Living Beaverton - Your guide to everything Beaverton

Today is Friday, August 29, 2008 and it is time for another breakdown of homes sales in the Washington County, Oregon market. This week the stats came out for July 2008 versus July 2007 and the numbers are pretty amazing. Despite an average drop in home sales in Washington County of 33.95% from last year at this time, the prices still rose and average of .62% from last year. This is an interesting situation, because even though we have less people buying, we also have less people selling. So what does this mean to buyers who think we are completely in a buyers market? It means you better act fast before the interest rates rise and you lose the home of your dreams to someone else who decides not to wait. I look forward to reporting this summers sales at the end of August and hopefully I will have some good news.

So, if you have a family home that you are thinking about selling, this is a great time to get it on the market!

Here is a breakdown of homes sales for the week by neighborhood. Just click on the link to your neighborhood for the complete breakdown of what the average of homes that are on the market, how long they have been on the market, how many have sold, what their average price was, and how long they were on the market.

As always, if you are looking to buy or sell in the Washington County, Oregon area, I would love to show you how you can save the most money by being on your side during the negotiations.

Neighborhood # of Active Listings

Aloha Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	201
Bull Mountain North Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	114
Bull Mountain South Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	152
Cooper Mountain Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	150
Greenburg Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	70
Greenway Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	41
Hart Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	101
Highland Hills Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	70
Lexington Neighborhood, Aloha, Oregon :	48
Mountainview Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	139
Murray Hill Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	116
Sexton Mountain Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	140
Sorrento Ridge Neighborhood, Beaverton, Oregon :	74
Summer Lake Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	59
Summerfield Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	28
Tigard Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	32
Walnut Grove Neighborhood, Tigard, Oregon :	46

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

This last Friday night I was invited to an event that I wish I had learned about earlier in the summer. But, next year my family and I plan to hit every concert there as it is a free and a fun event.

Click here if you can't see the slide show

This last Friday night, August 22, 2008, a group called The Sugar Beets performed and I have to admit they were a lot better than I thought they would be and a lot of kids were dancing to the music.

If you can't see The Sugar Beets performance click here

If you enjoyed The Sugar Beets, then I suggest you check out the concert in the commons tonight and then again next year. Below is a map to the event. It runs from 6:30-8:30, so go enjoy.

Click here to see a larger version of the map or driving directions

©2008 Todd Clark (All pictures taken by and property of Todd Clark)

The name of this park says it all! Tots Park is clearly aiming toward a certain audience and it is a big hit with the little ones. Now, one of the things I liked about this park as a parent was that it is small enough to keep an eye on my tots at all times.

Another thing I liked about this park with kids is that we were 20 feet from the bathrooms. In a lot of parks the bathrooms seem to be so far away when a four year old says, "Daddy, I need to go potty" that you barely make it. Here, you can just send them over without having to get up.

View Larger Map

So if you have little ones and live in Oregon City, I suggest you check out Tots Park.

 ©2008 Todd Clark (All pictures taken by and property of Todd Clark)

Ok, first thing I want to say about this park is, if you are out of shape in anyway, this is not the park for you. This park is full of paths that are steep and a hard climb, I was exhausted when I took just one of the paths and didn't even want to continue upward to see the rest of the park afterwards.

 

The park is beautiful and has some mature fruit trees. However, I didn't see anything for kids in this park, but it sure does add to the cities charm and livability of the city. I also couldn't find any parking for this park, so you really do need to be within walking distance of the park to use it. Below is a panoramic from the middle section of the park.

If you can see the picture click here

© Todd Clark (2008) All photos by Todd Clark

Oregon City, Oregon has a few amazing facts about it. Many people consider it to be the end of the Oregon Trail. Many people set out west via wagon trains trying to get a fresh start at the time of the gold rush. Now another cool fact about Oregon City is that it is the oldest incorporated city west of the Mississippi.

Now, what I like about Oregon City is there are really two parts to it. The lower part, really known as old town, where most of the businesses are, and then the upper part of Oregon City, where most houses were built in the mid 1800 and the early 1900s, I'm guessing to keep them from flooding when the river rose.

But, there needed to be a way for pedestrians to get from the upper level to the lower level. In the mid 1860s stairs were installed and in 1915 an elevator opened to the public that was water powered and was a 3 minute ride from top to bottom. In 1924 it was converted to electric and made the 3 minute ride a fast 30 second ride.

In 1955, the elevator was rebuilt and is still in use today and has an operator. Around the elevator you will get to see some amazing pictures to show you just some of the changes over the past 100+ years.

So what is so unique about this elevator? It is one of only four municipal elevators in the world. During the busy tourist season it can have up to 1300 riders a day! This free elevator has a very nice operator and if you ask quickly during the 30 second ride, they will answer questions for you.  

Now, if you have kids like mine, who love elevator rides, you have to immediately head back up which gives you another 30 seconds to ask some more questions. But, once you get to the top, and head out of what is called the space saucer, and head to the right you can take the promenade and see some of the historic homes along the trail. Here are some pictures below of some of those beautiful homes along the trail.

Click here if you can't see the pictures.

Now at the end of the promenade you can cross over Highway 99 and go out on the observation deck and look out over the Willamette River Falls. Below you can see the panoramic photo I took from the foot bridge above Highway 99, and at the left of the photo you can see the observation deck.

This is fairly short walk, but it really is a walk down memory lane, so come to the original capital of Oregon, visit the end of the Oregon Trail, and see the beauty of Oregon City from the Elevator tower or anywhere along the promenade.

© Todd Clark (2008) Information gathered from Oregon City website, Wikipedia and that wonderful elevator operator. All photos by Todd Clark

Last week I wrote a post called "If you can't sell it, I'm going to rent it (HUH?)" and this week I have to retract that statement...Well, ok, not completely, but in this situation I did.

You see this seller read this article and gave me a call because they wanted to know more about what I was saying. (Thank you Activerain) After meeting with them, I had to tell them that they should keep the property as a rental and enjoy retirement!

Why did I tell them this after writing that article? They were in a special situation, they were buying a new house with cash and the house they were considering selling has been paid in full for over 5 years now. They could have sold the house and taken the money and enjoyed it, but they didn't need it.

But, if they hired a property management company to manage the property, they could be renting this property for $1300 a month that they could use as retirement income. They could sell this house as is now for $300,000 or they could spend $50,000 updating it and sell it for $325,000.

There other option was to rent the property for $1300 a month for the next 30 years and make approximately $12,000 per year. Then inn 30 years they will still have a house to pass on to their kids and will have made $360,000 in rental income. (That is if they never increased the rent over the next 30 years.)

So, is there a situation that it is better to rent than sell? You bet! And this couple's situation was certainly it. I have to say the referral I got from them the day after I told them not to sell was a great one and I'm taking that listing on Sunday.

Just remember that there maybe many more options out there and your situation may be different than that of your neighbors. So always ask before you make any decisions, because the answer you think may be the best may actually not be.

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

This stunning remodel has even gotten the attention of one of the family members who used to live there in the 50's you can read about that here. The best part is now the rest of the family is coming to visit on Sunday the 8th of September to see this home, so wait for that post!

If you are interested in seeing this home contact me anytime for a private tour.

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

I don't like to talk about religion or politics in my posts in general I'm still not going to in this post, this is more about over coming fear. But, my coach and mentor had me fill out a life balance chart and he said something was missing. I had family, I had work, I had me time, but what I didn't have was the spiritual section. As he put it "My life was out of balance"

My coach told me that I needed to get back in to spiritual balance in order for my career to soar to the next level and this is where chills went down my spine. You see my wife and I have been married 15 years now and she goes to church every Sunday, but me, I had been maybe 15 times in those 15 years. I only went when my kids were singing, I don't miss any of my kids events no matter what or where.

I've always lived my life by treating people that way I would like to be treated. I've had two wine coolers in my life and have never even drunk a beer or smoked a cigarette in my life. Now this wasn't because of religious reasons, it was just because I was a running in Jr. High and High School and thought putting chemicals in my body was just stupid and a waste of my money. But, even after I stopped doing sports, I didn't start drinking, just didn't like the taste.

So, now if I was going to do what my coach wanted me to, I needed to get over my fears. I know I'm a guy, no fear, just do it! But, I had a fear of church and I wasn't about to force myself in to the situation of going every week, heck I was a Realtor®, I have to hold open houses on Sunday, it is the law isn't it? This gave me the perfect excuse not to have to go to church on Sunday. "Sorry honey, I have to get ready for the open house" or "I have to be at the open house in 15 minutes, maybe next week"

Clearly she knew this wasn't going to change and my kids even knew it wasn't going to either. But, they would still ask every Sunday if dad is going to church with them, since he is dressed up in church like cloths. But, my answer was always "No, gotta go make money to pay the bills. Sorry kids"

But eight weeks ago, I told myself that I had to go, I had to get my life in balance if I wanted to take my career to the next level. I know, how could anyone have a fear of church?

Like I told you before I was a good kid and even the people I chose to be around were good people. Well, while in college, I had a good friend that I met who I had met through a friend of a friend and we hit it off immediately. Well, his dad was a pastor or minister or something, I honestly can't remember it was 20 years ago and I really wanted to forget it.

You see 19 years ago while I was going to college in a new city, I only really now knew these two people that had something in common with me, they didn't drink and they enjoyed bowling and just hanging out. So, when my new friend invited me to his church to meet others like myself I of course jumped at the chance and said yes! Of course he also showed me pictures of the youth group leader (She was gorgeous and single) and that was even a better reason to go.

So after weeks of going to this church, there was a new kid that showed up, don't know why or where he came from, but he was different, to be honest I disliked him very much. He did everything he could to start arguments and I was always one to walk away from a fight if I could and that is what I chose to do this time also. But, this time the fight followed me! This kid asked if I wanted to fight and I said "No, I am just going to leave" That is when he pulled a gun on me and if you have never looked down the barrel of a gun, let me tell you it changes your life forever!

I proceeded to walk backwards very slowly to my car and get in all the time with a gun pointed at me and just saying "All I want to do is leave." So, I got in my car and left, still shaking and not knowing this city good enough to know what street this church was on, just how to drive there. I drove to a busy street a few streets over and got my car to about 80 in a 40 hoping to get a cops attention. (Which it did) I told them what had happened and why I was speeding to get their attention and to follow me back to the church, I don't know the address, but I can get you there. (By the way I didn't get a ticket)

Once we got back to the church, I actually had time to reflect on what had happened in the last 15 minutes and I broke down. I was shaking, crying and had feelings I had never felt before. But, I knew at that moment in time, I wasn't going to be going back to church, this wasn't for me. I couldn't even go back in the church to identify the kid, they had to bring him out to the police car and I identified him there.

That was 19 years ago and I still get a lump in my throat and sweat a little when I go to church with my family. But, if this is what I have to do to make a better life for me and my family and get even closer to my family than I can do this. I have to admit, I have had to leave church a couple times just because of feelings of uneasiness. But, I catch my breath, walk back in and sit down next to my family.

I think the most special thing for me was last week when my daughter asked "Is dad going to church with us again?" My wife said "Yep" and my daughter yelled "Yeah and gave me a hug" I think at that moment in time, I realized why my coach wanted me to do what he wanted me to do. I was still missing out on family time, I just didn't realize it.

By the way, I think this is the first time I've really talked
about that day since it happened and I didn't realize how
hard overcoming that fear would be.

Do you own a home that might be considered a cosmetic fixer, or even a major fixer, and you want to sell it? There are two options. First, sell it as is for a discounted price, or second, fix it up and put it on the market and hope to get all your money back out.

So, the first thing you do is call your favorite Realtor, who may not be doing so well right now, and is glad to hear from you. You tell him you are thinking of selling. You hear the excitement in their voice and they ask when they can come over and list it.

At this point you put the breaks on that conversation and tell them you have some questions first before you put it on the market. They tell you that they will happily answer those questions for you.

You ask them, "Is it better for me to fix up the property or is it better for me to sell it as is?" This is a very loaded question, but you need to listen to your Realtor and how they answer maybe the truth about your agent's motives.

If I were your Realtor I would want to come over to the house and preview like a buyer would. Then I would make sure to ask you some important questions about the repairs that are needed.

Are the repairs that are needed on things such as plumbing, gas lines or heating units? If the answer to this is yes, then those are things that must be repaired unless you are planning to sell on a contract. Most banks won't lend on a property that is having issues with a heating unit or gas line.

The next question should be is the cost of the repairs going to cost more than you will get if you raise the price of the home? If the repairs cost you $20,000 and you can only get $10,000 more for the property, then it isn't worth it to spend the time and money for the repairs.

This is where some other Realtors and I have a difference of opinion. I've seen many Realtors tell their clients to fix up the property no matter the cost. Why would they do this? They tell the client that they will realize more money in a quicker amount of time. That may be true, or is it? In my opinion, they usually do this because they know they can get a bigger price for the home and sell it quicker, which means they get a bigger commission in a shorter amount of time.

But, what does it mean for you, the client? You actually have now had it off the market for two months longer than you would have had if you had put it on as a fixer. Your cost of fixing the property is, let us say, $20,000 and you only raised the price of the home $15,000. So now you have lost two more mortgage payments, a thousand more dollars in commission, and another $5,000 for the repairs, and that is only if it sells for full price. The total loss to you is about $11,000, total gain to the Realtor is a quick sale and an extra $1,000 for your efforts.

So ask yourself, what are your Realtors motives behind having you do those repairs? If you don't know, you may want to ask.

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

Photo courtesy of kinyur

Seeing my mom cry has giving me a new perspective on real estate and why it is so important to hire a real estate professional to help you through the process of buying and selling a home.

You see, my parents were in a situation that they would never move from their house that they have lived in for the past 30 years. But, three weeks ago, they were thrown the opportunity to buy a property that my grandfather built that appraises for $700,000 for only $250,000. This property is an amazing property that overlooks the river from the deck.

However, the process was so overwhelming for her. My mom and dad are both teachers, and very smart, but this was even more than they could understand. Despite me talking to my dad everyday, I realized that he doesn't completely understand what I do or what I do in the background of every transaction.

My mom was being told something by the lawyer for the trust and because she didn't understand she just broke down. It was something simple for me to understand when dad called me on the phone with the question, but answering over the phone just something that couldn't be done.

I ended up going over because I heard mom was in tears because she didn't understand and thought she was going to lose the home. In reality, it just needed something creative to be done and the lawyer and the trust had to be involved. Something simple for the lawyer and me, but to her, she just didn't understand.

But, it made me think. How often have I had a buyer or seller break down in tears because they didn't understand the process? Instead of calling me like dad did, they just broke down in tears?

 What I think is simple to understand may not be to someone else. PMI, Capital Gaines, Title Insurance...Things we deal with everyday, but to buyers and sellers they are totally foreign. I think from now on, I'm going to be more proactive and more understanding. I will run things by my dad and if he doesn't understand, then maybe I will call the buyer or seller back and break it down to terms they CAN understand.

I now understand how so many FSBO (For Sale by Owners), and the buyers of these homes, get in to trouble so easily. There are so many things that go into the buying or selling a home that if you don't understand it, can cost you thousands, or even the home of your dreams. I know had I not got involved with this transaction that it would have never gotten to close.

Thanks mom and dad for making me a better real estate agent during the process of this complicated transaction, and I look forward to helping you move in to your new home. (With a smile, I Promise.)

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739