Housing Slump? I’ve Heard Enough

This morning I picked up the business section of The Oregonian and found an article from the Associated Press titled “Fed has no fast fix for housing slump“.  It seems that the word from the top, namely the Federal Reserve, is that the current housing slump will continue on into the next year.  According to this article, the country is uncertain about the stability of the economy and especially the housing market.  Now I completely understand the uncertainty that many areas of the Read more

October 30, 2007 · Filed Under Investment, Portland Real Estate Market Data

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Press Time in Dundee, OR

Grapes on the vineA grower stops to show me the grapes Read more

October 19, 2007 · Filed Under Events

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Current Market Data

Portland, Oregon from the Sky

Boo!  No really, it’s not that scary.  Read more

October 17, 2007 · Filed Under Portland Real Estate Market Data

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Earth Advantage Certification

Another certification that is being used for green building is through Earth Advantage, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable building practices in the Northwest.  Earth Advantage also has a certification process for new and remodeled homes, much like the LEED Certification process described in an earlier blog.  Homes that are certified through Earth Advantage  have to meet standards in the 5 categories that include energy efficiency, indoor air quality, environmental responsibility, and resource efficiency.

The energy efficiency category includes the usual suspects of energy efficient windows, lights, appliances, etc.  These are all examples of items that people do desire because of the fact that they end up saving the homeowner money in the future. Read more

October 12, 2007 · Filed Under Green Building and Living, Portland Real Estate Listings

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LEED Certification

Green building is a recent addition to the new home market and a slightly older addition to the remodeling market.  What does it entail?  How do you know it is green?  I get the above questions from my clients all of the time.  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit that is interested in sustainable building design and construction.  They have developed a rating system that assigns points in the categories of site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality.  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.  In order to receive a LEED certification a project must go through an extensive process to amass enough credits in each of the categories.  If a project has acquired these points, they may be designated as either LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, or LEED Platinum. 

The best part about LEED certification is that it sets a standard for builders.  It also educates the construction industry and public about ways to make your home or project more Green.  People do care about the energy efficiency of their homes and the water conservation aspects of their home because it hits them right in the wallet.  On the other hand, establishing and maintaining air quality in your home is a topic that most people would be interested in, but few people actively think about.  The fact that organizations such as the USGBC do establish a benchmark and do care about the discussion really helps to bring these topics into the minds of the people making homes or remodeling homes.  Read more

October 9, 2007 · Filed Under Green Building and Living

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HGTV’s National Open House is Coming to Portland

National Open House

  I have been selected to be the host for two Portland episodes of “National Open House” which airs on the Home and Garden Network (HGTV).  The purpose of the show is to identify homes and homeowners whose Read more

October 4, 2007 · Filed Under Events, HGTV

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Multnomah County Library Book Sale

October 5-8th there will be a huge book sale for the Friends of the Multnomah County Library.  It will be held at the former Wild Oats store on Division and 30th.  Everybody is looking for new books, and this looks like an opportunity to get some new books for the whole family at great prices.

October 3, 2007 · Filed Under Events

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