Property Blotter

May 20, 2008

Lake Oswego Real Estate Market Results – April 2008

A quick recap for Lake Oswego’s April real estate results…

The sales volume in Lake Oswego during April (41 sold) was about 1/2 of April 2007’s pace (85 sold) for all condo, attached, and single-family homes. On the upside, heading into May, approximately 85 homes are sale pending.

The light statistical sample is heavily affected by Lake Oswego’s single-family home price range, so average pricing for all homes was still north of $623,000.

Buyers are looking for values, and as of early May, have access to nearly 680 active listings. That may have a lot to do with April’s final sale prices coming in at 90% average of sellers’ original listing price.

Following is a breakdown of property types by average sale prices, market time, and size:

LAKE OSWEGO MARKET ACTIVITY – APRIL, 2008

PROPERTY TYPE	QUANTITY SOLD	AVG SALE PRICE	AVG SQ. FT.	SALE PRICE VS. ORIG. LIST PRICE	AVG MARKET TIME*
Condominiums	10	$231,695	1,159	78%	152
Attached Homes	2	$457,000	2,060	98%	11
Single Family Detached Homes	29	$769,813	3,149	91%	103
SUMMARY	41	$623,306	2,611	90%	110

* Market time or Days on Market (DOM) refers to the number of days between the time the listing becomes active in the multiple listing service and the date of when an offer has been accepted by the seller.

Data courtesy of RMLS.

May 19, 2008

Lake Oswego Real Estate Activity – May 11-18, 2008

New listings (39) continue to pour in, but pending (14) and closed sales (16) over the past couple weeks are nearly keeping pace.

Here is the latest Lake Oswego real estate market activity report (look to the bottom for definitions and research criteria):

NEWLY LISTED (May 12 – 18, 2008)

ADDRESS	LIST PRICE	TOT. BEDS	TOT. BATHS	TOT. SQ FT	PROP TYPE	LIST DATE
32 OSWEGO SMT	$149,900	1	1	752	CONDO	5/11
86 KINGSGATE RD	$185,000	2	2	938	CONDO	5/14
44 EAGLE CREST DR	$199,950	2	2	1,085	CONDO	5/15
200 BURNHAM RD	$315,000	2	2	1,334	CONDO	5/15
3 PEACOCK PL	$324,900	3	2.1	1,430	DETACHD	5/11
668 MCVEY AVE	$349,900	2	0.1	836	CONDO	5/14
18121 SW TUALATA AVE	$389,000	3	2	1,766	DETACHD	5/11
16121 SW KIMBALL AVE	$399,900	3	2	1,596	DETACHD	5/12
4284 WEST BAY RD	$439,900	3	2	1,539	DETACHD	5/12
1720 WOODLAND TER	$475,000	4	2.1	2,786	DETACHD	5/14
15200 TWIN FIR RD	$500,000	3	2.1	2,329	DETACHD	5/13
1695 HALLINAN ST	$549,900	4	2.1	2,763	DETACHD	5/11
13242 VERMEER DR	$578,000	3	2.1	2,100	DETACHD	5/12
1038 BAYBERRY RD	$599,900	5	4	2,890	DETACHD	5/11
5657 GRAND OAKS DR	$609,900	3	2.1	2,888	DETACHD	5/12
12724 ALTO PARK RD	$650,000	3	2	1,820	DETACHD	5/15
3061 WESTVIEW CT	$670,000	4	3	3,396	DETACHD	5/15
13500 TWIN CREEK LN	$679,000	4	2.1	3,049	DETACHD	5/16
668 McVey AVE	$699,850	3	1.1	985	CONDO	5/11
18411 TAMAWAY DR	$725,000	4	2.1	2,576	DETACHD	5/11
14062 CHELSEA DR	$729,000	4	2.1	2,974	DETACHD	5/14
17561 SHEPHERDS CT	$744,900	4	2.1	3,011	DETACHD	5/14
17141 WALL ST	$759,900	4	2	3,540	DETACHD	5/17
17850 SW PILKINGTON RD	$779,000	3	2	3,222	DETACHD	5/17
2704 ORCHARD HILL LN	$789,000	5	3	3,207	DETACHD	5/16
17879 HILLSIDE DR	$799,900	3	3	3,149	DETACHD	5/11
13581 SW GOODALL RD	$810,000	3	1	1,200	DETACHD	5/11
2357 HILLSIDE LN	$874,900	5	3	4,162	DETACHD	5/16
15459 VILLAGE DR	$899,000	4	3.1	3,059	DETACHD	5/12
18148 PIONEER CT	$1,050,000	5	3	3,542	DETACHD	5/16
1835 CEDAR CT	$1,099,000	3	3.1	3,165	DETACHD	5/12
19463 SW Lorna LN	$1,144,000	4	3.1	4,024	DETACHD	5/15
2801 LAKEVIEW BLVD	$1,211,000	3	3.2	3,400	DETACHD	5/12
3122 UPPER DR	$1,350,000	4	4	3,851	DETACHD	5/11
3010 UPPER DR	$1,495,000	4	4	4,373	DETACHD	5/11
3820 SOUTHSHORE BLVD	$1,595,000	5	4	4,855	DETACHD	5/11
2600 DELLWOOD DR	$1,699,000	4	3	3,690	DETACHD	5/14
3178 DOUGLAS CIR	$1,875,000	5	4.1	5,256	DETACHD	5/15
2778 GLENMORRIE DR	$2,199,000	5	4.3	6,263	DETACHD	5/12

PENDING SALES (May 12 – 18, 2008)

ADDRESS	LIST PRICE	TOT. BEDS	TOT. BATHS	TOT. SQ FT	PROP TYPE	PENDING DATE
4618 LOWER DR	$179,900	2	1.1	1,260	CONDO	5/14
5803 SW MCEWAN RD	$335,000	4	2	1,485	DETACHD	5/14
5333 SW KENNY ST	$339,900	3	1.1	1,248	DETACHD	5/12
15950 SW PARKER RD	$379,000	3	1	924	DETACHD	5/17
820 BOCA RATAN DR	$397,000	4	3.1	2,810	DETACHD	5/12
14584 DORIS AVE	$399,900	3	2	1,500	DETACHD	5/14
16400 WESTVIEW RD	$429,500	2	1	1,217	DETACHD	5/13
19061 SW INDIAN SPRINGS RD	$439,950	5	3	2,341	DETACHD	5/12
4361 DOUGLAS WAY	$529,900	4	3.1	2,728	DETACHD	5/11
4231 SUNSET DR	$549,900	3	2	2,852	DETACHD	5/14
18064 JENIFERS WAY	$749,000	4	2.1	2,859	DETACHD	5/17
5644 SUNCREEK DR	$774,500	4	3.1	3,616	DETACHD	5/14
1443 Country Commons LN	$799,000	3	2.5	3,357	DETACHD	5/12
17610 Brookhurst Drive	$839,900	5	3.1	4,160	DETACHD	5/12

SOLD (MAY 5 – May 11, 2008)

ADDRESS	SOLD PRICE	ORIGINAL PRICE	TOT. BEDS	TOT. BATHS	TOT. SQ FT	PROP TYPE	DOM
8 CRESTFIELD CT	$144,900	$144,900	1	1	689	CONDO	30
18 WHEATHERSTONE PL	$285,000	$293,000	3	2.1	1,692	CONDO	5
16200 Pacific HWY	$318,000	$449,850	2	2	1,208	CONDO	43
4070 VIRGINIA WAY	$320,000	$455,000	4	2	1,728	DETACHD	205
15254 BOONES WAY	$360,000	$368,850	3	2	1,600	ATTACHD	25
17061 CRESTVIEW DR	$478,000	$525,000	4	2	2,216	DETACHD	88
17488 Mardee AVE	$500,000	$545,000	4	2.1	2,168	DETACHD	142
5808 BAY POINT DR	$572,000	$689,950	4	2.1	2,860	DETACHD	207
136 D AVE	$575,000	$608,900	2	2.1	1,741	ATTACHD
490 IRON MOUNTAIN BLVD	$595,000	$869,000	2	2	2,246	DETACHD	27
2340 PARK RD	$695,000	$799,000	3	3	3,200	DETACHD	131
5642 LA MESA CT	$700,000	$869,000	4	2.1	3,361	DETACHD	153
15737 TARA PL	$729,000	$799,900	4	2.1	3,057	DETACHD	206
18720 WESTVIEW DR	$850,000	$879,000	4	3	3,244	DETACHD	8
4210 VIRGINIA WAY	$855,000	$879,000	4	4.1	3,423	DETACHD	137
4077 WESTBAY RD	$1,450,000	$1,579,000	4	4	3,367	DETACHD	98

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 is no longer active (i.e. expired, cancelled, pending, or sold).

May 16, 2008

Lake Oswego Open Houses – May 17-18, 2008

Warm weather means a wealth of open houses in Lake Oswego for the weekend of May 17 and 18. Here’s the list:

Date	Time	Address	List Price	Bdrms	Baths	Total SF
5/18/08	3-5pm	86 KINGSGATE RD	$185,000	2	2	849
5/18/08	11am-1pm	86 KINGSGATE RD	$185,000	2	2	938
5/18/08	1-3pm	450 S STATE ST	$229,900	2	1	800
5/18/08	1-4pm	11 SUMMIT RIDGE CT	$319,000	2	2.1	1,576
5/18/08	2-4pm	3 PEACOCK PL	$324,900	3	2.1	1,430
5/18/08	1-3pm	152 RIDGEWAY RD	$349,900	2	1.1	1,794
5/18/08	1-3pm	1024 GANS RD	$359,999	4	2	1,560
5/17/08	1-3 PM	4211 WOODSIDE CIR	$375,000	3	2	1,688
5/18/08	1-3pm	19250 SW MAREE CT	$395,000	3	2.1	1,519
5/18/08	12-3pm	17650 ARBOR LN	$399,900	3	3	2,043
5/17/08	1 – 4 pm	800 WOODWAY CT	$425,000	4	3	2,066
5/17/08	12-2pm	4664 SW FIRWOOD RD	$425,900	3	2	1,640
5/18/08	1:00 – 4:00	907 BULLOCK ST	$429,500	4	2	2,020
5/17/08	11am – 1pm	820 MCVEY AVE	$434,500	3	1.1	1,446
5/18/08	3:00-5:00	666 3RD ST	$454,950	3	1.1	1,759
5/18/08	12:00-2:00	5079 W SUNSET DR	$498,950	2	2.1	1,760
5/18/08	1pm-3pm	17 ABELARD ST	$519,000	3	2	2,070
5/17/08	1:30 – 4:30	918 LAKE FRONT RD	$524,950	2	1	921
5/18/08	2-4 PM	960 9TH ST	$525,000	3	1	1,429
5/18/08	1 -4 pm	13340 AUBURN CT	$539,900	3	2.1	2,451
5/18/08	2 – 5PM	200 BURNHAM RD	$565,000	3	2	1,894
5/18/08	1pm-4pm	3355 UPPER DR	$599,900	4	2	3,205
5/18/08	2 – 4 pm	3745 TEMPEST DR	$629,900	4	3	2,743
5/18/08	1-3pm	10 BUCKINGHAM TER	$649,000	4	3	3,765
5/18/08	1-4pm	8 CAMELOT CT	$650,000	5	3	3,080
5/18/08	1:30 – 4 PM	17 CELLINI CT	$655,000	5	3.1	3,113
5/18/08	1-4pm	510 NORTHSHORE RD	$669,000	3	3	2,380
5/18/08	1-4 PM	5624 SOUTHWOOD DR	$695,000	4	3	3,120
5/17/08	1-4 PM	18086 JENIFERS WAY	$719,900	3	2.1	2,566
5/18/08	1-4 PM	18086 JENIFERS WAY	$719,900	3	2.1	2,566
5/18/08	11:00-2:00	5413 LANGFORD LN	$728,950	3	2.1	2,891
5/18/08	11:00-2:00	5364 LANGFORD LN	$738,950	3	2.1	2,932
5/18/08	1-4 PM	34 HILLSHIRE DR	$740,000	4	2.1	3,822
5/17/08	1-5pm	17454 CANAL (boat esmnt) CIR	$744,900	4	3	2,475
5/18/08	12-4pm	17454 CANAL (boat esmnt) CIR	$744,900	4	3	2,475
5/18/08	1-4 PM	435 8TH ST	$749,900	4	3.1	2,505
5/17/08	1-3pm	3886 TAMARACK LN	$769,000	4	3.1	4,010
5/18/08	1-3pm	3886 TAMARACK LN	$769,000	4	3.1	4,010
5/18/08	12 – 2pm	5644 SUNCREEK DR	$774,500	4	3.1	3,524
5/18/08	11:00-2:00	5455 LANGFORD LN	$788,950	3	2.1	3,341
5/18/08	1pm-4pm	4064 ORCHARD DR	$799,000	4	2.1	3,600
5/18/08	1-4 pm	9 JUAREZ ST	$805,000	3	3.1	2,823
5/18/08	12:30-2:30	569 7TH ST	$849,950	5	4	3,186
5/18/08	2:30-4:30pm	1835 CEDAR CT	$1,099,000	3	3.1	3,165
5/18/08	2-4 PM	15540 VILLAGE DR	$1,099,000	5	2.1	3,780
5/18/08	2-4pm	13701 SW KNAUS RD	$1,399,000	5	4.1	5,730
5/18/08	2PM-4PM	2600 DELLWOOD DR	$1,699,000	4	3	3,690
5/18/08	1-4pm	244 SW BIRDSHILL RD	$1,195,000	3	2.1	3,000

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.

May 14, 2008

In-Ground Oil Tanks

Oil Tank Decommissioning For most of the 20th century, oil heat was the primary method of heating homes. If you own or are considering purchasing a home that was built before 1965, chances are pretty good that the house had oil heat. And chances are also pretty good that the oil tank was buried in the ground.

Should you be afraid to buy a home with an in-ground tank? No.

Should you be afraid of selling your home if it has an in-ground tank? No.

In both instances the necessary steps that you should take are clearly outlined by the Department of Environmental Quality. As a seller, you want to minimize your liability and be certain that once the house is sold, you will never have the old oil tank come back to haunt you. To do this, you must obtain soil samples to prove that the tank has not contaminated the surrounding soil. If the tank is still in use, the soil samples will prove that the tank had not contaminated the surrounding soil at the time that the house was sold. If tank is no longer in use, you are encouraged to have the tank decommissioned.

Decommissioning the tank involves emptying it of oil, cleaning it out, and filling it with concrete slurry that will harden into a big cement rock in the ground. While decommissioning the tank is voluntary, many lenders and most buyers will make this a condition of the sale. If you do not take the necessary steps to prove that the soil was clean at the time the house was sold, and soil samples taken later show that a contamination has occurred, you can be liable for the cost to clean up the soil even after the house has transferred to a new owner. So, take the proper steps now to assure that you will not have a problem in the future.

Whenever work is done on an in-ground tank, it should be performed by a licensed and bonded contractor who is certified with the DEQ. After the work is completed, a certificated of compliance will be issued. This is paperwork that needs to be saved and transfered with the property to every subsequent owner. Cost to do soil testing will run about $200-$400. Cost of decommissioning will run about $800 to $1,200. Can it cost more, yes, but that is a minority of the cases.

If you are wanting to buy a house with an in-ground oil tank, should you be afraid to purchase? No. Simply make the soil testing and the decommissioning of the tank a condition of the purchase. You are strongly advised to get this taken care of before you buy the house. If you buy the house with an in-ground tank, and you discover later that the tank has leaked, you have now taken ownership of the problem.

How bad can it get? There certainly are horror stories of soil clean up costs running into the thousands and thousands of dollars. In my 20 years of selling real estate, the most costly clean-up I have encountered involved bringing in a backhoe to remove a tank and dig a hole about 15 feet in diameter. It cost the seller $8,000.

Information on oil tanks are surprisingly undocumented. There are not good resources for looking up records about in-ground tanks. The DEQ does not regulate in-ground tanks beyond requiring that they be reported if they have leaked. Then, the DEQ does open a file on them and there is a process to clean up the contamination and get the file closed. However, if no leak has been reported to the DEQ, they will not have a record of the tank. And do not rely on city records or fire department knowledge of in-ground tanks. This means that even if a seller has no knowledge of an in-ground tank, you may want to consider having the yard of an older home scanned with a metal detector to confirm that no tank exists in the yard.

In all cases, it is best to take every precaution to be in compliance with soil testing and tank decommissioning when you buy or sell a home. Taking the proper steps now will save both buyers and sellers heartache later.

Links: Oregon DEQ Tank Decommissioning FAQ

May 12, 2008

Lake Oswego Real Estate Activity – May 5-11, 2008

The Lake Oswego real estate market is moving along the past couple weeks at a pretty healthy clip. Since our last report, 28 homes have sold or gone under contract. Of course, another 50 listings entered the market, so inventory is still up there, too.

Here is the latest Lake Oswego real estate market activity report (look to the bottom for definitions and research criteria):

NEWLY LISTED (May 5 – 11, 2008)

ADDRESS	LIST PRICE	TOT. BEDS	TOT. BATHS	TOT. SQ FT	PROP TYPE	LIST DATE
4000 CARMAN DR	$148,000	1	1	767	CONDO	5/5
45 EAGLE CREST DR	$149,900	1	1	600	CONDO	5/8
47 EAGLE CREST DR	$153,500	2	1	932	CONDO	5/7
46 CRESTFIELD CT	$175,000	2	1	923	CONDO	5/4
750 1ST ST	$239,000	2	2	1,350	CONDO	5/6
296 CERVANTES	$259,900	2	2.1	1,137	CONDO	5/6
16250 PACIFIC HWY	$269,850	2	2	1,311	CONDO	5/7
200 BURNHAM RD	$289,850	2	2	1,335	CONDO	5/6
200 BURNHAM RD	$309,850	2	1	1,216	CONDO	5/6
200 BURNHAM RD	$315,850	2	1	1,216	CONDO	5/6
16470 SW CARNEGIE AVE	$319,000	3	2	1,040	DETACHD	5/10
200 Burnham RD	$319,850	2	2	1,313	CONDO	5/6
4454 THUNDER VISTA LN	$324,900	2	2.1	2,040	CONDO	5/8
17239 REBECCA LANE	$399,900	4	2.1	1,970	DETACHD	5/4
2760 OVERLOOK DR	$419,900	4	2.1	2,441	DETACHD	5/7
16400 WESTVIEW RD	$429,500	2	1	1,217	DETACHD	5/7
907 BULLOCK ST	$429,500	4	2	2,020	DETACHD	5/7
18156 PIONEER CT	$429,900	3	2	1,600	DETACHD	5/8
2638 GREENTREE RD	$449,900	4	2	2,373	DETACHD	5/4
615 LAKE BAY CT	$469,000	4	2	2,542	DETACHD	5/6
4188 COBB WAY	$479,000	4	2	2,192	DETACHD	5/8
17920 DEERBRUSH AVE	$489,900	4	3	2,410	DETACHD	5/8
441 9TH ST	$499,900	3	2	2,408	DETACHD	5/9
17101 CHAPIN WAY	$499,900	3	2	1,949	DETACHD	5/10
15611 SW PARTRIDGE DR	$529,900	4	2.1	2,300	DETACHD	5/4
5434 YORKSHIRE PL	$559,000	3	3	2,335	DETACHD	5/4
1041 OXFORD DR	$564,500	4	3.1	2,712	DETACHD	5/4
2751 SUMMIT DR	$565,900	3	2	2,278	DETACHD	5/8
6351 SW BURMA RD	$649,900	2	1	2,016	DETACHD	5/8
4 CAMELOT CT	$649,900	5	3	3,344	DETACHD	5/10
5492 YORKSHIRE PL	$649,990	4	2.1	2,515	DETACHD	5/5
17 CELLINI CT	$655,000	5	3.1	3,066	DETACHD	5/4
52 CONDOLEA CT	$695,000	2	2.1	2,958	CONDO	5/4
18086 JENIFERS WAY	$719,900	3	2.1	2,566	DETACHD	5/5
5644 SUNCREEK DR	$774,500	4	3.1	3,524	DETACHD	5/9
13234 DEERFIELD CT	$779,000	4	3	3,366	DETACHD	5/4
9 JUAREZ ST	$805,000	3	3.1	2,823	DETACHD	5/5
586 WEIDMAN CT	$839,900	5	3.1	3,796	DETACHD	5/4
645 Country Club RD	$859,900	4	2.1	3,262	DETACHD	5/6
1273 WELLS ST	$888,500	3	3	4,001	DETACHD	5/7
2941 WESTVIEW CIR	$925,000	4	2.1	3,075	DETACHD	5/7
4136 CASEY CT.	$998,850	5	3.1	3,998	DETACHD	5/5
2430 SUMMIT CT	$1,400,000	2	2	2,911	DETACHD	5/4
16545 MAPLE CIR	$1,439,000	3	2.1	3,336	DETACHD	5/5
2201 HAZEL RD	$1,725,000	5	3.1	5,446	DETACHD	5/5
320 CHANDLER PL	$2,300,000	5	3.1	4,675	DETACHD	5/4

PENDING SALES (May 5 – 11, 2008)

ADDRESS	LIST PRICE	TOT. BEDS	TOT. BATHS	TOT. SQ FT	PROP TYPE	PENDING DATE
343 5TH ST	$319,500	2	1	910	CONDO	3/31
4840 LAMONT WAY	$324,500	3	2	1,773	DETACHD	3/7
4902 SW CHILDS RD	$385,000	3	1.1	1,370	DETACHD	3/28
727 9th Street	$395,000	1	1	780	DETACHD	12/14
12821 SIERRA VISTA DR	$649,900	5	3.1	3,329	DETACHD	3/5
1630 COUNTRY COMMONS	$1,050,000	4	2.1	3,776	DETACHD	4/10
1501 COUNTRY CLUB RD	$1,249,000	4	4	4,687	DETACHD	5/1
12210 SW ORCHARD HILL RD	$1,695,000	4	3.2	4,640	DETACHD	3/26
1730 NORTHSHORE RD	$1,775,000	3	4	3,625	DETACHD	1/6

SOLD (April 28 – May 4, 2008)

ADDRESS	ORIG. PRICE	SOLD PRICE	TOT. BEDS	TOT. BATHS	TOT. SQ FT	PROP TYPE	DOM
16200 PACIFIC HWY	$438,850	$309,850	2	2	1,200	CONDO	643
14331 SHERBROOK PL	$529,000	$325,000	3	2	1,952	DETACHD	599
615 LAKE BAY CT	$469,000	$405,950	4	2	2,542	DETACHD	2
17200 CANAL CIR	$430,000	$410,000	2	1.1	1,814	DETACHD	124
4630 WILDWOOD ST	$429,900	$415,000	3	2	2,067	DETACHD	20
1307 CEDAR ST	$499,950	$430,626	4	3	2,162	DETACHD	207
1711 HIGHLAND DR	$449,000	$455,000	3	2.1	1,926	DETACHD	2
18781 INDIAN CREEK WAY	$480,000	$480,000	4	2.1	2,076	DETACHD	9
14 PREAKNESS CT	$495,000	$485,000	2	2.1	2,047	ATTACHD	11
16872 QUAIL CT	$824,900	$730,900	4	3.1	3,120	DETACHD	22
17912 MEADOWLARK LN	$1,299,500	$750,000	4	3	3,087	DETACHD	410
5322 ROSALIA WAY	$799,000	$800,000	4	2.1	3,767	DETACHD	4
17577 BROOKHURST DR	$898,000	$870,000	3	2.1	3,894	DETACHD	128
18323 LOTHLORIEN WAY	$949,000	$886,000	4	3.1	3,550	DETACHD	34
17237 Lowenberg TER	$1,049,000	$962,500	3	2.1	3,095	DETACHD
18026 SKYLAND CIR	$1,490,000	$1,368,684	5	3.1	4,086	DETACHD	68
18284 MEADOWLARK LN	$1,699,900	$1,480,000	4	4.2	5,648	DETACHD	15

May 9, 2008

Lake Oswego Open Houses – May 10-11, 2008

Can’t imagine a lot of Open House traffic this weekend with Mother’s Day and all, nevertheless, here’s the Lake Oswego list for May 10 and 11:

Date	Time	Address	List Price	Bdrms	Baths	Total SF
5/11/08	12:30-2:00	5079 W SUNSET DR	$498,950	2	2.1	1,760
5/11/08	12:30-2:30	20 El Greco	$549,000	4	3	2,425
5/11/08	2-4 PM	13448 AUBURN CT	$579,900	3	2.1	2,535
5/11/08	2:00 -4:00PM	1448 GREENTREE CIR	$588,000	4	2.1	2,587
5/11/08	12-2pm	14 Del Prado	$699,000	5	3.1	4,094
5/10/08	1-4 PM	18086 JENIFERS WAY	$719,900	3	2.1	2,566
5/11/08	1-4 PM	18086 JENIFERS WAY	$719,900	3	2.1	2,566
5/10/08	1:00-4:00	5413 LANGFORD LN	$728,950	3	2.1	2,891
5/11/08	1:00-4:00	5413 LANGFORD LN	$728,950	3	2.1	2,891
5/10/08	1:00 – 3:00	510 NORTHSHORE RD	$735,000	3	3	2,380
5/10/08	1:00-4:00	5364 LANGFORD LN	$738,950	3	2.1	2,932
5/11/08	1:00-4:00	5364 LANGFORD LN	$738,950	3	2.1	2,932
5/11/08	1-4 PM	435 8TH ST	$749,900	4	3.1	2,505
5/11/08	12-2pm	30 WILBUR ST	$775,000	3	2.1	2,664
5/10/08	1:00-4:00	5455 LANGFORD LN	$788,950	3	2.1	3,341
5/11/08	1:00-4:00	5455 LANGFORD LN	$788,950	3	2.1	3,341
5/10/08	1-3pm	2300 SW CHILDS RD	$1,200,000	4	2	3,183
5/11/08	1-3pm	622 OAK MEADOW DR	$1,325,000	4	3.1	4,168
5/11/08	1-3pm	17464 RIDGEVIEW LN	$1,348,950	4	3.1	4,407
5/11/08	1-3pm	17433 RIDGEVIEW LN	$1,495,000	4	4.1	4,659
5/10/08	2-4 PM	2811 ARROWHEAD CT	$1,795,000	3	3.1	3,740

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.

May 5, 2008

Lake Oswego Real Estate Activity – April 28-May 4, 2008

A slew of new properties were introduced to the market last week in Lake Oswego…and a modest number of homes went pending and closed in the previous week.

(Remember, we’re waiting a week to show pending and closed sales to allow for laggard data, so that is shown for the week previous to last.)

And per a reader request, we’re providing the Original list price for all Sold properties. Stay tuned for an April wrap-up of real estate activity in LO.

Here is the latest Lake Oswego real estate market activity report (look to the bottom for definitions and research criteria):

New Listings (April 28-May 4, 2008)

Address	List Price	Tot. Beds	Tot. Baths	Tot. Sq Ft	Prop Type	List Date
88 Galen	$145,250	2	1	923	CONDO	5/2
45 EAGLE CREST DR	$185,000	1	1	930	CONDO	5/1
16250 S PACIFIC HWY	$208,000	1	1	841	CONDO	5/1
450 S STATE ST	$229,900	2	1	800	CONDO	4/27
482 S STATE ST	$295,000	2	1	1,659	CONDO	4/27
4322 Botticelli ST	$315,000	2	2.1	2,043	CONDO	4/30
16155 SW KIMBALL AVE	$349,900	3	1	1,488	DETACHD	5/1
100 LEONARD ST	$350,000	2	2	1,320	CONDO	5/2
4974 SUNTREE LN	$396,700	2	2.1	1,652	ATTACHD	4/29
4420 GOLDEN LN	$409,000	3	3.1	2,165	CONDO	4/30
1260 LARCH ST	$449,900	3	2.1	2,320	DETACHD	4/29
40 NOVA CT	$475,000	4	2.1	2,308	DETACHD	4/27
4208 HARVEY WAY	$479,000	2	2	2,132	DETACHD	5/1
5207 COVENTRY CT	$485,000	3	2	1,973	DETACHD	4/27
600 TIPPECANOE CT	$489,900	3	2	1,744	DETACHD	4/27
16090 SW KIMBALL AVE	$529,950	4	1.1	2,276	DETACHD	5/1
13758 REGENCY CT	$530,000	3	2.1	2,153	DETACHD	4/29
1600 WOODLAND TER	$539,000	3	2	1,993	DETACHD	5/1
17577 BLUE HERON CT	$549,000	5	3	2,980	DETACHD	4/30
20 El Greco	$549,000	4	3	2,425	DETACHD	4/30
16 NORTHVIEW CT	$579,900	4	3.1	2,962	ATTACHD	4/30
329 10TH ST	$595,000	3	1	1,837	DETACHD	4/28
1428 PINE ST	$619,900	3	3.1	2,738	DETACHD	4/29
1666 LAKE FRONT RD	$625,000	4	3	2,825	DETACHD	4/28
17784 TREETOP LN	$649,000	4	3	3,468	DETACHD	4/30
1473 LEE ST	$669,900	4	3	2,705	DETACHD	4/30
17083 FERNWOOD DR	$685,000	5	3	2,868	DETACHD	4/27
14 Del Prado	$699,000	5	3.1	4,094	DETACHD	4/29
5413 LANGFORD LN	$728,950	3	2.1	2,891	DETACHD	4/28
510 NORTHSHORE RD	$735,000	3	3	2,380	DETACHD	4/30
5364 LANGFORD LN	$738,950	3	2.1	2,932	DETACHD	4/28
4208 ALBERT CIR	$739,000	4	3	2,777	DETACHD	5/1
23 HILLSHIRE DR	$759,000	3	4.5	3,916	DETACHD	4/29
5455 LANGFORD LN	$788,950	3	2.1	3,341	DETACHD	4/28
1277 HIDE A WAY LN	$799,900	5	3	3,120	DETACHD	4/27
569 6TH ST	$800,000	4	2	2,168	DETACHD	5/3
13059 SW AMBER PL	$874,500	5	0.3	3,240	DETACHD	4/30
4300 ALBERT CIR	$879,000	4	2.1	3,205	DETACHD	4/27
4045 PFEIFER CT	$969,000	4	3.1	3,887	DETACHD	4/30
840 Evergreen RD	$998,900	4	2.1	2,696	DETACHD	4/29
1501 COUNTRY CLUB RD	$1,249,000	4	4	4,687	DETACHD	5/1
16737 MAPLE CIR	$1,325,000	2	3	1,683	DETACHD	5/2
1600 Country Commons LN	$1,950,000	4	3.1	5,710	DETACHD	4/30
15481 TWIN FIR RD	$2,050,000	4	4.1	4,821	DETACHD	5/1
13200 SW THOMA RD	$2,950,000	5	5.2	7,648	DETACHD	4/28

Pending Sales (April 21-27, 2008)

Address	List Price	Tot. Beds	Tot. Baths	Tot. Sq Ft	Prop Type	DOM
45 EAGLE CREST DR	$150,000	1	1	768	CONDO	4/25
214 OSWEGO SMT	$259,900	2	2	1,506	ATTACHD	4/20
5056 FOOTHILLS DR	$289,900	2	2	1,252	CONDO	4/26
18 WHEATHERSTONE PL	$293,000	3	2.1	1,692	CONDO	4/22
31 ORIOLE LN	$349,000	3	3	1,968	DETACHD	4/21
4070 VIRGINIA WAY	$350,000	4	2	1,728	DETACHD	4/20
4648 REMBRANDT LN	$410,000	3	2.1	1,793	DETACHD	4/20
1588 CHERRY LN	$425,000	3	2	2,001	DETACHD	4/21
5355 GREYSTOKE DR	$425,000	3	2.1	1,975	DETACHD	4/24
4630 WILDWOOD ST	$429,900	3	2	2,067	DETACHD	4/26
5400 BAY CREEK DR	$600,000	3	2.1	2,856	DETACHD	4/20
19124 MEGAN PL	$768,500	4	2.1	3,584	DETACHD	4/23
2601 DELLWOOD DR	$829,900	4	3.1	4,277	DETACHD	4/23

Sold Properties (April 21-27, 2008)

Address	Sale Price	Orig. Price	Tot. Beds	Tot. Baths	Tot. SF	Prop Type	DOM
84 OSWEGO SMT	$136,400	$148,900	1	1	764	CONDO	55
44 EAGLE CREST DR	$149,000	$149,000	2	1	908	CONDO	48
1402 PARRISH ST	$323,000	$339,000	3	2.1	1,880	CONDO	215
6238 SUMMER WOODS	$470,000	$559,900	4	2.1	2,328	DETACHD	234
3758 OLSON CT	$575,000	$699,900	4	2.1	3,193	DETACHD	225
36 NORTHVIEW CT	$579,000	$579,000	3	3.1	2,573	ATTACHD	4
17364 BRYANT RD	$740,000	$799,900	4	3	3,043	DETACHD	205
5497 Langford LN	$830,000	$809,000	4	2.1	3,341	DETACHD

May 2, 2008

Lake Oswego Open Houses – May 3-4, 2008

Here are the Lake Oswego homes on tour this weekend:

Date	Time	Address	List Price	Bdrms	Baths	Total SF
5/4/08	2:30 – 5:00	86 KINGSGATE RD	$185,000	2	2	849
5/4/08	1 – 4 PM	165 OSWEGO SMT	$209,900	2	2	1,383
5/4/08	1-3 P.M.	4974 SUNTREE LN	$396,700	2	2.1	1,652
5/4/08	12:30-3:30PM	17650 ARBOR LN	$419,000	3	3	2,043
5/3/08	11am – 1pm	820 MCVEY AVE	$434,500	3	1.1	1,446
5/4/08	1-3pm	17870 DEERBRUSH AVE	$449,900	3	2.1	1,912
5/4/08	1-4pm	4760 LOWER DR	$472,500	3	3	3,252
5/4/08	12-3pm	1480 HEMLOCK ST	$488,850	4	3	2,246
5/4/08	2-4pm	960 9TH ST	$525,000	3	1	1,429
5/3/08	2 – 4pm	918 LAKE FRONT RD	$534,950	2	1	921
5/3/08	2-430 pm	13340 AUBURN CT	$559,900	3	2.1	2,451
5/4/08	12-3 pm	13340 AUBURN CT	$559,900	3	2.1	2,451
5/3/08	1-4pm	8 CAMELOT CT	$650,000	5	3	3,080
5/4/08	2-4pm	4608 CHELSEA LN	$719,000	5	2.1	3,092
5/4/08	1-4pm	435 8TH ST	$749,900	4	3.1	2,505
5/4/08	2-5pm	2888 VALE CT	$749,900	5	3	4,324
5/4/08	1-4 PM	18086 JENIFERS WAY	$779,000	3	2.1	2,566
5/4/08	1-3pm	5437 ROSALIA WAY	$929,000	4	2.1	3,369
5/4/08	1-4pm	161 FURNACE ST	$999,990	2	2	2,401
5/4/08	2-4pm	2080 RIDGE POINTE DR	$1,200,000	5	4	4,587
5/4/08	1-3pm	622 OAK MEADOW DR	$1,325,000	4	3.1	4,168
5/4/08	1-3pm	17464 RIDGEVIEW LN	$1,348,950	4	3.1	4,407
5/4/08	12:30-2:30	16818 ALDER CIR	$1,390,000	3	2	1,674
5/4/08	1-3pm	17433 RIDGEVIEW LN	$1,495,000	4	4.1	4,659
5/4/08	2pm-4pm	1725 EDGECLIFF TER	$2,199,000	3	3.5	5,386

May 1, 2008

Welcome Betty!

A big bloggers welcome to Betty Jung and the metro area’s latest addition to local real estate blogging. Betty is a Realtor with Re/Max equity group and has just started her new blog, All About….Portland.Oregon.Real Estate. Betty has a fresh voice and is eager to jump into the pool. Welcome!