Linda Rossi, Author at Property Blotter

May 21, 2008

Green Lingo

Most of us are aware that being “Green” is becoming more and more of a focus in nearly all areas of our life including: organic foods, local products (to avoid fuel for transportation), eco-conscious goods of all kinds, earth-friendly energy solutions, bio fuels, energy-efficiency, recycling, the paperless movement and on & on. The world of real estate is not exempt from this burgeoning awareness of all things green, and the demand for green buildings is creating a new language as well.

From “Carbon Footprint” to “Green-Washing”, you’d better come up to speed or you may be left wondering what in the world people are talking about around the water cooler, or at your next cocktail party. (Smile… pretend… maybe it will come to you!) Fortunately the city of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/ has come to the rescue with a glossary of terms to help even the most confused among us. Here are a few terms from this glossary that you may find useful to know:

Adaptive Reuse- Rehabilitation of a building or site for new uses.

Biodegradable- Capable of decomposing under natural conditions.

Brownfield- Abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facility/site where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination.

Carbon Footprint- A measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.

Daylighting- The use of controlled natural lighting methods indoors through skylights, windows, and reflected light.

E-Waste- Waste materials generated from using or discarding electronic devices, such as computers, televisions, and mobile phones. E-waste tends to be highly toxic to humans, plants and animals, and has been known to contaminate water, air and dirt.

Graywater- Water that has been used for showering, clothes-washing, and faucet uses. Kitchen sink and toilet water is excluded. This water can be reused in subsurface irrigation for yards.

Green Building- An integrated framework of design, construction, and operational practices that encompasses the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the buildings.

Green Design- A design, usually architectural, conforming to environmentally sound principles of building, material and energy use. A green building might make use of solar panels, skylights and recycled building materials.

Green Development- A development approach that goes beyond conventional development practices by integrating environmental responsiveness, resource efficiency and efficient building operations.

Green Wash- To falsely claim a product is environmentally sound. Also known as “faux green”. Disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)- Certification program created by the U.S. Green Building Council that sets standards for efficient and sustainable design.

Mixed-Use Development- A development in one or several buildings that combines several revenue-producing uses that are integrated into a comprehensive plan such as a project with elements of housing, retail and office space.

Negawatt- The saving of a megawatt of power by reducing consumption or increasing efficiency.

Pervious Paving- Paving material that allows water to penetrate to the soil below thus reducing the amount of water that needs to be treated by the water system, and increases the water in the aquifer.

Solar Access- Access to the sun’s rays by, for instance, restricting the location of shade trees or laying out of the building so as to maximize the usefulness of solar energy.

Triple Bottom Line- A business and development philosophy incorporating the three E’s: equity, environment, economics. Also referred to as the three P’s: people, planet, profit.

Waste Heat Recovery- The reclaiming of waste heat in a building to preheat cold water or air before it is fed into a water heater or heating system.

Xeriscape (registered)- Creative landscaping design for conserving water that uses drought-resistant or drought-tolerant plants. A registered trademark of Denver Water.

May 7, 2008

Palisades

The Palisades neighborhood is located on the South side of Lake Oswego, and is roughly the area bounded by: Stafford/McVey along the south & southeast, Southshore Rd. (down to the lake) along the north, Blue Heron, and then north & east of the Westridge Elementary School area.

It is a lovely neighborhood with a mix of housing ranging in list price currently from $489,900. to $5,950,000.

With this kind of spread, Palisades is known not only for its beauty and liveability, but for the diversity of its neighbors.

These same neighbors will be seen showing up in numbers to the local neighborhood association meetings and volunteering in droves at Palisades Elementary School and Palisades’ own Lakeridge High School.

Amenities include the Municipal Golf Course, parks, a dog park, community swimming pool, and the new “boutique” senior living center, “The Stafford”, which is situated across the street from the high school, three athletic fields and yet another dog park. This location, we are told, was intentionally chosen in order to meld the young and the elderly in a real community atmosphere where all phases of life are acknowledged and celebrated.

An especially delightful aspect of the Palisades neighborhood is the access to superior services just across the borderline streets of Stafford/McVey (therefore not technically in Palisades, but rather in the McVey-Southshore neighborhood).

Kids bike to Bellagio’s Pizza, shirts are picked up at the dry cleaners, dog-walkers congregate at Starbuck’s, lunches and dinners are wonderful at the Thai Curry-In-A-Hurry restaurant, birthdays and anniversaries are remembered with the help of three gift shops, and sunny days find everyone milling at the garden center.

All of it adds to the charm of this lush, green community by the lake with a distinctive ‘small town within a town’ feel.

One of the best things about Palisades (in my humble opinion) is Palisades Market. This is a locally-owned market with some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet making sure that you’ve found every little thing.

I shop there sometimes just to relax… I’m not kidding! I often joke to friends that the people who work at this wonderful place come from Planet Palisades, as they all seem to genuinely enjoy their work and treat customers like old friends. This is a kind of Neighborhood Central. You’ll find Lakeridge ‘Pacer’ apparel is displayed and sold proudly. Cans and bottles are donated in special receptacles by the crate-load with neighbors supporting the local school of their choice.

There is an adjoining post office annex & the Coffee Nook, a florist, a deli, wine shop, specialty meat shop, bakery and often dinner cooked & ready to be served for take-home by yet another friendly employee… a chef this time. The store is owned by Bob Lamb, Gale Casko, and Nick Goldsmith who is ever-present and always catering to customers’ needs.

Originally a much smaller store it was located where the pizza parlor, restaurant and cleaners are now, moving in 1997 to its current location just up the block, and boasting 25,000 SF of friendly service.

Palisades Market had a rocky start, not owing to the fact that the site was originally a gravel pit, but rather to red tape that almost nixed the plans. True to form, neighbors rallied to support the new store, and Palisades, McVey-Southshore and Hallinan neighborhoods all now enjoy the fruits of that effort.

All in all, Palisades is a lovely place to live. Homes to suit any preference are to be found, and neighborhood character is in full bloom.

April 23, 2008May 2, 2008

Searching… Searching…

On a recent Broker’s Tour in Lake Oswego, my cohorts and I were discussing how important it is to include accurate information in listings, and we noted how easy it is to inadvertently choose the wrong “field” when entering data etc. I thought it might help the prospective home seller or buyer to know a little about how agents search for houses, specifically in using the basic search fields provided to them on the MLS.

Agents are able to search on the MLS for properties on behalf of a client using several methods, including:

Address Searches – Agents can search a specific area defined by their clients using street addresses and number ranges on specified streets, or a particular house using a specific address.
Area Searches – The MLS now allows agents to search a geographic area by providing a map on which an agent can “draw” boundaries of a search range defined by a client.
MLS# Searches- Agents can search MLS #’s provided by a client, and generate addresses for either drive-by viewing (prior to a client deciding to take a look inside), or for agent pre-viewing on behalf of a client.
Advanced Searches – This is where I want to focus today, as this is the most common search method utilized in order to find properties that most specifically meet a client’s stated preferences. There are a large number of available search criteria that can be utilized by a listing agent when inputting data in order to present a home in the best light possible, which is of course a good thing… as long as it is accurate information.

When using an Advanced Search, available options include, of course, bedrooms, and the # of baths, but also whether a property has a fireplace (gas or wood?), what the map grid location is, total square footage of the home, approximate square footage of the lot, neighborhood, zip code, year built, style of home, levels, where master bedroom is located (on which level), and many, many more categories including garage description (attached? 2-car?), square footage of bedrooms, accessibility, exterior features, elementary school, etc. The more defined and narrow the search parameters, the fewer homes will appear as options… so, many times only the most important specifics to the client are used in order to provide a variety of choices.

“Property Type” is one important category- options are: Attached (meaning a townhome), Condo, Detached (meaning a separate residence/house), Houseboat, In-Park (meaning a manufactured home in a park), Part-owned, and Residence/Manufactured. A few months back these options were changed and made more detailed so that, for instance, a manufactured home would not appear in a search wherein the client had specified a separate residence/house was what they wanted.

A common example of a simple error is the mistake of referring to a home in the “Style” field as a “Tri-Level” as opposed to the actual appropriate category of “Split-Level”. A tri-level actually has three levels to the home… a split has an entry area, one level down, and one level up.

Bottom line, if you are the Seller, your agent is describing your home in the listing in ways that accentuate its great points while reflecting it accurately. If you are the Buyer, your agent is doing their best to provide you with choices that match your needs, and using the information provided by the listing agents in good faith.

So, if you show up at a property and it was described in the listing in a fashion that makes you feel as if you’ve just wasted your time… you may want to ask your agent to speak to the listing agent about any mistaken data about the home. They will most likely be grateful, and of course, other agents and buyers will benefit from any needed correction.

If you are the Seller, encourage your listing agent to be as creative as possible in selling your home (this is, of course, their job!), but do check for accuracy when reviewing the data to be provided to prospective buyers in your listing.

Happy buying and selling!

April 9, 2008May 2, 2008

Main Property Photos – The Good, Bad & Ugly

Let me start by saying that I am not perfect by any means, and all real estate professionals have had their share of difficult photo situations when it comes to showing a house to its fullest potential. That being said, I have a few tips regarding photos for those who wish to sell their homes… specifically for the Main Photo which will show first on the MLS, and usually all flyers etc.

Looking through the MLS for examples of “do’s and don’ts”, I was frankly surprised to find so many “don’ts” from which to choose.

I find that the most common mistakes fall into four categories:

‘Shady’ Homes…

If you want potential buyers to be attracted to your home, they must at minimum be able to see it. If the time of day is just wrong, as far as shade goes, ask your agent to come later that day, or the next day to make sure that the home is looking bright and shiny in that all-important Main Photo. And if it is evening when you sign that listing agreement, ask your agent to come back when the sun is out to photograph your home! Photo editing tools, and house lighting can also help to lighten a dark photo.

‘Lost in the Woods’ Homes…

Here in Lake Oswego, we are blessed with an overabundance of gorgeous greenery, and trees are revered and protected by the city and citizens alike. When you are taking a photo of your home, you want that potential buyer (who will give it a maximum of two seconds worth of attention before moving on to the next home in their Internet search) to say “Wow! Let’s look at this one honey.” So… work with every angle.

If you have to, take a shot closer-in to the front of the property that actually shows the house, and feature more photos showing the larger area in subsequent photos (you now have the option of including 16 photos on the MLS). In the most difficult cases, short of drastically trimming the trees, another option is to give your agent a photo of the home that has been taken in winter or fall when the trees were bare of leaves so that the house is visible… and attractive to a buyer!

The ‘Star Garage’ Home…

Now, I don’t need to tell you that there is probably a better angle for each of these homes (and no, garbage cans are not an attractant). Yes, some of our beautiful homes have garages that are prominent to the street.

There are ways to shoot these homes that really show off the beauty of their entirety. This usually involves taking the photo from the non-garage-prominent side of the house at an angle.

And though there are several more “dont’s” categories we could go over, one more that I found prevalent is the…

“Look At My Entry or Driveway” Home…

Bottom line, the Main Photo needs to be your “Showcase”. It should show off your real estate and really be a beautiful shot representing the front of your home in the best way possible. Circular driveway shots and other yard features can be highlighted after you come up with that one great, frontal shot of the house itself.

And, last but not least, remember that your Main Photo needs to be of your house on the MLS…
Although you may have an incredible view of Mt. Hood, or treetops, or the valley, that Main Photo actually needs to be of your house. Please add gorgeous feature shots like this one after the Main Shot.

So…. Show off architecture ~ Present more than one shot to highlight that big, beautiful porch, etc. Or have a drawing commissioned if the season (or available angle) is just not right.

If your home is up above street level, consider climbing a ladder leaned on a streetlight pole (be careful!) to get that impossible shot of your home

But use your Main Photo wisely… it is the first (and can easily be the last) impression you make.

March 25, 2008

The Peril of Orangeburg – Yes, Cardboard Crumbles

Neighbors in Lake Oswego have been educating each other about something called Orangeburg pipe, so I thought it might be something you’d like to know about. Orangeburg is a kind of sewer piping that was manufactured and used throughout the country between 1940 and approximately 1972, until ABS plastic piping was introduced and replaced its use.

The Fibre Conduit Company of Orangeburg, N.Y. was a major manufacturer of this kind of pipe, and with its widespread use, changed its name to the Orangeburg Pipe Co. — thus the common name of the product. If your home was built during this period, there is a good chance that you have this kind of sewer pipe lurking underground, so it is good to know what this could mean to you as either a homeowner, or someone contemplating a purchase.

Orangeburg pipe is actually “bituminized” fiber drain and sewer pipe 2” – 18” in diameter. Basically it was made of cellulose fibers impregnated with hot coal pitch and treated under pressure with a water-resistant adhesive. The joints of this pipe are gasket-less, and the pipe often softens and deforms with age which allows for root intrusion and general breakdown with time. Its lifespan is approximately 50 – 60 years, and so it is, generally speaking, at the end of its life cycle — which is why you should know about it.

On my block, it became an issue and a hot topic of conversation a few years back. Since then, when I bring it up, I often find it is a subject with which people are unfamiliar unless their lives have been directly affected. One set of neighbors had their sewage back up into their basement… not a pretty picture, and had to replace their sewer line in a hurry and under duress. Other neighbors have investigated their pipes and ordered their preemptive replacement in order to avoid the unpleasant fate of the aforementioned neighbors. One had sewer pipes replaced as a part of closing a real estate sale, and another decided on a preemptive replacement only to discover that their sewer pipe was NOT Orangeburg after opening up a big hole in their front yard.

So, if you decide you’d like to have a definitive answer to the Orangeburg question, you may wish to call a company that works with sewer lines to come perform a “sewer scope” at a cost to you of approximately $100. – $150. They will insert a camera down into the line, and be able to tell the condition of the pipes, whether there is root intrusion, and yes, whether you have Orangeburg pipes getting ready to collapse. AND, to top it off, they’ll leave you with a DVD which you may view from time to time for your entertainment… or not.

If you are a prospective home buyer, you will want to assess whether the home you are purchasing is a candidate for possible Orangeburg sewer pipes, and make the sewer scope a part of your home inspection process.

Photo courtesy of Mike Butkus.

March 13, 2008April 2, 2008

Featured Home – 1448 Greentree Circle

This week, we’re pleased to present a gleaming traditional with modern updates in Lake Oswego’s Palisades neighborhood.

1448 Greentree Circle, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
ML# 8011166 | Map
4+ bedrooms, 2-1/2 bathrooms, 2,587 sq. ft.
Listed at $588,000

Here’s a gorgeous, fully remodeled traditional with an unbeatable location and peaceful wooded views. Light, airy rooms and gleaming new fir floors await you. The kitchen features slate-toned countertops and stainless steel appliances.

Upstairs: Modern-accented master with beautifully appointed bath/dressing features, plus 3 additional bedrooms, remodeled bath with earthen tilework and contemporary accents.

Downstairs: Office or bonus room with pocket door, laundry room, ½ Bath, living and family rooms, an elegant dining room and 2 fireplaces

The exterior features a private deck and classic northwest landscaping.

Just blocks to Lakeridge High School, Palisades Elementary, golf course, & neighborhood pool (membership required) and only steps from local park!

For more information or to schedule a showing, please contact Linda Trotta at (503) 699-5824 or email.

Listing courtesy of Advanced Real Estate Services.

March 11, 2008

Trees in Lake Oswego

Trees in Lake Oswego If Lake Oswego is anything, it is a place where quality of life is an essential part of decision-making and planning. People tend to move here to take advantage of the excellent school system, and to become involved in a tightly knit community of individuals who really want to safeguard a set of values that ensures the livability of the community.

If I had to take a stab at listing some values common to people living in Lake Oswego, I’d include: Safety for children and families, Excellence in education, Involvement of citizenry, Support for small businesses, and Beauty.

Yes, that’s right–Beauty.

This shows up in many ways, including the hanging flower baskets you see along main arterials, the sign codes that keep the view open and uncluttered, the cleanliness that is typical of the city in general, the chirping birds signaling that it’s safe to cross the street (yes, this also serves safety and aids the sight-impaired as well), and the trees… they seem to be everywhere! Yes, trees take precedence in many building and planning decisions as far as the City of Lake Oswego is concerned. Some consider this an annoyance, and some appreciate what the city is trying to accomplish.

According to the city’s website:

A tree removal permit is required for any tree that is five inches or more in diameter at four and a half feet from the ground, which measurement is known as Diameter at Breast Height (DBH). If you intend to remove a tree, one of six permits is required.

A Type I Permit is an over-the-counter permit for cutting up to two trees of 10 inches or less per calendar year as long as those trees do not fall into several categories including: A tree located within an area that has been placed on the Historic Landmark Designation List, a Heritage Tree, a tree located within the Willamette River Greenway overlay district, a tree located within 25 feet of Oswego Lake Special Setback, a tree located on property owned by the City of Lake Oswego or dedicated to the public, including parks, open space and public rights-of-way, or a tree located within a Resource Conservation (RC) or Resource Protection (RP) sensitive lands overlay district. A completed Tree Removal Application and a site plan are required with Type I permits. A Type II Permit applies to trees that do not qualify under the parameters set for Type I Permits, i.e. dead trees, hazard trees, Emergency Permits or Verification Permits. (Please call the city at 503-635-0270 for more information on permits.)

“Topping” trees is also illegal in Lake Oswego. The city warns that “it will make a tree more susceptible to crown and root rot, and weaken its strength and health.” Citizens are advised to remove ivy from trees as it is known to be a parasite that will kill a tree, and they are warned against stockpiling dirt, chemicals or construction debris at the base of any tree.

On a real estate note, if you are thinking of having any sewer line work done in Lake Oswego, please have your contractor check with the city first. Lake Oswego will send out an envoy to make sure that no tree roots will be disturbed in the process.

Granted, if you are living in Lake Oswego, and have a tree on your property that you believe should reside somewhere else (or not at all!), going through the city’s processes in order to gain approval for your plans can be an annoyance, and will definitely put a crimp in any timelines you had envisioned before realizing that this might be an issue. However, most will grudgingly agree that one of the things that makes living in Lake Oswego what it is, is the ever-presence of trees.

While the city talks about environmental deficits that would ensue if we did not have these rules in place including erosion, hotter temperatures in the summer, and less wildlife, I believe that the root of all this hubbub around trees is the common shared value of Beauty that those who live in this gentle place just outside the urban environment of Portland love so much. Mt. Hood is a stupendous view… but I will continue to enjoy it while leaning a little to the right off my deck… just to the other side of another beautiful view… that of luscious, green Lake Oswego trees.

The leaning is good exercise anyway!