Melinda Peterson Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate Cafe

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity of working with A Realtor's Dream Seller, who is very motivated to list her home for sale in Grants Pass, Oregon. We began by discussing some exterior maintenance items that needed to be addressed (i.e. raking leaves, painting the front door, etc.). Then, we talked about curb appeal and the need for color at the entrance of the home (i.e. suggested some flowering plants).

After moving on to the interior of the home, we chatted about some of the not-so-great features (i.e. dark rooms & hallway, cluttered rooms, closets & counter-tops). Since many home buyers look in closets and drawers when viewing a home, I suggested boxing up the items that have not been used for some time and putting them in storage, and donating unwanted items to a charitable organization. I also suggested knocking out a few kitchen cabinets and securing them to another wall, to open up the space over the breakfast bar and create more light in the kitchen. The seller said she always wanted to do that, but never got around to it.

We agreed that I would come back in a few days, after the seller had time to clean and rearrange a few large pieces of furniture, so we could accessorize and add more color to the interior of the home. Fortunately, this seller is very willing to make the necessary improvements to this home to create a warm and welcoming environment for potential buyers. Here is a video that I shared with this seller, How To Avoid the 10 Biggest Mistakes Home Sellers Make, which is useful information for any homeowner who is considering listing a home for sale.

Southern Oregon - A Gorgeous Palette of Color! Fall is one of my favorite seasons in Southern Oregon. The temperatures are cooler, the leaves on the trees are turning orange, yellow and red, and there is a certain calm in the air.

The Southern Oregon landscape is certainly beautiful year-round. However, this time of year the colors are gorgeous. One of the reasons I moved here from Southern California was to exchange the view of "brown" hills for "green" trees. What I didn't know when I moved here in Spring, was I was in for a fall palette of color in Southern Oregon that was even more beautiful.

There is something about color that ignites our senses. I suppose that could be the reason many advertisers use "red" as the number one color in advertising. I certainly love the color red. Which is the primary reason I used it in my real estate logo, signs, and business cards (hence the red tree background in my personal photo).

Whatever your color preference, Southern Oregon is a wonderful place to visit in the fall or any time of year.

The Buyer who showed up in her Tinkerbell Pajamas! We all know the real estate market is getting a little crazy these days, but when a buyer shows up at escrow to sign closing documents in her pajamas, you know something has really gone haywire!

A certain Grants Pass Oregon real estate agent recently met her client at the Title Company to sign closing docs. The buyer showed up in her pajamas with slippers and all. (I'm not making this up!). When the escrow officer asked the buyer if she brought a certified check for closing funds, the buyer said yes, but could not find the check. After searching for 30 minutes, the buyer called the bank and was informed that it would take a minimum of 3 days to complete a stop-payment on the funds. Mind you, this was already a REALLY difficult real estate transaction and tempers were flaring from on-going problems, delays, etc.

Here's the kicker, while the buyer was on the phone with the bank, a call came into the escrow office from the local Grants Pass, Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Apparently, someone had found the $50,000. certified check and turned it into the DMV. There is a God, and there was a closing!

The picture posted here is a depiction of the pajama buyer, but this is not the actual buyer. Of course, names were not mentioned to protect the sleepy and somewhat innocent pajama buyer :)

I thought I would share the Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils for 2009 that we downloaded for free and some of the other ornate ones we found that we haven't tried yet. Happy pumpkin carving everyone! Stop by office in Grants Pass, Oregon and see our 270 pound pumpkin on display at Real Estate Cafe!

The first one we did was from Celebrating-halloween.com and they have a ton of different free pumpking carving stencils to download from the very simple classic patterns to much more ornate. We just did a classic jackolantern but there were tons to choose from.

Carvingpumpkins.com has some very ornate and pop culture focused stencils. We loved the Michael Jackson but have not attempted it yet since I think we'll need a bigger pumpkin.

Spookmaster.com shares a daily free pumpkin carving stencil. We did the bat which turned out beautifully.

The Better Homes & Gardens website also had a bunch of great free stencils. They are more classics but seem easy to use. I downloaded the ghost for next weekend.

Good luck with your pumpkins and please share any other sites you know about that have more free pumpkin carving stencils available.

Compliments of your local Grants Pass Southern Oregon Realtor - Melinda Peterson - Real Estate Cafe

Going Out on a Limb in Southern Oregon

Out N' About Treesort & Treehouse Institute

By Alexa Meisler, editor of the online travel magazine 52perfectdays.com

Southern Oregon is a beautiful and picturesque area offering Rogue River adventures, wine tastings, the Oregon Caves, Shakespeare Festival and wonderful camping. But did you know, beyond the camp sites, hotels and motels there are unique accommodations where you can literally climb a tree to go to bed? The Out N' About Treehouse's located near Cave Junction, offer more than a step up from traditional camping with their four star Treesort lodging as well as on-site activities such as horseback riding, zip line rides, art classes and full service spa (of course located in a treehouse).

Whether you are looking for a family adventure or an adventure to bring out the kid in you, this is a one of a kind vacation where the fun never stops! The 36-acre property boasts 13 treehouses, horse stables, swimming pool with fresh water pumped from the river, giant swings, ropes and a communal fire pit.

Out N' About is more than just a location to sleep, in fact you might just feel like you have been transported to a page from Swiss Family Robinson. Besides the impressive treehouses, you'll find ropes, tire swings and the longest rope swing I have ever seen, platforms, seven swinging bridges ranging from eight to 32 feet off the ground and from 12 to 90 feet long.

It is almost impossible to gather the kids and resist exploring your inner Tarzan before checking in; but once that is out of the way- it is time to explore! I have never been so excited to see a room. These are truly works of tree art. Decorated in outdoorsy style, rooms offer electricity, windows, bed and bedding, most have platforms or a balcony and all are one of a kind, handmade accommodations.

Exploring the network of bridges that connect many of the tallest treehouses is an adventure in itself. The bridges, made out of wood planks and ropes, test any issues with height and balance, but once you have that mastered, traversing high above the ground turns out to be a lot of fun.

Daily activities include art projects, such as mosaics, scheduled horseback trail riding, and for the daredevils out there- the zip line course. The zip course starts out harmlessly with a short practice zip to learn how to stop yourself, where to place your hands and how to hook and unhook off the line. But before you know it you'll be soaring through the air 650 feet, then for the real fun, climbing 45 feet up a Douglas Fir for the third zip. I am scared of heights, so I don't know how I actually made it to the top, except for the encouragement of the guides. Then a short hike into the woods for the last zip; right through the trees.

Evenings at the resort find many of the treehouse residents around the communal fire pit, preparing dinner in the communal kitchen or at one of the many bbq's, sharing stories of where they are from and how many times they have visited and of course roasting a few marshmallows.

You might expect Out 'n' About to lure mostly families, but there were a surprising number of adult vacationers. It seems that big or small a place like this brings out the kid in all of us.

Out 'n' About Treesort & Treehouse Institute: The treehouses are also open for daily tours and as a stand alone tour is definitely worth a stop.

Tour Hours & Fees: $5.00 per adult and $2.50 per child (12 & under) Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 12pm to 2pm on the hour April through October.

Getting there: From I-5 north take Grants Pass exit 58 or From I-5 south take Grants Pass exit 55. Take Hwy 199 to Cave Junction. South of Cave Junction, take a left on Rockydale Road. Make a left at Waldo Road. Make a right on Takilma Road. Turn left on Page Creek Road. Take gravel road to the end. Please respect the neighborhood by driving slowly. Photos & article provided by By Alexa Meisler, editor of the online travel magazine 52perfectdays.com