Patrick Krause - Real Estate Broker/Investor/Developer

Homes For Sale In Lake Oswego

The inventory of homes for sale in Lake Oswego varies quite dramatically in both architecture and price range. While the selection of homes for sale in Lake Oswego obviously changes regularly, you typically can find anything from a condo in the mid $100s to a tremendous estate that exceeds $10 million.

Having such an array of options can be a blessing and a curse. I have designed a web site called Metro Market News which will help you sort through the wide selection of homes for sale in Lake Oswego and there are a few categories and strategies that you can use to narrow down your Search:

Homes For Sale In Lake Oswego - Zip Code/Lake Side/School District

The city of Lake Oswego has been primarily developed around the Lake and it is pretty much split in half by either zip code: 97034 and 97035 and/or the North Shore and South Shore of the Lake. The school districts are also impacted by that dynamic (i.e. Lakeridge HS serves the south shore (97034) and Lake Oswego HS serves the north shore (97035)). Hence, you can customize your search for homes for sale in Lake Oswego by using the zip code, lake side and/or school district.

Homes For Sale In Lake Oswego - Neighborhood

There are too many neighborhoods in Lake Oswego to list here but a solid knowledge of them will definitely help you determine the area of town that best suits your needs. For instance, First Addition is an eclectic neighborhood that is generally comprised of cozy cottages that possess old world charm whereas Rolling Hills is a fairly new development with larger homes and more contemporary features (although you can find new construction in certain areas of First Addition too). Feel free to contact me for more information about all of the neighborhoods in Lake Oswego or you can search the entire MLS database to see ALL of the homes for sale in Lake Oswego by clicking HERE.

Homes For Sale In Lake Oswego - Style and Price Range

There are several styles and price ranges of homes and it can get overwhelming at times when you are trying to find your next home amongst all of the available data but I recommend searching within a rice range first and then trimming the list further by looking at all of the styles that suit your needs. Metro Market News has a wide selection of search fields that you can select that is also integrated with a mapping system which is tied directly to the MLS database. You can also take it one step further and direct the site to email you everything that fits your parameters as the new listings hit the market. That way you won’t miss anything!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding homes for sale in Lake Oswego!

First Addition

First Addition is a charming cottage community that is located near the heart of Downtown Lake Oswego. Many of the residences in First Addition were originally constructed as vacation homes in the early 1900’s. Since then, there has been a gradual trend to either refurbish the older houses or to demolish some of the existing homes and construct new ones. The City of Lake Oswego has strict design requirements for development in First Addition so that the Old World charm is maintained.

The streets in First Addition are arranged alphabetically starting from A Avenue moving northward and they are arranged numerically starting with 1st Street moving westward. Consequently, First Addition is very easy to navigate since the grid system allows any property to be located by virtue of its position within the neighborhood (i.e. the library is located near the corner of 4th Street and D Avenue).

One of the primary attributes that makes First Addition such a desirable neighborhood is the fact that it is so close to everything that people use and visit every day. Restaurants, shopping, schools, parks, banks, the post office and public transportation are just blocks away! Not to mention the fact that First Addition is also located just a few hundred yards from the Lake and the Willamette River!

Some other outstanding characteristics of First Addition include the architecture and it’s “village” vibe. The eclectic nature of both the zoning and the age and styles of the buildings tends to make you feel as if you are on vacation even though Portland’s city center is just eight (8) miles away! Many of the newer commercial buildings have a design and feel that you might see in Telluride or Whistler Village and they are often juxtaposed to, and blended with, traditional style cottages and buildings. Hence, the potpourri of style, zoning and use is not only great to look at but it also allows you to walk your dog, grab a cup of coffee at the neighborhood cafe, pick some things up at the store, hit the bank and the post office without even getting in your car!

First Addition is also very close to Tryon Creek State Park which boasts 670 acres of forest space that includes miles of hiking and biking trails, over 50 species of birds and wildlife and an incredible Nature Center.

In sum, First Addition is truly an extraordinary place to live and visit. Its close proximity to the wide variety of amenities and attractions is virtually unmatched and it’s style and “vibe” is second to none. For more information on homes that are available in First Addition click HERE.

Lake Oswego Schools

The Lake Oswego schools are clearly some of the best in the entire Portland Metro area.

The test scores for kids that attend Lake Oswego schools consistently exceed the national average and in many cases they are exceptional. The elementary schools are conveniently located throughout the city and the class sizes are small enough to allow for the necessary attention to detail to prepare students for high school.

All of the Lake Oswego schools are clean and well maintained. If you were to tour each one of the Lake Oswego schools it would become evident that the funds, time and effort are being very well spent.

Lake Oswego schools also excel in sports. Many teams in youth athletics around the city practice and play their games at the Lake Oswego schools as well as at local parks. Moreover, Lakeridge High School and Lake Oswego High School are routinely competing for the top rankings in nearly all sports.

MetroMarketNews.com is an excellent site about the Portland Metro area and it has a very informative section of the site that is dedicated to Lake Oswego. Part of the page has almost everything that you would want to know about Lake Oswego Schools including a downloadable map of the entire school district for the city. More information about Lake Oswego and Lake Oswego schools can be found by clicking HERE.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Patrick Krause

Owner/Principal Broker

Soldera Properties

503.807.4430

pk@patrickkrause.com

Restaurants in Westmoreland

The restaurants in Westmoreland are very eclectic, conveniently located and they offer a wide variety of cuisine and price points. Moreover, unlike many other small communities, you can find breakfast, lunch and dinner on the menus of many of restaurants in Westmoreland. Nothing is worse than seeing that CLOSED sign in the window when you are craving a delicious hot breakfast!

In fact, some of the restaurants in Westmoreland even specialize in delicious breakfasts! I recommend the Breakfast Burrito at the Fat Alberts. Author's note: even though it is technically not one of the restaurants in Westmoreland, The Original Hotcake House is just a few minutes away from Westmoreland and it is also an excellent place to have breakfast.

Ok...enough about breakfast, let's get down to business and talk about lunch and dinner. For such a small area, you will be amazed at the variety and the quality of the food that is available at the restaurants in Westmoreland. Whether it is great Mexican food, amazing sushi, delicious Italian food or just a down home cheese steak sandwich, the restaurants in Westmoreland will not disappoint!

Remember the Seinfeld episode that described that soup restaurant that seemed to always have a line because the food was so delicious? Well, one of the restaurants in Westmoreland has sushi that is so fantastic that there is often a line out the door! If you like sushi, you must visit Saburo’s. Iron Horse on Milwaukie Blvd has some of the best Mexican food in the area, for breakfast/lunch/dinner and fabulous deserts (I recommend the Baccone Dolce) you must visit Papa Haydn and there is nothing like having a hot thin slice of New York style pizza at Pizzacato!

In short, you will find that the restaurants in Westmoreland have nearly everything that you can expect and/or need! Please feel free to contact me for further recommendations!

-Patrick Krause

Condos in Westmoreland

The condos in Westmoreland are relatively new compared to the rest of the residential structures in the area. Westmoreland is primarily comprised of charming cottages and bungalows from the early 1900's. Most of the zoning in Westmoreland is designed for single family residential homes however there are some areas that have recently been re-zoned for higher density in an effort to accommodate the continued influx of people who are moving to the area. Consequently, most of the condos in Westmoreland are newer than the single family homes in the neighborhood.

For many locals, the mere idea of condos in Westmoreland seems peculiar since the neighborhood is known for it's traditional charm. However, there is an increasing demand for condos in Westmoreland because of the neighborhood's close proximity to downtown Portland, public transportation, parks, restaurants, shopping and more. Many potential buyers are looking for all of the aforementioned attributes but they do not want to keep up an older house with a yard. Such people often end up buying one of the condos in Westmoreland.

The architecture for many of the condos in Westmoreland varies from the contemporary style that you might see in Dwell magazine to the Northwest craftsman style of The Crosswater Condominiums. There are also condos in Westmoreland that look similar to row houses.

Some of the condos in Westmoreland have retail space on the main level with the residential units on the upper levels. This type of concept is becoming more popular because the building can more easily blend in with adjacent commercial properties on a busy street and the residents have the convenience of being close to the businesses but since their units are located above the commercial spaces and traffic, they are not as negatively impacted as they would be if they lived on the street level.

CLICK HERE for a list of all of the available condos in Westmoreland.