February Market Report – Portland West Side Real Estate

February Market Report – Portland West Side Real Estate

March 9, 2022Posted inReal Estate
All real estate is local, and this monthly report is a resource for those buying or selling on the Portland metro's west side. The data below is for the areas including but not limited to NW Portland, SW Portland, Beaverton, Bethany, Hillsboro, Tigard, and Lake Oswego, and includes all residential resale transactions (new construction not included). With the slow slow slow holiday season in the rear-view mirror, February becomes a good month to begin to see what kind of real estate…

First Time Home Buyer? Some Tips to Get Started

March 6, 2022Posted inReal Estate
There’s nothing quite as exciting as buying your first home, whether you’re looking for something to start out with and build equity or your “forever” home. It can also be a stressful process, filled with unknowns and market-specific factors that are constantly changing. While the last couple of years of the Portland housing market has mostly favored sellers, we're now seeing shifts in the market that allow buyers more time and flexibility to shop. Still, there's much to learn and the market…
I Went to Dutch Bros Every Day For a Week Just to Write This Stupid Post

I Went to Dutch Bros Every Day For a Week Just to Write This Stupid Post

February 26, 2022Posted inMoving to Portland
I'm not a coffee snob. OK, I'm a bit of a coffee snob. But I'm not the guy who is sniffing the beans or cares about the subtle notes of anything, and I certainly don't need that coffee that monkeys, um, drop out. I also don't care how many origins the beans have, nor how fair the trade was, whatever that means. I do drink a lot of it and have my minimum standards, and have gone through my french press…
Why Asking Price Doesn’t Matter

Why Asking Price Doesn’t Matter

February 17, 2022Posted inReal Estate
In the past twelve months, about two-thirds of single-family houses listed for under $1 million that have sold in the greater Portland metro went for over their asking price. The remaining third was about evenly split between those that sold at list and those that sold under. Distill all that down, and only about one in seven houses that sold went for the number on the price tag. It would be an odd way to shop if you walked into Target…

Stop the Insanity!

February 9, 2022Posted inReal Estate
I work a lot of open houses, which means I get plenty of face time with potential buyers. Visitors to open houses come in all shapes and sizes- those that have just started looking, neighbors who want to check out the new house for sale, and the battle-hardened who have already been putting in offers for a while, with no success. One question that seems to come up no matter who is asking is the Big Question of the Day: when…
The Real Reason I Moved to Portland

The Real Reason I Moved to Portland

February 6, 2022Posted inMoving to Portland
When you think of world-class cities, what comes to mind? Michelin-starred restaurants, museums with that one painting that everyone has to take a picture of to prove they saw it, skyscrapers with observation decks you have to buy a ticket for- that kind of thing? Portland doesn't really have any of that, and if you ask most people here they'll tell you that's the way they like it. Portland's world-classiness shows in different ways if it shows at all. Back when…
What YOU Need to KNOW Right NOW Before GOING to an Open HOUSE (You Won’t Believe #4!)

What YOU Need to KNOW Right NOW Before GOING to an Open HOUSE (You Won’t Believe #4!)

January 27, 2022Posted inReal Estate
If you really stop to dwell on it, there's something quite strange about open houses. You leave your home- with all your memories and your toys and that open Gatorade bottle in the back of the fridge- in the care of a real estate agent that you may not have ever met or seen or whose name you know, so strangers can walk through your house for a few hours and judge how you live. If you're fortunate enough to not…
We Need to Talk About Fred Meyer – UPDATE: Now With 100% More WinCo!

We Need to Talk About Fred Meyer – UPDATE: Now With 100% More WinCo!

January 14, 2022Posted inMoving to Portland
Note: This post originally ran without mention of WinCo, which was a grave oversight on the part of an unnamed MOVIN' ON UP employee. That person has been disciplined. Adaptability to one's environment has been key to the evolution of our species. I think we can all agree on that, at least in a general sense? In the modern world, however, it seems that the environment doesn't change much from place to place, so we don't have as much to adapt…
I (Don’t) Like to Move It Move It

I (Don’t) Like to Move It Move It

December 20, 2021Posted inMoving to Portland
Somewhere out there is a human who enjoys moving. I don't mean enjoys having moved, that's a different thing. Generally people are good with that. I mean a person who enjoys the process of moving, which might make that person an energy vampire. The cleaning, the packing, the boxes, the boxes, the boxes. At its best it's a hassle, and at worst it's a layer of hell Dante chose not to write about. Naturally, I've moved twice in the past year…
BREAKFAST: It’s What’s For Breakfast

BREAKFAST: It’s What’s For Breakfast

November 27, 2021Posted inMoving to Portland
The saying "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" was apparently just a marketing slogan made up by John Harvey Kellogg himself. Dr. Kellogg, who was seriously grape nuts, was also wrong. I've got breakfast down as the third most-important meal of the day. Dinner is obviously first, since it costs the most. Lunch comes in second, as it can be a nice break in the day and is also when you eat club sandwiches. The French treat lunch…