Sellers: How to do it Right
In this market it’s now axiomatic that, next to the right price, the most important step in whether or not a home will sell is its condition when listed. I wrote this nearly a year ago, and repeat it in various forms in every listing appointment:
Condition. Unless you’re selling a fixer – and have priced it […]
The Time Value of Homes
When the buying frenzy was hitting stride three years ago, builders were buying any lot they could find in Lake Oswego; in many cases, buying tear-downs and rebuilding. Three hundred thousand dollar lots aren’t good places for two hundred thousand dollar homes, so there are now 122 active listings in LO over $1 million, […]
2008, State of Portland Real Estate: Not Great
But, in my sunny optimistic way, not awful, either.
[Note for the record I’m an optimist, not an ostrich optimist. The former sees problems and calculates the odds of getting beyond them; the ostrich simply pretends the problems don’t exist (see: NAR).]
The good news is that activity has picked up dramatically in the last three or four […]
December numbers; and a Special Plea to the Oregon Association of Realtors
Richard Gaylord, president of the National Association of Realtors, was interviewed on local station KXL a few weeks ago:
http://arkansasrealtors.net/files/richard_gaylord.mp3
The gist:
“I’m optimistic about the market in your area and around the country … We see sales remaining strong [in Portland], increasing 1% in 2008, and we also see prices increasing 2% in 2008.”
Well.
Here are the preliminary […]
S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index
I haven’t written much about this index, but it provides a little different - and more accurate - view into what’s happening with existing home sales. At its very briefest, it follows (now) twenty metropolitan areas by doubling the sale and resale of the same homes, then calculates the appreciation. The median and average sales […]
The Supply Side of Housing: God isn’t making any more land
Brent Hunsberger has an interview in this morning’s Oregonian business section with economist Keitaro Matsuda. He makes a point that we often overlook as to why Northwest home prices have held up while so many places around the country have not. Yes, more people moving into the region than out due to a relatively strong economy, but […]
November Numbers: Portland Metro
Let me reiterate some stuff first: I’m a big fan of transparency, the corollary of which is I hate spin. The NAR, frankly, spends too much time trying to either obscure bad news or, when it invariably appears, to put a happy face on it. People see through that, and when rosy projections turn out […]
Real [Estate] Kudos to The Oregonian
The Oregonian certainly has a lot to criticize, and I’ve done my share. The news is tainted by du jour obsessions - right now it’s global warming - and the editors still spend a little too much energy on taking the New York Times seriously.
But I do think there’s a sincere effort to listen to critics, […]
Builders’ Own Homes: Great Quality, Quirky Design.
I have this listing. Terrific, terrific home: Quality, 10. Maintenance, 10. 2X6 framing, imported woods, solid core doors, dual furnace and AC (new), new fifty year roof, new kitchen and family room, huge rooms, triple extra high garage, 4000 sf on a mature, beautifully landscaped, fully fenced quarter acre. All because it was built and lived in […]
The Value of a Good Agent: Getting from OFFER to CLOSE. (A visual allegory.)
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