Hey you! Click over to my NEW website! Right NOW!!!

So, I have a new fancy-schmancy real estate website.  Go there.  Right now.  You’ll love it.  It is fancy AND schmancy.  Oh, and you can very easily search for homes all over the Portland-Vancouver area.  You can even register your account and get alerts on new properties that match your search.  It is pretty awesome.  It is even optimized for mobile, so you can look at it when you are out and about.  Don’t think I’m legit?  I even have a bunch of testimonials from past clients.  Come on…just click on over.

How is the Real Estate Market? September 2012 Edition

Go read all about it at my brand-spanking new website!

I’ve been a bit silent here on the blog lately.  This is partly due to the fact that I’ve been so busy with my clients.  So, does that answer the question, “How is the real estate market?”  Not exactly.

As a Realtor, I get asked that question ALL the time.  Sometimes it is just conversation filler, but most of the time people really want to know.  Over the past decade or so, the so-called health of the real estate market has come to represent the so-called health of the overall economy.

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Oh, And Yes, Selling Your House is Also Stressful

Read all about it at my jaw-droppingly good new website!

On my last post, I wrote about all the stress points in the process of buying a home.  Well, if you thought selling a home was a walk in the park, you’re wrong.  It is also quite stressful, but from a different vantage point.  Here are some of the stress points to be aware of when selling your home.  In this post, I’m not trying to solve the stressful items, just reassuring you that you aren’t alone in feeling stressed.

Prepping the Home—You like your house, and you think anyone who doesn’t must be color blind or trashy.  But, you just never know what someone is going to be looking for.  Prepping your house to appeal to the eyes, hearts and minds of a broad audience of home buyers requires making some sacrifices of your own style.  You have to help them see beyond your presence in the home and project themselves in their future happy life in the home.  And it is stressful to give up your own life in the home to seduce an unknown buyer.

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Yes, Buying a House Is Stressful

Go read the whole dang thing at my NEW WESBITE!

Early in my real estate career, I realized that everyone experiences the stress of homebuying in different ways.  I had just completed working on a fairly simple all-cash purchase.  The client was buying a bank-owned property and the escrow was very short and relatively uneventful.  At close of escrow, he told me how stressful the experience had been, and I asked him what in particular had stressed him out.  He said, “I really thought it would be like going to CostCo, picking a house off the shelf, giving them money and then be done with it.”  I wish it were that easy, but it isn’t.  (At least at CostCo you get free samples and great hot dogs for a buck fifty.)

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What You Need to Know About Buying a Short Sale

Read all about Short Sales at  my brand-spanking NEW WEBSITE!

Did you see the movie The Tree of Life or Inception—a surreal movie where you walk out of it thinking, “What in the hell was that all about?!?!”  That, my friends, is what buying a house on short sale is like.  You’ll endure this long confusing, confounding, upsetting period of time, and then it is over.  You know something good may have happened, but you’re not sure what.  Only this time, you get a set of house keys handed to you.

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New Beaverton Listing–the Great Green Man Welcomes You!

Search listings at my NEW WEBSITE!

The Great Green Man welcomes you to Monson Street!

A 3-bedroom/2-bath ranch with a spectacular great room in Beaverton located at 20285 SW Monson in Beaverton.  Listed for $197,500.

Or, list your home at my new website!

7 Tips for First Time Homebuyers

Read ALL Seven Tips at My NEW WEBSITE!

It is that time of year.  First time homebuyers are gathering their financial paperwork and driving around looking at houses, dreaming of home ownership.  So, at this time of year, I like to share the basic steps for buying a house with all of you who are getting ready to make your first home purchase.

1.       You Need a Mortgage Broker.

Before I can help you, a mortgage broker works with you to assess your finances to see how much spending power you have.  A good mortgage broker will advise you on ways to clean up your finances for a smooth loan process.  If you need a referral to a mortgage broker, please give me a call.

Get the other 6 tips at my new website!