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Marianne Pittard

Gearhart, OR. Real Estate

Gearhart! Where The Mountains Reach The Sea & Your Vacation Lasts Forever!

Forbes magazine recently published an article on America's Most Stressful Cities, which was written by Sara Lynch. Sara utlilized information from several federal agencies to compile her list of cities that have been impacted by everything from poor air quality to unemployment rates & free-falling home values. While some might dispute her ranking of cities, I suggest a solution to those residing in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area which happened to rank # 11 and those who call Portland, Vancouver, Beaverton, OR-WA home and ranked # 14.

Invest in a beach getaway on the beautiful North Oregon coast where living is more than just a day at the beach! Our wonderful locale will provide you with much needed stress relief. Our real estate values have adjusted, and inventory levels remain high, making this the perfect time to purchase a little slice of heaven. What say you on a stress reduction plan that will benefit the whole family!

Real Estate Sales Activity

Amazingly enough, the first time home buyer is driving our market sales for the second year in a row. On average, approximately 3/4 of all real estate sales are concentrated in the $ 200k - $ 300,000 price brackets. The sales are being driven by the first time home buyer tax incentives, the abundant amount of choices & the historically low price points. I recently compiled sales data for the Warrenton, Oregon market place, where prices remain reasonable & new construction option are in abundance. Following, please find a graph that outlines the sales year to date for fiscal 2009



Lawrence Yun, NAR (National Association of Realtors) chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the better. " The recovery is broad-based across many parts of the country. Housing affordability has been at record highs this year with the added stimulus of the first-time buyer tax credit," he said.
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Dare To Soar Award!

Regional Vice President of RE/MAX Pacific Northwest Region, Kevin Northrup recently announced top sales rankings for two RE/MAX brokers from Clatsop County. Marianne Pittard and Bree Phillips, both of RE/MAX River and Sea, placed in the top 10 in Oregon for sales volume in June of this year. Marianne Pittard earned the number 5 spot, with Phillips placing 9th. out of 1,300 RE/MAX Reask Estate brokers in Oregon for that month. "There are certainly many ways to measure success in our profession, but it all comes down to how many sales you close and families that you help," said Northrup. "Although the current economy has greatly impacted the real estate industry, both Marianne & Bree are finding ways to be successful in any market. They continue to demonstrate standards of professional excellence and integrity while building the RE/MAX brand."

RE/MAX River & Sea originally opened 4 years ago with 2-agents in one office. Today, we have two offices (located in Astoria & Gearhart, OR.) & a total of 14 full time real estate agents proudly serving the North Oregon Coast.

Bree Phillips & Marianne Pittard

North Oregon Coast Luxury Homes Sales Data

Luxury Home Sales Trends

According to The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing formulas, the following trends have emerged:

Clatsop, OR. MLS: The average price for a residential luxury home in Clatsop County was: $ 490,000 for the time frame of: 9/25/08 through 9/25/09. This figure is calculated by review of all closed sale for that time frame & represents the top 10% of sale for the market. Anything sold at: $ 500,000 and above would be considered an "upper tier" listing. This number has adjusted significantly from the previous sales cycle of: 9/25/07 through 9/25/08 that reflected a average luxury home sales price of: $ 659,950.

Evidence shows that the economy has had a huge impact on upper tier sales in this resort destination community where purchase of secondary homes drives the marketplace conditions.

Marianne Pittard
RE/MAX River & Sea
Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

I recently found an article that I'd clipped from early last year. Thought with all the New Years Resolutions this would be timely to review.

The survey reinforced a fact that I've always believed to be true. The more home photos used to advertise a property the better! Consider the information that they provided in the survey:

  • A property with a single photo spent 70-days on the market (DOM) on average. In contrast:
  • With six photos, the DOM fell to: 40
  • With 16-19 photos, the DOM was down to 36
  • With 20 photos, the DOM was as low as 32

"And there's more.... Listings with one photo sold for 91.2% of the original price. Compare to listings with six or more photos, which sold for 95% of the original price. Put this information to work for your upcoming marketing & sales efforts" 1.

Net/net, the information is very telling. I personally strive to provide at least 25-quality photos for each listing, trying to avoid smaller bathrooms where possible as their difficult to photograph. I consistently take photos throughout the listing & will replace those of poorer quality & composition. Set a new standard for yourself & you'll rise to the top of your competitive marketplace.

1.Daily Real Estate News, Realtor Magazine Online, RISMedia, Gar Benedick, 4/1/08