Helen Hoyt

It's gorgeous! I used to visit Portland , going to Cannon Beach from Seattle- and going along Highway 26 through the farmland was the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen in all my travels! I always wanted to live here- and finally do! I have lived in the Portland area for since 1993. You are just an hour and a half from the breathtaking Oregon Coast- if you go up along 26 or hwy 30, it takes you north west to Cannon Beach, Seaside and Astoria- each one with it's own unique flavor and personality. If you go south along 99W, it takes you south west to Lincoln City , Newport , Pacific City and Sand Lakes- each of them as different from each other as they are from the northern towns. You can also take Highway 30 to the coast from Portland- and it goes along the Columbia River through the sleepy little towns of St Helens, Rainier and Warren ending up in Astoria and the huge bridge that goes over the Columbia River to Washington State .

If you go an hour east, you can be up in the mountains skiing or snow boarding on Mt Hood at 7000 feet, and if you take 26 a little bit farther, you will end up in the high desert and you can go on to Mt Bachelor and Sun River.

If you go along the Columbia River on I-84, through the spectacular Columbia River Gorge- past Multnomah Falls and the other 7 waterfalls- out to Hood River, a windsurfing capitol. Just a little farther on a flat highway, and you will be in the desert-at The Dalles- away from any clouds or rain that bother the western part of Oregon . I am writing an Oregon Guide with links and descriptions of some of my favorite places. Click here to go to it!

The city of Portland is awesome too. It is historic- I remember studying about it in the third grade..The Oregon Trail ! The Willamette Valley ! It is a beautiful city full of historic old houses with characters, and neighborhoods full of big trees. The city has had a rebirth over the last 5 years- all over the city you can hear hammers ringing out as the houses are restored and reborn! Little neighborhood cafes, whole food markets, and shops are popping up all over- people are out riding their bikes, walking and taking the Max, the streetcar and the buses. There are so many different neighborhoods with so many personalities. That is why I wrote my neighborhood guide, so you can read and search about the different neighborhoods and find the one that fits your personality, lifestyle and future goals. Cruise through the Neighborhood Guide. It's really detailed and full of maps,

There are 10 bridges that go across the river- Here they are in order from South to North:

The Sellwood Bridge connects Sellwood to John's Landing. Sellwood is an artsy area with a cool nature preserve called Oaks Bottom. John's Landing is the farthest north of the west city, and has Willamette Park- a huge park with boat launch, trail into the city, sports fields etc

The Ross Island Bridge is really Highway 26 that goes from the Oregon Coast up across Mt Hood. It's the best way to get from east to west. It usually runs pretty smoothly and quickly!

The Marquam Bridge is the Interstate 5 bridge- which goes across between Ross Island and Hawthorne, although you don't get on it either place!

The Hawthorne Bridge connects Front Street in SW Portland to the east side, taking you across to the Hawthorne Shopping District- which is full of cool old homes and trendy shops and restaurants,
The Morrison Bridge also goes from Front Street in downtown across and ends up running through the industrial area on the east side, then through Buckman and finally into the Sunnyside neighborhood- a really good residential area full of cool old homes.

The Burnside Bridge is next, connecting the Center of downtown- Chinatown area- at the dividing point of north and south--to the Lloyd Center area,

The Steel Bridge connects the Pearl District, NW downtown area to the Industrial area, Convention Center, Coliseum, Rose Garden area and the East Side Esplanade- which is a really cool floating walk-jog-bike trail that goes along the river. I've ridden on it, starting at Willamette Park -going through the city... right through the big fountain on Front Street- across the Steel Bridge, down the Floating Esplanade and back over the Hawthorne Bridge and back to John's Landing. It's an awesome ride!! The Max also goes across the Steele Bridge.

The Broadway Bridge connects Pearl District to E Broadway, which is s cool shopping District that borders Irvington.

The last bridge is the 405 Bridge which goes from Interstate 5 on the west side, through the west city and across the river- ending up on Fremont.

The St John's Bridge is the last bridge is quite a bit north- along highway 30 going towards Scappoose. It is a gorgeous historic bridge that has just finished extensive repairs- It links North Portland to the NW downtown area - just 10 minutes from downtown NW Portland.

Learn more about Portland Oregon and why you might want to buy a house there- Read my Free, all inclusive, online Portland Neighborhood Guide-It gives detailed descriptions of all the Portland Neighborhoods and towns around Portland with photos, maps, collages, history and links to parks, trails, schools, and more! The Portland Welcoming Committee in Pioneer Square gives out my website to people because they say it is the best guide to Portland neighborhoods!

Go to http://www.portlandcreativerealtors.com/main_Portland_neighborhood_guide.php

When you are in the close in city of Portland, the market is still good. It has gone down quite a bit since last year, but houses are still selling- and if something is priced a little low, it many times will still get multiple offers.

When I say close into the city oh the east side, I mean in some of the good NE, SE and N neighborhoods, like Overlook, Irvington, Alameda, Hawthorne, Sellwood, Westmoreland, Eastmoreland, Woodstock,Sunnyside etc. Once you get out past these neighborhoods, prices are pretty low and you can get a really good deal! When I say Close-in on the west side, I mean anything that is closer than 50th to 60th-the northern areas are higher priced because they are closer to downtown.

There are 20 bank owned single family homes in SW/NW Portland from $172000 to over $1,300,000! There are 71 Short Sales advertised- from $189,000 to $900,000.

In NE Portland, there are 124 Short Sales advertised- from $124000 up to $650000. There are 47 bank owned homes from $67000 up to $640000.

In SE Portland there are 64 Bank Owned homes from $84000 up to $450000. There are 200 Short Sales from $75000 up to $595000

In N Portland there are 36 short sales advertised, from $96000 up to $319000. There are 11 bank owned from $69000 to $228000.

If you are wondering what the difference is between Short Sale and Bank Owned, it is this:

A Short Sale means that the bank has to take a Short- in other words, cannot get back all the money it lended to the seller, because the house is worth less than the seller owes. There are lots of Short Sales going on right now because banks were not very careful in their lending practices and appraisals- so they lent out way more money than many houses were worth. Now they have to take a loss. Sometimes the house really was worth more, sometimes it wasn't. Just because it is a Short Sale, doesn't necessarily mean you are going to get a good deal. You have to know the market and know what the comps are to be sure. That's why having a good realtor helping you is so important! They can get the comps for you so you know what the house is really worth before you make an offer.

A Bank Owned home has already gone through foreclosure- and now the bank owns it. The bank has already taken a short...if it had to, and is just trying to get rid of it. Bank owned houses can sometimes be the best deals of all! But again, you have to know what the comps are to be sure!

If you want to learn more about Short Sales, or about Portland or any of the other areas around the Portland Metro area- go to my website and you can click on my Portland Neighborhood Guide and read an in-depth all inclusive guide to the whole Portland Metro area- with maps, links, photos, trails, parks, schools and more for each of the little neighborhoods of the inner city- plus the suburbs!

If you want help learning about Short Sales and how to find them, just email me or call me. I'd love to help you search for your next house- I'll teach you about the different areas of Portland, about Short Sales or Bank owned homes, or anything else you need a professional realtor to help you with! I sell all kinds of houses all over the Portland Metro area- and have for over 10 years!

I am Short Sale Certified, which is important if you are trying to look at Short Sales and Bank Owned homes - because Short Sales are hard to close- you have to know what you are doing- so many of them just time out and foreclose!

I'd love to help you in whatever your real estate needs are! Just contact me, and we can get started!

See my Portland Neighborhood Guide to learn more about where these neighborhoods are. Just go to PortlandCreativeRealtors.com