Posts filed under 'Communities'
Locals find it easy to remember the street progression in NW Portland’s Alphabet District (from south to north from Burnside):
Burnside, Couch, Davis, Everett, Flanders, Glisan, Hoyt, Irving, Johnson, Kearney, Lovejoy, Marshall, Northrup, Overton, Pettigrove, Quimby, Raleigh, Savier, Thurman, Upshur, Vaughn and (Wilson).
But what about downtown south of Burnside (the street that divides north and south PDX)? Less straightforward, but perhaps a mnemonic will help:
All Across Portland Our Streets Wind Around Mossy Yards. Traffic Snarls May Mean Jammed Cars, Cranky Motorists Making Minimal Headway. Harried Commuters Just Love Going Slow.
For (north to south from Burnside):
Ankeny, Ash, Pine, Oak, Stark, Washington, Alder, Morrison, Yamhill, Taylor, Salmon, Main, Madison, Jefferson, Columbia, Clay, Market, Mill, Montgomery, Harrison, Hall, College, Jackson, Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman
Courtesy of Samuel John Klein at The ZehnKatzen Times.
Who’s up for tackling a mnemonic for North, Northeast, and Southeast PDX?
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February 5th, 2008
Ryan Frank at the Oregonian reports that Buena Vista Homes is planning another auction in the next month or so.
Any new takers this time?
More to come…
Technorati Tags: Portland, Oregon, real estate, homes, auction, Buena Vista
January 29th, 2008
…it’s not always grey and gloomy during Portland’s winters.
Mt. Hood, as seen from Happy Valley. Dedicated to Lila. Enjoy it while it is here!
Technorati Tags: Mt. Hood, Portland, Oregon, Happy Valley, blue, skies, winter, weather
January 21st, 2008
on Portland’s largest public real estate auction in recent history.
Buena Vista Homes apparently found 141 buyers for their speculatively built home inventory–for a total haul of $65 million. It left about 100 homes untouched, including all 29 homes in Bend. Nearly 2,000 attendees poked their head in at some point at the Convention Center.
Homes in Hillsboro and Beaverton apparently sold well (that’s where the jobs are…). Broker Michelle Berry estimated that Buena Vista took in $900,000 in non-refundable earnest money.
Ryan Frank of the Oregonian provided the most comprehensive coverage
141 homes sell for a total of $65 million at real estate auction | Saturday Coverage | Front Porch Coverage
Additional commentary at Portland Housing Blog and Adam Lake’s Deeper blog.
What now for the unsold inventory? My guess, Buena Vista’s sales staff starts cold-calling all the non-winning bidders and registered attendees. Bidder beware! 
Technorati Tags: Portland, Oregon, real estate, auction, Buena Vista, homes, houses
Photo by Joe Gratz, used under Creative Commons license.
December 17th, 2007
I admit I am something of a Google Maps fanboy.
Starting with their user-friendly search interface, Google mapmeisters have continued to innovate with features like drag-and-drop multi-stop directions, traffic density views, user-generated maps, and most recently, the Street View. Good stuff for real estate-related information gathering.
Now, they’ve added a new layer–Terrain, which provides topographic information for the map you’re viewing. Just like using the satellite view or traffic views, just type in the address want, then click the “Terrain” button in the upper righthand corner.
It isn’t particularly detailed and you can’t zoom in as far as other views, but it does give a quick peek at whether that listing you’re researching is in a canyon, on top of a ridge, or in the flats.
Close-up of West Hills
For an out-of-town buyer or someone unfamiliar with Portland-area topography, it’s very useful information, especially if the Street View is not available at that location.
Technorati Tags: Portland, Oregon, real estate, Google, maps, topography, terrain, search
November 29th, 2007
But will buyers benefit?
I’ve generally given local homebuilders a lot of credit for their restraint in not swamping the Portland market with speculative housing. But it appears at least one builder has overshot the mark to the point of employing a bold bailout strategy to unload unsold inventory.
Buena Vista Custom Homes announced they will be auctioning their entire inventory of finished homes, around 230 in all, in a two-day auction December 15 and 16. List prices for homes are between $300,000 and $650,000. Bids start at $69,000.
It’s no wonder. I spent last weekend touring Happy Valley with new clients and found street upon street of finished, vacant homes in Buena Vista developments–only to see new surveying flags and infrastructure installed on extensions and new phases in these same neighborhoods. Time for a fire sale!
Large-scale auctions have been conducted in other overbuilt markets, but this is the first such event I’ve heard of in Portland. In today’s Oregonian, Buena Vista’s president says that properties could sell for as little as 40% of the original list price.
From Buena Vista’s press release:
The homes that will be offered are located in some of the most popular selling communities in the Portland Metropolitan area. Communities include: Beaverton, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Sandy, Bend and Scappoose. Floor plans range from 1113 to 5073 square feet and many include Buena Vista’s popular amenity package’s which include designer finishes such as granite counter tops, extensive hardwood floors, cherry cabinets, stainless steel appliances, multiple fireplaces and much more.
They’re going to keep on building, however.
The company has many projects on the horizon for the future. In early 2008 the company will embark upon new neighborhoods in Tigard, Oregon City, Southwest Portland and Happy Valley.
This time, my guess is they’ll be taking deposits first.
About the Auction:
Dates: December 15th and 16th.
Location: Oregon Convention Center.
Registration: Will open at 9am
Auction Start Time: 10am on each day.
Over 250 New homes, investment properties, and condominiums will be auctioned with starting bids as low as $69,000. Financing will be provided at the auction by Countrywide Home Loans with down payments as low as 5%. Loan pre-qualification before the event is available via phone. Event admission and registration are free. Bidders must have in their possession a $5,000 cashiers check made payable to themselves on auction day in order to receive their bidder number. Winning bidders will be required to put this $5,000 toward their down payment and write a personal or business check for the remainder of the down payment open to escrow. All escrow on properties sold at the auction is expected to close in 21 days. Expected attendance for the event is over 1,000 buyers. At the auction each home will be individually offered, potential buyers can visit the homes in advance Friday through Sunday (10am-5pm).
If you’re interested in one of these homes, you’ll likely be on your own. There doesn’t appear to be any reciprocal compensation offered to buyer’s agents, so you will need to pay an agent or lawyer out of your own pocket if you want advice or representation during your due diligence period.
Links:
AuctionToday.com - Buena Vista’s auctioneer (no property information as of 11/15/2007)
Auction FAQ
Buena Vista press release
Technorati Tags: Portland, Oregon, homes, houses, builder, construction, auction, Buena Vista
November 16th, 2007
I noted the possibility of this a little over a year ago, and now it has come to pass, albeit quietly.
As of September 17, 2007, the names of homeowners in the Portland metro area are now displayed online to users of PortlandMaps.com, the City of Portland’s property information portal.
From the PortlandMaps site:
After many months of research and discussion, within the City and Multnomah County, there was concurrence that based on State Statutes, the property owner names were public records and the property owner names should not be blocked from view on the internet. Once Multnomah County, the custodians of property records, authorized the City to display names, the City made the decision to make the names available on the internet through PortlandMaps.com.
To view the owner information, you need to search an address, then look under the Assessor link. As a compromise to privacy and safety concerns, users cannot search by owner’s name.
The city rationalizes that the information is public (and has been available by telephone or visit to the county office) and that it is a common practice in other jurisdictions (although I haven’t seen it available anywhere else in the Portland area).
Making taxpayer information readily available online isn’t a surprising move, but nothing in the About statement mentions displaying data from anything outside the City of Portland.
Nevertheless, it appears that Washington and Clackamas counties are also feeding owner information to PortlandMaps. I was a little surprised to see my name pop up since I live in Washington County. (I also need to let the county know my name is not ‘Don’.)
Links:
PortlandMaps.com privacy statement
Technorati Tags: Portland, Oregon, tax, assessor, PortlandMaps.com, real estate
Photo by obo-bobolina, used under Creative Commons license.
November 15th, 2007
We all know Google has set the standard for cataloging and searching all things Web. And now, they’ve taken their indexing moxie to our city streets by announcing their Street View coverage of Portland (as well as for Chicago, Philly, Phoenix, Tuscon, and Pittsburgh).
Roving Google photographers shot footage of nearly the entire city, plus added a few suburbs to the list. Go to maps.google.com, type in a sample address, click the Street View box in upper right, and look for this guy 
or just double-click on the glowing blue highlighted street.
A window pops up with a 360-degree interactive view of the street. ‘Drive’ up and down the street using the directional arrows. Grab the image with your mouse, hold the button down and pan left, right, up and down. Pretty cool.
For Portland real estate shoppers, this is a real boon if you’re trying to evaluate the street vibe, housing styles, or general condition of a particular neighborhood. As an agent, I can email links to Street Views of homes clients are interested in.
Here’s a street view outside one of my listings (you can even see my yellow sign).
If I have a criticism, the images are a little dim, probably due to the cloudy days (imagine that in Portland!) these images were shot. Also, remember these shots aren’t live web cams or shot in real time, so the shots won’t change with the seasons or keep up with in-process construction.
On a side note, Google map fans have compiled lists of quirky Street View sightings. Who will be the first to document a Portland flasher or public urination caught on GoogleCam?
Technorati Tags: Portland, Oregon, Google, Street View, maps, photo, real estate
October 11th, 2007
If hedge-trimming in your birthday suit is a high priority, then you will likely need to search for property outside of a certain southeast Portland suburb.
At the risk of inviting prurient comment spam, I feel it is my duty to inform you that Happy Valley has cracked down on a rash of naked gardening.
The Happy Valley city council passed a resolution banning
unlawful exposure within the city of Happy Valley in all public places and places visible to the public.
in response to complaints from the neighbors of ‘naturist’ Steven Howatt.
“A lot of nudists only like going to resorts. I love nature because I like playing Adam,” Howatt said. “I can’t tell you all the reasons why it thrills my soul to be a naturist.”
Apparently, adjoining neighbors with children were a little more than shocked to find Mr. Howatt digging bulbs, picking daisies, and edging the lawn au naturel.
If the proposal passes the 2nd reading on October 16, rototilling in the buff in public will be a crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
Further coverage by The Oregonian and video (suitable for family viewing) by KGW News.
FYI, home sellers, as far as I know, there is no statute requiring a seller to disclose the proximity of a nudist. Buyers, caveat emptor.
Technorati Tags: Portland, Oregon, Happy Valley, nudist, garden, real estate
October 5th, 2007
As I’ve noted over the past couple years (here, here, and here for example), Portland gets its share of plaudits from national writers and reviewers for land use, housing prices, and other livability factors.
Lately though, Portland’s suburbs have been getting some pub.
Recently, Money magagzine rated Sherwood as the #18 in their Top 100 most desirable places to live in the country.
About Sherwood, Money reporters said:
Like much of the Northwest, Sherwood is home to an array of beautiful parks and natural beauty. But the quickly growing commercial sites of Sherwood offer true insight into the town’s character: a juxtaposition of old and new, with reverence toward both the city’s historic past and its bright, expanding future. The community events calendar is always full and the town’s location makes for a fairly easy commute to nearby Portland
Lake Oswego, perhaps Portland’s toniest suburb, gets a mention at #32.
One of the major attractions of this Portland suburb is the 405-acre artificial lake whose banks it sits on. Waterfront properties are highly sought, and many residents take advantage of the lake, either by boating on the weekends or hanging out at one of the parks on its shores. Another big appeal is shopping and dining. Lake Oswego is full of many one-of-a-kind boutiques and unique restaurants. And for arts lovers, the Lakewood Center offers top-notch instruction at its dance studio along with fantastic shows put on by its theater company.
(By the way, the word ‘artificial’ conjures up images of sterile concrete, which is far from reality.)
And today, U.S News and World Report claims Hillsboro as one of the top 10 locales in the U.S. to retire.
About Hillsboro, the U.S. News editors said:
….folks are passionate about preventing urban sprawl and safeguarding its unique mix of suburban convenience and natural beauty. The preservation of agricultural lands (like vineyards) has been a hot topic, and the city promotes its Orenco Station housing development, a concept designed to build community but also discourage the carcentric (and environmentally unfriendly) lifestyle.
A retiree, however, should not live on drink, golf, and public policy alone. Hillsboro offers the usual cultural suspects: farmers’ markets, arts center, library, theaters, and the like, yet for those needing a romp through the urban jungle, its access to the light rail system makes for an easy trip into the heart of Portland. And an hour’s drive west takes you straight to the Oregon coast.
To be honest, I had never thought of Hillsboro as a retirement Mecca, but then again, I spent 15 years of my life preparing for (eventual) retirement by working in Hillsboro’s burgeoning technology cubicle farms. Golf and wine tasting were not high on the daily work agenda.
Perhaps in contrast to most major metropolitan areas, Portland’s suburbs are typically within 30 minutes of downtown PDX, yet have their own identity, events, arts scene, Farmer’s markets, and more. Not a bad way to go if you’re not urban-oriented, but like the proximity to the Big City for occasional outings.
Technorati Tags: Portland, Sherwood, Hillsboro, Oregon, towns, city, rankings, retirement, retire, livability, Money Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, relocation, homes, houses
September 26th, 2007
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