Happy New Year 2024!

Linda and I want to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year filled with success, health, happiness, and everything you are striving for in the months ahead.

Peace and Joy to You and Yours

On this Christmas Day, Dianne and I wish you and your loved ones a holiday filled with all the cozy things you associate with this time of year. In this big world, we are grateful for so many things, and we wish you more of exactly what fills your home with Joy. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you!  

Real Estate at the Holidays

Many Realtors plan cruises and vacation trips at this time of year. Very early on in my real estate career, my Principal Broker handed me a tenet …an affirmation of sorts that I adopted as my own long ago when she said ~ “I am always busy in December.” And so it is.

Life goes on and people always have reasons to pursue changing their living environment no matter what time of year it is. You’ll often hear: “Wait till the spring” and the like. That may or may not be good advice when really looking at the individual’s situation and needs. I thought it might be useful to point out a few things about Real Estate at this time of year~

There are so many “extra” distractions right about now… gift-hunting, party-planning, wrapping, festive food-planning & preparation, school break planning for the kids…not to mention that it is often raining and cold and sometimes snowing. People who are looking for a home at this time of year are serious Buyers. So, as a homeowner who has a reason to make a life-change that involves selling your home right about now, the people coming through your home are not “just looking”. It’s a good thing to narrow/concentrate the Buyer-pool this way! Dianne also often points out that selling your property during the holidays allows you to really create those warm notes that often attract Buyers to a “home” rather than just a house~ Lights in the windows, festive decorations inside & out, and maybe even the smell of cookies authentically in the air. And from the other side of the equation~ Buyers, at this time of year may find they encounter Sellers who are more amenable to taking care of necessary safety/functional repair items and the tone is often more friendly with the goal of working toward mutual-benefit surrounding the transaction. ***So, generally, timing is usually some kind of factor for both the Buyer and the Seller right now which tends to create a cooperative mindset.

I thought it might be important for *someone* reading this to take note of these things should you find yourself in the midst of some life change nudging you to take action. As always, Dianne and I are here for you should this ever be the case.

Happy Holidays!

Market Activity ~ Nov 20-26, 2023

Last week Lake Oswego had 7 properties entering the market, 8 moving to Pending status and 7 that Closed/Sold. Right now there are 120 properties available ranging from $250/,000 to $11,500,000.

Here is the breakdown according to RMLS:

NEW Nov 20-26, 2023

AddressList PriceBedsBathsSFProp Type
4 TOUCHSTONE #128$250,000$32.11350CONDO
11 OSWEGO #11$332,800$221241CONDO
1724 OAK ST$870,000$322689DETACHD
18521 WAXWING CIR$1,250,000$42.12936DETACHD
4355 HAVEN ST$1,999,900$44.13211DETACHD
17132 LOWENBERG TER$2,100,000$44.23322DETACHD
4745 DOGWOOD DRAUCTION$443920DETACHD

PENDING Nov 20-26, 2023

AddressList PriceBedsBathsSFProp TypeDays
45 EAGLE CREST DR #402$219,900$11768CONDO71
86 KINGSGATE RD / Upper$298,000$22849CONDO100
141 TOUCHSTONE CT$589,000$32.12066ATTACHD90
16240 PARKER RD$679,000$321454DETACHD269
13990 SHIREVA CT$789,000$321702DETACHD19
369 5TH ST$825,000$211552DETACHD4
6050 CHILDS RD$900,000$31.12129DETACHD17
18368 TAMAWAY DR$1,150,000$433741DETACHD40

SOLD Nov 20-26, 2023

AddressOpeningClosedBedsBathsSFProp TypeDays
51 GREENRIDGE CT$475,000$453,457$221348ATTACHD30
12884 BOONES FERRY RD$475,000$472,500$22.11210CONDO3
12802 BOONES FERRY RD$479,900$479,900$32.11182CONDO87
1228 CEDAR ST$625,000$610,000$321302DETACHD95
34 CHURCHILL DOWNS$824,000$725,000$432080DETACHD56
3460 LAKE GROVE AVE$1,498,000$1,450,000$321673DETACHD49
2275 GLEN HAVEN RD$2,349,900$2,234,900$444109DETACHD2
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, with CDOM standing for “cumulative days on market” accounting for “refreshed” listings (***We’ve used “Days” in each category for ease of understanding) .

This Week in Lake Oswego

Here are my picks for what to do in Lake Oswego this week!

Mon, Nov 6 , 2023 – Storyline Recording- Listen to short stories, book excerpts and poetry on demand, – INFO: CLICK HERE

Tues, Nov 7, 2023 – 2:30-4:30 PM – Slow Jam ~ Come & enjoy playing music with others! Bring your instrument and make some musical friends.. – ACC, 505 G Avenue Lake Oswego More Info: CLICK HERE

Wed, Nov 8, 2023 – 6:00 PM Historic Resources Advisory Board ~  Review the Historic Preservation Grant from Lakewood Neighborhood, Revisions to the Historic Preservation Code, Parks Plan & More ~ Lake Oswego City Hall, 380 A Avenue ~ More Info :  CLICK HERE

Thurs, Nov 9, 2023 – 6:00 PMTeen Advisory Board! ~Be a part of planning programs including book groups, movie nights and more! ~ Lake Oswego Library, Lower Level, 706 Fourth St. – More Info:  CLICK HERE

Fri, Nov 10, 2023 – 2:00-4:00 PM –Family Movie Matinee~ Start your long weekend with a movie on a rainy day at cozy Children’s Library. Featuring “Super”. ~ Lake Oswego Public Library, 706 Fourth St ~ More Info: CLICK HERE

Where Did the Lake Go?

If you have driven anywhere near the lake in the last week or so you can not have helped but notice that the water level is down significantly. So what’s up?

Every 3 years the water level for the lake is dropped about 10 feet. This allows people who live on the lake to repair their sea walls, boat houses, and docks. It also allows maintenance to be done for the sewer lines that run along the bottom of the lake. This year a large section in Blue Heron canal is being almost completely replaced.

The drawdown starts in mid October and ends in early December. Then the lake is refilled by rainfall through the winter.

I will also say that, from my experience, it does and nice job of cleaning up the water quality. The lake is prone to grasses and algae and that sort of thing. The summer after a drawdown, swimming in the lake is much nicer than it is the summer before a drawdown.

So it’s all good. The lake will be full in time for the nice spring weather.

I hope you have found this information useful.

Dianne

Portland Metro Neighborhood Stats + LO

Here is your monthly look at what’s happening in Portland metro and how it relates to Lake Oswego (broken out at the bottom)

Overview/Fluctuations ~ Sept 2023 Market Data

Activity is down as you’d expect in Fall (New, Pending & Closed categories dropped), Inventory is up & prices are down. If you’re a Buyer this is your season!  If you’re a Seller, pricing right will draw out the activity & potential multiple Offers putting you in a good position. The bulk of overall sales are narrowed between the $400,000 – $700,000 price range.

Rates: “Geopolitical events are tempering the pressure on rates. Currently rates are in your  mid 7% range.”       Gary Boyer, Regional VP, Directors Mortgage

According to the RMLS Market Action Report  for the Portland Metro Area-September 2023:

  • There were 2,713 New Listings in Sept which is down 13.9% from 3,151 in Sept 2022 and down 7.2% from the 2,923 in the previous month/August.
  • At 1,717 Sep­t 2023’s Closed Sales (Solds) are down 23.2% from Sept 2022’s 2,237, and decreased 20.3% from the previous month’s total of 2,155.
  • At 1,809 Sept 2023’s Pending Sales (Accepted Offers) are down 9.7% from Sept 2022’s 2,003, and also down 11.9% from the previous month/August’s total of 2,053.
  • The Average Sale Price for Sept 2023 of, $595,900 is down  $2,800. from last year/Sept 2022’s $598,700, and down $12,400 from the previous month/August’s $608,300. 
  • The “Median Sale Price (the price smack dab in the middle of all sales) in Sept 2023 of $537,400 dropped $10,600 from Sept 2022’s $548,000, & up just $500 from August’s $536,900.

LAKE OSWEGO: (Sept ’23)

279 Active Listings (Aug 290)
137 New Listings  (Aug 151)
98 Pending Sales (Aug 93)
75 Closed Sales  (Aug 111)
Average Sale Price for Sept: $1,076,600 (Aug $1,184,900)
NOTE: Higher-Priced vs Lower-Priced Homes Sales can skew the “Average” in any given month.  Lake Oswego has quite a variety, so this tends to be a less meaningful stat, generally speaking, in this niche.
51 Days on the Market   (Aug 44)

The data listed above is as reported by the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS

This Week in Lake Oswego

Here are my picks of what to do in Lake Oswego this week ~

Mon, Oct 9, 2023 – 4:00 PMPlanning Commission Marylhurst Commons/Mercy Greenbrae Tour– The offsite meeting is for the purpose of learning more about this development in order to inform the City’s work to develop a Housing Production Strategy (HPS) in compliance with state House Bill 2003 (2019) (PP 22-0005) . Mercy Greenbrae Apartments: Greenbrae INFO HERE , INFO ON TOUR: CLICK HERE

Tues, Oct 10, 2023 – 1:00 PM – GRIEF RELIEF-Recover & Rebuild After Loss Series ~ Get help navigating through grief with tips, tools and discussion. This class is led by Georgena Grace, MA, RSCP, CRS who is a Trauma Specialist, Grief Guide, and the owner of the Integrated Wellbeing Institute. – ACC, 505 G Avenue Lake Oswego More Info: CLICK HERE

Wed, Oct 11, 2023 – 6:00 PM Historic Resources Advisory Board ~  Review the Historic Preservation Grant from Lakewood Neighborhood, Revisions to the Historic Preservation Code, Parks Plan & More ~ Lake Oswego City Hall, 380 A Avenue ~ More Info :  CLICK HERE

Thurs, Oct 12, 2023 – 6:00 PMTeen Advisory Board! ~Be a part of planning programs including book groups, movie nights and more! ~ Lake Oswego Library, Lower Level, 706 Fourth St. – More Info:  CLICK HERE

Fri, Oct 13, 2023 – 7:00-9:00 PM – Living Well Dance featuring the Millennium Dance Band ~ Come dance to big band music of the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s with an occasional ballroom favorite. (Under 14 requires adult accompaniment.) ~ CCP, 1060 Chandler Rd ~ More Info: CLICK HERE

Sat, Oct 14, 2023 – 10:00 AM-2:00 PMLake Oswego & West Linn Wellness Fair – All are welcome to this Free event dedicated to poviding a fun, educational day for people to learn more about health, wellness and sustainability opportunities throughout our surrounding communities. ~ Millennium Plaza Park, 200 1st Street ~ More Info :  CLICK HERE

Market Activity Aug 28-Sept 3, 2023

Last week in Lake Oswego we had 9 properties come onto the market, 2 of which sold quickly and appear in this report as pending sales. We had 16 properties go into pending status and 17 sold/closed sales.

See below for RMLS data.

New on the Market Aug 28-Sept 3, 2023

AddressTypePriceBedroomsBathsSq Feet
284 CervantesCondo$365,000221052
16250 Pacific Hwy j#46Condo$449,000221305
16200 Pacific Hwy #29Condo$500,000221207
13349 Hidden Bay CtDetached$,1,100,000333012
14863 Twin Fir CtDetached$1,170,000432028
3894 Tamarack LnDetached$1,499,00043.54035
4688 Upper DrDetached$2,19800043.53962

Pending Sales Aug 28-Sept 3, 2023

AddressTypePriceBedroomsBathsSq FeetDOM
3433 McNary PdwyCondo$299,00022100838
4469 Golden LnCondo$420,00022.5200230
17825 Tualata AveDetached$535,00031.5118211
85 Tanglewood DrDetached$599,0004323231
6 The GrottoDetached$599,0003213811
1368 Boca Ratan DrAttached$610,00032168323
6062 Burma RdDetached$639,00052187596
107 Kingsgate RdDetached$674,9003215161
89 Kingsgate RdDetached$675,00032.5171312
16 Aquinas StDetached$698,00032.5172027
16 Walking Woods DrDetached
32.528976
13104 Rogers RdDetached$985,00042.528893
885 Lake Forest DrDetached$1,075,00043220611
353 3rd StAttached$1,195,00033.5204439
2600 Glenmorrie DrDetached$2,298,00043.5423213
807 Ellis AveDetached$3,600,00055526711

Sold/Closed Aug 28-Sept 3, 2023

AddressTypeList PriceSold PriceSq FeetCDOM
18 Britten CtAttached$649,900$630,000197256
16 Britten CtAttached$665,000$655,83219721
5050 Greentree RdDetached$799,900$735,000205249
5117 Greensborough CtDetached795,000$800,00016924
13388 Auburn CtAttached$839,500$800,000249248
412 Livingood LnDetached$998,900$935,000388033
17532 Oak Meadow LnDetached$1,299,900$1,225,000304635
1255 Bickner StDetached$1,350,000$1,275,000281725
17299 Lake Haven DrDetached$1,329,000$1,400,00026564
1888 Oak Knoll CtDetached$1,495,000$1,400,000302228
2301 Wembley Park RdDetached$2,100,000$2,007,500360023
15575 Village DrDetached$2,225,000$2,087,870316310
608 Cabana LnDetached$2,595,000$2,595,00020000
547 Northshore RdDetached$2,250,000$2,600,000376611
17264 Lake Haven DrDetached$2,600,000$2,600,00039110
1653 Lake Front RdDetached$6,998,000$6,998,00062740
4357 Southshore BlvdDetached$10,500,000$10,500,00051620

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, with CDOM
standing for “cumulative days on market” accounting for “refreshed” listings

Market Activity ~ Aug 21-27, 2023

Last week Lake Oswego saw 16 properties enter the market, 15 move to Pending status, and 15 Sold/Close. Right now there are 185 homes available ranging from $220,000 to $11,500,000.

Here is the breakdown:

NEW Aug 21-27, 2023

AddressList PriceBedsBathsSFProp Type
30 CERVANTES CIR, Grnd$281,000$2$11112CONDO
4316 BOTTICELLI ST$495,000$2$22098CONDO
49 GREENRIDGE CT$525,000$3$21596ATTACHD
13 MOUNTAIN CIR$529,000$2$11374ATTACHD
17825 SW TUALATA AVE$535,000$3$11182DETACHD
668 MCVEY AVE #57$589,000$3$1992CONDO
141 TOUCHSTONE CT$589,000$3$22066ATTACHD
15215 BOONES WAY$639,500$3$21686ATTACHD
107 KINGSGATE RD$674,900$3$21516DETACHD
135 KINGSGATE RD$779,000$3$21720DETACHD
16 WALKING WOODS DR$779,000$3$22897DETACHD
4954 MULHOLLAND DR$819,000$32.12498ATTACHD
13104 ROGERS RD$985,000$42.12889DETACHD
2348 OVERLOOK DR$1,050,000$532567DETACHD
17867 Sundown CT$1,100,000$33.12763DETACHD
1000 BICKNER ST$1,150,000$42.11988DETACHD
13920 SHIREVA DR$1,300,000$533212DETACHD
670 1ST ST$1,515,000$3$22767CONDO
17257 BRYANT RD$2,298,000$5$34789DETACHD
3188 GLENMORRIE DR$3,650,000$5$55585DETACHD

PENDING Aug 21-27, 2023

AddressList PriceBedsBathsSFProp TypeDays
100 KERR PKWY #31$219,500$1$1617CONDO14
100 GREENRIDGE CT$525,000$3$22004ATTACHD6
49 GREENRIDGE CT$525,000$3$21596ATTACHD3
13 MOUNTAIN CIR$529,000$2$11374ATTACHD3
4323 LAKEVIEW BLVD$550,000$4$21483DETACHD6
17347 ASHLEY CT$749,000$4$22117ATTACHD79
34 CHURCHILL DOWNS$799,000$4$32080DETACHD34
15718 MURWOOD CT$840,000$3$21988DETACHD12
2255 GLEN HAVEN RD$859,000$3$32814DETACHD55
5382 ROYAL OAKS DR$1,180,000$4$22970DETACHD21
13880 KNAUS RD$1,500,000$4$33762DETACHD58

SOLD Aug 21-27, 2023

AddressOpeningClosedBedsBathsSFProp TypeDays
5052 FOOTHILLS DR, D$438,000$400,000$3$21252CONDO62
1127 Cedar St.$599,000$575,000$3$11848DETACHD50
791 4TH ST$799,900$725,000$3$21568DETACHD773
19443 KOKANEE CT$824,900$801,000$4$22888DETACHD24
31 WALKING WOODS DR$825,000$815,000$4$32855DETACHD25
5316 CHILDS RD$1,200,000$1,175,000$5$23854DETACHD21
754 5TH ST$1,250,000$1,270,000$3$32179DETACHD2
2886 UPPER DR$1,389,000$1,300,000$4$32674DETACHD184
16661 PHANTOM BLUFF CT$4,785,000$4,707,000$5$55371DETACHD1
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, with CDOM standing for “cumulative days on market” accounting for “refreshed” listings (***We’ve used “Days” in each category for ease of understanding) .