Living Beaverton - Your guide to everything Beaverton

I got this email the other day and I said “Possibly” as it really isn’t a yes or no question without finding out some other facts about the property first. The first is, “Have you been pre-approved for a loan by a mortgage broker?” This is a very important step because if you can’t get pre-approved, then there is no reason to even ask the other questions or even approach the owner of the property.

OK, you now have a pre-approval, the next question we need to find out is the seller even willing to sell? Some people consider this the first question, but I find the owners tend to get upset when you ask, they say yes, and a week later you come back and say, “Sorry, I don’t qualify for a loan”.

If you have been pre-approved and your landlord says, “Yes, I’ll sell it to you”, then you need to ask the tough questions or have a professional real estate agent or real estate lawyer ask the tough questions of your landlord.

1. Do you own the home free and clear? (If no, then you need to ask question #2)
   
2. Will the home appraise for the amount you need to sell it for to pay off the loan? (If no, #3)
   
3. Since the home isn’t worth what you owe are you willing to come to the table with the remaining balance to close?

If they answer no to number 3, then you are pretty much dead in the water. The main reason is that you have to do a short sale on the property to get it to close and one of the first questions the bank will ask upon the offer coming in is, “Is this an Arm’s Length transaction” and with you living in the property, the bank doesn’t consider this to be an Arm’s Length transaction and will stop the sale in its tracks.

So, once again, if you want to buy the property you are renting, ask the tough questions and find out, it may just be possible!

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

I know I complain every time I have to move, packing up the beds, tv, record collection (Yes, I still have one of those) and pack them in a moving van along with six of my buddies and we drive across town and then unload the moving van. All this costs me is about 4 pizzas and some Sprite.

Now, even though we felt like we were going to die the next morning with aching muscles, no one is ever seriously hurt. But, let’s go back 150 years where families when they moved took months to go the same distance we can in a day. Sometimes family members didn’t even finish the journey and lost their lives to start anew.

So, from now on when I move, I’ll be happy with buying pizza and know that I sure had it a lot easier than my ancestors did.

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

I love buyers and sellers, they are very different though. Sellers know one thing, they want to sell their property. Buyers know they want to buy something and your job is to help them find what they are looking for.

I hear it all the time in sales meetings that buyers are liars and I completely disagree. I used to think this until I stopped talking and listening to what they had to say. Each time you enter a home, buyers talk, they tell you what they need by showing you what they don’t want.

If you continue to show them what they don’t want then they are lying to you, you are lying to yourself about being a service to a buyer. Recently I had a buyer that told me what she was looking for and I was sending her MLS listings and on our first venture out, we looked at 8 homes. (Only because they were all within a mile of each other)

I listened to what she told me on the phone and then I let her show me when we were looking at those homes. By the 5^th home, I knew what she described on the phone and online was not what I had heard, I misunderstood. After we got done for the day, I took what I had heard at the showings and also what I saw on her face during the showings. Quickly changed the search parameters and set up an appointment with her for the next day. We looked at two homes and she put in an offer and thanked me for knowing exactly what she was looking for.

She had bought other homes in other cities before and was expecting this to take months because she could never find what she was looking for and ever home she went to see was completely off what she had described. She said “You were the first agent to ever listen and learn rather than open the door and say check it out, if you need me I’ll be here by the door to answer your questions”

So, follow your clients, watch their faces, listen to what they are saying and you will have happier clients and faster sales.

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

Ever feel like buying or selling a home is leaving you feeling tied up at the end of the day? Well, this is where my team can help. Let our team get tied up working with your bank that way we can leave you leave you with the smile at the end of the day!

No Children were harmed in the making of this picture!

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

Can homeschooling and a home based business really co-exist? One of the questions I’m asked by many of my clients is how I’m able to juggle having 3 children that are all being homeschooled and having a business that is primarily run out of my home via my home office.

Well, to be honest, it is easier than you think. One of the things I do is have a separate office that is set aside for my business. We use the dining room table for our school and the office for business. We have a rule in my house that if the office door is closed, daddy is doing business. The kids respect this and always knock before entering.

Now, unlike traditional school where the kids are locked in a classroom from 8am-3pm, we can usually be done with school by 1pm and the kids have their homework done by 3pm. This clearly leaves a lot of free time for the kids. What do we do with that free time? We get our kids involved in sports, girl scouts, boy scouts, and church activities. (This is how we make sure our kids are getting the social skills that people are always saying homeschool kids don’t get)

Now, one thing that my kids get to experience that public school kids don’t is they understand what I do and how hard I work. Public school kids, if they are lucky, get one day a year on “Bring your kid to work day” to figure out what their parents do. Mine not only understand what I do, they are learning valuable business building skills along with negotiation skills when they listen to me on the phone. (Unfortunately my kids use these skills against me if they want something – lol)

Has my business suffered because of having my family at home? NO! Has my family suffered because of having my business at home? NO! Will my family thrive when they are ready to go out in to the world because we homeschool and have a home based business? WITHOUT A DOUBT! Check out this article about homeschooled kids vs public school children and ask yourself, “What are my kids going to do in the world?” Homeschooling Proving "Good for America"

If you are wanting to know more about homeschooling and running your business from home, then don’t hesitate to give me a call, I would love to show you how it can be done and you will have a stronger business and family for it!

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

Since the day my daughters were born I’ve always said to them “You can’t date until I’m dead” and so far, so good. But, my mother-in-law found a shirt that she thought was perfect for this Christmas and I have to say it may replace my Activerain shirt when I’m out and about with them.

So, I’m proud to announce I’m not a D.A.D.D. (Dads Against Daughters Dating) Even though my oldest daughter basically laughed at me when she saw it and said “Good Luck” I told her that when she tries to start dating in a few years “Good luck!” with a wink.

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

I want to wish everyone a Merry, Merry Christmas! But also I would like to make sure that you don't forget to celebrate the reason for Christmas. It isn't presents, it is to celebrate the birth of our lord and savior Jesus Christ who died for our sins.

Merry Christmas everyone and may you have blessed 2011!

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

This chart below breaks down Beaverton Oregon Real Estate homes sales by neighborhood, for the week ending 12/24/2010.

Here is a breakdown of real estate homes sales in Beaverton, Oregon for the week broken down 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.

Neighborhood                                 # of Active Listings

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

This past weekend Disney put out a movie that I actually wanted to see. Well, originally I wanted to see, but have now since decided that I don’t. Tron Legacy came out and I really wanted to see it with my son, but Disney in their infinite wisdom never put Tron out on DVD for sale or for rent.

This made it so I couldn’t go back 25 years to my youth and see the movie again to fill in the gaps in my memory from the film and also show my kids the movie, so they could actually understand what the new one is about. By doing this, Disney has made me not want to see the movie and unless they put the first one out on DVD, they aren’t going to get me to rent or buy it when it comes out either.

So, how does this relate to real estate? Twice in the last two weeks I have come across listings where it says in the showing instructions: “Write offers subject to interior inspection” What? You want my clients to write an offer on a home they haven’t seen? You do realize that half of the home buying process is emotion, right?

All three of my clients that emailed me about that house when I sent them the showing instructions said “Nevermind”. They have done the same thing to that listing as I have done with Disney’s Tron. Are you losing your clients thousands, if not everything, by making it impossible to see what we are paying money for? My kids wouldn’t understand Tron Legacy and my clients don’t understand putting money down on something they may not buy.

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!

  

This photo was taken last Saturday during a PetSmart fundraiser where I was asked by Santa to help out and take his place for the day as he was busy prepping the sleigh for Christmas. It was a lot of fun and we earned almost $300 for our charity a no-kill animal shelter in Oregon City.

So, here is to you and your family wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)746-9573

 

 

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard. All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the  MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to search the entire MLS for FREE!