Buying property without ever seeing it Godzillow!     I heard an interesting story yesterday about Chinese real estate purchases in the USA.  Sure, I had talked about it recently at a friend's house over dinner with a business partner who mentioned his Chinese clients were dropping a million on a house every time they came to the US. But I hadn't […]
Beautiful Houses My greatest home ideas are waiting for you….       Some of my greatest ideas come from Pinterest.  Painting kitchen cabinets, restoring dirty grout, adding a bathroom to the attic, and other do-it-yourself tricks and ideas are some of the many useful "pins" you'll find on my "boards".   Perusing Pinterest can be addictive, so in an effort to save you the […]
Beautiful Houses Portland’s Pittock Mansion Turns 100 Years Old     One of Portland's prettiest landmarks turns 100 this year.  They started off her celebration earlier this year with free admission – so those who hadn't already been there had a free pass to the party.    The fun continues on July 13th, when the city will celebrate the centennial anniversary with a 100 […]
Beautiful Houses Brass is Back! I've read about it but I haven't seen much of it yet.  Until yesterday on Realtor tour when I spotted a fabulous example of the new brass that's back in style.  Don't get excited.  Your shiny brass doorknobs and faucets (and god forbid your shower door trim) has GOT to go.    But if you […]
Beautiful Houses NW Portland Walking Tours       Once spring arrives, Portland starts looking its prettiest!   Our native rhododendron, azaleas, camillias, quince, magnolias, apple and cherry blossoms seem to brighten every path, street and yard.  It's a beautiful time for a walking tour.  Even if it drizzles a little bit, there are plenty of places to pop into for […]
Color in home decor Use of bright colors in your home It's lovely to surround yourself in neutrals.  Linen sofa, cashmere throw, natural accents.  What's not to love?  Rooms like this feel so peaceful.         But I prefer a splash of color in every room.  (Well, maybe more than a splash)       So I've collected a few photos on Pinterest that […]
cary perkins Finding a vacant lot to build a house in Portland OR Update:  4/7/14   About two weeks after my blog post shown below, Brian Allen, owner of Windermere also addressed this issue in an interview with Portland Business Journal.  Please click through to the article.      3/24/14 Portland is running out of usable land for homebuilders.  You probably already knew that.  Our urban grown boundary […]
Beautiful Houses What’s new in kitchens in 2014? I recently had the opportunity to view a presentation by Jonathan Hopp of Neil Kelly.  He spoke to the new and exciting changes in the world of kitchens – remodeling and new construction.  My favorite reference from the talk was about the fact that "backsplashes are the jewelry of the kitchen."  It's true!  You can […]
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Current Portland Real Estate Market Information First Time Homebuyers – Spring 2014 Market Information     The housing market is still far from normal. On a positive note, the pipeline of foreclosure inventory has shrunk, new delinquencies have declined, and home prices have surged. However, we have not settled into a stable supply and demand equilibrium. There is still a historically low share of first-time homebuyers, currently trending at […]
Current Portland Real Estate Market Information Is there a new real estate bubble?     Portland is currently a very hot area for real estate. In fact, it is not unusual in several neighborhoods for there to be more than 5-10 or more offers for the same property, driving the price up 10% or more above asking price. People have asked whether this is an indicator of another […]
Beautiful Houses Low Housing Inventory requires Creative Thinking The Spring housing market is off to a bit of a slow start, thanks to an extremely low inventory of homes for sale.  Listings are starting to trickle onto the market, but some Realtors are struggling to find homes for their ready, willing, and able buyers.  One way to make a match in this tough […]
Beautiful Houses A Portland Real Estate Year in Review   Thank you for your business and all your referrals… what a wondeful year it was.     Portland Oregon Real Estate Information, House Ideas, Portland Oregon Highlights. Caryperkins.com…  A Windermere Top Producer….Fun With Real Estate by Cary Perkins
Current Portland Real Estate Market Information Micro Housing – coming soon to a city near you?       MICRO HOUSING – A micro-apartment, also known as an apodment or microflat, is a one-room, self-contained living space, usually purpose built, designed to accommodate a sitting space, sleeping space, bathroom and kitchenette within around 150–350 square feet. “Micro housing” is fast becoming a reality in markets all across the country.  For those […]
Buying property without ever seeing it Buying a Home Sight-Unseen     While not for the faint of heart, some out-of-town home buyers just can't be there to see every new listing, and have to make the offer without having seen the house.  This requires a high level of trust, and the Realtor must be very careful to guide, but not sell.  (Though it helps […]
Current Portland Real Estate Market Information Should I take my house off the market over the holidays?   This question comes up every year around this time.  Things are slowing down a bit, you're thinking about family and celebrations, and yet you want to get your house sold. Many sellers feel that the spring is the best time to place their home on the market as buyer demand increases at that time […]
Moving to Portland How to learn the history of your Portland OR home I've always admired the history of the homes I've shown and sold.  Sometimes when I visit a 60's or 70's home, I enjoy a great flashback to my younger days…. once I ran across the same wallpaper we had in our family room and just about melted from the happiness of seeing it again.    […]
cary perkins Windermere is Paperless!       In a paper-driven business that requires a LOT of forms, (if you've done a transaction lately, you'll know exactly what I mean) it takes a forward-thinking company to get rid of the paper.   I'm so happy to say that Windermere in Portland has taken the leap.    Starting today, all transactions will […]
Current Portland Real Estate Market Information Portland Condos in Litigation     Four Portland condo buildings tied up in defect lawsuits   A flood of lawsuits over allegedly leaky water pipes has tied up at least four Portland condominium buildings in court, leaving hundreds of condo owners essentially unable to sell their units until the legal wrangling is over. Owners associations at four Pearl District […]
Current Portland Real Estate Market Information Until Mortgage Rates Reach 10.5%, Buying Will Still Be Cheaper Than Renting The recent rise in mortgage rates has made buying a house a little more expensive: the increase in the 30-year fixed rate over the past month from 3.4% to 3.9% (Freddie Mac) raised the monthly payment on a $200,000 mortgage by $56, or 6%. However, because mortgage rates are still near long-term lows, and because […]
Current Portland Real Estate Market Information What’s New in the Pearl District? Design is underway for Block 17 in the Pearl.      During Tuesday’s Planning and Transportation meeting, developer Hoyt Street Properties and Boora Architects, sought design advice for Pearl District Block 17. Hoyt Street Properties purposes a residential tower and mid-rise structure for the site. Based on last night’s design presentation, the tower skin is described as […]