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Voysey

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This week we checked out the elegant speakeasy cocktail bar Voysey! This basement bar can be found by following the red light down the stairway at the back of Loyal Legion. If you don’t have a curious mind, you may not have even known this plush cocktail lounge existed.

Voysey Portland, that portland life

Voysey is run by veteran female bartenders and bar managers serving up their own personal cocktail recipes as well as fun twists on some of the classics. As a result, everything on the menu is very thoughtful. If you are not in the mood for cocktails the menu is simple – 5 beer choices and 5 wine choices with a little something for everyone.

Voysey speakeasy in Portland

There are lots of cozy seating areas and a strong vintage vibe. Pink and red lights add to the ‘old-world’ vibe of the space. The bartender who served us was incredibly friendly, checked in on us just often enough to keep our drinks full, and was super knowledgable about all things cocktail.

We will definitely be going back to check out more of the drinks! If you want to keep current with what they are doing, check them out on Facebook!

Have you been yet? Had you even heard about it? Let us know what you think in the comments!

January 2020 Market Stats

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The time has come to once again look back on the market and reflect on how healthy the market has been. January of 2020 was a great month for Portland. Home prices are up 6.3% from January of last year! Despite all the recession rumors, everyone that owns a home is still making money. Interest rates are still insanely low. If you are thinking of buying, do it now before home prices jump up even more. If you want to read more about all the specifics, continue on past the graphic below!

January 2020 Real Estate Market Statistics
What these numbers mean to you

We also saw a significant jump in new listings, pendings, and sold homes. Many people entered the real estate market after the holidays which explains this big jump. While it is good to see homes coming on the market, we are still sitting around only 2.2 months of inventory. If no one else puts their home on the market, every single home will be sold in just over 2 months. As a buyer, this means there will be competition on all those ‘Pinterest perfect’ homes and you should expect multiple offers. As a seller, this means there is almost no competition and as long as you are priced appropriately, you should expect to sell quickly.

Despite this, we surprisingly saw the average days on market climb as well. If you separate this stat out by price point it paints a very different picture. Homes under $500,000 are, on average, selling in 7 days or less. Houses up to $1 million are selling in about 30 days. Homes over $1 million are selling in 60-100 days on average. If you want specifics on how long your home may take to sell, send us a message and we will happily send you some data.

Ready to make a move?

You sometimes hear us say “now is the perfect time to move” but whether you are a buyer or a seller, there are some really strong cases to be made about 2020 being the right year to do it. If you want to look at homes currently on the market you can do so here. If you want an instant evaluation of what your home is worth, you can do so here. Take advantage of the current interest rates to get yourself into a new and amazing home! You’ll be glad you did.

Does our analysis match your perception of the market? How did you feel January of 2020 went? Let us know in the comments!

Top 10 Reasons to Live in Portland

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It is no secret that we both love the city we live in. To celebrate 10 year anniversary’s for both of us, we made this great video of the top ten things we love most! Let us know your top reason for living in Portland and share the video!

Dont have time to check out the video or you just prefer to read about it? Read on below to see the top ten reasons to live here in list form!

#1: Music and arts
First Thursday in the Pearl, Portland Oregon, top ten

We have a ton of rad music venues all over town so you can check out the up-and-comers as well as the big names. Portland
is also home to First Thursday, where all of the art galleries downtown throw open their doors (and their wine cellars)
once a month to the public for free! Then there is Last Thursday in the Alberta Arts district where you can check out the
more affordable side of the arts scene, plus check out fire spinners and breakdancers to boot!

#2: The Craft Beer
Craft Beer and The Portland Oregon Sign, top ten

As of last count, there were 117 craft brewers in the Portland Metro Area!! That means, whether you are drinking
stouts, sours, or simply lagers, your tastebuds will be delighted. Also, SO MANY beer festivals!

#3: The Coffee
Coffee in Portland Oregon, top ten

Who roasts the best coffee in Portland is always a healthy debate, and we will happily keep on sampling and debating
here until the end of time. Coava, Heart, Stumptown? We could go on and on and on, and probably will with all of this
caffeine in our systems!

#4: The Outdoors
Mt. Hood, Portland Oregon, top ten

With Mt. Hood to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West, The Colombia River Gorge to the North and Wine country
to the South, there is no shortage of amazing outdoor opportunities. To add to that, the city of Portland itself is
a great place for urban hiking. We have Mt. Tabor, Forest Park, Powell Butte and many more spots to hit the trails
within the city limits!

#5: Housing prices
Portland Bungalow

Ok, ok, it’s not as cheap as living in Ohio. But, it IS the most affordable metropolitan area on the West Coast,
where you can still find a fantastic place to live under $500k plus some pretty cool people to help you do it. We are also known for our super walkable neighborhoods,
so wherever you buy you can leave that car at home!

#6: The FOOD
Portland Dining, Oregon, top ten

Whether you want a dive bar burger or an upscale prix fixe menu, whether you are a level 5 vegan or a strict carnivore,
Portland has you COVERED. Perhaps it is because of the sheer number of James Beard award winners we have, but Portland is definitely a food destination. Did we mention there are amazing food carts EVERYWHERE??

#7: The Wine
Willamette Valley Wines, Oregon

Oregon is home to over 700 wineries with more than 1000 vineyards that grow 72 different grape varieties! You can tast wines
all over the state, from the Gorge to the Willamette Vally and beyond. Particularly if you are a fan of Pinots, your tastebuds
will be happy here!

#8: Festivals
Portland Rose Parade and Festival, top ten

There are music fests, film fests, and over 25 different beer fests throughout the year! We host board game
conventions, trivia nights, a rose parade, and cultural celebrations. In Portland, you will NEVER be bored!

#9: Public Transportation
Aerial Tram in Portland Oregon

We have great public transpotration (including a super cool aerial tram!) and we’ve been named the most
bike friendly city in the US! We just got electric scooters, and we have hands-down the best airport in the world!
Seriously. It even has a free mini-cinema!

#10: Environmentally friendly
Reusable bags, Portland Oregon

Here in Portland, we love being green! Whether that means leaving no trace while backpacking the Oregon wilderness, rocking
those re-usable bags, or our excellent city-supported composting, we are an environmentally friendly bunch of folks. We’re
actually just really friendly in general as well!

Bonus!! We Keep it Weird
Corner Chicken Musician, Portland Oregon

Home of the ‘World Naked Bike Ride’, the UniPiper, the Belmont Goats, Portland’s Adult Soapbox derby, The Big Float etc. We
have a person who plays the violin on street corners dressed up in a chicken suit! Existing out of the box is not only
accepted, but encouraged in Portland, so be your quirky self!

Do we have the same top ten reasons as you do? Let us know in the comments!

Want to check out some of the places that we love around town? Head Here to view our hot spots!

Want to see some of our ‘best of’ lists? Head Here to check them out!

If there is anything else that we can do for you, don’t hesitate to reach out and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter!!

Holiday Light Displays

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There are so many wonderful ways to spend the holidays, one of my favorites is definitely looking at all the holiday lights. We put together a list of some of our favorites around Portland. Let us know which ones are your favorite down in the comments!

Peacock Lane

Peacock Lane, portland

December 15th – December 31st

6pm – 11pm daily

*15th, 16th, and 17th are pedestrian only nights*

Info and Website

SE 40th Ave between Stark and Belmont St.

Free

Peacock Lane has been a favorite to Portlanders for decades. The street is lined with primarily tudor homes and they all decorate to celebrate the holidays. You can drive slowly through the neighborhood any night with the exception of the first 3 nights which are pedestrian only.

The Grotto

November 29th – December 30th

*Closed Christmas Day*

5-9:30pm Daily

Info and Website

8840 NE Skidmore Street, Portland

Tickets $12.50 sold at door

Tucked into a beautiful setting in NE Portland, The Grotto has thousands of holiday lights covering all of the lower level of the grounds. There are also many performances to see from local choirs, carolers, and puppeteers.

Zoo Lights

November 29th – January 5th

5-9 pm Daily

Info and Website

Oregon Zoo

Tickets $19.50 *save $2 and buy online

Visiting the zoo in the evening to see over a million Christmas lights is one of the best experiences of the holidays. Most of the animals will be sleeping, but all the lights and the walking path make it worth the trip. Also, if you happen to be a member, tickets are free!

Winter Wonderland at PIR

November 29th – January 4th

5- 11pm Friday and Saturday 5:30-9:30 all other days

Info and Website

1940 N Victory Blvd, Portland

Tickets $20-$25 Click here

Considered the largest light show in the Pacific Northwest, there are over 250 different light displays laid out along the raceway. Most people drive the raceway listening to holiday music, but there are also bike nights and dog walking nights.

Miracle of a Million Lights

December 8th – December 28th

6pm – 10pm Daily

Info and Website

1441 N McClellan Street, Portland,

Tickets $5 – $8 Click here

This stunning victorian home covers nearly every inch of it’s interior to wow visitors. they also decorate the 2.5 acres that the home sits on making this home a true winter wonderland.

Christmas Ships

December 5th – December 22nd

Starting at 7:30pm

Info and Website

Columbia and Willamette rivers

Free

Ships sail up the Columbia and Willamette rivers every night for 2 weeks. You can gather along any of the shorelines to watch this wonderful show.

We hope to see you at some of these wonderful holiday lights events! Want to be notified every time we put together a Portland’s best list? Be sure to subscribe to the blog!

Cascade Brewing

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This week we went and checked out Cascade Brewing! This sour ale brewery has so much variety we will have to go back multiple more times to try everything on the menu.

I love sour ales, so if you don’t this is likely not the place for you. They do typically have 3 or 4 non sour beers on the menu, but they are no where near as good as the sour ales. My favorite thing about Cascade is that they use fresh, local ingredients and truly experiment with their beers. I tried the Brunch Line, which is very Portland. Its a sour wheat ale that is aged in white wine barrels with willamette valley chardonnay grapes and orange zest. It does taste a bit like a mimosa.

We went during happy hour and were able to try both the pretzel with beer cheese, and the smoked albacore tuna melt. The pretzel was perfectly salted and toasted to perfection. The albacore sandwich isn’t your grandma’s tuna sandwich. With both cheddar and gruyere cheese, the sandwich was delicious and well balanced.

We will absolutely be heading back to cascade brewing for some beer very soon!

If you want to see the current offering of beers, you can see the menu here. or check out the full website

Do you have somewhere that you want us to feature? Let us know in the comments!!

Seller Closing Costs

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Today is all about closing costs and specifically about the closing costs sellers are responsible for. We made a great video for you to watch, but if you would rather just read along, skip ahead!

One of the most common mistakes that sellers make when it comes to listing their home, is failing to budget appropriately. I see this especially often when it comes to closing costs.

Sellers in Portland should expect to pay about 7% of the total sales price in closing costs. On a typical home priced at 500,000, a seller should anticipate allocating about $35,000 toward closing costs. That number is inclusive of most fees, however, it will vary depending on your specific situation.  If you have equity in your home, these fees will be deducted from your proceeds.  However, in some cases, a seller may be required to actually bring money to the closing table.  We don’t want this to happen to you. Here are my top 3 tips so we are fully prepared before listing your home.

Discuss the true cost of selling

Before you decide to list your property, meet with a local real estate expert. You want to discuss the true cost of selling your home. As a licensed Realtor®, I’m able to provide you with resources like a closing checklist and a seller net sheet. These will help you to better understand the home selling process, your responsibilities as a seller, and what you can expect to net from the sale of your home.

Budget for Closing Costs

Work with your Realtor® to understand and budget for Closing Costs. Sellers in the Portland market are typically responsible for paying; Commissions, mortgage payoff, title search fees, transfer taxes, city recording fees, unpaid property taxes, and any other liens that may be on the property. We want to have a clear idea of what these numbers add up to.

Factor in the unexpected

In competitive markets, it’s common for a seller to offer a concession toward a buyer’s closing costs.  This is done as an added incentive. As an example, it can be done after we may have had weeks of slow activity, or as a result of an issue that arises during a home inspection.  Often times, this practice can make your home seem more appealing to a buyer that may not otherwise have thought of buying your home because they didn’t have the cash to cover potential repairs or their own closing expenses.

Planning ahead will ensure that we both have a pleasant transaction together.  You will have a clear idea of exactly where you will be financially, and there won’t be any what-ifs left to think about.  If you have some questions or want any guidance, please feel free to reach out to me and I am happy to walk you through the specifics.  

Are you ready to see what your home is worth? Check the value now! Click Here

Feature Friday at Training Day

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This month for our Feature Friday we visited with Megan Marchello of Training Day PDX! She owns a barefoot gym in southeast Portland and did a great job of making us sweat in just a short amount of time.

We also learned a ton about how your stance, and how you treat your feet, will affect your whole workout. Check out the full video below!

Be sure to check out this awesome gym and support local business!

Do you have somewhere that you think we should visit? Let us know in the comments!

Trifecta Tavern

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This week we are featuring the tavern and bakery by Ken Forkish. This has been on our list of places to try for so long and we were so excited to finally make the time to go and try it out!

We knew we were going to like the restaurant because we have been a long time fans of Ken’s other restaurants (Ken’s Artisan Bakery and Ken’s Artisan Pizza) but everything was even better than we expected. We arrived in time to try the happy hour which offers a large variety of food for a great price.

On the dinner menu even the most discerning diner will find something they love. There are lots of seafood options, vegetarian options, and even some vegan choices. The food is fresh, in season, and comes out beautifully plated. We finished our meal out with a key lime pie, it’s rare to find a proper key lime pie this far from Florida, but this one was to die for!

If you haven’t been yet, or it has been while since you stopped in, make sure you get over there soon. You will not be disappointed!

  • Trifecta Tavern and Bakery
    • 726 SE 6th Avenue, Portland, OR
    • Open 7 days a week
      • Bakery open 8am -1pm
      • Restaurant open 5pm – 9pm

Do you have somewhere you think we need to check out next? let us know in the comments!