TigardWilson and Polly Tigard settled the area in the 1850’s. After coming to Oregon by wagon train in 1852, the Tigards staked out a 320 acre claim near Bull Mountain. The family cleared two acres for their home site, first building a log cabin and later a frame house. Soon, the Tigards had constructed the community’s first general store, which also served as a community post office, voting place and home for Tigard’s first telephone. A Victorian style house built in 1880 for Wilson Tigard’s eldest son, John, is now a historic landmark located on SW Canterbury Lane.  Another monument to Tigard’s community spirit and past is the Tigard Windmill at SW 121st Avenue and Katherine Street. Built by Chris Christensen circa 1900 to supply well water for two residences on the Wood-Christensen f... 02/05/2007

Tigard Review 2006 Real Estate ReviewPrevious Month's Average Sales Price: $363,000.Year-to-Date Average Sales Price & Appreciation: $356,400 8.6%.A Summary of 2006There were 14% more new istings when comparing market activity in 2006 with that of 2005.However, pending sales decreased 3.6% and closed sales fell 13.4%.Portland had its second highest total volume in real estate sales in 2006 with $10.4 billion compared to$10.6 last year. Further, the average sale price increased 14% (322,600 v. 282,900) and median sale priceappreciated 13.9% ($270,500 vs. $237,500).December Residential HighlightsThe last month of 2006 saw a slight increase in pending sales from the same time last year. Whileclosed sales were down 16.4%, pending sales increased 0.2% and new listings grew 8.3%, comparingDec... 02/05/2007

The Jan. 27th edition of the Oregonian had an article about the housing market. Yes the above head line is true . . . for nationwide real estate sales. New home sales fell in 2006 by the largest amount in some time, but they were actually up for a second straight month in December. Hopefully this means that the worst of the housing downturn is coming to an end. When you read the head line above, what do you think? Most stop at the head line and don't bother to read the rest of the article. Others fail to make the distinction between national stats and our local market activity or between NEW home sales and existing home sales.So what is happening in our local market? On the new home front we see lots of inventory and lots of builder incentives to buyers. Many of the local builders are o... 01/30/2007

A lot of insurance companies have their renewal time at the beginning quarter of the year. As the bill gets bigger and bigger each year, you are wondering what to do to lower it.Here are just a few suggestions:Most people insure their home for the cost to buy a new home. When deciding how much to insure your home for, don't include the value of the land. Only the cost of rebuilding. Inquire about special discounts with your present insurer. Are you eligible for a long time customer discount? Can you get a discount for also having your automobile insurance with them? Do they offer a discount to you if you are over the age of 55? Ask your employer if they offer a group coverage rate. Just like health insurance, some employers offer home and auto coverage at a discounted group rate. Call a... 01/16/2007

When you put your home on the market your agent assumes that you want to sell your home as quickly as possible for the highest amount of profit. If this not what you have in mind, you need to tell your agent up front what you want.A home that sits on the market for a long time doesn't do you or your agent any good. The best way to sell your home quickly is to price it accurately from the start! A lot of people think that you should price your home high and then come down over time. This is not a good strategy to get your home sold for top dollar. There are two reasons why it is not a good idea to employ this strategy: First is today's buyers are far more educated and know what a good price is and will just skip your home and move to one that is priced right. The second reason this doesn... 01/16/2007