New Agent Action Plan   •ð       Develop your S.O.I. list, (minimum of 100 people) •ð       Get good photo taken •ð       Order business cards and other supplies needed •ð       Put S.O.I. into computer software database •ð       Develop brand image or logo •ð       Create personalized stationary  •ð        Register URL (Uniform Resource Locator) •ð       Set-Up e-mail address of registered URL •ð       Prepare introductory letter to S.O.I. •ð       Develop tri-fold brochure about yourself •ð       Create a business plan •ð       Create a marketing plan •ð       Develop a listing presentation •ð       Develop a buyers presentation •ð       Create an agent resume •ð       Create a company resume •ð       Prepare a sample "home-marketing" sellers book •ð       Personalize "FREE" reports w... 10/13/2008

What's all the fuss about RADON?    Really, is radon a legitimate concern in our part of the county?  I thought we were out of the "hot" zone. You know, the Midwest.  Are some unscrupulous sorts playing on our ignorance and fear to drum up business doing unnecessary testing and mitigation of our homes?    It's not the intention of this article to prove that radon is present in Oregon.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of measurements taken in the area prove that it is present.  But it is also true that Oregon does have lower levels on average than the rest of the nation.  About 4 percent* of Oregon homes verses 8 percent nationally have been found to have elevated levels. The purpose of this article is to put it in perspective.  In other words, so what?  What is radon's significance.  Does i... 10/13/2008

Portland Oregon was rather late to grasp the idea of condos. It wasn't until the mid 1990s when some developers started reviving the old downtown warehouses into upscale condominiums that people started to eat up the idea of the urban life style.  And then their popularity sky-rocketed.  Around the clock eateries, gyms and shopping starting filling in on the ground floors and the old and young alike left their cars in the suburbs and moved to the city.  The views, the convenience, the culture... it all fit.  Downtown living was hip with a six zero price tag. Today, sales are waning.  According to our local MLS, 1,100 condominiums sold in West Portland over the past 12 months.  There are currently 1,062 condominiums for sale in West Portland.  With the inventory growing, owners are force... 10/11/2008

With the fall of creative financing and option of home buying becoming less available to a larger piece of our demographic, some people are clinging to the idea of co-housing or shared living communities.  One such community is happing just down the street.  The Daybreak Cohousing Community has ‘broken ground' on a new project.  When I say broken, I mean dismantled a great set of ‘horse shoe apartments' circa 1943 (that were in decent condition and rather iconic to the neighborhood in my eyes) in preparation for their new fancy building. Knowing my past experiences with roommates, I'm sure that this would never be my calling.  But I am fascinated in the Daybreak community's plight.  First off (and perhaps unfairly and incorrectly), I think of people that want to participate in commune-s... 10/11/2008

Growing up as a kid in So. Cal I can remember having so many talks with my Dad, usually sitting in his car driving somewhere. He knew that he had my attention because I wasn't going anywhere, at least physically I wasn't going, but mentally I usually drifted off to a place where there were no rules. He would say to me "son you have so much potential and you are just wasting your time and energy with all this stuff you do. Which was code for.."go to college, get a good job and make something of your self. Potential? how did he know what my potential was? How does anybody know what your potential is? But apparently I had some becuase it seemed as though every adult in my life would say the same thing to me. Then one day I heard this friend of mine say that "he was being crushed by the wei... 10/10/2008

Newport,Astoria,Seaside,Cannonbeach,Oceanside,How do these places sound to you?  Please email me for the latest price list. You snooze you will loose......!! 10/09/2008

Interested in buying or selling a Portland, ORE  short sale located in the Portland ORE area, We can help.A short sale is when the home sale proceeds won't pay off what is owed. 1st mortgage + 2nd mortgage and any other fee's ncluding Real Estate fee's, title co. fee's utilities and any thing else needed to produce a clear title. A short sale is not the same as a foreclosure sale which usually happens at the courthouse steps. A bank owned property is usually a property that has gone through the foreclosure process and has been purchased by the bank at a foreclosure sale.     Now the bank ownes the property     10/08/2008

After graduating from the University of Oregon, a good friend of mine moved to Seattle to begin his career.  An avid UO Duck football fan, he found it frustrating to find a local bar to watch his Alama Mater play on Saturday.  He knew he couldn't be the only one, so he developed: University of Oregon graduate Ryan Lewis '02  founder of www.FanSpan.com has a solution. www.FanSpan.com gives sports fans the opportunity to search for a local, fan-friendly sports environment to watch their favorite teams.  The website locates and categorizes these bars/restaurants as watch sites, and identifies them by the teams and sports they associate themselves with.     Lewis says, "Our vision for FanSpan.com is to connect sports fans in both a virtual environment as well as a physical one.  With FanSpa... 10/08/2008

In the last few years, we have seen and heard a lot about the Lents Neighborhood in Portland, OR.  Most of that attention has been due to the Urban Renewal and Max projects that have occurred.  According to the PDC, or Portland Development Commission, one of the goals of the development in Lent's is to revitalize the area and make it an important town center within the Portland Metro area.  The latest talk of development in the area relates to the arrival, maybe, of a Major League Soccer franchise in Portland. Portland currently is the home of the Portland Timbers, a USL division franchise that plays down at PGE park.  USL is the United Soccer League, and is one step below the MLS level in regards to prestige and ability.  The teams owner is attempting to bring an MLS franchise to Portl... 10/07/2008

Being a manager for Remax equity group I get the opportunity to talk to a Lot of people on a daily basis about the market, the good and the bad. I am trying my hardest to keep a positive attitude in the office by being honest about what is going on but really leading the charge to a better tomorrow and the years to come. We will all survive this market and I would venture a guess that not too many people are going to die from this. And what do they say "if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger" yahoo for that logic. Agents are my customers these days and man it is hard sometimes to see people struggle especially when you know they are doing all they can to get business. i look across the desk at times and I just don't have anymore answers, I have no magic words, I have no joyous... 10/06/2008

Being amanager for Remax equity group I get the opportunity to talk to a Lot of people on a daily basis about the market, the good and the bad. I am trying my hardest to keep a positive attitude in the office by being honest about what is going on but really leading the charge to a better tomorrow and the years to come. We will all survive this market and I would venture a guess that not too many people are going to die from this. And what do they say "if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger" yahoo for that logic. Agents are my customers these days and man it is hard sometimes to see people struggle especially when you know they are doing all they can to get business. i look across the desk at times and I just don't have anymore answers, I have no magic words, I have no joyous ... 10/06/2008

What is the problem in asking questions? For one, it often puts people off? A person will only share with you there most personal information when they have a sense of who you are and what your about. A fair question to ask when beginning to qualify a Buyer prospect would be to find out what there financing options are. Over the years I have asked this in many different ways. " When it comes to purchasing will you be paying Cash, Gold Bars or Persian Rugs? " Often times a little light hearted humor can get you past those difficult moments that must be bridged. In the example above the leading question allows there to be a moment of humor before the buyer shares the info with you. You may turn off the buyer if you were to ask a buyer who was not ready to share this info with this type of... 10/05/2008

Went to Hopworks Urban Brewery - HUB - the other day.  And I'm totally impressed.  Not only is it the first eco-brewpub in the Northwest, they've done it fantastically well! Housed in the old Sunset Fuel Company's building on SE 30th and Powell, it was a gut rehab to end all gut rehabs.  Thick concrete walls had windows sawed into them, timber was saved and reused in booths and the bar. In an interesting  twist on the original location's function the oil from the fryers is recycled in the biodiesel tank which powers the trucks and the brew kettle.   Everthing possible is reused, recycled or designed to have minimum impact on the environment.  The exterior planters are old beer kegs that have been cut in half.  The parking lot pavers allow rain to drain into the soil.  In each of the boo... 10/05/2008

The work crew had to dig out a portion of the dirt floor - it's a crawl space under my house - in order to pour the new foundation.  I was amazed at what they found.  A brown bottle with Purex etched on the surface, filled with burnt wooden matches, water and sludge.  I had an image of a teenager sneaking smokes down there, hoping to hide the evidence by dropping it all into the bottle. There were tin cans, partially rusted with crumbling labels, remnants of the home's staples: Carnation Condensed Milk and Folger's Coffee.  The woman of the house, or perhaps the adolescent daughter, used Noxema face care, packaged in the familiar deep blue glass jar and white lid now turned rust. Weights and pullies from windows, a few brick cobbles from an unknown Portland street, more bottles and jars... 10/01/2008

09/24/2008

Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR was recently hired to stage an occupied home built in 1962 -- one with a unique style that we don't usually see today ... it was a Better Homes & Gardens 5-star Home back then!  The seller asked for a staging proposal and we also included many cosmetic updates & repairs that were needed prior to staging and listing the property.  He was very eager to have the home ready for the market and followed all of our recommendations (don't we LOVE when that happens?)  We used only the seller's items when staging this home. This home rec'd a full price offer in 5 days!  The seller said that staging really gave his property an edge in today's challenging market.  Here are some Before & Afters ... This smart seller knew he needed the advice of a professional st... 09/18/2008

    Hello All; this is a very important town hall meeting tomorrow, if you can not attend then please fill out the survey.....Thanks     Dear Steve Eggerts, On Thursday, September 18, 2008 the Big Look Task Force will visit Portland to get feedback on land use to help make decisions about farm and forest lands, urban communities, issues related to sustainability, climate change, housing choice and economic prosperity. Big Look Task Force Town Hall Thursday, September 186:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. University of Portland 5000 N. Willamette Blvd. Portland, OR 97203   This is an excellent opportunity to share a real perspective of how Oregon's land use laws impact your community. Your input is essential to the formation of the task force's recommendations to the 2009 Legislature.    If you are u... 09/17/2008

--- where homes are selling fastest!  That would be our own 97202!  Altos Research which covers real estate data all over the country, complied a list and 97202 was 5th on the list at an average of 77 days on market. You can see the whole list and read the article at Realtor Magazine.  Realtor Magazine pulled their info from a longer article featured in Business Week which explains how Altos arrived at their rankings. ("The ranking was based on the age of the average active home listing in each Zip Code on Aug. 22. The highest-ranked Zips had listings with the fewest "days on the market" (DOM). In cases where communities of relatively fast-selling real estate were clustered together, the best Zip Code in that area was chosen. The selected Zips had average and median DOM of no fewer than... 09/15/2008

Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR was recently selected to stage a charming vintage 1941 home. The homeowner first contacted us to ask for a Consultation report and we provided a detailed "To Do" list of cosmetic repairs that we felt were necessary to make this home market-ready.  After he completed his work, we came back to stage this vacant home. We staged the main impact rooms to emphasize the focal points in each room as well as to make it appealing to the target buyer.  Here are a few Before & After shots ... Homeowners & Realtors, partner with your local professional home stagers ~ you can find us right here on A/R!  We'll help prepare the property for sale and ensure that it shows better than the competition. 09/13/2008

This stunning home is nestled at the base of Alameda Ridge in one of Portland's most popular neighborhoods. Recently updated with quality materials, this home offers hardwood floors, new interior paint, granite, and ceramic floors in both bathrooms. Great vintage details and charm throughout! 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms; 2,955 sq ft on 3 finished levels 09/11/2008