Agent Info
Marisa Swenson
Earth Advantage Broker
971-285-7955
Agency Info
MRealty Inc
2211 NW Front Ave Ste. 101
Portland, OR 97209
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Weekend Events in Portland Oregon – May 15th – 17th
Frank Black Playing at Berbati
There are a couple of things going on this weekend in Portland and the surrounding areas that look interesting. We all know there is awesome weather coming for us in the next couple of days because that’s all people can talk about! So that means we need to get outside and get some vitamin D into our systems.
Friday
- Everyone Who Looks Like You at Milepost 5 – 8pm, $15 Hand2mouth theater production.(also playing Sat and Sun).
- Youth Group at the East End - 9pm, $8, good band from Australia. 203 SE Grand
Saturday
- Alberta Art Hop – Alberta will be closed, 11am – 6pm, there is a parade at 3pm, local artists, dancers, crafts, food. Perfect weather to be outdoors this weekend!
- Mt. Tabor Art Walk – 11am-5pm, here is the map.
- 10th Annual UFO Festival at Hotel Oregon McMenamins - all things UFO plus the keynote has had encounters, should be interesting. 310 NE Evans St. McMinnville, OR
- Twilight Rummage Sale at the Eagles Lodge – 5pm – 9pm, cool, vintage things for sale, 50th & Hawthorne
Sunday
- Frank Black and The School of Rock at Berbatis – $12, there is a show at 1pm and one at 5pm, very talented kids back Frank Black as he sings Pixie’s songs, awesome! 213 SW Ankeny
Design Feature: The Atomic Ranch – Mid Century Modern
mid century modern design
I fall in and out of love with a lot of different styles of homes, my heart in this area is fickle indeed. My most recent architectural crush is the ranch style home….not just any ranch, the Atomic Ranch. Mid century modern/atomic design is a type of architectural design and furniture design that began in the 1940′s and continued into the 1960′s. The style is marked by simplicity, clean lines, organic lines and materials such as wood. The mid century/ atomic era design is gaining popularity and has quite a cult following. There are multiple Flickr photography groups dedicated to documenting the designs features and many blogs of people that are enthusiasts that renovate this type of home. There are mid century ranch homes sprinkled all over the Portland Oregon Metro area. However, there is a good concentration in Argay Terrace, Russell, Cherry Park, Glendoveer and Wilkes neighborhoods and many amazing options in the West Hills. For the past 4 years, there has been a Street of Eames tour celebrating modern style homes in Portland (tickets sell out very quickly). If you own a mid century modern and want to take it back to it’s original glam, consider furnishing it with wares from local retailers that specialize in this type of mod design such as: Janus Home, Noun, Lounge Lizard, and Shag.
P.S. the one I buy will have a daylight basement, 2 fireplaces….
First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Update – FHA Approves Use as a Down Payment
Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday May 12th, that the FHA is going to permit its lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 first time home buyers tax credit as a down payment. I know a lot of states had already figured out a loan system to allow this “advance” but for those that hadn’t this seems like an even greater opportunity for first time home buyers using an FHA loan. The issues that I had heard from some people was that you have to have 3.5% down for the FHA loans, so this will definitely loosen that restriction. Shaun Donovan stated that the FHA approved lenders will be allowed to “monetize” the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. The eligible first time home buyers will be able to access the funds immediately at the closing table. If you are an eligible first time home buyer working with an FHA loan, there is great incentive to buy sooner rather than later. Remember, the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit is good now until before December1, 2009.
Related Posts:
First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit
Energy Efficiency Tax Credits 2009 – 2010
Start your search here.
Sold Listings – SE Portland Oregon Real Estate Update
Weekly update tracking Sold Listings for the week of May 3rd – May 11th in the Montavilla, Mt. Tabor, N. Tabor, S. Tabor, Laurelhurst, Hawthorne, and Richmond neighborhoods. There were 6 sold homes in this area last week, prices range from $95k – $361k.
Here is the map with price list and areas:
sold listings SE Portland Oregon
New Listings – SE Portland Oregon Real Estate Update
Weekly update tracking New Listings that went on market May 3rd – 11th in the Montavilla, Mt. Tabor, N. Tabor, S. Tabor, Hawthorne, Laurelhurst, and Richmond neighborhoods. There were 17 actual new listings, price range from $175k – $479k. Five of the new listings have gone pending in the same week that they were listed, meaning there are great homes in good areas priced correctly.
Here is the map of new homes with the details list below:
new listings in SE Portland Oregon
Weekend Events in Portland Oregon – May 8th – 11th
photo by Marisa Swenson
Mother’s Day weekend this week, don’t forget. Here are a couple of things that I will be doing (or really want to do) this weekend.
Friday
- Hike in the Gorge – not really an event but that’s what I’m doing, no rain today, go for a hike, outline of hikes and their difficulty levels here.
- Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks at the Doug Fir – 9pm, $15, 830 E Burnside
Saturday
- Organic Garden Workshop at Metro’s Demo Garden – Free, 10am – 2pm, 6800 SE 57th Ave
- St. Johns Bizarre and Parade – free, parade starts at noon, vendors, beer garden
- Portland Bungalow Show – 10am – 6pm, $10, focus is on windows, Ambridge Center 1333 NE MLK
- Portland Farmers Market - get Mom some flowers, PSU park blocks, 8:30am-2pm, between SW Harrison and SW Montgomery
Sunday – Mother’s Day
- Crafty Wonderland at the Doug Fir - local artists and crafty DIY ers sell their awesome stuff in the basement of the Doug Fir , 11am – 4pm, 830 E Burnside
- Mother’s Day 80′s Dance Party at the Airplay Cafe – 5pm – 7pm, $5 for a family, dance to 80′s music with your kids, 701 E Burnside
Fred Meyer – Hawthorne
Fred Meyer Hawthorne
In July, the Hawhorne Fred Meyers LEEDs (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified remodel will be completed making it the first “green” store in the Oregon chain. “Working for LEED certification for the Hawthorne store is just one part of an environmental responsibility initiative at Fred Meyer that applies to all aspects of the business – from cutting fuel consumption in transportation to using recycled material and reducing use of electricity. This holistic approach will be applied to the renovated Hawthorne Fred Meyer, affecting everything from inside the walls to the parking lot.” More info here. The Hawthorne neighborhood is a great area to introduce this type of design since the area fiercly supports sustainable living. Fred Meyer is known for it’s “one stop shop” convenience and lives up to that promise.
Located in the Hawthorne Neighborhood:
39th and SE Hawthorne
Sold Listings – SE Portland Oregon Real Estate Update
Weekly update tracking Sold Listings for the week of April 26th – May 3rd in the Montavilla, Mt. Tabor, N. Tabor, S. Tabor, Hawthorne, Laurelhurst, and Richmond neighborhoods. There were 13 listings that sold last week, prices range from $130k – $679k. The property at 1533 SE 33rd sold for $679k (orig price $699k) and was on market to sold in less than 30 days.
sold listings in SE Portland Oregon
New Listings – SE Portland Oregon Real Estate Update
Weekly update tracking New Listings that went on market from April 26th – May 3rd in the Montavilla, Mt. Tabor, N. Tabor, S. Tabor, Hawthorne, Laurelhurst, and Richmond neighborhoods. There were 21 new listings (the most in one week so far this year) this week, prices range from $99k – $579k. Two of the new listing have gone pending in the same week 2925 SE 64Th Ave for $244k and 5144 NE Flanders St for $269k.
new listing in SE Portland, Oregon
Cha Cha Cha – Milwaukie Oregon
salsa
The downtown Milwaukie area is getting cuter and cuter every day. The opening of a Cha Cha Cha on the main strip is a sign that they are up and coming. The interior is smallish but the darker wood floors and decor makes you feel like you are in a hip restaurant in the Pearl. My favorite dish here is the mashed potato taquitos that are smothered in sour cream, lettuce and fresh salsa. They will make you want to instantly curl up and take a nap the moment you finish eating so you might want to get them to go. I am pretty conviced that downtown Milwaukie will soon be the new Sellwood so you might want to get in while it is still affordable.
