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Lake Oswego Open Houses – April 5-6, 2008

A little late getting The PropertyBlotter’s Open Houses in Lake Oswego list up this week, but here are nearly 40 homes to tour this weekend.

Date Time Address List Price Bdrms Baths Total SF
4/6/08 12-2pm 368 CERVANTES CIR
$159,900
2
1
882
4/6/08 2-4 pm 86 KINGSGATE RD
$185,000
2
2
849
4/6/08 1:003:00 750 1ST ST
$254,900
2
2
1,350
4/6/08 1-3pm 5858 LAKEVIEW BLVD
$299,980
2
1
1,142
4/6/08 1-3pm 5058 FOOTHILLS DR
$305,000
2
2
1,252
4/6/08 1-4pm 12832 SW 62ND AVE
$324,900
3
2
1,224
4/6/08 1-4pm 9 EAGLE CREST DR
$329,900
2
2
1,492
4/6/08 1-4pm 4458 THUNDER VISTA LN
$339,500
3
2.1
2,200
4/6/08 1-3pm 17975 SW BELMORE AVE
$349,900
3
1
1,012
4/6/08 11-1 pm 4070 VIRGINIA WAY
$350,000
4
2
1,728
4/6/08 1-3pm 1024 GANS RD
$359,999
4
2
1,560
4/6/08 1-4pm 15254 BOONES WAY
$368,850
3
2
1,600
4/5/08 1-4 PM 4211 WOODSIDE CIR
$375,000
3
2
1,688
4/6/08 1-3PM 17650 ARBOR LN
$419,000
3
3
2,043
4/5/08 1-4PM 5142 ROSEWOOD ST
$449,900
4
2.1
1,784
4/5/08 12-3pm 1480 HEMLOCK ST
$488,850
4
3
2,246
4/5/08 1-3pm 5497 Willow CT
$549,900
3
2.1
2,438
4/6/08 1-3pm 5497 Willow CT
$549,900
3
2.1
2,438
4/6/08 1PM-4PM 16750 PHANTOM BLUFF CT
$550,000
3
3
2,267
4/5/08 1-3pm 5475 Willow CT
$569,900
3
2.1
2,438
4/6/08 1-3pm 5475 Willow CT
$569,900
3
2.1
2,438
4/6/08 3-5pm 12711 SW 60TH CT
$619,000
4
2.1
2,940
4/6/08 1p-3p 1123 ERICKSON ST
$620,000
4
3
2,893
4/6/08 1pm-3pm 17878 HILLSIDE DR
$625,000
5
3
3,449
4/6/08 2-4PM 56 SPINOSA
$649,900
5
3.1
3,808
4/6/08 1-4 PM 8 CAMELOT CT
$650,000
5
3
3,080
4/6/08 4-Jan 5624 SOUTHWOOD DR
$695,000
4
3
3,120
4/6/08 2-Dec 5642 LA MESA CT
$699,000
4
2.1
3,361
4/6/08 1pm-4pm 1 BRITTEN CT
$699,950
4
3
2,325
4/6/08 3-Jan 17 Del Prado
$725,000
5
3.1
4,094
4/6/08 1-4PM 435 8TH ST
$749,900
4
3.1
2,505
4/6/08 1-4PM 34 HILLSHIRE DR
$760,000
4
2.1
3,822
4/6/08 5-Mar 605 SW COUNTRY CLUB RD
$775,000
4
2.1
3,422
4/6/08 2:00-4:00 2188 GLENMORRIE LN
$850,000
5
3
3,200
4/6/08 1-4pm 3540 RED CEDAR WAY
$1,159,000
4
3.1
4,000
4/6/08 12-2pm 13701 SW KNAUS RD
$1,235,000
4
4.1
5,730
4/6/08 1-3pm 622 OAK MEADOW DR
$1,325,000
4
3.1
4,168
4/6/08 1-3pm 17464 RIDGEVIEW LN
$1,348,950
4
3.1
4,407
4/6/08 1-3pm 17433 RIDGEVIEW LN
$1,495,000
4
4.1
4,659
4/6/08 12-3pm 3114 DOUGLAS CIR
$2,400,000
4
4
5,300

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.

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Only million dollar mansions, right?

soccer-statue.jpgLake Oswego is known to be a community with very expensive homes. Lake front, river front, city views, mountain views, you can find some pretty special amenities here that do drive up the value of a home. So, yes, there are million dollar mansions in Lake Oswego. But does that mean that there are not any less expensive homes? No. In fact, I am of the opinion that the community is often over-looked by buyers because they make the assumption that there is nothing for sale in Lake Oswego that they can afford. So here is a quick moment of enlightenment to be shared: Lake Oswego has affordable houses.

As of March 28, 2008, there were 20 houses for sale in Lake Oswego that were priced at $350,000 or less. The least expensive home was priced at $199,000. It was built in 1947 and has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath in 1188 square feet. This compares to Sellwood, a neighborhood in Southeast Portland, where as of the same date there were 18 houses for sale at $350,000 or less. You actually had a larger selection of homes under $350,000 in Lake Oswego than you did in Sellwood! Yet, a buyer in that price range is very likely to over-look Lake Oswego as an option for them. Amazing!

And, yes, for the record, the most expensive home in Lake Oswego at that same time was a mansion on the shore of Oswego Lake for $7,500,000. Those mansions are part of the neighborhood, but they are not the neighborhood in its entirety.

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Property Values

I have got to take a moment to respond the the front-page headline of the Oregonian on Wednesday, March 26, 2008: “Portland home values take first dip”.

First of all, that headline was put there to sell newspapers. Doom and gloom has always been a spectator sport. Not to down play the severity of our Nation’s current economic situation, but that headline was extremely sensational. Then read further into the story and you’ll find predictions that property values could drop by as much as 15% this year. Amazing!

As a real estate agent it is my business to listen to economists and follow advice of professionals as to what is going on with real estate values. This is the first time that I have heard such a dire prediction about the Portland housing market. In fact, what I am hearing much more commonly is that the Pacific Northwest is bearing up better than the rest of the country, and while it is possible that we will see declining values, the Portland metro area should fair better than the rest of the country. This is because of several unique factors to our area. 1) People continue to move to Oregon in greater numbers than they leave, and 2) we have limited supply of land available to develop with new homes which keeps our inventory low.

But what about in Lake Oswego? How should you consider the current economy as you think about selling your home? What are your property values doing?

According the latest numbers available from the Realtors Multiple Listing Service, for February of 2008, property values in Lake Oswego are still up 8.5% over a year ago. However, the numbers also indicate that there are 46% fewer sales than a year ago. So prices are up, but sales are down. Average market time to sell a home in Lake Oswego is 80 days. That is the time it takes from listing your home for sale to accepting an offer.

canal.jpgWhat does this mean to you? It means that if you have your home priced according to what other homes in your neighborhood have sold for, and your home is clean and in good repair, you’ll sell your home at 8.5% over what it was worth a year ago and it will happen in about 80 days.

Does that mean you can add 5% to the asking price to have more room to negotiate? No. You need to price your home according to what homes are actually selling for. Because there are more homes for sell today than a year ago, it means that buyers have lots of homes to choose from and will shop for the home that is a good value. It also means it needs to be in good condition. Replace the carpet, pressure wash the exterior, plant flowers in the yard and make your home ready to be show cased.

I am not going to pretend to know what the future holds. Prices could go down. Prices could go up. Who knows? And, really, does even the best economist know? What I can tell you is that values are still excellent. If you have been in your home for two years or longer, you have probably got some equity that you can take with you. Price your home correctly, have it nice and clean, and it will sell.

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Market Activity – March 24-30, 2008

Good news for housing inventory in the Lake Oswego real estate. Closed and pending sales were nearly equal to the number of new listings added to the market during the week of March 24 through March 30. With homes sold down around 30+% year-to-date compared to last year, it’s good see sales and new listings keeping pace with each other.

Here are the Lake Oswego real estate market statistics for the week (look to the bottom for definitions and research criteria):

New Listings

Address List Price Tot Beds Tot Baths Tot Sq Ft Prop Type List Date
47 EAGLE CREST DR
$128,500
1
1
666
CONDO
3/28
4000 CARMAN DR
$187,900
2
2
1,100
CONDO
3/30
5555 SW BONITA RD
$309,000
3
2
1,955
DETACHD
3/27
4902 SW CHILDS RD
$385,000
3
1.1
1,370
DETACHD
3/29
5322 CHARLETON CT
$399,990
3
2.1
1,633
DETACHD
3/27
1790 YARMOUTH CIR
$449,000
2
2
1,551
DETACHD
3/27
1725 FERNWOOD DR
$460,000
4
2
1,580
DETACHD
3/28
19026 SW INDIAN SPRINGS RD
$465,000
3
3
3,135
DETACHD
3/25
1480 HEMLOCK ST
$488,850
4
3
2,246
DETACHD
3/24
918 LAKE FRONT RD
$534,950
2
1
921
DETACHD
3/28
80 TANGLEWOOD DR
$549,000
5
3
2,713
DETACHD
3/30
16913 CANAL CIR
$599,000
3
1.1
2,525
DETACHD
3/27
2584 PARK RD
$679,000
4
2
2,302
DETACHD
3/28
18269 TAMAWAY DR
$729,000
4
2.1
3,293
DETACHD
3/27
4211 CHAD DR
$1,096,000
5
3.1
3,937
DETACHD
3/24
17385 WALL ST
$1,100,000
4
3
3,665
DETACHD
3/28
2680 GLEN EAGLES RD
$1,199,000
3
3
3,000
DETACHD
3/26
19422 SW Lorna LN
$1,225,000
5
3.1
4,011
DETACHD
3/28
567 10th ST
$1,350,000
4
3.1
4,470
DETACHD
3/24
12210 SW ORCHARD HILL RD
$1,695,000
4
3.2
4,640
DETACHD
3/27
2880 UPPER DR
$1,790,000
5
4.1
5,634
DETACHD
3/27

Pending Sales

Address List Price Tot Beds Tot Baths Tot Sq Ft Prop Type DOM
55 OSWEGO SMT
$145,900
1
1
721
CONDO
78
18005 SW BELMORE AVE
$295,000
3
1
1,012
DETACHD
48
16 Aquinas ST
$334,900
3
2
1,569
DETACHD
73
615 LAKE BAY CT
$399,950
4
2
2,542
DETACHD
2
1720 WOODLAND TER
$489,900
4
2.1
2,786
DETACHD
8
6238 SUMMER WOODS
$499,900
4
2.1
2,328
DETACHD
234
4210 VIRGINIA WAY
$869,000
4
4.1
3,423
DETACHD
137
17577 BROOKHURST DR
$898,000
3
2.1
3,894
DETACHD
128
18323 LOTHLORIEN WAY
$949,000
4
3.1
3,550
DETACHD
34
635 IRON MOUNTAIN BLVD
$1,599,000
5
3.1
4,658
DETACHD
148
12210 SW ORCHARD HILL RD
$1,695,000
4
3.2
4,640
DETACHD
251
128 NORTHSHORE CIR
$1,799,000
3
3.1
3,261
DETACHD
273

Sold Properties

Address Sale Price Tot Beds Tot Baths Tot Sq Ft Prop Type DOM
4000 CARMAN DR
$135,000
1
1
836
CONDO
61
86 KINGSGATE RD
$167,000
2
2
849
CONDO
13
668 McVey AVE
$194,000
2
1.1
976
CONDO
200 BURNHAM RD
$195,000
2
1
1,173
CONDO
605
1160 BOCA RATAN DR
$280,000
3
2
1,611
ATTACHD
58
4537 HERITAGE LN
$325,000
3
2.1
1,619
DETACHD
96
6218 SW Nokomis CT
$329,000
4
2
1,560
DETACHD
220
16250 Pacific Hwy (Hwy 43)
$350,000
2
2
1,200
CONDO
615
19166 OLSON AVE
$455,000
4
3
2,996
DETACHD
140
1731 CONIFER TER
$456,500
4
2
1,952
DETACHD
349
55 TANGLEWOOD DR
$490,000
4
2.1
2,465
DETACHD
91
15420 BOONES WAY
$1,169,000
3
2.1
3,364
ATTACHD
0

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.

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Lake Oswego Open Houses – March 29-30, 2008

Spring Break comes to an end this weekend and the home search season begins in earnest now. The PropertyBlotter’s Open Houses in Lake Oswego feature this week shows at least 18 homes on tour Sunday, including our own Linda Trotta’s listing on Greentree Circle from 2-4 pm.

Date Time Address List Price Bdrms Baths Total SF
3/30/08 1:00 – 3:00 4000 CARMAN DR
$175,000
2
2
925
3/30/08 12-3 pm 15254 BOONES WAY
$368,850
3
2
1,600
3/30/08 1-3 pm 19250 SW MAREE CT
$395,000
3
2.1
1,519
3/29/08 1-3pm 17870 DEERBRUSH AVE
$449,900
3
2.1
1,912
3/30/08 3:00-5:00 666 3RD ST
$494,950
3
1.1
1,759
3/30/08 2pm to 4pm 17380 CANYON DR
$522,722
4
2.1
2,526
3/30/08 2 – 4 PM 1448 GREENTREE CIR
$588,000
4
2.1
2,587
3/30/08 11am-2pm 762 LAKE FOREST DR
$595,000
4
3
2,310
3/30/08 1-3PM 4731 AMHERST (4.0 BAC) CT
$599,900
3
2.1
2,928
3/30/08 1- 3 pm 10 BUCKINGHAM TER
$649,000
4
3
3,765
3/30/08 1-4pm 2525 DELLWOOD DR
$674,900
5
3
2,828
3/29/08 1-3pm 2888 VALE CT
$749,900
5
3
4,324
3/30/08 12-4pm 17755 TREETOP LN
$789,000
5
3.1
3,864
3/30/08 12-4pm 17644 WOODHURST PL
$974,000
4
2.1
4,539
3/29/08 2-4 pm 13915 SUNDELEAF DR
$999,500
4
3.1
4,090
3/30/08 2-4 pm 13915 SUNDELEAF DR
$999,500
4
3.1
4,090
3/30/08 1-3pm 622 OAK MEADOW DR
$1,325,000
4
3.1
4,168
3/30/08 1-3pm 17464 RIDGEVIEW LN
$1,348,950
4
3.1
4,407
3/30/08 1-3pm 17433 RIDGEVIEW LN
$1,495,000
4
4.1
4,659

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.

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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.

Orangeburg PipeThe 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.

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Market Activity – March 17-23, 2008

Well, leading in to the Easter holiday, business was certainly brisk in the Lake Oswego real estate market. For the week, there were 39 new listings, 15 (!) homes under contract (i.e. sale pending), and 7 closed sales.

Here are the Lake Oswego real estate market statistics for the week March 17 through March 23 (look to the bottom for definitions and research criteria):

New Listings

Address List Price Tot Beds Tot Baths Tot Sq Ft Prop Type List Date
100 KERR PKWY
$89,900
1
1
617
CONDO
3/18
86 KINGSGATE RD
$185,000
2
2
849
CONDO
3/19
3852 SW Botticelli ST
$234,900
3
2
1,224
DETACHD
3/18
16229 LAKE FOREST BLVD
$344,900
3
2
1,456
DETACHD
3/18
15245 BOONES WAY
$349,900
3
1
1,600
ATTACHD
3/20
4610 LAMONT WAY
$355,000
3
2
1,770
DETACHD
3/18
1024 GANS RD
$360,000
4
2
1,560
DETACHD
3/20
15115 Twin Fir RD
$369,900
3
2
1,392
DETACHD
3/20
1647 DEVON LN
$379,900
4
2.1
2,494
DETACHD
3/21
609 Ash ST
$389,900
4
2
2,192
DETACHD
3/20
19250 SW MAREE CT
$395,000
3
2.1
1,519
DETACHD
3/17
668 MCVEY AVE
$465,000
2
1
836
CONDO
3/17
7 Del Prado ST
$469,900
4
3
2,232
DETACHD
3/17
1720 WOODLAND TER
$489,900
4
2.1
2,786
DETACHD
3/19
17488 Mardee AVE
$525,000
4
2.1
2,168
DETACHD
3/20
5808 BAY POINT DR
$599,900
4
2.1
2,860
DETACHD
3/21
3758 OLSON CT
$599,900
4
2.1
3,193
DETACHD
3/18
2021 WEMBLEY PL
$599,900
5
3
3,440
DETACHD
3/17
2435 PARK RD
$674,900
4
3
2,940
DETACHD
3/20
16884 BRYANT RD
$699,900
3
2
1,968
DETACHD
3/18
1800 KILKENNY DR
$729,900
4
3
4,404
DETACHD
3/19
2888 VALE CT
$749,900
5
3
4,218
DETACHD
3/21
Ash (left of 605 Ash ST
$750,000
4
3.1
2,500
ATTACHD
3/20
1088 WESTWARD HO RD
$799,000
2
2
1,837
DETACHD
3/17
3315 CEDAR CT
$838,850
4
3.1
3,739
DETACHD
3/17
645 COUNTRY CLUB 3.5 BAC RD
$874,900
4
2.1
3,262
DETACHD
3/19
731 F AVE
$939,000
4
2.1
2,668
DETACHD
3/20
17644 WOODHURST PL
$974,000
4
2.1
4,539
DETACHD
3/21
1633 MAPLE ST
$999,999
3
3
3,405
DETACHD
3/21
17446 BRYANT RD
$1,175,000
4
4
3,477
DETACHD
3/17
14067 GOODALL RD
$1,249,000
4
3.1
3,784
DETACHD
3/20
755 6th ST
$1,275,000
4
3.1
3,973
DETACHD
3/20
828 8th ST
$1,300,000
4
3.1
3,800
ATTACHD
3/20
917 Evergreen RD
$1,300,000
4
3.1
3,800
ATTACHD
3/20
324 9th ST
$1,300,000
4
3.1
3,800
DETACHD
3/20
400 IRON MOUNTAIN BLVD
$1,310,000
4
2.1
3,385
DETACHD
3/20
220 5 th ST
$1,500,000
4
3.1
1,075
DETACHD
3/20
12901 SW GOODALL RD
$2,395,000
4
4.1
5,333
DETACHD
3/20
670 IRON MOUNTAIN BLVD
$2,399,000
4
3.2
5,208
DETACHD
3/18

Pending Sales

Address List Price Tot Beds Tot Baths Tot Sq Ft Prop Type DOM
668 McVey AVE
$144,850
0
1
485
CONDO
11/16
44 EAGLE CREST DR
$149,000
2
1
908
CONDO
48
200 BURNHAM RD
$298,850
2
2
1,328
CONDO
644
16200 PACIFIC HWY
$429,850
2
2
1,200
CONDO
643
16200 Pacific HWY
$449,850
2
2
1,208
CONDO
43
14 PREAKNESS CT
$495,000
2
2.1
2,047
ATTACHD
11
36 NORTHVIEW CT
$579,000
3
3.1
2,573
ATTACHD
4
12883 SIERRA CT
$579,900
4
3
2,996
DETACHD
382
5352 Washington CT
$729,900
4
3.1
3,595
DETACHD
4125 CASEY CT
$974,950
4
3.1
3,728
DETACHD
449
161 FURNACE ST
$1,050,000
2
2
2,134
CONDO
268
4077 WESTBAY RD
$1,579,000
4
4
3,367
DETACHD
98
635 IRON MOUNTAIN BLVD
$1,599,000
5
3.1
4,658
DETACHD
148
12210 SW ORCHARD HILL RD
$1,695,000
4
3.2
4,640
DETACHD
251
128 NORTHSHORE CIR
$1,799,000
3
3.1
3,261
DETACHD
273

Sold Properties

Address Sale Price Tot Beds Tot Baths Tot Sq Ft Prop Type DOM
3 SAINT HELENS CIR
$343,600
2
2
1,472
DETACHD
31
2400 PARK RD
$399,500
4
2.1
1,960
DETACHD
254
3 BERNINI CT
$567,000
3
3
2,667
DETACHD
1
18322 ANDUIN TER
$719,000
4
2.1
3,771
DETACHD
131
319 NORTHSHORE RD
$1,085,000
4
3.1
3,297
DETACHD
207
18820 GREENBLUFF DR
$1,499,000
4
4.1
5,382
DETACHD
320
2600 SUMMIT DR
$3,150,000
4
3.1
4,957
DETACHD
188

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.

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Lake Oswego Open Houses – March 22-23, 2008

Due to Easter, PropertyBlotter’s list of Open Houses in Lake Oswego is pretty slim. Come back next Friday for a fresh batch of pent-up listings.

Date Time Address List Price Bdrms Baths Total SF
3/22/08 1:00-3:00 666 3RD ST
$494,950
3
1.1
1,759
3/23/08 1-4 PM 8 CAMELOT CT
$650,000
5
3
3,080
3/23/08 12:00 – 3:00 2525 DELLWOOD DR
$674,900
5
3
2,828
3/22/08 1-4PM 34 HILLSHIRE DR
$760,000
4
2.1
3,822

Please note, dates and times are subject to change without notice. The list below 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.

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Why the Property Blotter?

fish-sculpture.jpgYes, our blog has an unusual name. It’s based upon a local phenomenon that we’d like to help you to understand.

Lake Oswego is a small town and has a very small town personality. There is a local newspaper that is widely read called the Lake Oswego Review.

Being a small town, this paper carries lots of local stories. It is great fun to see photos of and to read articles about people and places that you know. There are weekly stories about schools, restaurants, local politics, special people, and just a nice wide variety of community news. If you subscribe to the paper, it is delivered by mail every Thursday.

There is one column in the paper each Thursday that is particularly interesting and that is the Blotter. It is a published run down of all police activity for the preceding week. And we do mean ALL activity. The Lake Oswego police department has a 100% response policy. That means that if you call 911 to get police, you will get a patrol car responding to your home. One of the things that Lake Oswego DOES NOT have is a reputation for crime. There just simply isn’t much of it. So the Blotter tends to have numerous accounts of cats in trees, minor disturbances, and domestic confusion. It is written with a certain wry wit that is both amusing and entertaining. Here are some actual prior entries:

  • A resident of Oswego Pointe reported the mysterious draining of his fish tank. He found no puddle, no signs of forced entry, and his fish scattered around the bottom of the tank.
  • A resident of the Parkridge I apartments on Greenridge Drive says he can’t go on to his back porch for fear of being attacked by a vicious cat.
  • An “unknown hairy thing” found stuffed in a trash can at New Waluga Park and described as “heavy” was determined to be a stuffed animal.

As you can see, this is a great source of amusement and entertainment. It is a truly local phenomenon. And taken to its full blossom, a book was inspired by the Blotter. Written by Elisa Minor Rust, “The Prisoner Pear” was published in 2005.

So when the time came to name our blog, we found that the idea of the Blotter had a local appeal and somewhat defined what we are trying to achieve. We want the Property Blotter to be locally unique, reflective of what is going on in our community, and, hopefully, somewhat entertaining.

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Radon, should I be concerned?

view of 1st StreetYes, you should be concerned. Radon is real and it does exist in Lake Oswego.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is radioactive and can seep into our homes from the ground. While Lake Oswego is shown on radon maps as being an area of low to moderate risk, that does not mean that it does not occur in homes in Lake Oswego. Nationally, radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers claiming 20,000 lives annually.

How do you know if a home has radon? You get it tested. Testing can be done personally or professionally. Radon test kits are commonly sold in hardware and home improvement stores. The kits include a cannister that is placed in a house for several days and then mailed in a postage paid envelope to a laboratory. Test results come back within days. As a buyer of a home, you should consider including radon testing as part of your home inspection process and make the purchase of your new home contingent on satisfactory radon test results. Be sure to allow about 2 weeks for the test results to be completed.

What if the house comes back having too much radon? What do you do then? If you are living in a home with elevated levels of radon, or if you want to buy a home with elevated levels of radon, don’t panic. Radon can be remedied. Because it seeps into homes from the ground, simply filling in gaps from crawlspaces and making the bottom level of a home less exposed to air from the ground may be sufficient. If greater measures are needed, it is usually in the form of ventilation. An automatic fan system can be put into a crawlspace to circulate air out of the crawlspace so that it does not enter the home. After taking measures to lower the radon levels, re-test the house regularly to make certain that the radon levels remain low.

In my professional experience, radon was more likely to be found in houses built onto hillsides that had very rocky soil. I have been involved in the sale of two homes in Lake Oswego that had elevated levels of radon, one was in First Addition and one was in Village on the Lake. Both homes were easily remedied by means that were affordable.

Don’t be afraid of radon, but do be smart about it. When buying your new home, get it tested. You will sleep better at night knowing that you and your family are safe and not being exposed to radon.

Information for this posting was from the Environmental Protection Agency and can be found at www.epa.gov