4 Home Technology Tips for Energy Efficiency

There are lots of little things we can do around our homes for energy efficiency. You don’t always have to equate energy efficiency with installing solar panels or a wind turbine in your yard! For many of us, the cost of that is not realistic. So if you want your home to be more energy efficient and shave anywhere from $200-$400 off your bills annually and increase the value to your home, check out these tips below.

Easy Fix for Squeaky Floors!


Our squeaky floor in our kitchen has been driving me nuts lately! I noticed it the most when we had a house guest and I was trying to be quiet in the morning as I was making breakfast and the guest was still sleeping. But I failed miserably because almost every step I take in my kitchen results in a squeak of some sort. Very annoying right? The above video demonstrates how you would fix squeaky floors using this Squeak No More kit. It works for carpeted floors, linoleum or even just hardwoods. I looked online and you can find the kits all over the place. Home Depot sells them for $19.95. I can’t wait to try this!

by Betsy Ballantyne

Is The Portland Real Estate Market Finally Getting Better?

The past few weeks I have noticed a major surge in my business and I’m sure I’m not the only agent that has experienced this. Buyers are gearing up to buy, which is a common event come spring time every year. What has been unexpected though, is the amount of activity in the market. Many new listings that are looking really good for their price ranges coupled with the still low interest rates and we’ve got quite a match on our hands. Any listing priced right is immediately going Pending and i’m not talking about a week, more like 1 day. My buyer clients can confirm that you have to be ready to jump when something good comes up or you will miss out!

The latest market action report came out last week. Closed sales were up 17.5% in February 2012 compared to February 2011 and pending sales grew 32.5%. That’s pretty remarkable! Average sale price for February 2012 rose 4.3% compared to February 2011. Month to month, comparing January 2012 to February 2012, average sale price went up from $249,100 to $255,100 (2.4%) and the median sale price rose from $207,500 to $211,000 (1.7%). While it’s not great for buyers to hear that prices may be rising again, it is good overall for the market. And we may finally be returning to a more stable and healthy market…we can hope.

by Betsy Ballantyne (Graph from rmlsweb.com)

 

 

A Portland Couples’ Adventure in Architecture and Portlandia

You can't help but notice this home's curved roofline

The back very much reminds me of a spaceship, much like the one that flew out of it in the Portlandia episode

So I was poking around on Pinterest and I found a picture of this house!  This is a unique property in Portland that was featured on IFC’s Portlandia.  I know I just did an article on Portlandia but I swear I’m not obsessed.  When I saw this home in the show I was really intrigued.  It’s not often you see a home like that, especially around here and it was obvious to me that this is an old home remodeled to be this way, which makes it that much more interesting.  So, as I was saying, I see the picture, click the link and I’m taken to this article that tells the whole story of the owners and how this home came to be in it’s present form.  There’s also a handful of awesome interior pictures.  So check it out by clicking here!
By Betsy Ballantyne

4 Things to Consider Before Converting a Basement

Before

After

Everyone these days wants a big basement! And if it’s not finished they plan to finish it. Some are just hoping to add to the square footage and others are hoping to one day have tenants renting out that space. Which ever it is that you are hoping for, here’s a great article that covers the 4 things to consider before you take those steps to converting your basement! Go here.

A follow-up to the Portlandia Blog

The only place where Darth Vader, bagpipes, kilts and a unicycle go hand in hand. (found on Tumblr)

 

 

 

 

Portlandia, a Place I’m Proud to Call Home.

One of my favorite Portlandia clips

In case you haven’t noticed, there is a show called Portlandia on IFC staring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. It’s a sketch comedy show about all the things that make Portland special. It covers everything from our affinity with organic everything to our love/hate with recycling and of course highlighting our many tattooed hipsters. It’s always fun to watch the show to see where they go. The show makes a point of displaying the address of every home they use and utilizing many small businesses around the city for their sketches. You can’t help but yell out during the show, “my house is like two blocks away from where they are!!”

Short Sales: Answers for First Time Home Buyers

Oh lovely short sales.  Your allure and promises of a “great deal” are hard to resist.  But are your promises empty?  Are you tempting buyers only to let them down in the end?  I was always told that if it looks too good to be true than it probably is.  And when I work with buyers, I let them know right up front all that can and likely will occur if they choose to submit an offer on a short sale.  And unless it is something they have done before, I tell them to try to avoid them unless they really feel the home is their dream home.

What are Closing Costs?


Good question!  If you are looking into buying or even selling, you will have to deal with closing costs.  So what are they?  In short they consist of a variety of fees and expenses that you and the seller will have to pay at the time of closing. Your lender must provide a good-faith estimate of all settlement costs. The title company or other entity conducting the closing will tell you the required amount for:

  • Down payment
  • Loan origination
  • Points, or loan discount fees, which you pay to receive a lower interest rate
  • Home inspection
  • Appraisal
  • Credit report
  • Private mortgage insurance premium
  • Insurance escrow for homeowner’s insurance, if being paid as part of the mortgage

Sad but True