I love this idea. Building housing around safe trails connecting neighborhoods. What could be better? Would you like to live there?

https://goo.gl/cKME3K

Ranked: 8 Absurd Real-Life Real Estate Requests

Trulia featured a truly bizarre article on requests that real estate agents received from clients- and granted. Here's the strangest request I've received… for meow… 

No cat? No sale

“The most absurd request I got during a home sale was for the cat to be included in the purchase. The buyers fell in love with the cat during the sale process and decided to ask for the cat to be included in the contract. The sellers were willing to give it to them! (This would never happen with a dog. Just sayin’.)

It was actually an estate sale, so the children of the former owner, who had recently passed, were happy to give the animal to a good home.” —Patty Brockman, Windmere Real Estate, Portland, OR

Check out the whole range of absurb situations that other realtors got themselves into, including sleeping in hallways, dealing with boulders, and ferrets, in the article on Trulia's blog. 

These situations may seem difficult, challenging, and yes, absurb, but a lot of the time, it's the eccentric that makes this job fun. I enjoy working with a variety of people and encountering new or bizarre situations at work on a daily basis!

by w4l3XzY3

US Housing Market Gaining Steam

I was recently interviewed for this article from HomeVestors, Inc. commenting on the thriving housing market and how it continues to gain steam. 

Here's my excerpt: 

In Portland’s market, there is almost no inventory of residential properties to purchase or rent. Based on our projected increase of population in the next 20 years, we are in desperate need of housing, and that need is only going to grow,” said Patty Brockman, Principal Broker at Windermere Real Estate in Portland, Oregon. “The inventory of available homes hasn’t been this low since 2005 and that means that everything is selling for above asking price. Across Oregon and much of the West Coast, the inventory is expected to remain low alongside the the huge influx of people coming here in the next 15 to 20 years. This is evident across the state, and for the past 2 years in a row, Oregon had the highest amount of people moving in and lowest amount of people moving out as compared to other states.

What’s evident in this market is that the investors are now in Oregon, and they are buying competitively,” said Brockman. “One reason for this, which has been seen in other states, is that that the change in marijuana laws means that there are huge warehouses, storefronts and growhouses that have been purchased for the growth and distribution. And then there is an influx of people moving into the state. This is in anticipation of legalization on July 1st, and states like Washington and Colorado have seen massive investment in this industry in terms of space. Rent is still a notable reason to invest as well. We’ve all heard it before, but many millenials and younger people still aren’t buying although the situation is clear: rent has increased at 12% over the last year, and there is virtually no vacancy rate,” she said. “It’s still cheaper to own than it is to rent, so most investors will see a return on investment immediately. On top of this, we’re seeing low interest rates, higher appreciation on homes, and historically low inventory rates. The forecasts project this to keep increasing, so it is definitely the time to buy, especially in growing cities like Portland, Seattle, Denver and San Francisco.

This still stands true almost 2 months later. Read the full article about the state of the housing market on a national level here. And check out Matthew Gardner's view from this recent post in the Windermere blog.

5 Ways that Real Estate has Transformed in the Last Decade

The market here is seeing impressive demand, with Oregon becoming one of the fastest growing states. A steady and increasing influx of people have moved into the Portland area, with the population projected to reach over 3 million by 2035. I recently realized that the housing inventory in Portland has not been this low since 2005- and that’s already ten years ago! Reflecting on almost two decades of real estate experience, I noticed some huge changes that have transformed real estate since then.

So what has changed? Well, we’re all addicted to Candy Crush on our phone and selfie sticks are everywhere. But real estate has come a long way, and everything from the way I advertise properties to how people find homes to purchase is completely different. 

Here are five ways real estate has changed since 2005:

1.     You can experience your new home online in a variety of ways

The use of mobile apps and online posting services in real estate has really transformed real estate and how people buy and sell homes within the last ten years. Everything is listed online or on mobile nowadays. The syndicate services work great for buyers looking to get a feel of the market, and social media sites like Pinterest and Facebook also allow realtors to share their new listing photos instantly. And of course there’s an app for everything: agents can make virtual tours using special smartphone cameras; Trulia, Zillow and Windermere all have mobile apps, and niche apps like Homesnap allow you to instantly find the price of any home on the market.

2.     I have much better insight to make more educated decisions, more quickly

As a listing agent, I now have much more data on how a listing is performing due to online tools that monitor with buyers and how it compares to what else is on the market. I have instant access to analytics that tells me how buyers are discovering homes, how they react to the online listing, how many times they view it, etc. In the past, I had to wait about 30 days before making an educated decision about recommending a price change. Today I can make smarter judgments on pricing, advertising, and placement of listings due to data aggregated from the digital channels. 

3.     Listings carry much higher expectations with online photos and high competition

I think that listings have become more competitive in the last ten years, because technology has allowed buyers to become savvier and have a better understanding of what's on the market. So before the house hits the market, I prep the home using professional stagers, going room to room to place furniture strategically and identifying any potential upgrades that helps improve the value. I also use professional photographers to get high quality pictures that are instantly internet-ready to showcase the house in the best light. In 2005 we weren't really using stagers and just our own digital cameras, but now I use actual interior designers and professional photography, and even create virtual tours of homes.  

4.     I can do an entire transaction without paper forms

One major change that is awesome is that I can now offer completely paperless transactions. I often use an online service called Docusign which allows digital signatures on real estate paperwork, meaning the business is much more green- very important in Portland! 

5.     Communication is much easier

The way that I interact with clients is much more efficient, and clients are able to reach me instantly in many ways. A variety of networking opportunities also provides me as an agent with more opportunities to help find the best house for each individual or couple I represent. For example, at Windermere Stellar, we use social media groups to network constantly with other real estate agents in the area, which allows me to find homes for buyers instantly and speed up the sales for sellers. 

Even with all of these changes, my job remains the same: to represent my clients with honesty, enthusiasm and integrity. Today, this means using modern tools to provide the best services and resources for the individuals that I support through the home buying or selling process.

What changes have you seen in real estate? What tools do you use to help with your home search? Get in touch with any comments or at pattyb@windermere.com. 

Check out this article about the real estate market. While things have been sliding downward since 2007, there are many areas of the country where evidence shows markets may be at the elusive "bottom". In the Portland area in recent months, we have seen an increase in the sales activity and is some neighborhoods, close in, even some price increases. Multiple offers are not unheard of anymore and buyers are noticing the signs of recovery, so they are making offers. The energy is back in our market. Are you feeling it?
http://bloom.bg/K6WtYE