Beautiful HousesColor in home decorDecorating IdeasHouse IdeasPortland Oregon Realtor April 9, 2014

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 love the idea of something new, and are tired of the rubbed bronze and polished nickel that's been all the rage for the last ten years, here's your new obsession.
 
Click through to see the rest of the house. 
 
Want to go shopping?
 
 
 
 
 
Cary Perkins,
Windermere Top Producer
Fun With Real Estate
Current Portland Oregon Real Estate Information,
Highlights of Portland Oregon, House Ideas
Portland Oregon Homes

by Cary Perkins

Portland Real Estate, Portland Oregon Top Producer, Windermere Top Producer, Portland Realtor, Portland Homes for Sale

 

 

Color in home decor March 28, 2014

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 introduce vivid colors in a beautiful way.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fireplace at the Suguaro Hotel.  How's that for color?
 
 
 
 
 
I love this pantry door!    Found on thebowerbirds.tumblr.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
A tangerine front door! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
How about a red island to match your Wolf range knobs?
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pink barstools with gold feet
 
 
 
 
Donuts!
 
 
 
Cary Perkins,
Windermere Top Producer
Fun With Real Estate
Current Portland Oregon Real Estate Information,
Highlights of Portland Oregon, House Ideas
Portland Oregon Homes

by Cary Perkins

 

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Beautiful HousesCurrent Portland Real Estate Market InformationFront doorHouse IdeasPortland Oregon Real Estate March 1, 2014

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 market is to have an open mind about what you hope to live in -vs- what is currently on the market.

If you need an amazing contractor to help transform an ordinary home in the extraordinary home of your dreams, I can help you with that.  My book of names includes talented architects, builders and designers. 

Open your mind to the possibilities……let's see what we can find.

 

 

 

 

photo credit unknown – found via Pinterest

 

 

 

Portland Oregon Real Estate Information, House Ideas, Portland Oregon Highlights.
Caryperkins.com…   Windermere Top Producer….Fun With Real Estate

by Cary Perkins

Moving to PortlandPortland OregonPortland Oregon Real Estate October 29, 2013

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. 
 
What's more exciting to me is to picture the people who lived there – from the time these fabulous old houses were new, and through today.  Imagining the previous owners is a practice of mine – it makes seeing thousands of houses every year even more fun!
 
But if you want the REAL details on the history of your home, there's a great article in the Oregonian today telling you how to research the architect, the home's builder, original address and more.
 
Here is a re-print of the Oregonian article: (and a link to it here)
 
 
 
1935 Birkemeier.jpeg
This vintage photo is of a 1935 Birkemeier in northeast Portland. (Larry Keltner)

 

 

 

 
 

Janet Eastman | jeastman@oregonian.com By Janet Eastman | jeastman@oregonian.com

on October 18, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

Do you wonder who else once lived in your home? Or who designed it? There are easy ways to uncover its history.

Val Ballestrem, the education manager for the Architectural Heritage Center, teaches a course on researching a house’s history. He recommends these resources:

Portland Maps is a great starting point. Find the tax ID – lot and block information – and plumbing permits here, which may identify the builder, original owner and subsequent homeowners.

If the house is older than 1931, it likely had a different address when it was built. From 1931 to 1933, the City of Portland renamed some streets and renumbered house addresses. For example, SE 35th Place was originally East Marguerite Street.

Address conversion books are available at the Oregon Historical Society research library, the Portland City Archives and the Architectural Heritage Center. The website LovejoyPettygrove.com allows you to convert old addresses to new and new to old.

Once armed with names of previous homeowners or builders, tax lot information and the original address, go to The Oregonian Historical Archives (accessible through Multnomah County Library with your library card number and PIN). You might find an original real estate ad that describes the home and perhaps identifies the builder or architect.

If you know the builder or architect, additional research can uncover other structures they designed or built. Perhaps you’ll even find a “twin” to your home, says Ballestrem.

Also, check out Neighborhood Association blogs such as Doug Decker’s Alameda History blog, which has sections on designers Albert Hugh Irwin, Arthur J. Matot, Elwood Wiles, Frank Read, Harry Phillips, Kenneth L. Birkemeier and William B. Donahue.

Restore Oregon (formerly the Historic Preservation League of Oregon) and volunteers conducting neighborhood walking tours have additional information.

— Janet Eastman

 

I've just come across another VERY helpful article on Houzz.com.  Please follow this link for some very helpful information on this same topic. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Portland Oregon Real Estate Information, House Ideas, Portland Oregon Highlights.
Caryperkins.com…  A Windermere Top Producer….Fun With Real Estate!

by Cary Perkins

Daily House IdeaDecorating Ideashouse idea of the dayHouse Ideas March 9, 2013

Transform your room for less than $100

 

Remember the stenciling from the 80's?  Little country cabins and vines & hearts?  I shudder to think of some of the sponge and rag painting that used to pass for cool. 

 

 

 

Nowadays, you hardly ever hear of anyone stenciling or faux painting, and wallpaper has actually made a comeback.   When I'm touring houses, I literally swoon over some of the gorgeous papers I've seen.  Who would use a stencil when wallpaper manufacturers have made it so easy for us to add drama so simply?

 

 

 

Me!  I'm dying to use one of these stencil designs in our  master bedroom!  Every one of these photos are stenciled walls. 

 

These aren't your 80's stencils, and one can transform their room at 1/100th the cost of wallpaper. 

 

 

My client used this houndstooth pattern in her bathroom and it was fabulous~! 

 

 

Don't be shy.  Order a stencil today and transform your room for under $100!  Prices start around $13 for simple medallions and go to around $65 f0r the birch trees shown above. 

These stencils, and hundreds more, can be purchased at www.cuttingedgestencils.com.

 

Portland Oregon Real Estate Information,
House Ideas,
Portland Oregon Highlights.
Caryperkins.com
 
 
 

 

Current Portland Real Estate Market InformationDaily House Ideahouse idea of the dayHouse Ideaskitchen ideasPortland Oregon Real EstatePortland Real Estate StatisticsSelling Your home March 2, 2013

Q & A: How much is my kitchen remodel worth when I sell? 2013 Cost -vs- Value

 

Q:  We've just put in a ton of work on a new kitchen, and now it's time to sell.  How much can we actually recoup from our expense?

 

A:  Here is a link to the Remodeling Magazine Cost -VS- Value Comparison Tool.  It lists costs for all areas of the US, and you can look at moderate or fancy remodels.  It's lots of fun to figure out which improvements will give you the best return on your dollar.  It also helps you to understand that when pricing your home, you can't expect to wring every penny out of your remodel.  It will, however, make your home more attractive, and it should sell more quickly! 

 

This site compares the average cost for 35 popular remodeling projects with the value those projects retain at resale. To find data for any of 81 cities:
1. Click a region on the map or choose from the drop-down list.
2. Click on a city in the map (requires flash) or from the drop-down list.
3. Click the Download button for a PDF with city data.

For more information about individual projects:
1. Click on a project name to see a description and a 3-D model.
2. Sort any column by clicking on the column header.
3. For more information on the Remodeling 2013 Cost vs. Value Report, click on any of the links listed at right.

 

Thanks to Remodling Magazine for their research on this great article.

 

Portland Oregon Real Estate Information,
House Ideas,
Portland Oregon Highlights.
Caryperkins.com
Daily House Ideahouse idea of the dayHouse IdeasPortland Oregon Real Estate February 6, 2013

What to do with Fido?

 

 

Sometimes there is no perfect solution to providing access to the outdoors for your little furry friend.  Leaving them home alone all day while you're at work can lead to accidents.  Doggy day care can be expensive if you need to use it every day.  But some properties just don't have perfect access – a door that leads to a fenced yard, or a spot for a doggy door that is concealed from view in your everyday spaces.

 

 

This homeowner turned an ordinary closet into a warm spot for their dog to be indoors, while giving it access to the outside as well.    You can leave the door ajar when you're home, and close it when you're away.   I love that this closes it off from view and everybody is happy. 

 

 

photo courtesy of Houzz.  Designed and built by Aloha Home Builders.

 

Portland Oregon Real Estate Information,
House Ideas,
Portland Oregon Highlights.
Caryperkins.com
 

 

Daily House IdeaDecorating IdeasPortland Oregon Real EstatePortland Oregon RealtorSelling your home during the holidays November 27, 2012

Chirping Smoke Detector

 

You know that annoying chirp when a smoke alarm battery is at the end of its life?  It's not unusual to open up a vacant home and have the tweeting accompany your showing.

 

I think this would make it OK. 

 

Replace your flying saucer shaped smoke detector with this darling bird!  Available at Urban Outfitters for $75.

Beautiful HousesCurrent Portland Real Estate Market InformationDaily House IdeaDecorating Ideashouse idea of the dayHouse Ideas March 29, 2012

A Spot of Color on this Rainy Day

When it’s this gloomy out, I need something sunny and bright to help me make it through ’til Spring.

 

Here are a few bright and sunshiny house photos that I’ve collected.  Any of these things would make me happy on a day like today.

 

Yellow Adirondack chairs

 

 

An amazing red rug and chairs on my porch

 

This bright orange lacquer planter with purple orchids

 

 

Funky kitchen tiles

 

 

Simply adorable pillows, especially when placed on a bright settee bench

 

 

Hurry, spring!

cary perkinsDaily House Ideahouse idea of the dayHouse Ideas March 27, 2012

Tired of losing your phone or keys?

 

 

This is it. The technological breakthrough you’ve been waiting for. The one you can’t believe hadn’t been invented already. The one that probably deserves a trumpet and a choir singing hosannas.

 

So let’s say you’ve lost your keys. Here’s how this works, not necessarily in this order:

  • One: Download the myBiKN app from BiKN (you’ll want to pronounce that “beacon”) on your iPhone.
  • Two: Slip the smart case onto your iPhone.
  • Three: Attach the BiKN tags to your valuables. (By the way, we’re giving you two more than the standard kit—so that’s four in total.)
  • Four: If something goes missing, the app will then show you the right direction and distance to walk in to find your stuff. Think of it as a digital treasure map. The electronic tags you’ve attached to said valuables will also start beeping, letting you know exactly which side of the couch you should be searching.
  • Five: If the reverse occurs (i.e., your phone mysteriously disappears), you can use the electronic tags to find the damn thing.

 

And voilà: the easiest way to never lose anything again. And naturally, Perks is getting it to you for something less than the going rate…

 

And best of all, here’s a link to get it on sale, thanks to my friends at Urban Daddy.  They have it for $135 (for a limited time only) instead of the list price of $170.

For more information, and details on the product, see www.bikn.com.

I know a few people who definitely need this.  Is their one in your life?

 

source:  www.urbandaddy.com.  Thanks!