pdx realtor

The Listing

June 11, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Today we are taking you behind the scenes of everything we do to prep and win a listing appointment! We made this great video for you to enjoy! If you prefer to read about it, we have that included below for you!

The first and most important thing that we do to prepare for an upcoming listing appointment is to research the current trends in the neighborhood. We are constantly watching overall trends, but pricing a home and creating a personalized market plan requires specific data about which homes have just sold, how long they were on the market, and many other factors. We pull together all the market data, put together a personalized marketing guide, print the contract and head over to the potential new listing!

The Interview

A listing appointment is when we are truly being interviewed. We put our best foot forward and show everything that we have to offer. Typically we are going to be competing against 2 or 3 other agents so it is critical that we set ourselves apart. One big thing we do is send our ‘7 tips for Selling your Home’ booklet to the potential client before we even meet them. You can download it HERE if you want to check it out.

Some other big differences you can expect to get from us are the scope of our marketing knowledge and the brand power we bring. We are well-versed in running social media ads so we can guarantee the listing will get many more views than any neighbor’s listing. We also have the power of the Sotheby’s brand behind us. That gives us access to all of their marketing partners. We get to see our listings on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Mansion Global and many, many more websites around the world. The home is also marketed directly to our global Sotheby’s network. It may just be the perfect fit for an investor or someone relocating here to Portland.

Marketing

In the video above, our listing proposal stood out and we won the listing over at least one other agent. It always feels good to win, but now that we have the contract signed, it is truly time to get to work. Here is quick list of everything we have to coordinate in the week before the listing goes on the market.

Professional photos are the most important step at this stage. NEVER hire an agent that tells you they can take the photos on their phone. They won’t look good and you only get 1 chance to make a first impression. We also do a stunning walkthrough video, 3D tour, and drone pictures. Your home will be the best looking one on the block when we are finished.

The home in our video went pending for full price after only 4 days on the market. If you need some guidance about what to do to sell your home, we would love to come and interview with you! If you want a quick snapshot of your home’s value, you can find that HERE. Or if you prefer to check in on your neighbors homes, you can search for everything on the market HERE. You can also fill out the form below and we will be in touch soon!

How to Tell if a Home has Good Resale Value

May 21, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Are you making a good investment? Letâ€™s talk about buying a home with resale potential! If you aren’t into videos, jump ahead to read the transcript.

https://youtu.be/X_xG2mJtpdw

Resale Value

Last week we talked about why buying the nicest home in the neighborhood isnâ€™t always a great idea, especially for resale value. You can find that post HERE if you missed it. There are a lot of other things to think about when it comes to resale value as well! Today I want to go through the top 3 other things that are important to consider.

Most people arenâ€™t exactly thinking about selling their house while they are looking at buying that house. Itâ€™s a little counter-intuitive and itâ€™s certainly not as much fun to think about as decorating your new home!

I canâ€™t wait to move into this house so we can sell it…”

It is, however, an important thing to consider because chances are good that, at some point, you are going to resell the house. We want to make sure that when we do that, you have access to as many buyers as possible.Â

So, there are 3 things that most everyone is going to consider. Letâ€™s jump right in!Â

School Districts

Whether you personally are planning on having kids or not, school districts directly influence a homes value.Â The better the school district, the higher value the homes will be.Â This is just one of those things that gets tied together. Lots of people that buy homes do so because of a change in their family. You want to make sure that if you can buy in a good school district, you do.Â That way, when we do sell down the road, everyone is so excited to have the opportunity to live in that great school district.Â My favorite website for neighborhood and school ratings is niche.com

Location, Location, Location

The second thing is of course something we talk about all the time.Â Truly though, it is basically the only thing you canâ€™t change about a home.Â You can change everything all the way to tearing the house down, but you canâ€™t change the area.Â You really want to pay attention to where the home is.Â Whether you want something super urban and walkable, or quiet and on a cul-de-sac, you want to really hone in on those areas. That is what the majority of people are going to want.Â It is going to be much harder to sell a home sitting right on top of a freeway than it is to sell a home in the hills with a view. Everyone of course wants different things, but be mindful of whether what you want will also appeal to the masses. Â

Flow and Floor Plan

The last thing is the layout and feel of the home.Â You might notice this the minute you walk in. Some houses just have weird floor plans. They will feel odd while we are touring them.Â Some houses may have a very specific floor plan that is exactly perfect for your family, and if that is the case, go ahead and buy it. Just know it may be harder to sell down the road.Â 3 bedroom 2 bathroom homes are always going to be the most popular.Â Also consider the actual structure of the home. A 1 level home is worth slightly more than a 2 level home of the same size.Â Homes that follow the Feng Shui guidelines are going to be more desirable than homes that donâ€™t.Â These are all things that we know quite a bit about, so feel free to pick our brains while we are out looking at homes.Â

Having a good realtor to help guide you through all of these steps is so important.Â On average, people are going to sell their homes after 7-10 years and we donâ€™t want you to come back to us after that time and then find out your home will be hard to sell.Â That means that while we are looking at homes, we are going to point out things that may or may not be desirable. That way we can be certain that no matter how long you live in your home, you are making a good choice, a good investment, and that youâ€™ll be able to sell your house again when you eventually want to do so! Â

If you have any questions about this, or you want to talk about buying or selling in general, we would love to chat with you! Fill out the form below or give us a call and we will talk to you soon. Hope to hear from you!

Arden

May 13, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

We are back this week with another local Portland restaurant that we loved! We ordered takeout from Arden in the Pearl District, who typically strive to provide a full dining experience to help you escape from the hustle and bustle of life. While we can’t currently partake in the atmosphere of this beautiful restaurant, we are luckily still able to enjoy the food!

Chef Erik Van Kley creates hyper-local and seasonal food to help you stay connected to the community. They also have a great wine list that favors local winemakers, and you can even order bottles to go with your meal. We were celebrating my birthday this week so we ordered a bottle of Brut Rose by Patrice Colin from the Loire Valley. It was crisp and dry with slight hints of raspberries which paired perfectly with our chicken dinner for 2.

Our meal came with roasted beets served over house Labneh, roasted carrots and rapini, roast chicken with miso brown butter, wild mushroom spaetzle with herb crÃ¨me fraÃ®che, smashed fried potatoes with lemon peppercorn aioli and some fresh baguette.

Everything tasted phenomenal but the sauces were the real stars of the show. Each one was perfectly seasoned and expertly paired to make all of the flavors of the dish truly sing. I cannot wait to go and support this business again and enjoy the dining room when it is finally safe to do so. In the mean time, you too can support Arden and order online. You can find the takeout menu HERE.

We are always looking for great takeout options to support local! Where should we head next?

If you want to check out the other hot spots we love, you can see them all HERE

*photos courtesy of Ardenpdx

Why you don’t want the nicest home in the neighborhood

May 12, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Today, weâ€™re talking all about buying the right house at the right price point in
the neighborhood that you love.Â

https://youtu.be/-oNRttpv9-s

We all love looking at houses, thatâ€™s why we are all so hooked on HGTV.Â My personal favorite show is Million Dollar Listing, I love looking at those LA modern mansions, they are basically what dreams are made of.Â

If youâ€™re anything like most of my buyers, youâ€™ve likely had your eye on your ideal neighborhood for some time now. Maybe youâ€™ve taken drives through it or walked down its streets. Maybe youâ€™ve even toured a few open houses and are still waiting on your dream home…
But sometimes that dream house might not be the best investment. Iâ€™ll explain why.

Hereâ€™s the thing about houses…although they are places where we make our nests, they are also massive investments. Often the biggest investment youâ€™ll ever make. So despite the warm fuzzies that come with the idea of THE HOME, you still want to look at it as an investment, which means resale value should always stay top of mind. So itâ€™s important to consider the following:

#1 Buyers Want Mid-Range Homes

A lot of people want that big expensive house, but they know the mortgage that comes with it. So many people compromise with a lower-priced home in their ideal neighborhood. This means that there are more buyers looking for mid-range homes. And when demand goes up, so do the price. This is why mid-range homes often command a higher price per square foot than bigger homes in the same neighborhood.

#2 Your Home Value is Determined By The Homes Around You

If you have the least expensive home in the neighborhood, the other homes will actually drive your home value up. But the opposite is also true. If you have the most expensive house, the other homes will drive your home value down. This is another reason why mid-range homes tend to have a higher price per square foot than the fancier homes down the street.

#3 Your Home Will Be Harder to Sell In Tough Times

If the market shifts, and it does about every 7 years, you may be stuck at the top of the market in your area. When times are tough, buyers will opt for a less expensive home in hopes of getting a better deal.

This is where having a good agent is incredibly important.Â itâ€™s imperative that they understand the importance of resale value. and help you to understand resale while we are looking at homes.Â We wonâ€™t run around pointing out the negatives of a home, but we will help you to understand the potential quirks of the home you just fell in love with.Â

If youâ€™re thinking of buying a home, I can show you what characteristics to look for, in order to help you get the maximum resale value if you sell down the road. You can start your search HERE
If youâ€™re thinking of selling, I can help you determine the current value of your home by giving you a complimentary market analysis. You can get an instant one HERE

March 2020 Portland Market Stats

April 22, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

The statistics for March of 2020 are available, and as we look back, this gives us the best look at how the beginning of the pandemic affected our local market. Kate Brown issued stay at home orders on March 24th, so the housing market had not yet been affected by the pandemic. The quick and dirty breakdown of the numbers indicates that everyone was gearing up for the busy season. We saw a huge push of new listings, newly pending homes, and new closings. We also saw the average home price jump up and the days on market drop down. Keep on reading if you want a more in-depth look!

Portland Metro

Looking at the numbers for Portland, you can see that we were heading into a very strong market. March is always the beginning of our busy season. Many people believe June is the best month to sell a home, but here in Portland, it tends to be March or April. We saw a 25% jump in new listings in March compared to February and a 24% jump in closed sales. That shows that even though we are finally starting to get more inventory, there are plenty of buyers out there.

So far for 2020 we are at a 4.1% appreciation. This is a healthy and normal amount of appreciation. So while you may not be making a ton of money year over year, real estate remains one of the safest investments you can make. Also, a quick note about the market as I am writing this, we are in the heat of our lockdown, and while we did see real estate slow for the first 2 weeks, things seem to be picking up right where they left off. We have seen many new listings come onto the market, and everything close-in at a mid-range price is still selling quite quickly and often with multiple offers. If you are waiting for the market to tank before you jump in to buy, it isn’t going to happen.

Selling

If you are considering selling your home, now is an excellent time to get into the market. People are out looking for homes right now and I fully anticipate that when the stay at home order is lifted, we will see a huge push of new listings. More listings means more competition and less buyers for your home. We don’t have a crystal ball but the way things feel right now, it doesn’t seem like we are going to be as hurt by this as the media is tending to portray. Timing is always a personal choice, but if you are ready to move and thinking of selling, let’s come up with a game plan to ensure that you net as much money as possible. If you want an individual valuation, reach out to us and we can discuss details. You can also get an instant home value by clicking here.

Buying

If you are thinking about buying, these numbers may seem a bit intimidating to you, but know there will be many more homes coming on the market very soon. With interest rates being historically low, even if you do end up competing on a home, chances are you are still getting a great deal. You also never know when the perfect home is going to come on the market, so if you are thinking of looking, it doesn’t hurt to start now to see what is out there. You can search all the homes in the area HERE.

East Portland

Everything on the Eastside performed well last month. Days on market are down by more than a week, which means things are selling really quickly. 51 days seems like quite awhile, but if we remove the outliers, this number is much closer to 9 days. North Portland saw a huge jump in average sales price for March and is almost equal to that of Southeast Portland. With the Vancouver/Williams corridor becoming so popular, and all the new construction going up, prices have been jumping very quickly in North Portland. There are still affordable pockets, you just need to know where to look.

West Portland

Unlike last month, we saw the average sales price climb back up for West Portland. This number is back to where we were at the beginning of the year. We also saw the days on market climb a bit. It is only 1 day longer than last month, so this number is pretty arbitrary. As previously mentioned, the Westside has the majority of the luxury listings and condos, both of which simply take longer to sell. Numbers are staying pretty consistent on this side of the river, so you should be able to plan out into the future if you aren’t ready to make a move yet.

We hope this helps to breakdown the March market in the Portland area. If you have any specific questions about your neighborhood please send us a message! You can fill out the form below or reach out to us on Facebook. We are always happy to discuss how this specifically affects you and your home value!

Cooking

April 14, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

We are still stuck inside and with dine-in restaurants being closed for the foreseeable future in Oregon, now is the perfect time to pick up a cooking hobby! I am a total foodie, and while I prefer to have other people cook for me, I can also whip up a pretty tasty meal. Below are some of my favorite recipes for cooking, baking, drinking, or throwing yourself a mini dinner party! You could even have your friends cook the same meal and do a virtual dinner party via Zoom, Skype, or Google!!

Easy Meals

I’m a mom of a toddler, so easy is basically my go to these days. These recipes taste delicious, are quick, and don’t involve too much prep work!

Salmon Bowls
Super simple grilled salmon, tossed with healthy veggies with a Mediterranean flair. Easy and super healthy too!

Recipe

Shrimp Tacos
Grilled shrimp topped with simple fresh ingredients for a great punch.

Recipe

Chicken and Dirty Rice
Super flavorful one-pot meal with chicken thighs and andouille sausage.

R ecipe

Slow Roasts

Sometimes you just need to let things simmer. I love my Dutch oven and firmly believe that everything just tastes better after it has cooked for 3 hours. These are my top slow-cooked choices!

Pork Green Chile Verde
Slightly spicy, super meaty, crazy tender pork, just the way a good green chili should be. Pro tip – shred up the pork after its cooked, it’s even more tender that way.

R e cipe

BBQ Pot Roast
This pot roast came out so much better than I anticipated. It is amazing on its own or fantastic on sandwiches!

R e ci pe

Braised Short Ribs
Wolfgang Puck knows how to cook, so you can bet that this will be one of the best meals you have ever had.

Recipe

Dinner Party Ideas

It is almost my birthday, and because we are still social distancing, I plan to have a little dinner party for myself. Here are 3 multi-course meals that I have made before that turned out phenomenally! You could always practice some of these recipes and then have a celebration with friends when we can finally see each other again!

Traditional NW Meal
4 course meal with pretty simple recipes to help ease you into hosting a full blown party (for yourself or your family)

Mexican Inspired Meal
4 course meal with some of my favorite Mexican flavors. This is one that is simple to pull off but is sure to impress!

Citrus and Seafood Meal
This one is easily my favorite, but it does require some cooking skills to pull off the protiens. This can be done as the full 7 course meal, or you can take out one salad and one entree to make it 5 courses.

Baking

Maybe cooking isn’t really your thing and you would rather whip up something sweet? Here are some of my favorite things to make when I feel like spoiling myself.

Lemon and Raspberry Macarons
These aren’t exactly easy to make, but they are delicious and I have total faith in your baking skills.

R e ci pe

Key Lime Cheesecake
Key lime pie, and cheesecake are easily my 2 favorite desserts, so why not mash them up? Also DO NOT use regular lime juice, you will do this dessert a serious disservice.

Recipe

Amaretto Apple Crisp
This is so so so good, I think I have made it 6 times. Pro tip – add some Amaretti cookies to the crisp to really make the amaretto flavor shine!

Recipe

Cocktails

Lastly, if you really don’t actually want to spend a bunch of time cooking in the kitchen, we have you covered with some of our favorite drinks! If you don’t want to go and buy special things to make drinks, we also have you covered. THIS WEBSITE will send you recipes that match what you already have at home…it’s a game changer.

French 75

Literally what your dreams are made of.

1.5 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1/4 C sparkling wine
Shake gin, lemon, and simple syrup over ice for 30 seconds, top with sparkling wine.

White Peach Sangria

It’s the perfect no fuss sunny day beverage.

1 bottle pinot gris
1/2 cup Peach Vodka
1/2 cup Peach Schnapps
1 cup soda water
3 sliced peaches
1 cup raspberries
combine all ingredients and serve over ice. If you want it to be more boozy, soak the fruit overnight in the peach vodka.

Perfect Margarita

Honestly, this one is hard to beat.

2 oz white tequila
1 oz cointreau
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz agave syrup
combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain and serve over fresh ice with a lime wedge.

Hopefully this will all keep you busy for at least a week while we put together another list of great things for you to do! If you missed the last couple weeks we did: Netflix Binges, Books to Read, and Running Playlists.

As always please stay safe and healthy and know that if there is anything we can do for you, we are definitely still here to help!

Paint Palette

April 1, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher 1 Comment

Color is such an important part of personalizing a home. But itâ€™s also key in making your home a space others can see themselves moving into. We know you probably have lots of extra time on your hands, so here are our 4 tips to whip your home into shape!

Not a fan of videos? Keep scrolling for the written version!

Today we are going to be talking with you all about the power of paint and how it can make a huge impact in the home selling process for a very small investment. We are all stuck in our homes for now, so if you have any plans for selling in the future, why not take this extra time to spruce things up? Or, maybe you are just bored of your house colors in which case, this will provide a nice refresh!

We want our homes to feel like us, so often times we tailor them to suit our own tastes. Things like cozy furniture, bright and textured rugs, wall art and the right light fixtures can really reflect a style and personality. Sometimes we even go a little risky and do accent walls. Things like painting our childrenâ€™s bedrooms to mimic night sky. or We will add a little DIY wallpaper. While these are all AMAZING ways to customize spaces, when it comes to preparing your home for resale, these colorful wall colors can really start to restrict your buyer pool. If youâ€™ve never tried selling a home with bright orange walls, then you probably donâ€™t even know the power a simple color change can make. We want to do everything we can to sell your home as quickly as possible.

The good news is that a fresh coat of paint can change everything. Here are our top 4 tips!

Tip 1: Your Door

First things first, letâ€™s consider your front door. Itâ€™s a smaller project and might offer you a little more creativity. You have probably seen black, gray and white doors, but this is actually where we want to see a pop of color. If you have a lighter palette of colors on your home, try a rich navy blue or vibrant red. If you have a dark color palette, like a grey or navy, try a bright color like sunny yellow or a lively teal. You want to wow people before they even get inside.

Tip 2: Keep it Uniform

Secondly, When it comes to interior walls, the trend here is to keep everything flowing with a neutral color. The idea is to create a blank canvas to help people envision themselves living there. You also want to think of it like flooring… We want it to be uniform throughout the home. Choose a neutral that you love. You donâ€™t have to carry that color through the whole home, just make sure that every room is in the same color family. You can do slightly lighter versions of the color in the bedrooms and hallway, and slightly darker version in your dining room or family room. Exceptions to this are your smaller, tighter spaces like bathrooms without natural light. Those will benefit from whiter brighter paint that helps bounce light around and make the room appear wider and taller.

Tip 3: Keep it Neutral

Now that we know the look weâ€™re going for, letâ€™s talk color. The biggest trends right now are any and all whites, soft grays, and taupe. These might not seem like exciting choices, but they are all incredible popular. And thatâ€™s probably because they are so versatile and suit a variety of house styles from modern to traditional. Here you can see the colors that Sherwin Williams sells the most of, notice a trend? If you hate the idea of painting everything white and grey, go for a greyed out version of your favorite color. Blue-greys will still look neutral but offer a bit more color and personality.

Tip 4: Know your finishes

Lastly, another thing about paint is that not all textures are created equal. Usually when you go to Home Depot, Lowes or your favorite local home improvement store, you will be able to select a finish. Keep in mind the location of the room that youâ€™re painting. Since kitchenâ€™s are such a busy part of a home, go with a satin or semi-gloss finish. Bathrooms should be in a semi-gloss or gloss, and all the other rooms should be in an eggshell finish.

We have seen it many times, beautiful homes go on the market with crazy colors. Prospective buyers just canâ€™t see past them. Having a realtor that understands the current trends is more important than ever. We canâ€™t currently come to you, but, if you need some help picking out colors, we are happy to do a video chat and give you some tips. Just reach out to us!

February 2020 Market Stats

March 17, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Real estate by the numbers is out for the past month! The quick and dirty version of the February market is that inventory is still low keeping us in a seller’s market. Homes are appreciating by 5-7% over last year but dropped slightly compared to last month. And we are seeing many new listings as we get ready for the busy spring market. Read on below if you want details about your side of the river and the general market health.