Oregon Financing Update

Guest Author:

Bob Chiodo, CFP

Equity Home Mortgage, LLC

www.ResCommLending.com

Apply Here

Estimated Rates for the week of February 8, 2010*:

 

• 30 yr fixed=4.75 – 5.00 
• FHA/VA=4.75 – 5.00 
• OR VA=4.50 w/1.5 pts/4.625 w/1.0 
• Jumbo (30 yr fixed)=5.50 – 5.75 
• 5/1 ARM=conforming 3.625 – 4.000; jumbo 3.875 – 4.250

As you can see, rates stayed about the same from last week. I replaced the 7/1 quote and went with a 5/1 since the pricing has been very aggressive. Although it is short term, it’s an important option to review if a borrower is certain to move within five years.

There has been a lot of discussion on what will happen to rates once the Fed quits buying Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) at the end of this quarter. One analyst suggested rates could jump by 2.00%. Freddie Mac reported that they anticipate rates could go up 1.00% when the Fed – who is the largest purchaser of mortgage backed securities – quits buying.  Other analysts are suggesting a minor increase of 10 to 30 basis points (.10% – .30%). Some even speculate that the Fed would jump back in and purchase the MBS’s should rates move too high. As is typical, there is a wide variance in opinions. It appears that no one thinks that the MBS market will return to levels anywhere near to where the market was before the Fed’s intervention. Comments like this strongly suggest that those potential homebuyers who are waiting should buy now and not later.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, weekly mortgage application volume rose a seasonally adjusted 21% from the previous week. Applications for refinancing rose 26.3 percent while purchase money applications jumped 10.3%. The average 30 year fixed rate was 5.01 with 1.04 points; 15 year mortgages were 4.33 with 1.17 points.

Some good news on the FHA condo front, our company recently received HUD approval on two different condo complexes in 12 days from start to finish. That is a lot better than the 6-8 weeks that we were quoting. For all of those involved in condominiums, especially Association management companies, it’s important to learn the approval process. And remember, the approval needs to be updated every two years.

I haven’t discussed reverse mortgages for quite some time. Most, if not all, reverse mortgages are originated as an FHA loan. These loans – including reverse mortgages for purchasing a home – are great programs for the right individuals. Fixed rate reverse mortgages are currently available in the mid-fives. Many seniors who have been feeling the pinch in these tough economic times have been refinancing their homes with this product. Since there are no credit score requirements, reverse mortgages have saved more than a few senior’s homes from foreclosure.

Let’s all have a great week!

*Rates quoted are for the use of Realtors® and others in the real estate/financial service industries. They are not meant to be a quote for an individual situation. Rates change daily and those above are only listed to assist market participants by keeping them informed of current interest rates. Credit scores, down payment, and other risk related issues may change the rate. Quotes are usually shown for a 30 day lock period and a 1% origination or discount fee.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Market Update: A Decade Of Lake Oswego’s High End Market

You’ve read it here, in other blogs, the newspapers and on the news – that the million dollar and above housing market in Lake Oswego was stuck this past year. I’ve written in the past about those million $ houses and since we’ve just completed a year and a decade, I thought now would be a good time to see where we’ve been and where we’re at with the high-end market in Lake Oswego.

If you lived in California, that million dollar market dropped by almost 24% this past year alone.  Lake Oswego has had this market activity in the over $1 million price range this past decade (includes single family, condos, townhouses and attached):

2000

• # of Houses Sold: 12
• High Sold: $6,950,000
• Low Sold: $1,015,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $325
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 92.66%

2001

• # of Houses Sold: 18
• High Sold: $3,985,000
• Low Sold: $1,000,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $325
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 85.42%

2002

• # of Houses Sold: 28
• High Sold: $3,215,000
• Low Sold: $1,020,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $310
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 96.43%

2003

• # of Houses Sold: 17
• High Sold: $2,125,000
• Low Sold: $1,030,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $275
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 98.15%

2004

• # of Houses Sold: 55
• High Sold: $4,500,000
• Low Sold: $999,900
• Price per sq. ft.: $278
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 96%

2005

•  # of Houses Sold: 71
• High Sold: $3,275,000
• Low Sold: $1,000,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $335
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 97.78%

2006

•  # of Houses Sold: 97
• High Sold: $2,687,500
• Low Sold: $1,275,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $325
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 94.44%

2007

• # of Houses Sold: 124
• High Sold: $5,250,000
• Low Sold: $999,900
• Price per sq. ft.: $330
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 96.5

2008

• # of Houses Sold: 59
• High Sold: $3,150,000
• Low Sold: $1,039,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $341
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 97.6%

2009

• # of Houses Sold:  43
• High Sold: $4,987,500
• Low Sold: $1,049,000
• Price per sq. ft.: $344
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 90.6%

January 2010

• # of Houses Active: 61
• # of Houses Pending 5
• # of Houses Sold: 3
• High Sold: $1,350,000
• Low Sold:  $1,062,500
• Price per sq. ft.: $233
• Ratio of Original List $ vs. Sold $: 85.21%
• Months of Inventory:  20.3

The high-end market in Lake Oswego didn’t suffer in falling prices over the last 10 years as perhaps you thought they would have. 

For 2009, average sale prices in the metro Portland area dropped by 12.2%, compared to 2008 when prices dropped by 11.2%.  However, the Lake Oswego high-end market does need further price reductions to reduce their 20.3 months of inventory.  Likewise, specifically Lake Oswego’s average price increased to $539,500 at the end of 2009 from 2008, when the average sales price was $509,800.

January 2010 did see prices decrease much like they did in 2001 in Lake Oswego.  In 2005 and 2008, Lake Oswego had the least amount of price reductions and 2007 had the most sales.  Without additional price reductions, however, the high-end Lake Oswego market will continue to have a glut of housing for sale.

Recently, I’ve been showing a lot of houses in NE Portland – which is the hottest segment of our market with the lowest number of homes for sale.  There’s a house my client likes and it’s at $279 a sq. ft. compared to the most recent stats for Lake Oswego which are at $233 a sq. ft.  You always hear how expensive Lake Oswego is, but if you look at the likes of Northest Portland, that isn’t necessarily the case.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Time’s Running Out…Again

Guest Author:

Steve Emory

Sr. Mortgage Banker Loan Officer 

Pacific Residential Mortgage, LLC

www.seloan.com

 

We have two items coming up soon, that will have a large negative impact on First Time Buyers (FTB) or other buyers going FHA. The FHA UpFront MI is going from 1.75% to 2.25% of the base Loan amount on 04/01/2010, and the Tax Credit ends with offers not accepted by 04/30/2010. These two items can have a major impact!

Example:  on a $275,000 Purchase Price going FHA with a FTB

• Down Payment $9,625
• Base Loan Amount $265,375

Before 04/30/10

UpFront MI FHA $4,644 (1.75%), Tax Credit $8,000

After 04/30/10

UpFront MI FHA $5,971 (2.25%), Tax Credit $0

Difference: $9,327 More after 04/30/2010

There are other rumors that FHA may implement the 3% from current 6% limit on seller paid items about the same time as well, another hit for FTB.

Considering it takes 35-45 days to close a normal FHA transaction these days, it is important that buyers going this route make offers very soon. You are running out of time to save some real $$.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Life Lesson Learned From Selling Real Estate

A couple of things happened recently that reminded me of a post I’ve been wanting to write.  Selling real estate has taught me many life lessons.  I was reminded of one the other day.

My day was booked with appointments.  Going to the first appointment, the customer had a conflict and forgot to call me.  Not a problem as I went and did some things I had been meaning to do but never get around to.  Went to my second appointment and found out that the appointment wasn’t transferred to a new calendar.  Not a problem, again I went and made some stops on a “To Do” list of mine.

Real estate has taught me more times than I can count to be flexible. My rule book goes something like this.  If Plan A doesn’t work, I go to Plan B, or C or D or how many other alphabet letters I need to eliminate.  Early in my career we didn’t have Mortgage Brokers which meant that when I had a client not only did I have to call every single bank to check what their interest rates were, what their loan requirements were, etc. but also to determine if my client would qualify.  We would get a sheet with the interest rates weekly, but as you know things always change.  There weren’t a lot of financing options, but we called every bank, including checking on government loan programs, individually.  We would then submit loan applications to the appropriate lender.  The client would get denied, I’d go on to the next lender, that loan would get denied as well.  We Realtors® needed to keep working a plan and I learned that you don’t give up, you just go on to Plan B, etc. and change your direction.

In fact, the other evening I received a call from a long-time Realtor® friend who left the business eons ago and with whom I once shared an office.  During the course of the call, she said she remembered my rule book and uses the Plan A, Plan B approach in her life still today.  It eliminates a lot of stress.  I’m never upset when my Plan A doesn’t work because I always have my Plan B.  I relearned that lesson again the other day. 

And, today I didn’t have a post written as I’ve been busy with real estate, but because I have some pre-written posts, you’re getting my Plan B today.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Helping The Kids Cope With A Move

Moving has become a common aspect of the American way of life. Some families are old hands at relocating, others will be moving perhaps for the first or only time.

But whether a family is a veteran or a rookie in the moving process, one aspect of moving that is frequently overlooked or left to chance is the effect which relocation has on children. When you change addresses, you will move many valuable possessions, but none will be as precious or as vulnerable to the move as your children. It’s important to give them the special attention they deserve and need.

One of the unfortunate myths about relocation is that school-age children should not be moved until summer. Many families have undergone considerable inconvenience just to avoid the move while school is in session.

However, since school is a primary source for making friends, a summertime move will place your child in unfamiliar surroundings at a time when making friends is at a minimum. When school opens, the child enters the first-day chaos as a stranger.

The teacher, meanwhile, facing a new class, may not be able to identify the child’s discomfort and need for special attention. By making a move during the school year, however, the child moves from social setting to another. Being the “new kid” makes him or her feel special, so the child generally receives special attention from other children and the teacher as well.

I hear many times that parents want to wait until the end of spring to put their house on the market so that the family can make their move in the summer. Families who move their children during the school year have a less stressful relocation in their new home. Children get to make friends quicker with the neighborhood kids if they meet them during the school year and have friendships in place before summer.

Also, talking to the children about why you are moving, what the new home will be like and how each of them can contribute to the success of the family’s relocation should be a top priority. I personally went to three grammar schools while moving, two in the fourth grade alone and know how hard it can be on a child.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to http://www.bettyjung.com/).
Portland

The End Of The Suburb

Ellen Dunham-Jones recently co-authored a new book entitled Retrofitting Suburbia.

The birth of suburbs was in the 1950s and 60s, half of all households lived there and most of those households had children and stay at home moms.  Since 2000, two-thirds of suburban households no longer fit that Ozzie-and-Harriet stereotype.

Demographers predict that 75% to 85% of new households through 2025 won’t have children for several reasons, an aging population, more single-person households and Generation Y waiting longer to have kids.

Households want more compact living places and public places that encourage interaction with a greater diversity of people, an urban concept with walkable blocks, public spaces and LEED-certified mixed-used buildings that will function as a downtown.

Back in January 2009, I wrote a post about abandoned or failing shopping malls becoming housing of the future.  Dunham-Jones’ book goes on to say that to appeal to today’s households, suburbs need an urban approach to development.  Something I’ve been saying all along in many of my posts about builders building smaller houses for seniors and boomers wanting to be closer to amenities, shopping and transportation. 

Further in a post I wrote The Line Drawn Around Portland, there will be a million more people living in Portland in the next 25 years.  Planners want those million people to live in our core area and not in the suburbs. The UGB (Urban Growth Boundary) may not be expanded anytime soon.  So where will everyone live if in fact the majority of people want all these amenities – transportation, shopping, and everything close-by within walking distance?

The suburbs during this economic crisis and recessions in the past have all experienced longer market times, higher inventories and lower prices.  Some suburbs will retain their values because they are perceived as prestigious communities.  Other suburban areas will transform themselves.  What exists today is new construction in the Portland metro area filled with high-rise luxury towers close to shops, restaurants and parks, but have also had difficulty selling during the last two going on three years.

Where will all those people live?  Perhaps Portland’s future lies in exactly what Dunham-Jones’ book suggests.  The most successful shopping mall retrofits have that urban-type layout already superimposed in them.  They could become mixed-use town centers with housing, stores, offices, movie theaters, and parks.  Homeowners who live there wouldn’t feel isolated and wouldn’t be dependent on cars as some of us in the suburbs are today. 

I facetiously suggested in my post mentioned above, that shopping malls could become the housing of our future and that Washington Sq. and/or Clackamas Town Center would make ideal housing.  My prediction may not be too far off.  Builders are also starting to build those smaller houses I’ve been ranting about.  And, depending upon our housing recovery in Portland, we may indeed be seeing a redesign of Portland’s suburbs due to necessity with builders rethinking what their new construction will look like. The suburbs may no longer exist as we know them today but will they become extinct?

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Market Update: Average Sales Price Change 2008 vs. 2009 By Area

Following are the stats for the month of December (not full year) 2008 vs. 2009 for the average sales price by area for single family residential, condos, townhouses and attached.  We will be getting more year-end and 2009 data from RMLS® probably in their next report due out February 14 or thereabouts. 

You might be surprised with the December results.   There were several areas where prices increased, due to the first-time home buyer tax credits, foreclosures, etc. in those market areas.

Our year-end stats will probably be more pertinent and interesting.

2008 vs. 2009 Average Sales Price % Change By Area Month of December	December 2008	December 2009	% of Change
© Betty Jung 2010
N. Portland	$267,100	$236,000	-11.6%
NE Portland	$290,400	$294,500	+1.4%
SE Portland	$263,900	$237,200	-12.2%
Gresham/Troutdale	$218,900	$229,000	-4.6%
Milwaukie/Clackamas	$272,100	$304,500	+11.9%
Oregon City/Canby	$265,300	$254,300	-4.1%
Lake Oswego/West Linn	$509,800	$538,600	+5.6%
W. Portland	$442,500	$402,300	-10%
NW Washington County	$403,900	$358,700	-11.2%
Beaverton/Aloha	$258,500	$241,600	-6.5%
Tigard/Wilsonville	$325,800	$310,100	-4.8%
Hillsboro/Forest Grove	$225,700	$232,600	+3.1%
Source: RMLS™

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Oregon Financing Update

My link in yesterday’s post to the Gastronomy blog wasn’t correct and I fixed that.  Here’s the link should you want to see it.  My Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog is also on several travel sites including two European ones.  In a future post, I will link to those as well.

The other day I watched the Charlie Rose show and Larry Summers spoke.  Mr. Summers said that since the mid-1980s, globally and within the U.S. there has been a financial crisis every three years.  In a couple of posts of mine last year, I stated that I saw the housing bubble start here in Portland with deregulation.  The administration is working on laws, Larry Summers said, that will stick for at least the next thirty years and, at the very least, that we don’t have another financial crisis anytime soon.  You can read the transcript and comments here.

Guest Author:

Bob Chiodo, CFP

Equity Home Mortgage, LLC

www.ResCommLending.com

Apply Here

Estimated Rates for the week of February 15, 2010*:

• 30 yr fixed=4.75 – 5.00 
• FHA/VA=4.75 – 5.00
• OR VA=4.50 w/1.5 pts/4.625 w/1.0
• Jumbo (30 yr fixed)=5.50 – 5.75
• 7/1 ARM=conforming 3.875 – 4.125; jumbo 4.125 – 4.375

As you can see, interest rates really haven’t moved much since last week. When you take out the daily gyrations, rates have tended to be relatively stable. That said, we don’t know how long they will last this way. I attended a webinar on rates last week. The projections for future rates were all over the place. Morgan Stanley had 30 year mortgage rates at 7.00% by year’s end; Goldman Sachs had 3.25% in June (I like this one but I don’t see it); PIMCO had them at 5.50% at the end of the year. Although I will side with PIMCO, you can see that by the huge variance in the projections, no one knows what will happen. Today they are great….anything with a four in front of it is fantastic. I am hoping that all of the buyers out there realize that too!

Here’s the MBA application data for last week:  The Market Composite Index decreased 10.9% from one week earlier. The refinance Index decreased 15.1% from the previous week. The purchase Index increased 2.8% compared with the previous week. The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 67.6% of total applications from 71.7% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 4.7% from 4.1% of total applications from the previous week. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.02% from 5.00%, with points decreasing to 1 from 1.05 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value loans. The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 4.34% from 4.33%, with points decreasing to 1.14 from 1.19 (including the origination fee) for 80% loans.

I covered FHA last week and I wanted to briefly touch on the new FHA guidelines for condos. Up until FHA modified their new condominium approval requirements, Fannie, Freddie, and VA would normally accept an FHA approval. That is no longer the case. Although most existing FHA approved condos are still valid through the end of this year, we are seeing that – for conventional and VA loans – the complexes have to go through a much more vigorous approval process. The bottom-line for this area is to educate yourselves and your clients on the new requirements. Typically, the approval process will review the CC&R’s, the budget, Hazard Insurance and Fidelity coverage, the HOA’s budget and balance statement, and the HOA will need to complete a questionnaire. Lenders need to verify the owner occupancy ratio and the number of delinquent homeowners, among other items. Working together, the process can be done efficiently; however, it probably will lengthen the escrow period.

*Rates quoted are for the use of Realtors® and others in the real estate/financial service industries. They are not meant to be a quote for an individual situation. Rates change daily and those above are only listed to assist market participants by keeping them informed of current interest rates. Credit scores, down payment, and other risk related issues may change the rate. Quotes are usually shown for a 30 day lock period and a 1% origination or discount fee.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Ask First – I Might Say Yes

Image Copyright Protected by Michael Mahlum. Used With Permission. Do Not Copy.

Many of my posts on this blog and my Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog get linked to or reposted on other sites.  I’m ok with that as long as there is a link back to my blog(s) and adheres to those conditions/licenses that are posted on both sites. 

Recently, my Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog was featured on a food site – Gastronomy Blog - and they linked back to me and met the conditions of my license, etc. What isn’t ok with me is when others use my photographs and posts without my permission.  I think that’s called stealing. 

When I write or use other people’s words, I always link, or ask for permission.  Once I forgot and got called to the cleaners.  My intention is to always give credit where credit is due. 

At the beginning of my blog, I purchased photos.  People started copying them and still do.  Those are copyright photos and I had permission to reuse them, but those who “steal” them from my site don’t.  So, that’s not ok with me.  Now I use free photo sites or use my own photos which are copyrighted too.

I employ sites to search people who copy my pictures or words.  Sometimes I forget to check on those who are checking.  The other day I checked and there was a big time organization copying my words and not honoring my license.   A while back another local Realtor® used two of my posts word for word.  That’s not ok with me and it’s against the law.  However, ask me first for permission to repost and I might say yes. 

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Lake Oswego – A Centennial Celebration

Lake Oswego celebrates its Centennial with a full year of events and activities. Here’s the website with the information. If you click on this link you will also see a series of videos about our town, Lake Oswego and some of its history.

The city of Lake Oswego descends from the community known as Oswego which dates back to about 1850, when Alonzo A. Durham-an immigrant to Oregon in 1847 from New York State-established a sawmill on the banks of Sucker Creek, which drained into a small lake.  The lake was known as Sucker Lake, which was changed in 1913 to Lake Oswego.  Sucker Creek connected the lake to the Willamette River and was renamed Oswego Creek in 1927. The town of Oswego, which had been incorporated in 1910, changed its name to Lake Oswego in 1959.

The celebration began in mid-January with several events, however, in the month of February, things kick into full gear.  Here’s only a partial list of some of the February events:

• February 1-28: Passport to 1910 – Lake Oswego Library
• February 2: Old Time Music – Lake Oswego Library
• February 3: The Ring of Antique Telephones – Oswego Heritage House
• February 4: 10×10 Trivia Challenge www.LakeOswego100.com
• February 4: Art Show Opening & Exhibit – Graham’s Book and Stationery
• February 5: Pioneer Lunch – Adult Community Center
• February 7: Book Discussion with Mayor Hoffman and wife, Agnes – Lakeside Home & Gift
• February 8: Cover to Cover Book Club Quilters Tea – Lake Oswego Library
• February 8, 15, 22: Lake Oswego Writes. Lake Oswego Library
• February 9: One Room School House Panel Discussions
• February 10:  Fascinating Stories of Everyday Lives – Lake Oswego Library
• February 10:  Spelltainment Spelling Bee – Lakewood Center for the Arts
• February 11: Tales of a Secret Life In Lake Oswego – Lake Oswego Library
• February 11:  10×10 Trivia Challenge

To find out more go to www.LakeOswego100.com and join in on the fun.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Taking A Toll

There’s news that Oregon may soon have toll roads/bridges.  However, toll roads are nothing new in Oregon as they date back to the mid-1800s.

Most of Oregon’s early roads were toll roads.  Toll charges, usually moderate, were necessary to cover primary construction costs and provide some degree of upkeep.  Toll roads were chartered for private construction by legislative action of Oregon’s Provisional, Territorial and State governments, since all roads operated over public lands. 

The costs of road maintenance and the inability to collect tolls from many poor or destitute travelers left little or no profit and, as a result, roads fell into neglect and eventual disuse.

Oregon’s earliest toll road was the Barlow Road operated in 1846.  Others included:

• East Portland-Silverton Plank Road 1858
• Military Road 1864
• Dooley Mountain Toll Road 1862
• Trask River Road 1871
• Siskiyou Toll Road 1860. 

There were nearly a dozen others and a few were in operation until the 1920s.

Many other US states have toll roads as well.  I haven’t heard a lot of buzz lately about getting a toll road so we’ll see if and when it happens.

Source of Information:  Dictionary of Oregon History.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Museums Around Portland

It’s still winter and the rainy season.  If you think there’s nothing to do right now, you might want to visit some of the museums in town. 

In 2008, I wrote about the Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals.  And, if the Portland Art Museum and Children’s Museum come to mind, you’d be right about those being local museums, but there are so many more and some are out of the ordinary:

• Canby
  Canby Depot Museum 
• Clackamas
  Baker Cabin
  Oregon Military Museum 
• Columbia City
  Caples House Museum
• Corbett
  Crown Point Country Historical Society
• Eagle Creek
  Philip Foster Farm
• Fairview
  Zimmerman House & Heslin House Museums
• Forest Grove
  Old College Hall
• Gresham
  Gresham History Museum
• Hillsboro
  Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals
• Lake Oswego
  Willamette Shore Trolley 
• Milwaukie
  Milwaukie Museum
• Molalla
  Molalla Museum Complex
• Oregon City
  Clackamas Heritage Parnters:
  End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
  Museum of the Oregon Territory
  Stevens-Crawford Heritage House
• Portland
  3D Center of Art & Photography
  Architectural Heritage Center
  Hellenic-American Cultural Center & Museum
  Oregon Historical Society
  Oregon Jewish Museum
  Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI)
  Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
  Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
  Oregon Zoo
  Pittock Mansion
  Portland Children’s Museum
  Portland Police Museum
  The Hat Museum
  Washington County Museum
  Wells Fargo History Museum
  World Forestry Center Discovery Museum
• Scappose
  Watts House Pioneer Museum
• Tigard
  John Tigard House Museum
• Troutdale
  Troutdale Historical Society
• Tualatin
  Tualatin Heritage Center
• Vancouver, WA
  Clark County History Museum
• Vernonia
  Vernonia Pioneer Museum

The Oregon Museums Association is pleased to provide information on additional, non-association member museums. They are listed by their location within the Portland Metropolitan Area & SW Washington region. We recommend you contact these museums directly for their address and their dates & hours of operation.

• Clackamas
  Northwest Forest Convervancy
• Clatskanie
  Clatskanie Historical Society 
• Estacada 
  Estacada Area Historic Museum:(503) 630-3483
• Lake Oswego
• Oswego Heritage Council:(503) 635-6373, www.oswegoheritage.org
• Mist
  Mist-Birkenfeld Historical Society:(503) 755-9628
• Oregon City
• End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
  Ermatinger House & Living Textile History Museum
  McLoughlin House National Historic Site:(503) 656-5146, www.mcloughlinhouse.org/
  Museum of the Oregon Territory
  Stevens-Crawford House
• Portland
• Bathtub Art Museum:(503) 248-4454, www.bathtubmuseum.org
• Kidd’s Toy Museum:(503) 233-7807
  Multnomah Historical Association:(503) 244-6540
• Museum of Contemporary Craft
  Northwest Rail Museum, http://www.northwestrailmuseum.com/
• Oregon Maritime Museum
• Portland Alien Museum:(503) 287-8367
• Portland Art Museum:(503) 226-2811, www.pam.org
• Tryon Creek Nature Center
• Velveteria: The Museum of Velvet Paintings:(503) 233-5100, www.velveteria.com
• Sandy
• Sandy Area Historical Museum:(503) 668-3378, www.sandyhistoricalsociety.org
• St. Helens
  Historical Society of Columbia County
• Vancouver, WA
• Center for Columbia River History:(360) 258-3289, www.ccrh.org
• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site:(360) 816-6230, www.nps.gov/fova/
• Pearson Air Museum:(360) 694-7026, www.pearsonairmuseum.org
• Wendel Museum of Animal:(360) 694-8651
• Washougal, WA
• Two Rivers Heritage Museum:(360) 835-8742, www.historyfish.net/tworiversheritagemuseum
• West Linn
• Willamette Falls Locks & Museum:(503) 650-9570, http://willamettefalls.org/WFHFoun

Source and for more information - Oregon Museums Association.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Mortgage Market In Review

Updates:

• Yesterday, the Feds decided to keep interest rates low to help with the housing market recovery.
• If you are a prospective home buyer, there are approximately 91 days to purchase a home.  Time’s running out for the tax credit.

Guest Author:

Bob Chiodo, CFP

Equity Home Mortgage, LLC

bobchiodo@equityhome.com

www.ResCommLending.com

Apply Here

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Market Update: New Construction Stats YTD 2008 vs. 2009 & Smaller Houses

It’s been awhile since I’ve been on my soapbox.  If you’ve been reading my blog since its birth in May 2008, you will know exactly how I feel about builders and smaller houses because I’ve certainly let my feelings be known.

SMALLER HOUSES

Now from the Home Builders Show in Las Vegas comes the house dubbed “The New Economy Home”:

Boyce Thompson, editorial director of Builder Magazine, thinks the future supply of homes will almost certainly include fewer “McMansions”.

“We’re not likely to see a return anytime soon to median new home sizes at the peak of the boom,”  “Why? Because much of the inflation in home sizes was driven by ready access to cheap financing. The worldwide financial collapse took a pin to that balloon.”

MetLife also released their survey again this year and, not surprisingly said “mature” buyers expressed a stronger preference for a single-story floor plan or one with a first-floor master bedroom, and a variety of universal design features.

2010 STREET OF DREAMS

It was announced recently that this year’s Street of Dreams will be at Cresap Summit in the Forest Heights area off Skyline from July 31-August 29 and will feature houses moderate in size and price but will still emphasize luxury living.  Houses will range from 2700-3500 sq. ft. and $750,000-$1 million built to Earth Advantage Silver standards or higher.

NEW CONSTRUCTIONS STATS YTD 2008 vs. 2009

Perhaps you thought new construction was dead during 2009, although in most areas the number of houses sold decreased from 2008 to 2009.  However, not so in Lake Oswego and West Linn where more houses sold in 2009 most likely due to major price reductions by builders and/or foreclosures. 

Here are the stats for new construction, single family residential only for RMLS™ #147 Lake Oswego, RMLS™ #147 West Linn, RMLS™ #148 West Portland and RMLS™ #151 Tigard covering 2008 vs. 2009:

New Construction Stats YTD 2008 vs. 2009	#147 Lake Oswego	#147 West Linn	#148 West Portland	#151 Tigard
YEAR:  2008
© Betty Jung 2010
# Sold	36	52	125	127
% of Sales Price vs. Original List Price	92.73%	93.7%	80.9%	92.8%
Average Days On Market	107	95	117	139
High Sale	$1,815,000	$2,575,000	$2,950,000	$957,995
Average Sale	$970,825	$674,246	$675,924	$434,341
Low Sale	$500,000	$379,900	$234,700	$249,900
Average Sq. Ft.	3668	3274	3214	2682
Average Sq. Ft. $	$265	$206	$210	$162
YEAR: 2009
©Betty Jung 2010
# Sold	45	74	113	106
% of Sales Price vs. Original List Price	85.06%	88.97%	87.08%	90.9%
Average Days On Market	167	135	134	151
High Sale	$4,850,000	$2,540,000	$1,700,000	$930,000
Average Sale	$1,069,380	$604,067	$552,008	$413,477
Low Sale	$390,600	$320,000	$65,000	$210,000
Average Sq. Ft.	3929	3316	3114	2884
Average Sq. Ft. $	$272	$182	$177	$143
Source:  RMLS

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Oregon Financing Update

Guest Author:

Bob Chiodo, CFP

Equity Home Mortgage, LLC

bobchiodo@equityhome.com

www.ResCommLending.com

Apply Here

Estimated Rates for the week of January 25, 2009*:

• 30 yr fixed=4.75 – 5.00
•  FHA/VA= 4.875 – 5.00
•  OR VA=4.50 w/1.5 pts/4.625 w/1.0 
• Jumbo (30 yr fixed)=5.50 – 5.75
• 7/1 ARM=conforming 3.875 – 4.125; jumbo 4.125 – 4.375

Rates are great and have been holding in a narrow range lately. During the holiday season they had jumped up only to drop back down from the first of the year. Many of us in the mortgage business have been pre-occupied with the new RESPA regulations. It does seem that we are getting a better handle on all of the nuances of the rules but we are definitely still in the learning phase. We here had our first look at the new HUD-1 last week. It took some extra time getting it right but after some work, the closing went well.

I thought I would include some data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Take a look at the number of refinance applications compared to the purchase activity. We all know that when rates go up, these numbers will change. Also, it’s interesting to see the nationwide average of rates. This is for the week of January 15^th .

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 9.1%. The Refinance Index increased 10.7% from the previous week and Purchase Index increased 4.4% from one week earlier. The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 71.7% of total applications from 71.5% the previous week. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 5.00% from 5.13%, with points decreasing to 1.05 from 1.17 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans.

There is a lot of talk from FHA. Many of you have already heard about the one year waiver of their anti-flipping rule. Please note that this isn’t effective until February and it might take some lenders longer to implement it. Also, watch the increase in sales price from what the seller paid. If it’s over 20%, the lender will most likely require two appraisals and the lender has to order their own inspection with the buyer, of course, having to foot the bill. I would suggest that the buyer use the lender’s inspection instead of getting their own too. Also, we all know that we typically don’t like lenders reviewing inspections so we should all anticipate some extra work on these transactions. I’ll let you know how it goes when I see one through the system.

FHA has also announced changes in their costs and other guidelines – these are not out yet. I will let you know when they become effective. The upfront mortgage insurance premium is scheduled to increase. Today it’s 1.75% with talk that it might go to 2.25%, although the increase might be spread between the upfront and monthly premiums. Credit score requirements are changing but that won’t have much of an impact. Most lenders require a minimum of a 620 score – that is well above FHA’s new requirements. The biggest change will come in seller concessions. That will be reduced from 6% to 3%. Honestly, most transaction will still get done without an issue and those that are over the 3% can be made by reducing the origination fees and increasing the interest rate. We will have to watch those transactions where the property taxes are high. We will definitely see pressure on that 3% contribution on those deals. It sounds like these increasing costs present a great opportunity for those indecisive buyers to make their move now!

Have a great week and thanks!

*Rates quoted are for the use of Realtors® and others in the real estate/financial service industries. They are not meant to be a quote for an individual situation. Rates change daily and those above are only listed to assist market participants by keeping them informed of current interest rates. Credit scores, down payment, and other risk related issues may change the rate. Quotes are usually shown for a 30 day lock period and a 1% origination or discount fee.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

A Squirrel’s Eye View

Well, it’s happened twice now since I started writing this blog in May 2008, the dreaded writer’s block.  The following happened recently so I thought I’d post this.  Truth be told, I actually had another post scheduled for today, but decided it was too personal and scraped it. 

When showing property, we real estate agents come across all kinds of situations. Recently I was showing houses in my neighborhood of Westlake. We came to this house and found a squirrel sitting on top of the roof. This is a three-story house and he had a “squirrel’s eye” view! 

He certainly was concentrating on what he was eating because we had gone in, out and around the house and he was still there when we left.  He was totally engrossed in what he was doing and I don’t think he even saw us. 

The photograph also offered us a chance to check out the roof and its condition isn’t good.  My client didn’t like this house anyway and we moved on to look at some others. 

I guess you can say it was a “squirrely” kind of day, much like today.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Earthquake Preparedness Kit & Classes

Being from California I’m familiar with what it’s like to be in an earthquake.  The largest one I was in was a 7.0 magnitude in the late 1960s while working in downtown Los Angeles.  At the time I was pregnant and had a file cabinet fall on me while sitting at my desk.  My boss had me call attendees to cancel a meeting that was to have occurred within minutes, while the earthquake and aftershocks kept rumbling.  However, I can’t imagine the devastation of the Haiti quake and what it is like having to live in the disaster zone. 

Officials say Oregon’s “BIG ONE” is on its way.  Are you prepared?  Here in Oregon many Oregonians have never lived through a large earthquake before and many, if most of us, aren’t prepared.  It is never to late to prepare a kit and classes will be held in March should you be interested to learn more.

1. Pack an emergency kit for at least 72 hours, but ideally, even longer. Put it somewhere you can get to, such as just inside a garage door. It should include:

• Water – a gallon per person per day
• Food –canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, energy bars, nuts, juices and dry milk. Avoid jars or bottles, which can break.
• Can opener, plates, cups, utensils
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered radio
• Extra batteries
• Whistle
• Personal hygiene items
• Garbage bags and ties
• Sturdy shoes, clothes and raingear
• Sleeping bags or blankets
• Copies of important documents, including health insurance, ID cards, credit-card information
• Prescription medicines, spare glasses, hearing aids
• First aid supplies
• Extra keys to your house and vehicle
• Special-needs items for children, seniors, or people with disabilities
• Pet supplies
• Cash and change
• Cell phone and battery
• Maps

2. Create a family plan. Consider options if an earthquake happens while you’re at home and if a quake occurs when everyone is at work and school.

Discuss the safe spots to take cover at home — under tables, desks or against an interior wall, and away from mirrors, windows or hanging objects. Also discuss how to exit the home, and where to meet outside.

Plan where the family will meet if everyone is separated. Check with schools and daycare centers about their plans in the event of a disaster.

Select an out-of-state person to be the family’s contact person. Sometimes, emergency officials caution, it’s not easy to call a person in the local area, and may be easier to reach an out-of-state contact.

3. Connect with your neighbors.

The City of Portland offers two free programs designed to increase the self-sufficiency of neighborhoods in the event of a disaster. The city offers 26-hours of instruction to people participating in its “Neighborhood Emergency Team” program. Residents learn about preparing for earthquakes and other disasters; receive disaster medical training and some search-and-rescue techniques as well as other skills. The next training sessions begin in March.

The city also offers to help neighbors conduct an inventory of skills and equipment they can pool for use in an emergency, said Keith Berkery with the Portland Office of Emergency Management.

Groups of about 20 neighbors get together and, led by a city employee, figure out who has CPR skills, who can do electrical work, who has ropes and ladders, etc. Then each person goes home with their own copy of the book.

For more information and detailed tips on everything from water safety to how to react while driving in an earthquake, check Portland Office of Emergency Management’s Web site at www.portlandonline.com/oem and the federal government’s www.ready.gov for additional resources.

Source:  OregonLive

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Lake Oswego Community Facebook Page

The other day I created a Facebook page for Lake Oswego.  If you want to add community news and events, garage sales, school drives and events, childhood memories, pictures, fun activities, new businesses you’re aware of, restaurants you enjoy and your review, or happenings in Lake Oswego, please join in. 

It’s a community page and my hope is that it will be the “go to” community resource page for Lake Oswego as far as what’s going on in your neighborhoods and all around Lake Oswego. 

Do you know of a family in need, is there a soldier that we should write to, a senior who needs help, is there an event you’d like us to know about, are their couponing clubs, walking groups, bridge get-togethers, book clubs, social events , musical groups or events around town, homeowner association information and meeting notices, community garage sales, clothing swaps, mom groups, etc.?  Is your organization sponsoring a special function? When will the neighborhood pool be opening?  Do you tutor?  There’s an event tab to post events throughout the year.

As an example, I posted a comment that I was up at the Mt. Park Recreation Center over the holidays and they were busy renovating the swimming pool.  They indicated it will be open for enjoyment by May of this year.  I also understand it will be open for membership to people who don’t live in Lake Oswego as well.  However, I’m sure that will be confirmed at a future date and time.

This isn’t a real estate page and it isn’t my page.  This will be a community page and for people who have an interest in Lake Oswego. There’s a link to the page on the sidebar of this blog and on my Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog site as well.  I am hoping we can all get to know one another better, help each other more, become more involved in our own neighborhoods, and share information. Lake Oswego really has that small town charm.  So join the conversation and make it your page, a community page and share with everyone what a great town Lake Oswego is.  All are welcome. 

Hope you join in on the conversation.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Real Estate In Portland: The Highs & Lows Of The Past Decade

From RMLS™ data, I prepared charts for the past decade showing the highs and lows of the average sales price, days on the market and months of inventory in the Portland metro area from 1999-2009.

AVERAGE SALES PRICE

The first chart has the average sales price fluctuations over the past 10 years:

Average Sales Price 1999-2009 Copyright Betty Jung 2010

• Highest Average Sales Price: in 2007 @ $342,900
• Lowest Average Sales Price: in 1999 @ $188,600

Average sales prices 1999-2009:

• 1999=$188,600
• 2000=$198,600
• 2001=$201,000
• 2002=$210,700
• 2003=$222,500
• 2004=$246,000
• 2005=$282,900
• 2006=$322,600
• 2007=$342,900
• 2008=$330,000
• 2009=$247,000

DAYS ON THE MARKET & MONTHS OF INVENTORY

This next chart shows days on the market and months of inventory of houses for sale from 1999-2009:

DOM Days on Market & Months of Inventory 1999-2009 Copyright Betty Jung 2010

• Highest #Days On The Market:  2009 (year-to-date) @ 141 days on the market
• Lowest #Days On The Market: 2005 and 2006 (year-to-date) tied @ 43 days on the market

Days On Market 1999-2009:

• 1999=74 days
• 2000=78 days
• 2001=72 days
• 2002=67 days
• 2003=63 days
• 2004=56 days
• 2005=43 days
• 2006=43 days
• 2007=58 days
• 2008=122 days
• 2009=141 days

 

• Highest #Months of Inventory: December, 2008 @ 14.1 months of inventory
• Lowest #Months of Inventory: June, 2005 @ 1.5 months of inventory

Months of Inventory 1999-2009:

• 1999=6.8 months
• 2000=6.4 months
• 2001=5.7 months
• 2002=4.1 months
• 2003=3.7 months
• 2004=2.4 months
• 2005=2.1 months
• 2006=4.5 months
• 2007=8.5 months
• 2008=14.1 months
• 2009=7.7 months

In summary:

• 2005 was a great year for sellers as there weren’t enough houses for sale
• 2008 was a good year for buyers as it had the highest months of inventory
• 2009 wasn’t a good time to sell as it took the longest time of any year in the past 10 years - 141 days on the market  – to sell a home in the Portland metro area.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Do You Have A CLUE?

There are some sellers who aren’t quite as honest as they should be on their property disclosures. I have had some, unfortunately, only to be found out after closing. As real estate agents, we are advised not to fill out the disclosures for our sellers, and I always tell all homeowners they need to be honest, completely fill out the form and if there is anything that needs explaining, they should do so.

If you have questions about a particular property you are purchasing, perhaps you should buy the CLUE report for that property. CLUE stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. The C.L.U.E.^® Personal Property report provides a seven year history of losses associated with an individual and his/her personal property.

Yahoo!® Finance recently had an article about some sellers misrepresenting their properties and said that given the complexity of disclosure laws, it’s not surprising that potential buyers don’t hear about every problem in a house. Besides the issue of fibbing, sellers may genuinely not know about problems. And even if they do, the laws generally don’t apply to bank-owned homes transferred in foreclosures, which now constitute a larger share of sales.

Our Realtor® trade magazine also had the information below as to misrepresentations that are made by sellers. I can add my own to the list as well but won’t, as I don’t disclose information about my transactions. However, I thought now would be a good time to post this information inasmuch as the buying season seems to be kicking into gear. I’ve written other posts about disclosures in the past as well.

About 30 states have disclosure laws that require sellers to tell prospective buyers about any problems, but in this tough market, some sellers aren’t as forthcoming as they should be.

Here’s a short list of “white lies” and misrepresentations that real estate practitioners and regulators say are common among sellers and that buyers should be wary of as they shop for a new home:

• This room and this lot are really big. Some sellers are inclined to exaggerate, but smaller dimensions can result in a lower appraisal, the leading cause of scuttled deals.
• There has never been significant damage from a disaster here. Buyers can find out a home’s history of property damage by buying a report from the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE).
• Taxes and heating costs are low. Ask to see recent bills and get up-to-date information from the tax assessor’s office.
• Look for unrecorded improvements like decks and finished basements. Ask to see permits and/or go to the City or County office that would have issued them to determine if improvements were done legally and to code.

Reprinted in Part from: The Wall Street Journal, M.P. McQueen (01/14/2010)

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2010 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to http://www.bettyjung.com/).
Portland