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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:

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 Check out the field of Daisies I was in.  This is a neat thing for sure.  Watch my mini broadcast from my new Video Phone!  Look for mor eloacl broadcasts as I am doing a series here at NW Home Center on Neighborhood Parks for oyur enjoyment!  Ciao.

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By Inman News, Monday, March 10, 2008.

RE/MAX Real Estate’s remax.com Web site hopped into second place among the most popular real estate industry Web sites in February, up from its fourth-place ranking in January, Web metrics company Hitwise reported Friday, and real estate marketing company HomeGain bumped from second place in January to fifth place in February.

Century 21 Real Estate’s century21.com and MSN Real Estate’s realestate.msn.com Web sites had the largest jump in ranking among the top-20 real estate category sites, Hitwise reported, based on the total number of unique visitors. Century21.com moved from 16th on the list in January to 10th on the list in February, while realestate.msn.com climbed from 18th in January to 11th in February.

Realtor.com continued its reign at the top of the list, with 5.16 percent of the market share of all unique visitors to real estate sties. But that market share had fallen compared to its 9.08 percent market share in January. Second-place remax.com had 2.61 percent of the market share in February, followed by Yahoo Real Estate’s realestate.yahoo.com at 2.35 percent, Zillow.com at 2.34 percent and HomeGain.com with 2.32 percent.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s hud.gov Web site sank from 10th on the list in January to 14th on the list in February, and Homes.com dropped from 14th in January to 17th in February.

About 24.1 percent of all visits to real estate Web sites went to the top-10 sites in that category in February, compared to 27.4 percent in January.

Hitwise reported that real estate site 21online.com joined the top-100 rankings in February, in 87th place, and Cincinnati.com also joined the list, rising from 110th in January to 95th in February. Rentals.realtor.com moved from 34th in January to 153rd place in the rankings in February, while RedWeek.com moved from 99th in January to 107th in February.

“Realtor.com” was the most popular search term for the four-week period ending Feb. 23, Hitwise reported, followed by “remax,” “real estate,” “zillow.com,” “zillow,” “apartments,” “homes for sale,” “realtor.com,” “century21,” and “realtor,” in that order.

Among the fastest-moving Web sites tracked by Hitwise for the four months ending in February: RogerFazendin.com, up 266 places; SonoranGMAC.com, up 180 places; SignOnSanDiego.com, up 161 places; HomeInsight.com, up 146 places; Myazland.com, up 129 places; PruCalifornia.com, up 113 places; RealEstateForeclosures.net, up 85 places, CapeMay.FNISMLS.com, up 58 places; and CarlsonRE.com, up 39 places.

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An economic impact study conducted by NAR in January 2008 estimated that increasing the GSEs’ conforming loan limits would result in as many as 500,000 refinanced loans and could help reduce foreclosures by as much as 210,000. In addition, over 300,000 additional home sales could be generated, housing inventory would be reduced and home prices would be strengthened by two to three percentage points.

HUD was mandated in the Economic Stimulus Act to publish new loan limits within 30 days of the bill’s signing by President Bush on February 13. This is going to stimulate the lower end and in many Communities that crucial move up market that allows the log jam of home equity to get moving once again. I strongly urge any of you that may have been denied access to credit to come back to the table and meet with us and one of our preferred Lenders to get things moving again.

There has never been a better time to buy in recent memory. Rates are Great and now we have this new Loan Limit increase and access to funds! Prices…well prices are off the hook and we have some awesome buys for people right now!

Call us and lets take advantage of this Market together!

Best wishes;

Dirk Knudsen

Re\Max Metro

503-799-8383

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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:

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U.S. real estate a ‘bargain’ for foreign buyers

Many paying cash as dollar falls in value

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

By Tom Kelly
Inman News

Two years ago, while attending a home-builder convention in Orlando, Fla., a top-producing local real estate agent was bubbling over the interior design features of a vacation home.

“All of my international buyers are just going to love this,” the agent said. “I can’t wait to tell them what’s now available.”

I was intrigued. How many international buyers did she have?

It turned out that more than 60 percent of the agent’s clients were buyers from overseas. And, she is not the only real estate professional cultivating the foreign market. According to the National Association of Realtors, 65 percent of Florida Realtors had at least one international customer, and the trade group’s “Profile of International Home Buying Activity” indicated that at least 7 percent of home sales in Florida were to foreign purchasers.

“When you consider how the U.S. dollar has slid in value compared to other international currencies, you begin to understand why investors are purchasing real estate in this country,” said Mitch Creekmore, senior vice president of Stewart Title Co. “Real estate prices here are a bargain compared to many areas in western Europe and Asia.”

The currency environment probably played a major role in the proportion of foreign buyers who paid cash for their homes. The cash group (28 percent) was much greater than that of the general U.S. home buyer population (8 percent). In addition, international buyers who can afford a home abroad often are from wealthier households with higher monthly incomes and cash reserves. Also, the tax benefits of mortgage-interest deductions may not apply — depending on the buyer’s home country’s tax code — which lowers the incentive to take out a mortgage.

Buyers come from around the world to buy different types of properties at various prices. They plan on using the U.S. property for different reasons. Here are some common factors from NAR:

• The typical international buyer purchased a single-family home or townhouse. The primar

see the rest of this story here:  http://www.inman.com/hstory.aspx?ID=65870

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Fed’s interest-rate cuts will benefit ARM, HELOC borrowers

Effect on long-term rates remains to be seen

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

By Matt Carter
Inman News

The unscheduled and dramatic cut in short-term interest rates announced today by the Federal Reserve will provide immediate relief for borrowers with home-equity loans or facing interest-rate resets, mortgage market experts say.

But long-term rates — which were at 2 1/2-year lows before today’s 75-basis-point reduction in the discount rate and the target for the federal funds overnight rate — could move in the other direction if bond market investors get nervous about inflation.

For now, the Fed seems to have decided that the threat of a recession far outweighs the risk of inflation, making in a single day cuts in short-term rates some observers had expected would be stretched out over months.

“Just a few weeks ago, the consensus was that the Fed would cut no more than 75 basis points, and 3.25 percent would be trough,” said Freddie Mac’s chief economist Frank Nothaft. “We’re there already. So are we at the low point? It’s really hard to say.”

Nothaft said the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee could cut rates again when it holds its scheduled meeting Jan. 29-30. Or its members may want to wait and see how to today’s dramatic move affects economic indicators.

The rate cuts are “certainly good news for people who have mortgages, or are shopping for a mortgage,” Nothaft said. For those with adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) indexed to the prime rate or home-equity lines of credit (HELOC) loans, “this shows up right away in terms of lower interest rates,” as banks follow suit and lower the prime rate to 6.5 percent. For ARM borrowers facing interest-rate resets, Nothaft said, that translates into a smaller increase in payments, and “maybe even a decline.”

Get the rest fo the story: http://www.inman.com/hstory.aspx?ID=65863

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Philosophical question: Is the American Dream advantageous or detrimental?

We’ve been getting more and more “How do I buy foreclosures?” and “Can I really buy with no money down?” questions caused partly by late night infomercials. The entire financial and housing crisis we are facing is based on the American Dream of buying your own home. Have scams over taken opportunities? Discuss…

And here is my response and I hope you like it!

“I hope the Dream is alive. Everybody should own a home. I think the dream got blown out of proportion and we are a “Bigger and Better” generation. The dream of course was partly based upon ownership of land and property.

The Puritans never had that right and so coming to this country was all about LAND and Free land at that. That drove the American people for about 300 years right? Now the problem is that the Dream has turned into a nightmare for many. It really has.

But I believe that even the people that have just lost homes are already Dreaming and thinking of their next home. From the standpoint that we all want a place to call home and to someday own that home and not have to pay money to the bank….I say yes. It is alive and advantageous.

From a tax perspective the American Dream is alive. From the standpoint of loving your property and going to Home Depot and feeling good about painting a new little girls room Pink….the dream is alive and I consider that a big advantage. From an investment standpoint it is still alive. Real Estate historically has been the most stable and sound investment anyone could have made in this country.

Looking at this market you might say it was all for not. We were bound to have a down market and correction at some point. But if you do not have to sell you do not have to worry. For the vast majority of Americans the Dream is alive and still offer all of the advantages that it has always offered.

The disadvantage if any is the fact that a few are getting hurt now. That is a sad thing. I think that we all want and tend to buy more than we need right?

I am reading Thoreau’s “Walden” and he speaks out against this very idea ….that we have to Own things. He lives in a small shack, lives off the land, works only for his food and barters and trades for everything else. Whatever he can not carry on his back he does not have or want. And he rails against the New England framers who trade their lives for their homes…. and he points out that it is all pointless and rooted in mis-guided goals and principles.

You know in many ways he was right. and maybe in his view the dream is dead and misguided. But for most of us we want to own. We refuse to be serfs and indentured servants living on the Lords fiefdom. No. We want our own castle and our own Kingdom and it exists within a 50 x 100 lot, 4 walls, 200 yards of carpet and a Cherry Stair Railing.

This market will never kill the dream. Americans are fighters and I am betting they all will keep the dream alive. There are too many good things to be gained.

Good question…Thanks!

Dirk T Knudsen
ReMax Hall of Fame
#1 Rated ReMax team in Oregon
“The Real Estate Doctor”

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Here is a good Map to consider for Rock Creek, Oregon homes:

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As I have compiled these reports each month, the month-over-month changes to the average and median sale prices has become smaller and smaller. In some market areas, the median did not change appreciably over the past 3 or 4 months.

Areas relying on high amounts of new construction growth showed the smallest gains (Happy Valley, City Center, Oregon City/Canby, and Beaverton/Aloha.

Lake Oswego/West Linn, Northeast & Southeast Portland, plus Yamhill and Columbia Counties were among the stronger markets.

Below are the December 2007 results for year-to-date average and median sale prices, appreciation, and time on market (or DOM*).

Area	YTD Avg. Sale Price	YTD Median Sale Price	12-Mo. Appreciation	DOM
Lake Oswego / West Linn	$567,900	$465,000	7.8%	66
West Portland	$468,100	$379,700	3.6%	80
NW Washington County	$419,400	$385,000	5.4%	75
Tigard / Tualatin / Sherwood / Wilsonville	$374,700	$339,900	5.3%	84
Milwaukie / Clackamas	$334,200	$300,000	-5.4%	79
Oregon City / Canby	$329,600	$303,000	1.2%	79
Northeast Portland	$321,600	$283,000	6.4%	60
Hillsboro / Forest Grove	$297,900	$270,000	5.5%	68
Beaverton / Aloha	$286,500	$260,000	3.4%	56
Southeast Portland	$285,500	$250,000	7.1%	62
Yamhill County	$281,600	$247,500	6.1%	138
Gresham / Troutdale	$281,900	$259,900	6.3%	89
North Portland	$266,600	$253,500	8.5%	55
Columbia County	$254,000	$240,000	11.6%	105

Source: RMLS, January 2008.
* Note: DOM or days on market may exhibit reporting inconsistencies and should be used to analyze trends only.

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Steady Growth in Portland Real Estate

Portland, Oregon real estate offers stability and affordability

Published on: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Written by: Melana Yanos

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Real estate in Portland, Ore., is arguably one of the West Coast’s best-kept secrets. In addition to ski resorts and coastal areas within driving distance, Portland real estate has median housing prices more affordable than most other major cities in the Western U.S. What investors find to be most remarkable about the real estate market in Portland, however, is the fact that it is growing, in spite of the subprime disaster sweeping the country. Its hardy performance begs the question: What exactly makes Portland so special?

A “softer landing”

“Portland’s [real estate] market did not have the massive appreciation that some of the markets that are hurting now did,” Charles Turner of Prudential Northwest Properties, and author of PortlandRealEstateBlog.com, said. “The result is that [the market] has experienced a much softer landing.”
 
And, unlike housing bubbles that eventually popped in other major U.S. cities, growth in Portland’s real estate market has been largely contingent on population and employment, Max Sinclair, a real estate broker and Realtor who specializes in luxury and investment properties in Portland area, said. This has lent itself to steady growth in Portland, in spite of a potential national recession.

“Oregon has one of the lowest foreclosure rates in the country,” Sinclair said. “The market [should] continue at a steady rate of growth of 5 to 7 percent during the economic recovery period.”

Impressive job growth in Portland is likely to maintain a healthy flow of residents to the Portland area. A recent projection by the Oregon Employment Department estimated an increase of 240,000 jobs over the next decade—an increase of 14 percent compared to the last 10 years, Sinclair said. Furthermore, it appears that Portland is becoming an alternate hub for technological companies in California.

“Intel has some of its biggest plants in Hillsboro, a suburb of Portland, [and] Yahoo! also selected Portland for its customer service center,” Sinclair said.

Portland authorities limit the number of developments in the metro area

Growing demand for Portland real estate is compounded by a limited supply of properties within the city. This is because local authorities maintain some measure of control over real estate inventory by limiting the number of allowable property developments within the metropolitan area.As a result of enforcing an urban growth boundary, “Portland [is] in a better position to weather the ups and downs of real estate investment over the long run,” Sinclair said.

In addition, Portland presents an affordable option for real estate investment in the western region of the U.S. The median cost of housing in Portland is $283,000, according to the most recently published NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index for 2007; this is a great deal cheaper than the median price in its larger Pacific Northwest counterpart, Seattle, which is estimated at $380,000. The difference is even more dramatic when comparing Portland with major cities in California; median home prices in Los Angeles and San Francisco are $515,000 and $770,000, respectively.

Predictions for a buyer’s market

GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE:

http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/steady-growth-in-portland-real-estate-51406.aspx

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