When planning your trip to Oregon, be sure to include a weekend in wine country!
The Vintages is a trailer resort located in Dayton, among the rolling hills of Oregon’s wine country. The "hotel" is a collection of 8 retro trailers grouped into a compact neighborhood on a 14-acre RV Park in Willamette Wine Country. What a fun vacation idea!
These retro trailers provide an idea of what it would have been like to stay in a trailer of the 1950s and 1960s—with the comfort and coziness of a hotel." Each trailer offers a unique lodging experience tailored to compliment your wine tasting, dining and exploration. A short list of amenities includes gourmet pour-over coffee from Caravan Coffee, luxurious terrycloth robes, comfortable mattresses and fine hotel-quality linens. Should you decide to put your culinary skills to good use, your trailer features a propane grill and all the tableware and utensils you could possible desire (including a wine opener, of course!)
The park offers a breathtaking view of the neighboring vineyards, a pool & hot tub and outdoor lawn games for all to enjoy. Additionally, should you bring your pet along for the ride, we’re right next door to a dog park where your four legged friend can run around while you pick wild blackberries. We have cruiser bikes you can pedal over the bridge to the neighboring town of Dayton, a gateway to many of the local vineyards.
Holiday in style, relive the past, in the heart of Oregon’s wine country. Join us at The Vintages!
This gorgeous kitchen remodel was entirely permitted by Washington County!
When it’s time to remodel or make improvements to your home, you may wonder whether you need a permit.
For many projects, having a permit from the city government is crucial because the changes to your home will then go on record with the city, plus it ensures inspectors will check for any red flags. If you were to rewire your home incorrectly, there could be potential for short circuiting and even electrocution! Also when you try to sell or refinance your home, buyers and lenders want to know that your remodels comply with building codes, so you need to have proof via the permits from the city. I'm kind of a stickler for this, so please don't try to cheat the system! It's for your protection!
How do you determine which remodels and renovations require permits? Most contractors will know ahead of time, but it’s good for a homeowner to be aware and avoid fraud or future repairs. The general rule of thumb is that structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical work will require a permit, but here’s more information:
Remodeling with a Permit
When speaking with a general contractor about permits, here are some projects that will always require one or more:
Fencing Installation or Repair: When you install or repair a fence, it’s important to check with your city to see if there is a height restriction. Some cities and even suburbs have certain heights that fence height can't exceed. Be sure to have a fencing contractor check these restrictions to avoid having MAJOR headaches / corrections after the fact.
Window Installations: When you install new windows that are bigger than your old windows, a permit is required to cut holes for them. This will also include cutting holes for skylights and new doors with windows, so a window professional will need to acquire those permits.
Plumbing and Electrical Work: When installing or replacing plumbing, you will most likely need a permit. The same rule applies when installing or replacing electrical wiring
Electrical Changes: Whether it’s an outlet, switch, ceiling fan or overhead lighting. The cases where you won’t need a permit include smaller projects like repairs and light fixture installations.
Structural Changes: When you make any kind of structural changes to your home, the contractor will need to get a permit. This may include changes to the load-bearing walls, balconies, decks, porches, roofs or foundation flooring.
Heating Maintenance: If you replace the water heater, you heating contractor will need to get a permit. Changes to the ventilation system, gas and wood fireplaces and ducts will also require a permit. This does not include filter changes, motor lubrication or equipment cleaning.
Additions and Remodels: Additions, new construction, remodels, repairs, replacements, upgrades and any other additions and remodeling projects totaling $5,000 or more will require a permit. This will include detached structures like garages, sheds and platforms. Exceptions to this rule include construction that’s less than 200 square feet, as well as painting, carpeting and wallpaper.
Renovating Without a Permit
There will be some projects that won’t require a permit ahead of time, like small plumbing and electrical projects. Other projects you can do without a permit include:
Painting and wallpapering
Installing flooring like hardwood, carpeting, linoleum or vinyl tile
Minor electrical repairs
Installing new countertops
Installing or replacing a faucet
Landscaping work
Trust in the Pros
If you aren’t certain whether or not you need a permit, you should hire a professional. A pro will have the background and experience to determine if your project is extensive enough to require an inspector to check for any red flags afterward. Professionals will usually be the ones to acquire the permit, so they also know what kind of paperwork to fill out and the type of permit to obtain. Relying on a professional will allow your project to be completed in a timely manner.
Please let me know if you'd like help finding a reliable contractor, who will save you from the pitfalls of remodeling without necessary permits! I have a roster of highly capable professionals, and am happy to refer you to them – just ask!
Don't assume that all houses (including yours) are good investments — because, frankly, many houses are not. Tell me if one of these thoughts has ever crossed your mind:
"I'll live in this house for a few years, then rent it out, and then maybe sell it when it rises in value."
"I'm going to remodel big-time before I sell; I bet I'll get top-dollar."
"Renting is just throwing money away."
Not so fast. Before you start throwing a massive chunk of your income toward an untested assumption, read on. The following could save you tens of thousands in unnecessary costs.
Myth No. 1: There's No Difference Between Your Personal Home and a Great Investment Home.
Paula Pant owns five houses — yes, five. No, she's not rich, but she's a real estate investor who built a portfolio of rental properties that cover her entire cost-of-living. She's 30 years old, and she invites you to check out all the details about her real estate purchases — including the numbers — on her blog, Afford Anything.
For current Portland Real Estate advice, sales and purchases, please call or write.
I've observed that there are a lot fewer agents in the office this month, as a lot of clients and their real estate brokers are on vacation. Houses in certain price points are still flying off the market with multiple offers. Homes over $1,000,000 are slower than they were in the spring. I'm preparing for new listings that will hit after labor day, or early in 2015. What does this mean for you, buyers and sellers?
The spring and early summer brought a very robust real estate market in many areas and many price points. Multiple offers became the norm in many markets and agents found themselves busier than they had been in years. The market was moving, buyers were out looking and sellers who previously couldn’t sell were finally getting the offers they needed to make a move possible. Pending home sales rose consistently and real estate was back in the media in a positive way.
However, agents in many areas may have noticed a slight slowdown in August prompting concern about whether the market was taking a turn downward. To answer this question I want to address some key things that we need to look at to answer that question.
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY INDEX
The housing affordability index is measured looking at median home prices, median family incomes and the mortgage interest rate. The higher the index, the more buying power a buyer has. As the index reduces, so does the buyer’s buying power. The recent increase in home sale prices nationally and regionally has caused the Housing Affordability Index to decline from 196.5 in 2012 to 175.8 in 2013. It is going down even further in many areas. The West Coast has been particularly affected because of the high price gains in the past 18 months.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
Even though the market has picked up, we still have not seen enough new construction development to keep up with the demand. It is still difficult for builders to get financing and although it is better than it was, it is still not where it needs to be. That is why some areas are having such dramatic price gains; there just isn’t enough inventory. In many areas we are seeing a shortage of new construction which means that prices will continue to be pushed upward if this shortage is not filled with new homes. Our new home product is built by two different types of builders: the production volume builder and the small builder. The small builder still struggles to get financing because they have not yet made up for their losses from the past economic challenges.
CONSUMER CONCERN
We have also seen recent dips in the stock market which always brings up questions and concerns for consumers, when consumers are concerned they stop buying. When consumers stop buying it creates a domino effect. As weather begins to change and kids return to school I am fully confident that the real estate market will continue to move along at a very healthy pace. Consumers will soon forget about the stock market declines and the change in the weather and they will once again settle in and put their attention back to buying or selling real estate.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BUYERS
Buyers who buy right now will benefit from the temporary slowdown in the market because they won’t be competing with as many other buyers. Buyers who are serious need to take advantage of this temporary distraction in the market.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SELLERS
Sellers who need to sell right now need to get serious about their price. “Market” priced homes ARE selling and if sellers want to sell there are plenty of serious buyers out there right now taking advantage of the timing in the market.
The real estate industry is a moving market. It expands contracts, corrects and grows. Trust that any slowdown you may be experiencing is only a very temporary “breather” that is healthy for the market to take.
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 really focused on the extent of this movement until I heard an article on NPR yesterday.
The news? Zillow has begun publishing its entire U.S. real estate property database in Mandarin on the biggest real estate Web site in China. This means Chinese buyers can use Zillow to find properties near family and friends in their price range. “The fact that Zillow is going there is huge,” says Hall Willkie, president of New York real estate firm Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales. “The Chinese may just overwhelm the United States with purchases.”
The Chinese are on the move. In 2014, a record number of Chinese, 100 million, are expected to travel abroad, an army roughly as big as Mexico’s population. They have money in their wallets, an appetite for the good life and ants in their pants.
You can’t blame them for feeling unsettled at home. Beijing’s aggressive anti-corruption sweep has netted thousands of big fish, and more confiscations are on the way. Pollution has created an asthma epidemic, food safety scares are commonplace, and China’s economic pace ebbs. There is still no true dissent or freedom of expression allowed. So the country’s wealthiest are on the move and want a better life for themselves or their children.
Some 9.3 million Chinese have immigrated in recent years, and 64 percent of the country’s remaining rich households — a category that includes a few million people — want to leave or are in the process of doing so.
The United States is their preferred destination, and American real estate is becoming their new T-bills, a safe-haven asset. Like bullion, it’s an asset class denominated in U.S. dollars, safe from confiscation and, when necessary, bought anonymously to hide wealth from governments or creditors or ex-partners. But unlike bullion, U.S. real estate can earn income, provide a roof and help obtain a visa.
This month, U.S. real estate Web site Zillow begins publishing its entire U.S. real estate property database in Mandarin on the biggest real estate Web site in China. This means Chinese buyers can surf the Net to find properties near family and friends in their price range. “The fact that Zillow is going there is huge,” says Hall Willkie, president of New York real estate firm Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales. “The Chinese may just overwhelm the United States with purchases.”
A buyout is already underway. In 2013, Chinese buyers snapped up $11 billion worth of properties in the United States, capturing second place (at 12 percent of all foreign buying) behind Canadians for the first time, according to the National Association of Realtors’ Profile of International Home Buying Activity.
Willkie notes a spike in terms of interest in the past 18 months: “In New York, we’ve noticed Chinese buying very large, very expensive apartments, homes. But there are also many buying smaller apartments, $1.5 to $3 million, for their children going to school here. The parents are buying them.”
In 2013, for instance, a Hong Kong woman paid $6.5 million for a two-bedroom in the tallest residence in New York, One57, for her daughter so she’ll have somewhere to live when she gets into Columbia, Harvard or NYU, she told her agent. The daughter, currently, is 2 years old. Another Chinese woman bought four $20 million units there for family members.
The desire to get money out of China for whatever reason, added to Zillow’s foray into China’s living rooms, will only enhance enthusiasm. China’s biggest exports to the United States may end up being capital and people. Look out for its biggest winners in a neighborhood near you.
Of course, your property listings with me are already advertised on Zillow, so no worries about having Portland representation on China's computer screens. When talking with a client, Brian, last night, we decided it's the new GODZILLOW!
Diane Francis, former editor of Canada's Financial Post, is editor-at-large of the National Post and a professor at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management.
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 time and trouble, I've accumulated a lot of fabulous how-to guides and home ideas.
You don't need to set up a profile to use Pinterest – simply click on the link below to access my collection.
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 Candles Birthday Party, featuring free cake on the lawn, music on the terrace, and even a vintage car show in the driveway. Bring your camera – it sounds like a picture perfect Portland day!
Later this summer, on August 14th, there will be another event – a benefit – with music, food & drinks.
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.
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 is a wonderful thing! It keeps Portland's downtown and close-in neighborhoods vibrant. No sprawl here, or 60 minute commutes to get to your new home – we love infill, and are putting new construction on every available lot.
But lately, if you've tried to buy a house that comes with a double lot or sits on a nice sized piece of property, you'll find you're up against local builders with deep pockets, and cash. It's hard to be a small player who requires a mortgage against these aggressive cash buyers.
Just recently, this gorgeous brick home on a large lot in a premium neighborhood was purchased as a tear-down. Heartbreaking.
Portland Business Journal has written an interesting story on the lack of property for new construction, and the fact that we're unable to keep up with the demand for homebuyers moving into the Portland area. It's a tough call. Spread the urban growth boundary to keep prices on homes from rising too high and giving builders a place to add necessary inventory, or preserve our farmland and keep our city vibrant and full?
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The park offers a breathtaking view of the neighboring vineyards, a pool & hot tub and outdoor lawn games for all to enjoy. Additionally, should you bring your pet along for the ride, we’re right next door to a dog park where your four legged friend can run around while you pick wild blackberries. We have cruiser bikes you can pedal over the bridge to the neighboring town of Dayton, a gateway to many of the local vineyards.
