Oregon

Rental property can have very stable, respectful and reliable tenants. Portland, OR

Yes, that’s correct! It all depends on product, location and first rate tenant screening. If you don’t have all three, your vacancy rate will be elevated. Let’s discuss product first. We recommend to our students that they furnish their properties with clean functional items, new linens and art work on the walls. What you are creating is an environment that is very pleasing to the tenant, one that not only the renter will look forward to coming home to, but also one, through pictures on flyers, web sites and word of mouth, will attract new inquires. We are all for building and keeping a pipeline.

Many furnished rooms for rent are not clean and be full of old, thread bear chairs, sofas, and soiled mattresses. Would you want to stay any longer than you had to in a place that does not support a good sense of self-esteem? Nicely furnished rooms generate good paying tenants, who stay for long periods.

Our preferred tenant populations normally do not have their own transportation so proximity to public transportation is necessity.

Key to this equation within our system is good tenant screening, which oddly enough does not include credit or traditional background checks. Our tenants are referred to us, so we gain knowledge about them and their history though direct questioning of people who are familiar with each potential tenant individually. We discover personal background information and work experience. This type of screening done systematically will produce good paying renters who stay for long periods creating a stable house.

To discover more about setting up transitional housing, please download our free Ebook from the side bar on our main blog site.

Don't hesitate to contact us with questions. Learn about us. Learn our system. Learn what others have to say about us and our system.

 

If you are wondering how the real estate market has been doing in Hood River County, here's some data going back to Jan 2008. Homes are still moving and from my experience loans have been taking longer. Keep in mind the tax credit for first time buyers has been expanded to include some other buyers. It has been extended into 2010. You must have the home you are purchasing under contract by April 30, 2010 and it must close by June 30, 2010 to qualify.

2008-homes sold in Hood River County

• Jan-10
• Feb-12
• March-12
• April-15
• May-27
• June-13
• July-19
• Aug-17
• Sept-18
• Oct-22
• Nov-12
• Dec-13

2009-homes sold in Hood River County

• Jan-7
• Feb-6
• March-7
• April-10
• May-13
• June-15
• July- 23
  
• Aug- 15
  
• Sept-21
  
• Oct- 12
  
• Nov-16
• Dec-15

As more and more consumers are turning toward FHA loans, a lot of people in the industry are finding out that there are guidelines that are not exactly intuitive.

One of the rules that many Realtors and Loan Officers are not aware of is associated with non-arms length transactions between Buyers and Sellers. For "Identity of Interest" transactions (this is what FHA calls non-arms length transactions) the loan amount is limited to 85% of the lesser of the purchase price or sales price.

When a Buyer is given early occupancy on a purchase, they are effectively a "renter" of the property and the "Identity of Interest" rules may apply. Not all lenders will interpret this event the same but I have heard from Realtors that have had transactions fall apart because of this issue.

In any event, I'd advise against giving early occupancy on FHA transactions. It represents a greater risk to the lender and of course to the Seller as well.

Good luck with your listings and sales and thanks for visiting!

If you’re considering a kitchen remodel, you’ll want to visit the blog of Kit Tosello, kitchen designer, and read her most recent post about kitchen trends for 2010. The National Kitchen & Bath Association reported the styles for 2010 and here’s a summary of what they expect we’ll see:

1. Traditional will continue as the most popular kitchen design style in 2010, with contemporary following closely behind.

2. Cherry will remain the most popular wood for kitchen cabinetry, followed closely by maple, while alder increases in use. Medium natural, dark natural, glazed, and white painted cabinets will all be common while distressed and other colors are on the decline.

3. Ceramic and porcelain tile, as well as natural stone tile, remain popular kitchen flooring options, but hardwood will dominate the kitchen landscape more than ever in 2010.

4. For countertops, granite continues to be the most popular option, but quartz will nearly catch up in popularity. For backsplashes, ceramic or porcelain tile and glass will serve as the primary materials.

5. Standard kitchen faucets will become less standard in 2010 in favor of more convenient models like pull-out faucets and pot filler faucets. Kitchen faucets will most often be finished in brushed nickel, followed by stainless steel, satin nickel, and—surprisingly—polished chrome.

6. French door and freezer-bottom are the two most popular styles of refrigerators, and side-by-side refrigerators remain a popular option. Undercounter wine refrigerators have been recently specified by half of kitchen designers.

7. The tried-and-true range continues to serve as the workhorse for cooking, although the combination of a cooktop and wall oven is beginning to overtake it. Gas will maintain its position as the most popular type of cooktop over electric.

8. Standard dishwashers, with the traditional door that pulls from the top down, will once again be easily the most common type in 2010. However, an increasing number of dishwasher drawers will be installed in kitchens this year for their convenience and their ability to wash small loads of dishes in each drawer, thereby saving water and electricity.

Visit Kit’s blog for more information: http://highdeserthomecompanion.blogspot.com/

Green Homes, Fad Or Fact?

I just attended a Green Home seminar and have some lingering thoughts.

We in Oregon are extremely environmentally conscious. It seems that we attract more "save the earth" type people than most states. This is probably because we are surrounded by such an incredible abundance of nature that it can't be ignored when it's all around you.

In Southern Oregon, we don't have the luxury of getting our electricity from hydro-electric power plants that northern Oregonians have.

We get our electricity from coal powered plants in other states.

Since our winds always blow our pollution to the east, you'd think we wouldn't even care, but we do.

We realize that if we conserve the energy that we use, that we can eventually eliminate a lot of these power plants and reduce the emissions smashing into our atmosphere, but from things I read, it seems that we in Oregon are more concerned about reducing pollution in states to the east of us than those states themselves.

I am curious however, if in other states "going green" is catching on, or is it just a stylish fad?

I remember during the gas shortages of 1972 and 1979 when people didn't care what gas cost, just as long as they could get it, and that's one of the reasons that the worlds' auto makers didn't really get onboard with the fuel savings gig like they should have. Detroit profits a lot more on the larger vehicles, probably to the tune of $15,000 ++ on a vehicle like the Chevy Tahoe, whereas they probably only make $4,000 to $5,000 on a Malibu. Now I'm not talking about the dealer profit, I'm talking about the bottom line profit made by GM once they send it to a dealer. You can see why they have been so slow to respond, and it has taken a lot of external pressure for them to do anything, especially now that we're used to paying around $3 per gallon for gasoline. When gas prices first went up over $2 a gallon, and eventually hit between $3 and $4 per gallon everyone figured that it was all over for the big vehicles. A huge percentage of our population however still feels that it isn't how much you pay per gallon, it's whether or not you can get the fuel in the first place, and they will still buy the biggest and baddest that the automakers can produce. The only atmosphere they are concerned with saving is their own.

Human nature being what it is, I just wonder if that same large segment of our population that is not concerned so much about the price of fuel, but the availability feels the same about purchasing a Green Home.

So, would Green Housing really be popular if it cost a lot more for the home if people know it will be beneficial to the environment?