The Science of Real Estate
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I may be jumping the gun a little with this blog, but I’m excited about a personal project I’ve got going on and wanted to share how it came to life and where we’re at with it.
This will be a 2, possibly 3 part blog. I swear I’m not trying to pull an “Avengers: Infinity War” here (my partner was shocked at the cliff-hanger ending. He may have been the only one in America that was!)
Let me give you some background:
Have you heard/seen the acronym “ADU” and wondered what it meant, but were just too laz… I mean, busy… to pull out your mobile long enough to Google it?
Then here’s the definition you’ve been waiting for:
ADU = Accessory Dwelling Unit
This is a secondary housing unit on a single family residential lot (technically you can have one on a commercial lot but they still have to be subservient to a residential unit).
End of blog, what more do you need to know, right?
Well, if you have any interest whatsoever in building an attached/detached ADU, or converting existing space (like a basement, attic, or garage) into an ADU, or buying/selling a home with something on it that seems like an ADU… then there is A LOT more to know.
If you’ve never heard of nor used Portland Maps (which we will from this point forward just refer to as Portlandmaps.com, because that’s what everyone calls it), then you are in for a treat today!!!
Okay, that might be overstating it just a bit. But, I will be going into some detail explaining a few important pieces of information you can find using this tool (which is free, accessible for everyone, and relatively easy to navigate). I’ll also mention a few other handy websites that work for residents all around the metro. All together, these make for some powerful tools in your toolbelt.
Even if you don’t read this full blog article, go ahead and bookmark it, favorite it, share it, make a note, screenshot it, or somethin’, because it’ll come in handy at some point!
My latest blog covers two related topics: the pending state-wide rent control legislation and development going on in the city of Portland. Even though these topics might seem a little dry, they literally could impact every single person in the city of Portland, either directly or indirectly, whether you are a renter or a home owner, along with many people throughout the state.
The market as a whole always slows down in winter, but residential inventory has risen dramatically in the past month. There are lots of reasons for that… seasonality, a re-balancing of the market, affordability, etc.
What’s notable is that quite a few former rentals are going on the market, or will be soon, which is likely a “straw that broke the camel’s back” reaction by landlord-investors to a bill that recently passed the Oregon Senate and is now being considered by the House.
I mentioned on my last blog that lots of changes have been happening, and again I apologize for not blogging as much as I used to… I am determined to get back to regularly writing about important, much beloved topics such as cesspools and contingencies. (Stay tuned for my Rent Control and Development Blog.)
I haven’t written a blog in a while! To my ones of erstwhile readers, my sincerest apologies.
Late 2018 brought on lots of change for my household in the form of 2 puppies and the beginning of a major remodeling project, which I’ll write more about once we’ve actually broken ground, so stay tuned.
That wasn’t the only reason for the hiatus. In addition to my regular real estate activity (and last year was bustling!), I’ve been working on launching a brand new home search platform and website that will offer some great tools for active home buyers, window shoppers, prospective sellers, and home owners that like to keep up with their neighborhoods. Hopefully that will be coming very soon, so stay tuned for that, too!
For right now, it’s time to talk about the real estate market, and see some puppy pictures. All my conversations lately revolve around these two subjects, so it’s just about all I can write about!
It’s a sensitive subject. And I mean that literally. When I walk into a smelly home my eyes start to water, my nose goes on overdrive, and a blasting headache begins to form behind one, sometimes both, of my eyes.
I’ve been told that I have a '“super-sniffer”. I once got hit in the face with the smell of cat pee as soon as I opened the door of a condo. My buyers didn’t even notice until I made a casual comment about it, and even then they had to really stop and take it in.
I don’t think my sense of smell is THAT good, but my gauge might be skewed from watching Gus on the show Psych use HIS super-sniffer to fight crime. He gets this ability genetically from his parents. Okay, clearly I’ve watched a little too much of this show, but if you haven’t seen it, then check it out on Amazon Prime, because it’s 8 seasons of AWESOME (you can skip “Psych: The Movie”, but don’t skip “Psych: The Musical”).
Just in time for (almost) autumn, let's take a look at what's really happening in the Portland metro area. This is a big report, so go grab a pumpkin spice latte and let's get to it!
We've been suffering (or enjoying, depending on your point of view) from a very low inventory residential real estate market for years. This has been great for home sellers that weren't also looking to buy, but not so great for home buyers, especially first time home buyers. It hasn't been fun for renters, either.
Well, the times they are a-changin'. But, maybe not as much as some headlines might have you believe... Let's take a reasonably deep dive into what's going on.
I was able to find a spare couple of hours to stop by the Street of Dreams on Realtor Day. It was a super comfortable 1258 degrees outside that day...
It just happens to be in Hillsboro this year, and there is a very good reason for that location.
What was once a large 1400 acre tract of farmland (known as the historic Ladd-Reed farm) is now "South Hillsboro", the largest master planned development in Oregon history.
Dual-agency.
This is a divisive term in the world of real estate.
Some agents will happily represent both the buyer and the seller on a transaction. Some agents are vehemently against it and believe there is no way to adequately and fairly represent both parties. Other agents will only consider it in non-multiple offer situations. Other agents foam at the mouth and bend over backwards to try to find "double-ended deals".
As long as it's allowed, I think it will always be up for debate. But, the most important thing that I always keep in mind is: what's best for the client(s)?
