As of today, August 25, 2008, there are 28 houses in Lake Oswego priced at $350,000 or less. These are detached homes: not condos or attached townhouses. The least expensive house for sale right now in Lake Oswego is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house with 1320 square feet in Lake Grove priced at $199,900. And how about Sellwood? As of today there are 32 houses for sale in Sellwood priced at $350,000 or less. The least expensive house for sale in Sellwood is a 1 bedroom, 1 bath house with 831 square feet for $175,000. So while there are more available in Sellwood, the difference in available, affordable housing is just 4 houses. This situation continues to reinforce my belief that Lake Oswego is a viable location for a buyer looking for affordable housing.

In the course of doing this research I found a couple of houses currently for sale in Lake Oswego that stand out as total bargains. There is a house in Rivergrove that backs up to the playground at Rivergrove Elementary School that has 1744 square feet, 5 bedrooms and 2.5 baths for $297,400. There is also a good deal up by Hallinan Elementary School that is 1500 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths for $289,000.

How about the other extreme? What is happening in the million dollar price range? There are currently 25 houses for sale in Lake Oswego that are priced at over $2,000,000. The most expensive is the same house that was the most expensive the last time I did this little comparison back in March. It’s on Oswego Lake with 5800 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and priced, still, at $7,500,000. Are these high-end homes selling? In the last 6 months just 3 homes have sold that were priced over $2,000,000. It makes me think that the other 25 that are currently for sale are going to be on the market for awhile.

Finally, there is a phenomenon I have been watching, and that is the spec homes that are currently for sale priced over $1,000,000. A spec home is a house that is built by a builder before there is a buyer. The builder is “speculating” on a future sale. Lots of money has been made by local builders in Lake Oswego in the last few years. As you drive through town you see lots and lots of new homes and homes under construction. How is the current market affecting these builders? As of today, August 25, 2008, there are 48 new homes for sale that are priced between $1,000,000 and $6, 300,000. And in the last 6 months there were 7 closed sales and 3 pending sales within this inventory. So it’s slow.

I find it all very interesting. With the slow market, I think there are some tremendous deals to be found. And I remain convinced that Lake Oswego is a viable option for a buyer looking for an affordable home.

A quick note about New Listings: For now, we will be unable to link you to the property details on the areshome.com site as we have in past weeks. We are looking for a suitable solution to link you to the listing details and hope to resume that feature soon.

Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):

NEWLY LISTED (August 18 - 24, 2008)

PENDING SALES (August 18 - 24, 2008)

SOLD (August 11 - 17, 2008)

Criteria: Homes in the 97034 and 97035 zip code, listed, pending or sold between the dates listed above as reported by the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS). DETACHD refers to Single Family Detached Residence, MFG refers to manufactured housing, and ATTACHD refers to single-family residences with some portion of the structure attached to another property, but not constituting CONDO ownership. DOM stands for days on market, or the number of days from when the listing became active and when it received an acceptable offer.

If links to ACTIVE properties do not bring up property information, the listing may no longer be active, but rather expired, cancelled, pending, or sold.

Forgive me! …& Enjoy:

All afternoon a real estate agent had been showing a young couple empty houses. The ones they loathed always seemed to be available, but others had already snapped up the ones that struck their fancy. Finally they came to a house at the very edge of town and fell in love with it.
“Please,” they begged, “tell us that this one we can have.”
“It’s yours,” beamed the agent. “It’s last …. but not leased!”

While showing a home to a young mother and her 4 year old daughter, the child kept insisting that we leave. We performed the obvious routine of exploring the bedrooms, the basement and opening closet doors. Finally the little girl looked at her mother and said, “Mommie, we better get out of here before they come home and find us!”

A client bought a new home and the broker wanted to send flowers for the occasion. They arrived at the home and the owner read the card; it said “Rest in Peace”. The owner was angry and called the florist to complain. After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was, the florist said. “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry you should imagine this: somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying, “Congratulations on your new home”.

If you want to know exactly where the property line is, just watch the neighbor cut the grass.

Houses today don’t have enough closet space. Sure they do. They’re just called guest bedrooms.

Realtor sign–We have “lots” to be thankful for.

The sellers said their house was near the water. It was in the basement.

A home buyer told me that he lived in the same house for 10 years. When I checked, I found out he’d still be there today if the Governor hadn’t pardoned him!

Trivia: The floors of buildings are called stories because early European builders used to paint picture stories on the sides of their houses. Each floor had a different story.

“A lot of homes have been spoiled by inferior desecrators.”–Frank Lloyd Wright

The house is only 5 minutes from shopping . . .if you’ve got an airplane.

House problem: The oven is self-cleaning, but the kids aren’t.

Our new house has one down payment and 240 darn payments!

Here is the latest market activity for Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):

NEWLY LISTED (August 11 - 17, 2008)

PENDING SALES (August 11 - 17, 2008)

SOLD (August 4 - 10, 2008)

Criteria: Homes in the 97034 and 97035 zip code, listed, pending or sold between the dates listed above as reported by the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS). DETACHD refers to Single Family Detached Residence, MFG refers to manufactured housing, and ATTACHD refers to single-family residences with some portion of the structure attached to another property, but not constituting CONDO ownership. DOM stands for days on market, or the number of days from when the listing became active and when it received an acceptable offer.

If links to ACTIVE properties do not bring up property information, the listing may no longer be active, but rather expired, cancelled, pending, or sold.

Here’s the list of Lake Oswego open houses for Saturday and Sunday:

Please note, dates and times are subject to change without notice. This list may not contain ALL open houses in the city, but represent those that agents have publicized in the multiple listing service as of Friday afternoon. If links to ACTIVE properties do not bring up property information, the listing may no longer be active, but rather expired, cancelled, pending, or sold.

The route around the lake is not an obvious course. You need to have someone who has done it before show it to you. I suppose you could just journey out and figure it out, but there are a couple of spots where taking the right turn will not only make the route more enjoyable, but it will also make it more safe.

I am going to outline the basic route. **UPDATED: MAP AT BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE**

I will try to keep the directions easy to follow. I do the route in a clockwise circle. You can reverse it if you like, but I do it clockwise because with this route you warm up properly for the hills and then also cool down before you finish.

Start at the Lake Grove Swim Park, which is just North of the intersection of Southshore Blvd and Lakeview Blvd, along Lakeview Blvd. Proceed North on Lakeview. I suppose it is actually slightly Northeast, but for the sake of keeping it simple, head North along the shoulder of the road. There is a nice wide bike path and you’ll be enjoying the view of the lake and the stately mansions. You will go about half a mile before you come to the first right hand turn.

This is Summit. Yes, it’s called Summit because it’s a big hill. Summit will take you on a slightly winding route up to the top and then back down again. These are some of the best views of the lake because you are up so high and you really get to see the width and breadth of the water.

After you come down the hill, Summit will dead-end at Iron Mountain Blvd. Turn right which will have you heading East. This is a long, flat stretch of road through a heavily treed area with views of the Lilly Pond. Most of the length of this section does not have houses on it. As you come back into the housing area, in fact almost immediately as soon as the driving speed goes from 40 MPH to 25MPH, you want to watch for a sharp right turn just on the edge of the lower parking lot for Lake Oswego Country Club. This little street is called Milligan Lane. It is only a couple of hundred of feet long, and I don’t think it is well marked. So be watching and don’t miss it. If you miss it, you’ll add about a mile and a good deal of time lost in the surrounding neighborhoods trying to get back on course.

Milligan Lane will take you over a set of train tracks and drop you right on to Northshore Road. Turn left so that you are continuing to head East. This is just a spectacular stretch of scenery. You will be right down at the level of the lake meandering by fabulous homes and across quaint bridges with views of the lake and of Lakewood Bay. The road takes a couple of twists and turns, just follow the signs that identify Northshore. One of the homes you will pass, it will be on your right just before the humongous rock formation, is the house that was briefly occupied by Loren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, or so local legend has it.

After you cross the bridge with the view to the left of Lakewood Bay you will come to a 3-way stop, turn left. Go about a block and take the first right. This is is Fairmont. You are only going to go about 100 feet before you turn left onto Middlecrest. Middlecrest is not a through street. It has a barrier erected to keep out auto traffic, but there is a pass through for bikes and pedestrians. Stay on Middlecrest a couple of blocks to the traffic light at State Street.

Turn right on State Street and go a long block to the bottom of the hill where there is another traffic light at McVey Avenue. Turn right and head up McVey. This is the big hill in this route. Pace yourself because when you think you’ve gotten to the top, you have not. You could stay on it up to the traffic light at Southshore, but I have found another route that I like that is more scenic and just more interesting.

Before you get to the traffic light at McVey there is a right hand turn at Oak. Take this right and follow the route as it levels out and gives you a bit of a breather before the climb starts again. You’ll cross a little bridge in an area that feels like a grotto. It is cool and moist and very refreshing on a hot day. Just after the little bridge you’ll turn right onto Palisades Terrace. This is another beautiful neighborhood where the houses will completely distract you from your saddle sores or your tired feet. You are now about 5 miles into the route with just a couple more to go. The uphill climb starts again while you are on Palisades Terrace. You’ll know you’re there, believe me. Palisades Terrace dead ends at Southshore Blvd.

Turn right at Southshore so that you are heading West. You’ll continue to climb for about half a mile. At the top, not only is there a bench where you can sit and look out at the lake, but there is also a drinking fountain. Yahoo! Continue down Southshore as you descend the hill and begin to cross the canals. Southshore will end at Lakeview Blvd, where when you turn right you will find yourself back at the beginning where you started.

Once upon a time this was a pretty treacherous route because you shared the road with cars. Today, pretty much the whole way is either on quiet neighborhood streets or has nice bike paths to separate you from the cars.

What I like about it is that it has a variety of terrain. There are a couple of hills to challenge, but not beat you up too badly, and there are so many great views of homes and the lake.

I do have a slight modification I do for the bike ride at the bottom of McVey that will put you onto a more gentle climb up the hill. For the sake of wearing out my welcome in your brain today, I am not including it here. But if you’d like to know it, drop me an e-mail and I”d be happy to share. (jdgregoire@earthlink.net) Or perhaps it will become a future posting.

If you do try my route around the lake I’d love to hear from you. I also apologize if somehow my directions are confusing or get you lost. As always, I think in this public venue I should remind you to observe the rules of the road, wear a helmet, and stay safe. I think you’ll find that it is an amazing way to get some exercise and to take advantage of this great town. Enjoy!

View Larger Map

I want to encourage you, whether you are a man or a woman, to take good care of yourself and do all of the medical screenings that are recommended by your doctor. And, in particular, screenings for breast cancer. Breast cancer will strike 1 in 8 women in her lifetime. Early detection is the key. So to detect it, to perhaps save your own life, get regular mammograms and do your monthly self exam.

I feel strongly about this because breast cancer touched my life a year ago. I was fortunate that it was caught at a stage that is very treatable and I am feeling great. Every single day is a blessing to be treasured. What I would really like is that no one would ever have to go through it, ever. But that is not possible, at least not yet.

Trying to make people aware of doing breast self exams and getting mammograms is a bit of a passion for me. And in my efforts to be pro-active, I have been very involved with the Susan Komen Foundation. This year, for the second year in a row, I have formed a team to walk in the Race for the Cure on September 21, 2008 in downtown Portland. This event does a tremendous job of raising public awareness and it also raises lots of money. The money raised stays 75% in our local area to help women detect and fight this disease (and men too!). The remaining 25% is used on a National level to pay for research to find a cure. Please consider visiting my website to join me in the walk or to make a donation to my efforts. Here is the link: Let’s Wipe Out Breast Cancer!

On a personal note, fighting this disease was a great concern to me as a full-time Realtor who works 100% on commission. My family relies on my income to support our household. And, you know what? It was possible to do. I got so much support from friends and family and I have wonderful clients who make going to work a joy. I am now completely done with treatment and I am feeling great.

Thank you so much for your support!

Dianne

If this weekly feature is something you enjoy and would like to see continue, please leave us a note saying so in the COMMENT link at the bottom of this post. You do not have to use your real name or identify yourself in any way, but we’d like to know if you’re finding value in seeing these market updates. Thanks.

Here is the latest activity in Lake Oswego (see below the tables for additional notes):

NEWLY LISTED (August 4 - 10, 2008)

PENDING SALES (August 4 - 10, 2008)

SOLD (July 28 - August 3, 2008)

Criteria: Homes in the 97034 and 97035 zip code, listed, pending or sold between the dates listed above as reported by the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS). DETACHD refers to Single Family Detached Residence, MFG refers to manufactured housing, and ATTACHD refers to single-family residences with some portion of the structure attached to another property, but not constituting CONDO ownership. DOM stands for days on market, or the number of days from when the listing became active and when it received an acceptable offer.

If links to ACTIVE properties do not bring up property information, the listing may no longer be active, but rather expired, cancelled, pending, or sold.

Here’s the list of Lake Oswego open houses for Saturday and Sunday:

Please note, dates and times are subject to change without notice. This list may not contain ALL open houses in the city, but represent those that agents have publicized in the multiple listing service as of Friday afternoon. If links to ACTIVE properties do not bring up property information, the listing may no longer be active, but rather expired, cancelled, pending, or sold.

In Lake Oswego we are enjoying the warmth of summertime as much as any other Oregon residents, and maybe a little more in some ways! Here, we are very lucky to have some great summertime swimming options… you know, lake and all : ) It’s true, most of the lake is privately owned and not generally accessible to the public, but Lake Oswego has two public swim parks on the lake, and access on the Willamette River as well as a smattering of neighborhood pools that are membership-based, and a pool at Lake Oswego High School that is open to all.

Here is a breakdown of the main swimming options for Lake Oswego residents this summer:

• Lake Oswego Swim Park – 250 Ridgeway Road – Operated by L.O. Parks & Recreation - Open to Lake Oswego residents July through August, noon – 6PM daily (weather permitting) – Lifeguards on duty – No charge for admission.

• Lake Grove Swim Park – 3900 Lakeview Blvd – Operated by the Lake Oswego School District – Open June through Labor Day – For information on Entry Requirements call 503 635 0355, or 503 534 2000.

• Lake Oswego School District Swim Pool – 2400 Hazel Road (Lake Oswego High School Campus) – For complete schedule including information on Open Swim as well as lessons: lap swim, Red Cross programs, synchro swim, diving, aerobics, etc., call 503 534 2330.

If you just LOVE swimming, and you or your children want to get even more involved, check out the Lake Oswego Swim Club. It operates from the Lake Oswego School District Pool at Lake Oswego High School. You may contact Dan Gipe at gipes@earthlink.net or 503-244-7349 for more information. Visit: www.lakeoswegoswimclub.org for details.

The Charlie S. Brown Water Sports Center (WSC) is located on the scenic Willamette River in Roehr Park. It is owned by the City of Lake Oswego and operated by Lake Oswego Community Rowing. Rowing and sculling classes for both adults and youth are offered. Obtain more information about hours, fees, classes and requirements at: http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/parksrec/WSC.HTM

So… stay cool. Have fun. Investigate these options as you enjoy summertime in Lake Oswego!