuming doorway. While two ladies efficiently fill orders a step away from the bakers , a larger doorway opens up to whisk away deliveries all over the city by truck. Must have- the cinnamon bread and ham and cheese turnovers. On an earlier visit one of these turnovers did not survive the short walk across the parking lot to the car.
Our produce shopping took us to Montery Market where the selection was unbeatable. I think you could make practically any dish you wanted shopping here. There must have been twenty types of fresh mushrooms. Fresh tamarind was at home here as the Napa cabbage, and buying several varieties of mangos for a tasting seemed as natural as buying apples.
We loaded up our groceries into the car into waiting coolers and went on to our next meal at Chez Panisse, where 40 years ago Alice Waters launched the birthplace of local sustainable eating in America.
Both Boulevard and Chez Panisse are included in the SF Chronicles 100 Best Restaurant list- a great guide to eating in the Bay Area. All the photos including lunch at Chez P.
Portland Mid Century Makes Inman News
I was contacted recently by Inman News, a national website used by many professionals to stay current with all things real estate. A former writer for the Chicago Tribune explained to me that Inman was beginning a new weekly feature regarding the marketing of an unusual or difficult property- and that they had chosen a mid-century property I had just marketed and sold to use as their first story.
I probably took 150 photographs to capture this mid-century home which, Pam Kueber of Retro Renovation shared with me, also falls into the category of Streamline Moderne. Streamline is a stripped down Art Deco with curves suggesting motion, speed and modernity. Here is just one of the four fireplaces.
The piece got a great response and was called Art of Selling a Vintage Home.
Portland Heights
On one of the best, most private streets at the top of Portland Heights sits this traditional home. The many paned windows bring in ample lighting and the home feels comfortable and approachable. As an example of how a traditional home doesn't have to be all "Martha Stewart", the owner has her contemporary art work displayed throughout. The kitchen has a small sitting area with a fireplace and armchairs and beckons guests or friends to gather before a meal. Small balconies can be accessed from the main floor and a larger deck from the surprisingly light daylight basement. Bedrooms are on the smaller side, but perfectly adequate and charming. This home has a great feeling throughout. Just listed and may be a bit high at $849,000 but worth exploring.
Nob Hill Brownstone
Built in the east coast brownstone style, this home gives the benefits of low-maintenance living without the potential apartment-like feeling of a condominium building. You can access your two car garage from Savier, crossing through the enclosed patio to your home or enter from the street on Thurman. A hop skip and a jump to a plethora of dining and shopping choices, yet with a homey, quiet interior. The main level is an open kitchen and dining area, with the upstairs holding two bedrooms, each with a private bath. $599,000
Ellis Lawrence: Willamette Heights
Ellis Lawrence set this home beautifully on a one third acre of property with views of NW Portland down towards the Willamette river. The kitchen is beautifully updated, as well as the baths, but more importantly the updates are done with respect to the period while still keeping a classic tone that will suit most. With over 6,000 square feet, one can have four bedrooms together on the second floor while still keeping generous proportions. The top level has one of the 3.2 baths and can easily be an entire guest suite or would be perfectly suited to a play/family room. Gardens areas are accessible from the main floor. A lovely property, with the only challenge being the steps either up to or down to the home. $1,625,000
Measuring Disputes Update
On an earlier post I shared a story from the NY Times about a measuring dispute in a new condominium building. The buyer was suing the developer over a difference between the actual and advertised square footage. The buyer measured the condo after occupying it and found the unit to be 743 rather than 634 square feet. That 109 square feet just cost the developer $150,000 in a recent settlement.
I think it best to rely on the county measurements or have a relatively inexpensive appraiser draw up a floor plan and determine the square footage. The floor plan usually costs between $150-$250 and makes a great addition to your flyer and online documents. While we Oregonians may not be as litigious as those fiesty New Yorkers, measuring disputes are serious business and can cause a transaction to fail. The NY Times story.
Real Estate Insider: Making an Offer
Finally! My clients and I have found the perfect home. Now, how do we determine how to make the best offer? There are many factors depending on my clients situation and the home in question, but the "history report" is a crucial piece of information.
This report allows me to see behind the scenes, and kind of like reading tea leaves, gives me guidance on how to approach an offer. Take this active listing, for example. The same realtor has listed it beginning in April of last year. I can see the list price has gone from $374,900 down to the current price of $299,000. If I dig further, I can see whether the house is a bank owned or short sale. That will help determine if there is any more room to negotiate. On the other hand, because the listing has become a bit shopworn, it's very possible the current list price is- at last- reflecting the true market value. A quick search of the latest neighborhood sales will determine that.
Are the sellers still in the home, or have they moved on leaving the house vacant? A conversation with the listing agent may give me further information upon which to reach a decision. Has the home gone pending and then BOM (back on market)? If so, why- were there issues with an earlier inspection? Have those issues been resolved?
So you see, when a buyer asks- "What do I offer?" many factors are taken into consideration to writing up not just an offer, but an offer that will be accepted. That's the most successful offer of all when it comes to finally finding the perfect home.
John Yeon: Watzek House Tour
John Yeon is one of the most recognized architects in Portland, primarily known for creating the style known as Northwest Regional, and designing 14 homes in the Portland area. The most famous, the Watzek House, was so celebrated the plans were exhibited at Moma and is now on the National Historic Register. Yeon, who was not formally trained as an architect, designed this home at the age of 26.
The family name is sprinkled throughout Portland. Yeons father oversaw the Columbia River Highway and influenced John's interest in public projects, and Yeon Avenue bears his name . His mother, was Elizabeth Mock Yeon and a two of Johns well known speculative houses are in the Mocks Crest neighborhood in north Portland.
The Watzek house is currently featured as one of "Portlands 10 Greatest Homes" in Portland Monthly magazine. A chance in a lifetime tour has come up on the weekend of April 30th. The premiere tour is being led by Yeon's longtime associate Richard Brown. Purchase tickets here.
Portland Real Estate Recovery
Case-Shiller, the well respected tracker of home sales in the US has published a map that shows what they predict is the recovery time of the real estate market.
"Recovery" is defined by the market returning to it's height, which most people believe was 2006-07.
The Portland market recovery, by their reckoning would rebound between 2015-2025.
Raleigh Hills Mid Century
This small area of Raleigh Hills is defined by less than ten blocks north to south and is known as Broadmoor. The homes here were primarily built by Baumann and the land was once part of the Mac Club's golf course. The homes are much sought after for their solid construction as well as their location.
This home is very well priced for the area, an accurate reflection of a few areas of the home that some buyers would prefer to remodel, such as the kitchen and vintage baths. The layout, with the family room off the kitchen and the lovely lot will suit most families. The southern facing dining room gets great light and will host a large dinner party. A good opportunity. $639,900
Red Bus Tour
A few weeks ago my friend Kathleen called from her home in NE Portland and asked me if I was on the double decker red bus touring in her neighborhood with the big Windermere banner.
This bus gets notice, which is why I felt a bit of a spectacle in it on our Tuesday brokers open tour. For those of you that don't Live Drink and Eat real estate, Tuesday is the day every week that brokers showcase their new listings and hope to generate interest- and a subsequent sale through exposing them to as many brokers as possible, within a few hours.
I got over my misgivings as it was a lot of fun to tour with colleagues and support our new Windermere listings. There were also mimosas available.
Though only in use a few months, the red bus tour has definitely been the source of several sales- we take about 30 realtors through our listings at a time. The next tour will be in SE Portland next week.