Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone. Our video tribute to American Independence.

Foreclosure Filings Drop

Mortgage foreclosure filings dropped from last month, although they are up less than one percent from this time last year. As reported in the Bend Bulletin.

Strategic Realty Launches MovetoCentralOregon.com

In an effort to provide buyer’s with a user-friendly resource for navigating the inventory of homes for sale in and around Central Oregon, Strategic Realty has partnered with iHOUSEweb, Inc. of Davis, California, to launch MoveToCentralOregon.com.
The new website uses direct access to the MLS database hosted by Central Oregon Association of Realtors, and Google.com’s ubiquitous mapping system to provide a quick and easy way to for home buyers to shop for properties online.
One of the most compelling features of the new site is the ability for buyers to save their search criteria and use that search to automatically receive the latest property updates right in their email inbox.
Be the first to see new invetory as soon as it comes on the market. Sign-up at www.MovetoCentralOregon.com

We took our lumps…

Why am I so bullish on property values in Central Oregon? In a nutshell, because we were one of the most devastated markets in the country. Central Oregon took it’s lumps in this crash, and I feel like there is a good chance we’re done. The larger metros, especially on the west coast, skirted a lot of the devaluation. And, if I were in those markets, I’d be very leery of a potential “double-dip” market. But in many respects, Central Oregon home values were left in smoldering ruins, and I think that puts us in a much better position for recovery. We may not see and price appreciation, but I’m willing to bet the worst is over here.

March Market Stats

NorthWest Crossing’s Natural Neighborhood

Drawing from Spirit of the Past Proves Popular for Hip ‘New Urban’ Community
Apr 07, 2010
SIMON MATHER CBN Feature Writer

When freshly sawn, a Ponderosa Pine’s pleasant scent is reminiscent of the forest where it grew –offering an apt metaphor for Bend’s popular NorthWest Crossing mixed-use community, which is rooted in a sense of place evocative of the spirit of older neighborhoods.
In fact, a detailed survey of predominantly second-growth Ponderosas prevalent on the old tree farm site was integrated closely into the project’s original planning process, with blocks, roads and lot lines laid out to preserve as many large specimens as possible; helping reinforce the feel of an established streetscape.
Such attention to detail was just one of the ingredients that went in to cultivating a connected, sustainable and livable traditional neighborhood-style development — as part of a vision formulated over a decade ago – resulting in the diverse, walkable, compact and vibrant community that the evolving 486-acre NorthWest Crossing is today.  Read the rest of the article at CBN here.

Portland, OR Housing Market

Just checking out the housing market in Portland. What’s happened to traditional supply/demand curve? Plummeting prices, plummeting inventory? Does this mean that Portland is actually heading for some appreciation. Wait..what’s that little swing in inventory I see?

Inventory, Median Price for Single Family Properties in PORTLAND, OR.

2737 NW 12th Ave., Redmond, OR 97756

Prime setting in NW Redmond. Three bedroom home with over 2,000 square feet of living space, plus a spacious three-car garage. Vaulted ceilings, separate living and family rooms, powder bath, a formal dining area, and large laundry room complete the lower story.

Upstairs includes all bedrooms, two full baths, and an office/craft area. Numerous builder upgrades include granite kitchen counters, stainless appliances, tile and hardwood floors, tile bathroom counters, and a poured concrete patio. Home is freshly painted, cleaned, and ready for move in. Backyard sod and irrigation system are newly installed and ready for Spring.

First-Time Homebuyer and Long-Time Homeowner Credits

If you need the details on the recently extended and modified tax credits for home purchases in the coming months, check out this summary from the IRS.

Lowe’s Partners with Strategic Realty

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Since its humble beginnings in 1952, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has become one of the largest home improvement retailers in the world. With over 1,600 stores in the US and Canada, Lowe’s stocks over 40,000 products for contractors and home improvement do-it-yourselfers.  Now the retail giant has partnered with Strategic Realty, LLC to promote its services to those customers that are actively buying and selling real estate.

Beginning today, Strategic Realty will  offer its clients special 10% discounts on Lowe’s purchases up to a maximum purchase of $5,000. The offers are available to both Strategic’s current and past clients. According to Strategic Realty’s founding member, Kerry O’Neal, “A lot of home improvement decisions occur as folks are either readying their house for market, or have just purchased a home that they now need to personalize. Lowe’s is smart to realize this, and we hope that by saving our clients up to $500 on their improvements, that we take a little stress out of their lives.”

As a sign of the recent real estate market, there is also a special Foreclosure Coupon that Strategic can have emailed directly to their client’s contractor after the  purchase of a foreclosed property. The 10% savings are then awarded to the client’s contractor when they order remodeling supplies from Lowe’s.

According to the latest numbers from national housing indices, the US home market continues to struggle. Strategic Realty is focusing their efforts on innovation. “The lessons of the past market are not forgotten, but a lot of them are also no longer useful,” adds O’Neal. “We’re forging into uncharted territory everyday, and, as a company, we will prosper through our  creativity, determination, and dedication to our clients.”

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