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Portland’s Best Take-out

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As summer winds to a close and the impending rains are looming, most of us Portlanders start steering away from the patios and into our cozy homes with some great take-out. Whether you are feeling like tacos or Thai, pizza or poke, we’ve got you covered here in our list of Portland’s Best Take-Out!

Arawan Thai

Delicious Thai take-out with locations in Vancouver and Happy Valley. Tons of menu choices, tender meats, and the perfect spice level make this spot stand out. Check that menu Here.

Vancouver, WA and Happy Valley locations. Open 11 am-8:30 pm 7 days a week.

Assembly Brewing

Detroit-style pizza at its finest! Options vary from meat lovers to veggie friendly, but just don’t forget the beer on your way out. Menu Here

6112 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206. Open 11 am-10 pm 7 days a week.

Ate-Oh-Ate

When you are craving some delicious Hawaiian food on the go, Ate-Oh-Ate is a fantastic choice. The Kal-Bi Ribs are my personal go to, but there is something on the menu to make everyone smile. Check them out Here.

Locations on E Burnside and SE Woodstock. Open 11-9 Daily

Dough Zone

Delicious Chinese comfort food has made it’s appearance on the South Waterfront and we will say do NOT sleep on those dumplings! Full menu can be found Here.

1910 S River Dr, Portland, OR 97201. Open 11 am-10 pm 7 days a week.

Ki’ikibáa

Incredible Yucatecan cuisine can be found in this cute lil spot on 82nd. Salbutes, Panuchos, Cochinita Pibil- bring your appetite! No official website, but you can check out their specials on Insta.

3244 NE 82nd Ave Portland, OR 97220. Open 11 am-9 pm Tues-Sun.

Nicholas Restaurant

Wonderfully fresh and super shareable Lebanese and Mediterranean food can be found at any of the 3 locations of Nicholas’ Restaurant. Check out the deliciousness Here.

Locations at SE Madison, NE Broadway, and Gresham. Open Daily- 11 or 12 to 8 or 9.

Hat Yai

Styled after the street chicken and roti shops of Southern Thailand, this is a great spot to grab a combo set of curry, roti, and their famous fried chicken. Menu can be found Here.

Locations on NE Killingsworth and SE Belmont. Open Daily- 11:30-3 and 4-9.

My Brothers Crawfish

If you’re looking for Creole cooking then look no further. They specialize in seafood boils, but also have a full menu of southern classics such as gumbo and hush puppies. Check out their full menu Here

8230 Se Harrison St, Portland Oregon 97236. Open 7 days a week from 3pm- 10pm.

Seasweets Poke

Looking for something fresh and filling? Seasweets Poke does the trick! Customizable bowls of rice or kale salad topped with fresh raw fish and your choice of assorted toppings. Menu can be found Here.

Locations on SE 31st, in Clackamas, and in Beaverton. Open Daily- 11 am 9pm.

Miss Delta

How about some BBQ? There are plenty of options to satisfy your smoked meat craving. Some of your options include brisket, baby back ribs, and pulled pork. The options don’t stop there however, They offer an entire brunch menu as well! Take a closer look at the menu Here

3950 N Mississippi Ave, Portland OR 97227 Open 12-9 Daily. 

Swagat Indian Cuisine

Wonderful flavors and spices abound at Swagat, and they are hands-down my personal top pick for Indian take-out in the Portland Metro area. Check out the deliciousness Here.

Locations in NW Portland, Beaverton, and Hillsboro. Open Daily- 11:30-2:30 and 5-9.

Pollo Bravo

pollo bravo take-out

Rotisserie Chicken is pretty hard to beat when it’s done perfectly! You’ll never be disappointed here. Options include 1/4, 1/2, or 1 whole bird with some pretty awesome side dishes like Radicchio Salad and 5 different sauces to pick form as well. Take a look at their full menu Here

1225 N Killingsworth, Portland, OR 97217. Open 11:30-9 Tues-Sun, 4-9 Mon.

We hope you enjoy this list of our favorite spots for take-out in Portland! If we missed your favorite, please let us know in the comments, we LOVE trying new places!

Or if you want to see what else we have been loving, you can see our other “best-of” lists HERE. Let us know what you are loving in the comments.

Love it or List it?

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I’m sure you’ve seen Love it or List it- where a family has totally outgrown their space but one of the partners just doesn’t want to leave, so they decide to renovate. 

And if the renovations aren’t fixing the issue, then, and only then, do they move…

While reality TV is fun to watch, the reality of living in a construction zone while shopping for a new house, isn’t.

That’s why I recommend doing one or the other. Let’s break it down.

A lot of times, people get frustrated with their space. They’ve had another baby, fallen out of love with their condo, or started dreaming of retiring in a smaller space near the beach. 

Whatever the reason, it’s very important to first identify WHY you are considering a move, and then go from there. 

Here’s five things to think about…

#1 Can it be fixed easily? 

If you want an updated kitchen, swapping out fixtures, painting cabinets, and buying new appliances is a pretty easy fix. But if you want a bigger kitchen, you’re going to have to move.

#2 Can you deal with contractors?

Hiring an interior designer or general contractor to manage your project will help, but renovations require you to work with multiple companies and contractors on a daily basis. And you’ll be totally dependent on their timeline, expertise, and quality of work. If you don’t want people coming in and out of your home for weeks on end, it may be time to move into a turn key home.

#3 Can you live with the mess? 

Renovations can be dusty and dirty and shrink an already hard-to-navigate environment. Tools will be everywhere, equipment will be everywhere, and people will be everywhere. Is a renovation going to get in the way of school, work, or travel? If so, something turnkey may be more appealing.

#4 Can you tolerate a move? 

You may dread the thought of having to pack up your entire home while paying a moving company thousands of dollars to pick up your heirloom armoire and try and make it through the front door. If this sounds unbearable to you, it may be cause to stay.

#5 Do you love your location? 

If the view, zoning, corner lot, or amazing neighbors are the reason why you moved to your current house to begin with, then moving may not be the answer. In this case, it would be better to renovate the inside of the home to match the amazing benefits of the outside of the home. 

No matter whether you decide to love it or list it, it’s important to have a good Realtor to help you understand how renovations will affect your home value and help you decide if you’re better off packing up or staying put. That’s where I can help.

If you’re thinking about making a move (or know someone who is), Please reach out! No pressure, no sales tactics, just helpful advice and the guidance you need!

And finally, if you’re not thinking about making a move just yet, feel free to save this page for future reference, so you can come back to it! 

If you want to get to know either of us better you can go to our pages Jessica or Tekela

Year End Market Update

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The year end numbers are out for the Portland market for 2021. The year was absolutely insane in many ways, so lets dive into the numbers!

year end review
Appreciation

Firstly, if you bought a house more than a year ago, you averaged a 15.8% appreciation. To put that into perspective a $500,000 house is now worth, on average, $580,000. Some areas are even seeing much higher numbers. For example, Oregon City and Troutdale both saw an average appreciation of over 19%. The rural areas around Mt. Hood are up over 30%. If Covid has taught us anything, it’s that people wanted more space. So rural areas had really aggressive bidding wars and some serious price jumps.

Average Home Price

The average home price in the Portland metro is now at $582,000. I know many people are waiting on the market to drop and this simply isn’t going to happen. It will cool down, especially as climbing interest rates push people out of the market, but prices will continue to climb and affordability will continue to be an issue. We predict that 2022 will be just as competitive as 2021 was. We are still seeing houses get bid up to 100k over list price in many instances, and almost everything is still getting multiple offers. If you are on the fence, now would be a good time to get off of it.

Average Days on Market

The average days on market dropped yet again to the lowest numbers on record. We had just over 2 weeks of inventory for the month of December. This isn’t surprising because it’s December, there are a lot of holidays, and not many people want to move during this time. We have seen a lot of houses coming on the market in the last couple weeks and that number will start to tick back up.

We hope these numbers help you to get a pulse on what is going on in and around Portland! If you want specific numbers for your neighborhood, let us know and we will happily send them over. If you need anything else real estate related, feel free to submit the form below and we will get right back to you!

Ready to jump in but want to know more about us? You can read about Jessica or Tekela! Also, if you need a lender, you can find some that we love HERE

June 2021

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The latest market update is out for June of 2021. Inventory is starting to creep back up and the buying frenzy is starting to calm down. This is really good news for buyers that are still in the market. We are seeing homes get a couple of offers instead of 20 and houses selling for 100K over list price are becoming increasingly rare. If you are a seller, there is still a good market out there and plenty of buyers, it just isn’t the feeding frenzy it was back in March. If you want to get into the details, continue on below!

The first things we notice is the average sales price. We haven’t quite hit 600k as our average to live in Portland proper, but we will by next month. This is over a 20% increase from last year and a 2% increase from just last month. I know we say this a lot, but if you are on the fence about buying, get off of it. Things are going to continue to climb and gain equity, so waiting is only making it harder to buy.

The other big stat that jumps out is the amount that things are selling over the list price. Earlier I mentioned that things were starting to cool off. That is true though this number doesn’t show it. The thing to remember is that 13% average is from homes that went pending in May and closed in June. May was one of our busiest months. Things have settled back down between 8-10% over as of recently.

The other bit of good news for buyers is that listings are finally starting to climb up above the closed sales. Things are still selling quickly, but at least everyone has multiple options when they are deciding what to buy. If you are a seller, make sure you are situating yourself with the right listing agent, the right price, and the right marketing so you can stand out among the crowd.

If you want to chat about specifics whether it is buying or selling, we are happy to do so! Just call or email us and we would love to talk with you about your unique situation! You can also look for homes HERE if you are ready to get started.

2021 Summer Tips

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Hey Friends, Today we are going to be talking about summer home maintenance tips for 2021! If you prefer to see the video, you can do that HERE

Today we have 5 tips to help you ensure you extend the life of your home, appliances and make ti though the summer in style!  

Tip 1: HVAC

Have your furnace and AC serviced. There is nothing worse than having your AC go out during a heat wave.  If you don’t think you need a technician to come out, make sure to replace all your filters so things are running efficiently.  

Summer AC
Tip 2: Windows and Doors

Check your window screens and weatherstripping around the house.  Even the smallest holes in the screens can allow mosquitos and other pests into your home while you are trying to get a some fresh air. Also check the seals around your windows and doors, if you do have the AC running we want to be sure we aren’t wasting precious cold air by allowing it to escape outside.  This will also help your energy bills go down, so its a win-win. 

window sealing
Tip 3: Power Wash

Power wash and reseal your deck or patio.  We want to make sure your deck and patio make it through the whole summer.  Power washing can remove any pollen, grime, or buildup that may have accumulated during the spring and winter months.  If you have a wooden deck resealing it will ensure that you get many more seasons out of your deck and it will look great. 

power washing
Tip 4: Dishwasher

This is an easy, but often overlooked one.  Clean your dishwasher. We don’t think of this often because it cleans our dishes, but it can get food buildup and soap scum which leads to a less than ideal clean. Run the dishwasher on the highest heat setting with a bowl of white vinegar in the top rack. Your dishes will have never sparkled so much. 

dishwasher
Tip 5: Gutters

And lastly, clean out your gutters.  They likely have some buildup from the spring and winter and need to be cleaned out.  This ensure that when those rare heavy summer rains do show up, everything is draining the way it is supposed to. 

gutters

Hopefully this gives you a couple quick things to do to spruce up your house, if you think we missed any really important tips, let us know in the comments!  Otherwise have a great weekend and enjoy your summer of 2021! 

Pro Tips:

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How to Buy a Home when you need to Sell

So you are ready to move? Whether it is downsizing, upsizing, or just getting into a different area, needing to sell first can feel like a huge obstacle. Luckily we have 11 awesome tips to help you buy before you sell so this transition is as smooth as possible!

You can download our full guide, or continue below to read the highlights!

Buy when you need to sellDownload

Tip 1:

Get a Bridge Loan

If downpayment and closing cost funds are keeping you out of your dream home, consider a short term loan. A bridge loan will give you cash to use towards your next purchase.  This allows you to purchase a home with no additional contingencies!  After you move, you use the funds from the sale of your current home to pay the loan back.

Tip 2:

Use a HELOC – Home Equity Line of Credit

This is one of the most common strategies that we are seeing.  Use the equity in your home to get a line of credit to pay for your new home.  This also allows you to purchase first with no additional contingencies.

Tip 3:

Buy New Construction

Builders commonly have additional inventory allowing you to plan out your move date in advance.  This allows you to line up the closing of your current home and the closing of your new home with some overlap to ensure you only move once.

Tip 4:

Custom Build a Home

Similar to buying new construction, this allows you to line up your closing dates and your moving dates. Most custom home builders have in-house financing that will allow you to sell your home and build simultaneously.

Tip 5:

Borrow from your 401K

This allows you to temporarily pull a “loan” from your 401k.  Having this loan allows you to have the cash on hand to make strong offers with no additional contingencies. There are some special circumstances so be sure to discuss this option with your financial planner and/or CPA.

Tip 6:

Seller Carried Financing

This isnt a very common option, but if the seller owns the home outright, they will sometimes carry a short term loan for you while you wait for your home to sell.  This option requires an attorney and usually has higher interest rates associated with it.

Tip 7:

Negotiate a Lease Back

With a strong sellers market, we can list your home and ask the new buyers to give us time in the home after it has sold.This can give us an additional 60 days to find and close on your new home.

Tip 8:

Use Sale Subject To

With a strong sellers market, most buyers just want to “win” a home.  We can ask to have a close date that is subject to you finding a replacement property.  Most people want to have some idea of how long that will take, so we often see in contract within 60 days.  This is a great option especially when paired with a rent back.

Tip 9:

Look in Less Desirable Areas or Price Ranges

If you don’t have a strong preference for a certain area we can focus on locations that are not as competitive.  This allows us to have more control in our offer terms and closing dates. Also, if you have some pricing flexibility, we can find price ranges that don’t have as much competition.

Tip 10:

Write a Contingent Offer

We can write an offer that is contingent upon the sale of your current home.  This allows us to find the home you want before putting your home up for sale.  Depending on market conditions, it can be difficult to have this extra contingency accepted.

Tip 11:

Rent for a Bit

If you want to sell at the peak of the market and have additional time to look for a home, this can be a great option.  Find a short term rental to move into to remove the timeline crunches of finding a new home.

Now that you know your options, are you ready to see what your home might be worth? Or are you ready to see what options are on the market? You can do both right here!

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Or, if you would rather chat with us before jumping right in, fill out the form below and we will get back to you right away!

December Market Update

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The market stats for December 2020 were recently released. It is time to dig into them and see what they mean. Almost every stat dropped last month, in some areas that is good news, in some it is bad news. The only number that rose last month is the number of sold listings. This lines up with what we know about the Portland market. There are tons of buyers out looking for homes.

December market update
Stat Breakdown

The average sale price dipped a bit, this almost always happens at the end of the year, a lot of people take a break for the holidays, so with less offers driving prices up, we saw the number drop down a bit. The days a home sits on the market are still continuing to drop along with the inventory levels. If we remove the outliers, the average days on market is actually just 7 days. So houses are flying off the market. In general we will see them listed mid week, open all weekend, and pending by early the next week. Because of this, Inventory has dropped all the way down to .8 months. As a reminder, this means if we don’t list any new homes, everything on the market will be sold before the end of the month. It’s lower than it has ever been, so if you have any thoughts of selling, now is the time!

For the whole Portland metro, homes are selling at an average of 6.7% over asking price. For a $500,000 house, that is $30,000 over asking price. As a buyer it is more important than ever that you pay close attention to your budget. If you only want to spend $500,000 we need to be shopping in the $450,000 range.

It is tough out there right now for buyers, but with a savvy agent, and a little luck, people are finding homes that are a great fit. We are helping our clients get into homes that they love right now, so if you want help with your home search, fill out the form below and we can’t wait to talk with you! If you want to see our other market updates, you can head HERE.

Why Use a Realtor

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So now that you are ready to buy a house why on earth should you use a realtor? Well, watch the video below to find out! Or skip ahead and read about it!

I get it, realtors have a bad reputation and tons of people think we are under qualified and over-paid.  So why would you hire one when you can just do it yourself online?  Well, here are our top 5 reasons that you will want to hire us. 

#1 – It’s Free

That’s right, as a buyer, you don’t have to pay me. If you could get 10 years of sales experience for free wouldn’t you want to use it? I only get paid when we successfully find and close on a house and the seller pays that fee so there is literally no cost to you for using me. 

#2 – Home Tours

You need a realtor to get access to most houses.  You can’t just knock on doors and expect to get a  tour, you could try, but people will think you are crazy and that is not what you want when you are trying to convince someone to let you buy their home.  Of course you can go to open houses, but not everyone hosts them, and some houses sell before they have had a chance to be open on the weekend.  Hiring me means we can go see that house anytime that suits your schedule so you can e one of the first people in the door. 

#3- Pocket Listings

Not all houses get listed on the market.  We see houses all the time that are offered as office exclusives that sell before they hit the market.  If I know what you are looking for I am going to be searching within my network to see what they have coming up.  This can give you the upper edge if we are able to get into these homes before the reset of the public sees them. Zillow can’t offer you that. 

#4- Paperwork and Contracts

I can help you understand and write a way stronger contract.  Real Estate contracts are no joke, it’s a 13 page document that outlines all the important timelines, who pays for what, who gets to keep what, and when you get to move into the house.  There are also over 30 addendums that could apply to your transaction.  We know the paperwork and how to write things so you are getting as much as you possibly can, even in a seller’s market.  

#5 – Gifts!

Lastly, you’ll get a cool present. I love giving gifts, so you’ll get something nice when you close on the house, plus a home-anniversary gift, plus a holiday gift or party, plus some random thing  at some point during the year.  We love our clients and believe in taking care of them before, during, and after the transaction.  We won’t pick up a paycheck and then disappear on you, we like you too much! 

Now you might be thinking, this all sounds great, but I don’t want to buy a house right now. Even if you aren’t quite ready, we can start narrowing down neighborhoods and keeping our eyes on good deals for you, you never know when they will come up or when you will be ready to jump in.  The more we know about you, the better we can help you!  If you want to set up a zoom call to just going over basic questions and criteria, we would love to chat, just send a message over! 

I appreciate your time today, be sure to follow us on facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with what we are doing!  You can also search for homes with the button below, or fill out the contact form and we will get in touch with you!

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