Hey everyone! Summer is in Full swing in 2008 and for the first time in some years we decided to take a stab at gardening. The soils in our subdivision are not the best as in most neighborhoods…the top soils were covered by excavated fill from the construction of homes and streets. But here in Bethany, Oregon I was determined we would find a way to get as much out of our 3000 sf back yard as we can. Feeding three boys and paying for Gas in a downward economy is not fun.

So off I went into the backyard with some soil, tools, and nothing but some ideas in my head. It has been a while. But slowly some things started coming back to me and the internet is a big help in times like these. I planted seeds for vine crops like cucumbers, Pumpkins, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, beans, carrots, and corn. We than planted Lettuce, Strawberries, Broccoli, Onions, cantaloupe, and some choice herbs. It was a lot of work… and without a drip irrigation it has been a lot of early mornings watering. It was a slow start in May and I wa slike “oh man nothing is growing”.

The kids helped some; my little guy Kole especially. After all the waiting and watering it happened. The first to come was the lettuce and Broccoli! Man it was and is good. The Romaine Lettuce just keeps coming. I can not begin to eat it all and it is the most hardy. The Broccoli grows so fast that we can’t eat it all. Than came the Sweet Peas and Beans…… now Carrots, Zucchini (Yum with Butter and Garlic), Strawberries which our neighborhood Skunk is eating…oh well he is cute but smelly! The pumpkins are going now and so are the yellow squash and heck the corn is making an effort. We are not getting fat off the food but it is fun.

As we ate Cucumbers we regained something that is often times lost. We regained an appreciation for the earth and what it can do for us and for putting shovel to ground and seeing what can happen. It would be hard to survive this way but on a small scale it is healthy, fun, and rewarding. We are enjoying our garden here in Portland, Oregon this Summer. I want to urge you all to take up some tools and some planter boxes, whiskey barrells, furrows, or even plow up some grass and plant something. This has been fun and next year we are bringing in some better soil and probably going to get better usage by doing planter boxes as rows while efficient are not as productive!

Check out our Pics Here of our Garden so Far:

If you are looking for a great spot to spread out and enjoy your day you will want to check out Arbor Ridge Park in the Arbor Ridge Neighborhood.  This is just South on Laidlaw from the corner of West Union and Laidlaw Roads in Bethany Oregon.  There are a few benches and tables, a nice old school band stand, a large Court for shooting hoops, and a kid splay structire with swings.  You could bring the bikes or ride them there through the extensive trail system that connects all of Bethany!  This is one of the reasons I live here.  This is a really liveable place.  Attched here to you will see three Videos Clips I caught in late April of 2008 on my video phone.  You will see us looking in on a gorgeous Mallard Drake along the bike/ped path, the park itself, and take a ride on a section of the trails.  These are open trails to the entire Bethany Community and one of the reasons that the 800 unit Arbor Ridge Project is so popular!  Homes form $25oK to $500K.  Call us of course if you want a personal tour.  Dirk at 503-799-8383.

This past Sunday was like any other Sunday in Winter in Oregon.  Kind of a dreary, slow moving morning.  I had to work at Noon and so that short span of time I have from 9-11 Am is tough to get much done that allows me and the kids any Fun!  But the sky cleared and as I peered out from my morning 3rd cup I remembered Forest Park.   The Nations second largest City Park was less than a 5 minute drive form my home here in Bethany, Oregon.  My youngest son was out the door even before I could say “Lets go for a hike….”.  And so out we went.

A canteen of water and a PBJ sandwich in hand we hit the car.  A short drive up through the magical mile that is Germantown Road and we were in the deep canopy of Douglas Fir Trees that dominate the Tualatin Mountains.  We went into the west part fo the Park off of NW Skyline and NW Germantown Road and parked at the West trail head extension of the Wildwood trail.  The air was crisp, the the sky blue, the trail well blazed and off we went.  My companion and I than proceeded to spend 2 very special hours together winding our way through a series of steep ravines and valleys under majestic Fir, Cedar, Hundred Year Old Maple which were just starting to wake up from their Winter Nap.   We found stream beds and side trails…saw some birds and squirrels and just had a great time.  This was a lot of fun and also a very easy Hike.  If you have not seen Forest Park or been in it ….you simply must.  It is right above the City of Portland and it stretches for miles to the West.  One of the best parks in America.  We had a great time and Lunch at the trails end never tasted so good.  Just a quick trip and we had a great time.  Here are the pics of that most fun day trip:

Well 2007 is just gone but the memory of a year that started hot and fizzled has left buyers wondering if the Oregon real estate scene is falling or flat.  Seller’s are not sure if they should hang in there and wait or get aggressive and price to sell.  The year that was found most of us not expecting to get caught up in the national price drop phenomenon.

Oregon in general and especially the Portland area and the Tri County region have been strong in the past 5 years.  The National News reports Portland and Seattle and a few other markets like Salem to be among the leading cities in America where price appreciation is still being reported.  In general I agree with this assessment.  This is a great place to live and to do business.  Jobs are here and people are still showing up to the party.

I asked the local manager at the Hillsboro U-Haul if we had any net migration away from here and he said “No-way!”.  The yard there is full of trucks and it is clear people are still coming.  The reality is many of them are not flush with cash.  Even with a good job in hand buyers must have great credit and at leats 3% down payment in most cases to get a home. 

One of the frustrating things as an agent is trying to put these buyers together with a loan that will actually qualify them for a home purchase.  Money was so easy to get just a few short months ago and that has all changed now.  We are seeing the resurgence of some new products and FHA / VA Loan Limits are being raised and we should see that help soon.  The buyers are out there and want to make a move.  Some are watching the homes and trying to gauge the best time.

Sellers are now ready to deal and most have come off prices they were asking in the fall by as mush as 10% and in most cases 1-3% on average.  There are some exceptional deals out there but you have to look.  We are arming our buyers with lots of comps, market trends and data, and daily reports of the best new homes available.  This is really a great time to buy.

But there are signs of a comeback that started in December fo 2007.  January looks to be a good month and our brokerage is seeing a real increase in sales.  With our very tight land supplies, and an Urban Growth Boundary in place that simply prevents sprawl, the best buys will likely go down in the early part of this year.  Wit job growth in Oregon ongoing I see prices getting higher and sales increasing as the year goes along.

 In areas like Bethany and Tigard we see a few very good buys but realistically the number of new homes on the market is very small.  Any up tick will create a situation where there is a shortage again. 

Our message to our buyer clients…..get out and look now and get qualified now!  We can help in all these facets!  Call us today at 503-799-8383 to get started.   2008 is a great year to be a home buyer!

Oregon job gains ease recession worries

Posted by The Oregonian December 17, 2007 11:11AM

Categories: Top Stories

Fears of recession in Oregon diminished Monday as state economists said the state had not only gained jobs in November but also increased employment in October, contrary to earlier reports.

Oregon’s unemployment rate remained flat — at 5.5 percent, for both months — on a seasonally adjusted basis.

David Cooke, an Oregon Employment Department economist, said November’s increase of 7,500 in Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment is significant, especially following the gain of 3,200 jobs in October. Preliminary results for October, based on incomplete data, had shown a loss of 1,400 jobs.

Oregon’s total nonfarm seasonally adjusted employment stood at 1,737,900 last month.

“It really changes our view,” Cooke said. The growth, he said, “indicates that there’s been substantial economic strength in those two months in Oregon’s economy.”

Cooke said that October’s gain, instead of loss, could also change the prognosis of a University of Oregon economic index released last week, which suggested a recession was likely imminent in the state.

Not all the November numbers were positive, however. Retail holiday-related hiring increased, but not by as much as in each of the prior five years. Construction posted a seasonally adjusted job loss of 1,200. But seasonally adjusted employment in the closely watched sector remained above 100,000.

They say we have to make room for 1 million new families and people by the year 2025. We have had a housing shortage for several years. This 6-8 month dip we have been in has brought some great flexibility to this market for the first time since 91-92. Several buyers were in the market in December all asking me…”when should we buy”. They want to buy but the news is just so negative. Well not if your watching. Sales are still ongoing and seller’s are playing with 1-3% of their sales prices to make deals. Underlying this is the continued increase in jobs and a vibrant business economy.

On the one hand we have perception fueled by the media and the gloom and doom. That has created a perception that the entire country is that way. But perception is almost always something different than reality. The reality is that Oregon is in High demand and the mix of tight urban growth boundaries and scarcity of subdivision is still there. There are jobs here. It is a good value and the livability is just the best.

The time to buy is just as the reality begins to change perception. The positive news starting to come out of the Oregon Economic development is just what the Doctor ordered. We are telling our buyers to shop hard and if the right deal is there and you are well employed than jump on it! Now is the time. The best buys will be made between the new year and the first of May.

The fed made some great moves in the past few days and this is adding some confidence back into this market. It is down but it is not staying down. Curious that we are having one of the busiest December’s we have ever had….. in 2007… the down year.

2008 is the year that people will look back and say “I got a great buy that year” or the converse of “We blew it…and should have bought in 2008 in Oregon”. I am not advocating crazy buying but these prices are good if you shop and I do not see that many buyers missing out on this next year. Shop and get the info and buy in early 2008. You can thank me in a year or two when the home is way up!

We moved about one year ago in Early 2007 to our new home in Carlyle Creek.  This home is great and everything is custom.  We really do love it.  But as we were leaving the old home which was in Rock Creek we realized how much we had loved it there.  The home there was a daylight ranch with 3 BR and 2 Baths on the main floor.  The lower level had 2 more bedrooms, another bath, a huge Laundry, and a Huge Lower level FR.  There was a brick wood burning Fireplace there and an Adobe slump block FP on the main.

 The home wa svery cozy with a few modern updates.  We really liked that design.  The lower level was cool in the Summer.  Of course the pool was nice too.  Lots of good times there and the kids all can swim like fish.  That I am thankful for.  We also had some great trails at Bethany Lake Park which you can get to by foot or Bike right there off of Columbia Blvd.  For Golfers there is the Rock creek Country Club right in the neighborhood.  The Holidays were always big in that neighborhood with Christmas and Halloween being big draws.

The main thing I think was that the kids could walk to school as Rock Creek Elementary is right there and so is Westview High School.  The homes are all around 30 years old now and so are the trees.  While leaves are a pain in the fall the whole place just has that mature nicer feel.  Of course the lots are bigger.  So that helps.  Just Minutes from Intel and Nike this is a great place to call home.  If you are looking for a home in AREA 149 and just off US 26, Rock creek is really worth a look!  We miss it there and I would go back ina  heart beat no doubt.