That Portland Life

Portland Lifestyle and Real Estate

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Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher

March Market Update

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The real estate market in Portland is showing no signs of slowing down. As we head into spring we fully expect to see the same trends continue. If you are on the fence about buying, I’d jump off now even though it is competitive. Interest rates will keep climbing as we continue through the year and that will only lessen your buying power as home prices also continue to climb.

Breakdown

The average sales price jumped up to $542,000 from $514,000 in just a month. That also gives us a 14% increase from last year. Portland has been seeing a 10-14% increase in sales price since way back in 2018. Even if you are buying at these higher prices, you are still going to be gaining equity over the next couple years.

As we see the weather change we are also seeing more homes come onto the market. This is good news for buyers, but things are still very competitive out there. Homes are selling for an average of 8.5% over list price, in some neighborhoods this is close to 12%. Make sure you are taking to your realtor about specifics so you can be making informed decisions whether you are writing offers or planning on listing your home.

As we mentioned above, if you are waiting for the bubble to pop or the other shoe to drop, you may be waiting for a long time. The market is healthy and climbing and most economists agree this will continue for at least another year. Once inventory finally starts to stabilize we will see a slow down and plateau, but it shouldn’t cause prices to drop. If you have specific questions feel free to reach out and we would love to chat with you! Lastly, if you need some tips to get your offer accepted, head over to THIS POST to read all the things we are doing to win for our buyers.

Portland Style Cheesecake & Dessert

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We all have that one dessert that brings a smile to our faces. Sometimes it’s a dessert that reminds you of your childhood. It could be something that you love to make on your own. For me Cheesecake has always been that one dessert. I’ve indulged in my fair share of cheesecakes throughout my life, and I can happily say that Portland Cheesecake & Dessert company has mastered the perfect cheesecake.

Portland Style Cheesecake & Dessert certainly isn’t new to the Portland area. This company has been crafting desserts for over 30 years now. We decided it was time to take a trip to their local shop! The staff here is so welcoming, and it was apparent to us that they have a passion for what they are doing. We were immediately welcomed with a big “Hello how are you doing?” everyone working was eager to help out, and answer any cheesecake lovers’ questions that we had. There were quite a few options to choose from. If you’re torn between what flavor to get then simply get the cheesecake “cupcakes”. The cupcake route is the one we chose to take. My favorite was the classic vanilla, but marionberry was a very close second. Both cheesecakes were the perfect combination of creamy and fluffy.

Portland Style Cheesecake & Dessert can be found in New Seasons Market as well, but we would recommend heading to the shop for a more personal experience. The shop is open Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 3 pm. Trust us when we tell you, that nothing beats the smell of just-baked cheesecake. You won’t find that aroma at your local supermarket! If you’d like to order ahead of time, you can do so on their website Here.

Are you about ready for a slice or two from this local company? While cheesecake might be what they are famous for, they do also offer a variety of other desserts that are sure to please any crowd. Take a look at our some of our other Portland Hot Spots Here to see what else Portland has to offer.

Portland’s Best Re-Opened Bars

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2020 was a rough year for most people. Unfortunately, Portland had to say goodbye to some of its favorite bars, restaurants, and local shops. They will forever be missed. However it’s 2021 now! We are ready to celebrate Portland’s Best Re-Opened Bars. Portland has too many amazing bars to be able to name them all at once, So this week we are featuring the ones that we are most excited to welcome back! In no particular order.

Palomar

959 SE Division St. Portland, Ore. 97214
Open Wednesday – Sunday 4pm – 10pm
Authentic cuban food and cocktails.
Website Here

Bantam Tavern

922 NW 21st Ave Portland, OR 97209
Open Monday – Friday 3pm – 11pm
Saturday – Sunday 12pm – 11pm
Interurban’s sister restaurant, Providing high quality pub classics with a twist.
Website Here

Scotch Lodge

215 SE 9th Ave #102 Portland, OR 97214
Open Wednesday – Saturday 4pm – 11pm
A cocktail bar for whiskey lovers, with a french inspired menu.
Website Here

Sapphire Hotel

5008 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215
Open Tuesday – Saturday 4pm – 11pm
Sassy cocktails of all sorts, and dinner to please every crowd. Home to the best cheese plate in Portland in our opinion.
Website Here

Tropicale

2337 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97232
Open Tuesday – Friday 12pm – 10pm
Saturday – Sunday 10am – 10pm
Home to the pina colada king! Serving Caribbean and Latin American small bites.
Website Here

5 & Dime

6535 SE Foster Rd Portland, OR 97206
Open 7 days a week 4pm – 10pm
Exceptionally done classic cocktails and light snacks.
Website Here

Someday

3634 SE Division St. Portland, Oregon
Open Thursday – Sunday 3pm – 10pm
Classic cocktails and a variety of small plates
Website Here

If you’re not quite ready to dine-in at these bars, that’s ok! Most of the bars listed above will do food-to-go as well. It’s so exciting to see some of our local favorites come back to life, and we are ready to celebrate them again! If you think your favorite bar needs to be on our Portland’s Best Re-Opened Bars list, leave us a comment and we will check it out. Head to our website Here for other featured Portland favorites of ours.

Kayo’s Ramen Bar

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Our Hot Spot of the Week this week is delicious N Williams Ramen spot – Kayo’s Ramen Bar! Full disclosure, this was an accidental find. We had intended to lunch somewhere else, but arrived to find that the outdoor seating was full to the brim with newly-seated patrons. However, sometimes the world works in mysterious ways, because the loss of that other dining experience led us to discover this absolute gem!

There are several standout features of Kayo’s. First, they not only have fantastic traditional ramen options such as Shoyu and Miso, but they also have many interesting and creative spins on the dish. You could choose a Curry Ramen or Wasabi Smoked Salmon one. If you are feeling really wild, maybe you will want to try out their Japon tacos! Another great feature is that you can choose the amount of gluten you are feeling up for. You can get the standard option of traditional noodles, substitute the gluten-free option of julienned zucchini and daikon, or even try out half and half!

We both thought that the TanTan Ramen sounded the best. Apparently many people agree, as this is their most popular option. We tried out the regular TanTan and the TanTan Mazemen (no broth) respectively as well as sharing an order of the Pork potstickers.

First off, let me say that those were the BEST potstickers. They were cooked perfectly, the flavors were on point, and we made a bit of a mess because of how delightfully juicy they were. I could eat them every. damn. day. The ramen was phenomenal as well. I adore Sichuan DanDan, and having a ramen version was a totally new experience for me. We both agreed that it was better with the broth rather than the Mazemen style. That is partly because the spice disperses better in the broth and partly because the broth was so delicious!

This place is such a great option right now especially. The patio is wide open and covered, with very well–spaced tables. Plus, ramen is the perfect dish for these days where the sun is shining, but still a chilly nip to the air. Check out their menu here.

Have you ever tried Kayo’s Ramen Bar? What should we order the next time we are in? Let us know in the comments!

Portland’s Best Nurseries

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March has finally arrived, which means that spring is just around the corner. For me, that means it’s time to fix the yard up, and seek out one of Portland’s best nurseries for this year’s selection of perennial flowers and plants. There is a lot to think about when planning the design of your yard. Don’t hesitate to ask the staff for their opinion. After all, they are the experts! Portland has quite a few nurseries to choose from, So if you don’t see your favorite below leave us a comment and we will check it out. Here’s our list in no particular order.

Portland Nursery

5050 SE Stark Portland, 97215 & 9000 SE Division Portland, 97266
Open 7 days a week 9am – 6pm
Website Here

Pomarius Nursery

1920 NW 18th Ave. Portland , 97209
Tuesday – Sunday 10am- 6pm
Website Here

Pistils Nursery

3811 N Mississippi Ave. Portland 97227 & 2139 NW Raleigh St. Portland, 97210
Monday, Wednesday – Sunday 11am – 6pm
Website Here

Garden Fever!

3433 NE 24th Ave. Portland , 97212 
Wednesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm by appointment only
Website Here

Have you been inspired to spruce up your garden yet? If you don’t have a yard, the option for an indoor herb garden is always fun! Create a zen corner inside with plants. The options really are endless when it comes to gardening; big or small. Maybe plants aren’t quite what you are looking for. That’s ok! Portland’s Best Nurseries is one of our many lists that will help you find exactly what you’re looking for around town. Check out some of our other favorite places to shop around Portland Here

The Herb Shoppe

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We all use herbs in our daily lives, but do you ever stop and think I wonder what all these herbs could really do? The Herb Shoppe has taken NW native herbs and created natural medicines and remedies. It’s the top priority in this shop to unite the community by educating locals about the wonders of natural medicine.

Once you’ve entered The Herb Shoppe, you might think to yourself, Oh my goodness where do I start? No need to get overwhelmed! The staff here is extremely knowledgeable and excited to help you along your herb journey. They offer bulk herbs for personal use or in-house custom creations. If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, they offer a full blending bar for you to make your own custom tinctures, essential oil blends, teas, salts, lotions and so much more! One of my favorite discoveries was the bath bomb section. Who doesn’t love soaking in the tub after a long days work?

The Herb Shoppe does indeed believe there is great importance to natural medicines. If you’re looking for herbs to be a part of your day to day life, we would strongly suggest sitting down for a consultation. You can request a consultation Here. They will start by going over your health history. Then help you come up with a plan for your overall health goal. This doesn’t need to be intimidating, It should be fun and exciting. While we were there we found out that they have teas for things like morning sickness, hangovers, a better night rest, and so many other amazing things. They also offer kits for detox, wellness, sensual desires, and allergies.

Do you think you are ready to explore what our local herbs can do for you? Check out their website Here for more information on what all they have to offer. If you’re not ready to jump into the world of herbs quite yet, check out some of our other hot spots Here

Portland’s Best Donuts 2.0

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Portland is known for so many exciting things. One of those things is donuts. Usually the first question I get when someone asks where I am from is, “Have you been  to “blank” donut shop?” Honestly I have been to many Portland donuts shops and not all of them live up to the hype they have been given. About a year ago we searched Portland for our favorite donuts at that time, but as we all know so much changes in a year! This week we decided to set out to find where Portland’s great donuts are now. In no particular order here are our Portland’s best donuts 2.0.

Doe Donuts

4110 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97232
Monday – Thursday 8am – 4pm Friday – Saturday 7am – 8pm

Our favorites: Salted Vanilla bean, Muddy Buddy (seasonal)
Menu Here

NOLA Doughnuts

110 NW 10th Ave Portland, OR 97209
Thursday – Sunday 8am – 3pm
They also offer laminated doughnuts. Think half croissant half donut!

Our favorites: Lemon poppyseed, Mini beignets
Menu Here

Coco Donuts

Several Portland locations
709 SW 17th Ave Portland, OR 97205
Monday – Saturday 7am – 2pm

Our favorites: Lavender raised, Mochi blueberry crumb
Menu Here

Delicious Donuts

12 SE Grand Ave Portland, OR 97214
Mon – Sat 5am – 1pm
You can customize your own with 24 Hrs notice

Our Favorites: Chocolate peanut, Cinnamon roll
Menu Here

Annie’s Donuts

3449 NE 72nd Ave, Portland, OR, 97213
Tue – Thurs 7am – 1pm & 6pm – 10pm,  Fri 5am – 1pm & 6pm – 10pm Sat – Sun 7am – 1pm

Our favorites: Cream cheese flips, Raspberry fritter

Pips Original Doughnuts

4759 NE Fremont St, Portland OR 97213
Thurs – Mon 8am – 2pm
They give our free donuts on your birthday

Our favorites: Candied bacon maple, cinnamon sugar

Donuts don’t have to be only a guilty pleasure. Start one of your mornings off right this week and grab a donut or 12. As you may have noticed, there is a wide variety of flavors out there to try. Some of these shops even offer savory donuts. If you didn’t see your favorite shop on our Portland’s Best Donuts 2.0 list please leave it down in the comments and we will try to check them out. We also have other great Hot Spots Here

John’s Marketplace

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Portland is full of breweries that serve up great beers and ciders, but sometimes those beers are hard to find. John’s Marketplace provides you with a one stop shop to beer, wine, cider, and so much more. This market has made quite the mark on Portland! We figured we were overdue for a visit at their new location.

Inside the market

John’s Marketplace doesn’t only carry local beers galore, they have beer from all around the world. The first time I walked into John’s I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Would it be just a few selections? Or would it be the same o’l stuff you find at the supermarket? Nope! There is Isle after Isle of variety. We even found frozen wine popsicles! The store is set up so that patrons can either shop for items to take home or they can have a staff member to open them to drink on site. If you don’t want to peruse the bottle selection, they have 17 taps that range from Lagers, sours, stouts, and ciders. And there is always a friendly bartender there to give out a taste if you’re not quite sure what you’re in the mood for. Take a look at the current tap list Here. If you find something on draft that they don’t offer on the shelves, they can put it in a crowler for you to take home.

Outside the market

The brains behind John’s Marketplace really thought of everything. If you’re enjoying your beer on site, you’re probably in the mood for a snack or two. John’s does offer some snacks inside if you just want a small bite but if you’re ready for more of a meal you can find; Noah Halal, Azul Taqueria, Holy Trinity BBQ, Matt & Memere, and Jojo right on site. You’ll find plenty of seating either on the back patio, or out front next to the food carts. John’s has prepped for all types of weather, so it’s the perfect hangout spot all year round.

Have you been to John’s Marketplace yet? Let us know in the comments what your favorite beer to grab from the market is. If you need some help finding other Portland Hot spot check out some of our other favorites Here