Chris Toogood

I'm actually busy writing offers, so, I just wanted to post these stats and move on... http://www.somls.com/docs/180%20Day%20Stats%200609.pdf

But, of course, I want to add a few words (it's the Realtor in me) I just want everyone to take a moment (and call me as well) if these statistics don't add up to you. Sometimes they are hard to "read"... I also still feel that even though the market has leveled off there are some great buying opportunities out there. Like wise the inventory is still lower than average and if you are looking to buy now, this is a great time to use a Realtor. The reason is that we know the listings that are not currently on the market, so we can find what's out there, even if it's not listed. Also, all the "For sale by owners" I have approached are willing to work with Realtors. Ask your Realtor to go after "Pocket Listings" and FSBO's!! There could be some hidden gems out there... Good luck and happy hunting.

Actually as I finished this update the April 1st thru June 30th Stats just came out so here is a different view. And rememeber on page #3 is the REPO and ‘Short Sale" statistics. http://www.somls.com/docs/SOMLS%20Residential%20Statistics%20April%201%202009%20through%20June%2030%202009.pdf

Cheers, Chris

This year Ashland's, small town, family friendly, 4th of July event went safely and smoothly. It sounds like everyone had a nice time. This year the parade was video taped and placed on the Chamber of Commerce website for the first time ever. http://www.ashlandhome.us/ They are trying to work on the sound quality and promise next year the sound will be much better. I'm not sure how long this link will stay posted, but I thought it would be nice to watch if you missed the parade.

I really enjoyed being the Head Parade Chairman. This was my first year and luckily I had a ton of help from experienced parade officials from prior years. The parade went smoothly and the only negative comment so far was about a restaurant entry that was about three blocks long and very slow. Oh, and there was another parade entry driving a Porsche too close to the crowd and he scared a few families. But other than that, the whole day went well.

I was definitely ignorant to how much goes into putting on a small town 4th of July Event. We started planning and meeting at the beginning of March. For our town of 20,000 people it took over 100 volunteers and around 40K in sponsorship and donations. There is no 4th of July "fund" and the Chamber of Commerce makes the whole thing happen. The city itself actually doesn't have much to do with it as far as funding and planning. I was amazed and impressed with all the volunteers and folks that helped make it happen. Ashland is a sweet town and I'm proud to live here.

Cheers, Chris

The Ashland and Medford School systems are wonderful. Here is a link for more information about the Ashland Schools. http://www.ashland.k12.or.us/ And, here is the link to all the Medford Elementary and High schools http://www.medford.k12.or.us/ There are several great schools around the Valley; Private and Public alike. Here more links to some private and alternative schools. For example here is a link to St Mary's in Medford http://www.stmarys.medford.or.us/ And then there is the Willow Wind schools http://www.ashland.k12.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=1210

My favorite source for news and information about Ashland and Medford is the Chamber of Commerce websites. Here is the link to the Ashland Chamber of Commerce http://www.ashlandchamber.com/ I am actually an Ambassador to Ashland and attend all the ribbon cuttings for new businesses. This year I am also the Head Parade Chair of the 4th of July Parade. It sounds impressive, but it is actually like being Vice president to anything... I don't have to do that much. Gordon Roda is the Head Chair and over-seer of the whole event... He has the hard job. It has been an eye opening experience for both of us. We had no idea how many volunteers and how much money it takes to throw our cities parade.... Here is the link to the Medford Chamber of commerce. http://www.medfordchamber.com/ Both sites have great "relocation information". But remember for any questions just call me... 541-301-7295. Oh... I almost forgot...the City of Talent now has a nice Chamber of Commerce started...here is their link. http://talentchamber.org/

One of the things that drew me to the area was the recreation around the Valley. And of course our famous Shakespeare theatre Festival http://www.osfashland.org/ And when I first moved here for Southern Oregon University http://www.sou.edu/ I became a ski instructor and Mount Ashland Ski Area http://www.mtashland.com/ The outdoor and recreational activities here are endless and I will continue to post more and more about our great little slice of heaven 'The Rogue Valley'.

Cheers, Chris

I love the phrase that Mark Twain popularised. "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." I believe The Southern Oregon Multiple Listing service truly does their best to keep the stats as accurate as possible. But things can get a bit skewed without anyone trying. Also not having all the information can distort statistics. One statistic comes to mind (not included in the attached statistics) is the percentage of "Final Sales Price" compared to the "Listing Price". For example the average in Ashland right now is 94%. I have noticed that these percentages don't take into account prior "Price Reductions". So the 94% of asking price might actually look like 85% if you took into account the price reductions prior to that home recieving an offer.

Statistics can be diificult to interpret so give me a quick call if you ever have questions about these monthly statisics. (541) 301-7295. I plan to post these stats every month as soon as they become available. May 2009 Sales statistics

The other stat I see in here that might look a bit funny is on the second page bottom "All Homes on Market". It shows all the active listings for May 2009 compared to May 2008. The "Northwest Medford" is a new catagory so it looks like the homes listed increased by 522%. So thats skewed... The more information you have the better off you are when looking at any statistics.

Cheers, Chris