Archive for March, 2010

Portland-Metro area ranked number 1 green city area by American City Business Journals

The Portland-Metro area is ranked number the number 1 green city area by American City Business Journals.

Metro Green Index

<!– #cxkg {visibility:hidden; font-size:6px; position:relative; } –> City “Green Index” data
Raw data and rank among 43 metros

Overall Rank 1
City Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA (MSA)
Travel delay x1000 hrs 34,418.00
Rank travel delay 24
Excess fuel x1000 gallons 23969
Rank excess fuel 24
Congestion cost x1million 712
Rank congestion cost 24
Travel delay in hours, excess fuel used and congestion cost source: the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2007 Urban Mobility report
Mean travel time 25.3
Rank travel time 21
Percent of commuters who drive alone 70.6
Rank commuters who drive 6
Percent using public transit 6.4
Rank using public transit 8
Travel time, solo commuters and public transit source: U.S. Census (2008).
Number of days with AQI over 100 3
Rank high AQI 11
Five-year average days with AQI over 100 3.6
Rank five-year AQI 6
Air Quality Index data source: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Pollutants reported to state in 2004-09 15
Rank pollutants 14.00
Number of times in excess of health guidelines 6
Rank excess health guidelines 6
Water pollutants statistics source: the Environmental Working Group
States renewable energy generation 35816
Rank renewable energy 6
Renewable energy data source: the U.S. Energy Information Administration
Carbon emissions per capita (metric tons) 1.45
Rank carbon emissions per capita 3
Carbon emissions source: the Brookings Institute
Sprawl index 126.1
Rank sprawl index 4
Sprawl data source: Smart Growth America
LEED certified projects 99
Rank LEED certified projects 2
LEED-certified data source: the U.S. Green Building Council
Energy Star rated facilities 48
Rank Energy Star rated facilities 16
Square feet of all Energy Star facilities 16634510
Rank SF Energy Star 11
Potential green jobs 2038 53122
Energy Star data source: U.S. EPA
Rank green jobs potential 14
Total green jobs in 2006 6714
Rank green jobs per capita 11
Green jobs source: U.S. Conference of Mayors.
LEED architects 478
Rank LEED architects per capita 5
LEED credentialed professionals 1409
Rank LEED professionals 7
LEED credential data source: U.S. Green Building Council
Average rank 11.15
Average rank of all the indicators for which data was available for this metro

If you have any questions regarding real estate or are interested in buying a home, green or otherwise, please contact me at dannyshepard@oregonfirst.com or 503-267-8370.

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2 to 4 pm open house in Hillsboro, Oregon this Sunday, March 28th


Witch Hazel Ranch Rambler

Kitchen

Family room

I am holding an open house for a ranch style rambler in Hillsboro on Sunday, March 28th, 2:00 to 4:00 pm.  It is located at:

4678 SE Witch Hazel Road, Hillsboro, OR 97123

Click on the address above and enter the RMLS number 10009487 to view listing information for this home.

Exceptional one-level home located on a private lane. Home has a flowing floor plan and is Great for Entertaining. Formal Living is open to the Formal Dining with easy access to the Kitchen. Spacious Kitchen with pergo floors is open to the family room and allows enough space for several cooks, informal eating area, or possibly a kitchen island. Family room features a traditional gas brick fireplace and slider to one of two covered patios. Two Bedrooms and Master are located in a private location of the home. Master Suite features a it’s own bath and slider to a covered patio where you can step out to enjoy the fresh air. Skylights in 2 bathrooms make the rooms light and bright. Huge landscaped backyard has sunny southern exposure great for the avid gardener. Two Car garage, two separate storage sheds and a 21 x 80 black topped driveway have more than enough room to store all your creative projects or toys! Home is well maintained and shows pride of ownership with Newer Trim, Vinyl, Windows & Roof. Located close to shopping, restaurants, public transportation and the SE Tualatin Valley Hwy. This Home is an outstanding value for First Time Home Buyers looking for a family home with all the perks! Don’t let this one get away!

If you have any questions concerning real estate, including this home in Hillsboro, or would like to see it or another property outside of these open house hours; please contact me at dannyshepard@oregonfirst.com or 503-267-8370. I am a realtor with Oregon First based out of Beaverton, Oregon and work throughout the Portland-Metro area.

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Clackamas Town Center Bridal Show this weekend!

Jessica of Jessica Shepard Photography will be at the Clackamas Town Center this weekend in Clackamas, Oregon for a bridal show, both today and tomorrow.  Jessica also shoots portraits for children, pets, maternity, and families.  She does professional portraits as well, including two for Ron Tonkin automobiles for a national car magazine.

Meet Jessica, see her work, and take advantage of exclusive discounts.

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Portland Oregon Metro Area real estate market conditions for March 2010

My mother-in-law returned home during severe weather last Saturday in the Northeast. We are grateful that she made it home safe after a long and difficult return flight and drive from the airport. We had a great visit. Having a usable guest room made a world of difference towards livability for all of us during a long stay. I had the pleasure of showing her several condominiums in Hillsboro and Northwest Portland on the last couple of days of her stay. Her granddaughter Mackenzie has put up a strong argument for her to convince grandpa to relocate from out of state to this area. Our weather only improves our cause.

Our new cat Cougar and resident cat Gracie Joy have become good friends, though Cougar still thinks of the guest room/office as his room while Gracie spends most of her time downstairs. We are alternating between using the front door and garage to prevent Cougar from exploring his new neighborhood too soon.

This past month, I earned the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource designation from the National Association of Realtors. There is no such thing as a distressed property; it’s the owners that are distressed. If you know someone that is facing foreclosure, there may be options available and I would appreciate your referral to assist them. If you are looking for an even better deal in this buyer’s market, short sales provide an opportunity to help someone in financial trouble. If the time table for a short sale does not suit you, banks are eager to remove foreclosed properties from their balance sheets. These types of transactions are significantly different from more traditional home transactions; but I am aware of these differences and knowledgeable on the best methods to successfully navigate purchasing short sales or foreclosed properties.

Portland-Metro real estate market activity remained improved last month over the same period a year ago. Closed sales were up 18.4% versus February 2009 and pending sales increased by 45%! In addition, new listings increased by 12.4%. The tax credit appears to have successfully jump-started spring real estate activity.

Comparing last month to January 2010, pending sales were up 20.5% and closed sells improved slightly to 2.9%. New listings dropped a mere 1% after an increase of 87.1% between January 2010 and December 2009. Active inventory, which is calculated by dividing the total number of active listings for a month and dividing it by the number of closed sales, increased by 0.3 months and is now at 12.9 months with 13,101 active listings.

All sales price indicators continued the same trends. Sale prices were down compared to February 2009 by 8.5%, and the median sale price also decreased by 9.3%. February 2010 sale prices were also down when viewed against January 2010 with average prices dropping by 3.3% while the median price decreased by 2.1%. The tax credit may have increased real estate transactions, but the high number of properties available continues to push prices down.

If you are in the market to purchase a home, now is still the perfect time to buy. There are plenty of properties available, sale prices have still continued to drop, and interest rates are still low. Additionally, if eligible, the extended and expanded home buyer’s tax credit is still available if in a purchase contract by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010.

Would you like to receive more detailed information about?

  • Realtor services?
  • The extended and expanded home buyer’s tax credit?
  • Short Sales or Foreclosures?
  • Your neighborhood or others that you are interested about?

Please contact me at:

dannyshepard@oregonfirst.com

www.dannyleeshepard.com

503-267-8370

I am a realtor of Oregon First, licensed in the state of Oregon.

All statistics listed are quoted from the February 2010 issue of RMLS Market Action. The Regional Multiple Listing Service releases the previous month’s statistics near the 15th of the current month.

Tax credit information provided by the IRS at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=215791,00.html?portlet=7

Additional tax credit information provided by the National Association of Realtors FAQ on Homebuyer Tax Credit Changes, available on request.

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Hillsboro and Northwest Portland Condominium Comparisons

Last week, I spent a couple of afternoons and evenings showing condominiums to a client that is considering relocating to Oregon.  We looked at condos in Northwest Portland and Hillsboro.  We made some observations that I would like to share with other buyers that may help direct their search for a new home.

In Nob Hill, there are plenty of properties that may be new to the market, but they are in renovated buildings.  “Renovated” can be a very general term.  We looked at two properties from a century old building where each room was completely gutted and redesigned  with modern materials, fixtures, and appliances.  At another building, renovated only included new floors and a coat of paint; the hundred year old layout was the same, awkward bathroom and all.   Neither had any parking provided.  Square footage was under 800.  These properties had one important item in common, the nearby amenities from being in Nob Hill.   The area consists old, well-kept neighborhoods in walking distance of local restaurants and shops and very close proximity to downtown Portland.

In Hillsboro, both properties we looked at, in Tanasbourne and Orenco Station, were less than 10 years old.  Each came with more than 700 square feet, an over-sized single car garage, with one attached on the lower level of the unit.  Each had additional parking spaces available.  Prices were approximately $20,000 less than Northwest Portland and listed property taxes were slightly lower despite the larger properties.  Each were near modern suburban communities filled with popular chain stores and restaurants, but downtown Portland and locally-owned shops were miles away.

When shopping for a home, a good friend and realtor told me one thing you need to always keep in mind, “You can always change anything except the neighborhood.” Make sure your dream home is in an area that suits your lifestyle and fulfills most of your wants and needs.  It sounds obvious, but often home buyers get so caught up in the home that they forget about what is beyond the walls, yard, and fence.

If you have any questions regarding real estate, or need help selling or buying a home, please contact me at dannyshepard@oregonfirst.com or 503-267-8370.

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