Earline Penson, Principal Broker - Coldwell Banker Seal

Portland Monthly's Neighborhood By The Numbers

Click Here  for the detailed report.

Real Estate

CitySmart - Quick Real Estate Market News

Seattle, Portland lead in rising home prices
Home prices are accelerating in Portland and cities across the country as buyers compete for a thin supply of homes. To read Click Here

Most in demand Portland neighborhoods. To read Click Here

New-home sales roar to an 8-month high as spring selling season starts with a bang
Inventory is still lean, and prices are nudging higher. To read Click Here

Here’s the first sign that America may be pivoting from renting back to owning homes
The homeownership rate has been on the decline ever since the peak of the housing bubble a decade ago and the homeownership rate starts to revert to the mean. To read Click Here

For more detailed market info call me and let me know what you're curious about and I'll get you the answers!

Earline Penson

Coldwell Banker Seal

503.804.8781

September Festivals & Events In And Around The Portland Area

 

Oregon State Fair

September 1 - 5, 2016

See farm animals and craft displays, try fair food and fine wine, take carnival rides, and be entertained at the Oregon State Fair in Salem.

 

Fairy Festival

September 2 - 4, 2016

Faerieworlds is billed as the world’s largest faerie festival and features costumed faeries, music, entertainment, a food court, and 150 vendors of art, literature, and crafts at Horning’s Hideout in North Plains. Discount tickets.

 

Pirate Festival

September 2 - 5, 2016

Tortuga Pirate Festival offers outrageous activities and games for adults in pirate attire at Cheadle Lake Park in Lebanon.

 

Zoo Concerts

September 2 - 11, 2016

Oregon Zoo Summer Concerts feature world-class performers and include a same-day zoo pass.

 

Arab Festival

September 3, 2016

Enjoy Arabic music, dance, poetry, food, art and crafts at the Arab Festival at South Grove in Oaks Park. Free.

 

Pearl District Art Festival

September 3 - 5, 2016

Art in The Pearl features 100 booths of fine art as well as music, food, and hands-on art activities along NW 8th Ave in North Park Blocks. Free.

 

Dahlia Festival

September 3 - 5, 2016

View 400 floral arrangements of dahlias indoors, 40 acres of dahlias outdoors, and dahlia growing and arranging demos at the Dahlia Festival at Swan Island Dahlias in Canby. See schedule. Free.

 

Movies in the Park

September 4 & 10, 2016

Portland parks

Movies in the Park begin with entertainment at 6:30 followed by movies at dusk. Bring coats. Free.

 

Concerts on Main Street

September 7, 2016

Hear local musicians play funky soul to old-school country Wednesdays at Music on Main Street next to Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Free.

 

Volunteer Expo

September 8, 2016

Connect with local non-profit organizations that need volunteers, and hear live music at Volunteer Expo in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Free.

 

Belmont Street Fair

September 10, 2016

Belmont Street Fair is a family-friendly event with live music, art, entertainment, shopping, kids’ activities, food vendors, and beer gardens on SE Belmont Street from 33rd to 39th. Free.

 

Street Fair in Tigard

September 10, 2016

Street Fair features 130 vendors, food booths, music stages, and kids activities on Main Street in Tigard.

 

Festival of Cider, Beer, Wine, and Pickles

September 10, 2016

Oregon Fermentation Festival has fermented foods, food trucks, a beverage garden, workshops, and family-friendly entertainment at a Sauvie Island farm.

 

Air and Vehicle Show

September 10, 2016

See airplanes, cars, motorcycles, and military vehicles at Wings & Wheels, which includes a 16K race, a street dance, music, food vendors, a beer garden, and kids’ activities at Scappoose Industrial Airpark. Donation.

 

Harvest Festival

September 10, 2016

Carlton Crush has a grape-stomping competition, barrel-rolling race, kids’ watermelon-eating contest, artists’ market, entertainment, live music, festival food, wine, beer, and cider in Carlton. Free entry.

 

Corvallis Beer Festival

September 10, 2016

Septembeerfest offers dozens of beers, ciders, and meads under the trees of Avery Park in Corvallis.

 

Renaissance Fair

September 10 - 11, 2016

Watch knights joust on noble steeds, mingle with costumed minstrels and troubadours, shop 125 artisan and food-purveyor stalls, and see children delight in games and adventures at Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire in Kings Valley. 

Discount tickets $10 for two people.

 

RV and Van Show

September 15 - 18, 2016

Meet RV dealers and makers, and see new models of 5th wheels, campers, travel trailers, park models, conversion vans, and Class-A motor homes, at Portland Fall RV & Van Show, Portland Expo Center.

 

Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel

September 15 - 18, 2016

Mount Angel Oktoberfest has beer and wine gardens, live music, singing, dancing, arts and crafts, and a car show in Mount Angel.

 

Bigfoot Festival

September 17, 2016

Bigfoot Bash & Bounty is a small-town carnival, beer garden, evening band, and speakers in the heart of Sasquatch country at Home Valley Park, WA.

 

Polish Festival

September 17 - 18, 2016

Enjoy Polish food, beer, dance, music, and polka at the Polish Festivalat 3900 N Interstate Ave. Free.

 

Festival of Serbia

September 17 - 18, 2016

Enjoy authentic food, wine, dance, music, and kids’ activities at the Serbian Festival in Milwaukie. Free.

 

Bavarian Festival

September 22 - 25, 2016

Oregon’s Alpenfest [sound] celebrates Swiss and Bavarian culture with polka music, folk dancing, yodeling, a craft fair, bratwurst, and beer near Wallowa Lake in NE Oregon.

 

Movies Under The Bridge

September 22 - 26, 2016 (7:30 p.m.)

Bring a car, blanket, or chair for films at Drive-In at Zidell Yards under Ross Island Bridge. Food vendors.

 

Oktoberfest at Oaks Park

September 23 - 25, 2016

Oktoberfest features live German music, dancing, art, contests, food, drinks, Kinderplatz for kids, and Saturday dachshund races at Oaks Amusement Park.

 

Haunted House: 13th Door

September 23 - Nov. 5, 2016

The 13th Door Haunted House [sound] is at 3855 SW Murray Blvd. in Beaverton. See schedule. Nov. 4 and 5, 2016 are flashlight nights.

 

Free Museum Day

September 24, 2016

Get a free ticket for two people to visit one of 19 Oregon museums on Museum Day Live.

 

Cider Squeeze

September 24, 2016

Cider Squeeze features cider pressing, food, music, blacksmith demonstrations, and tours of Philip Foster Farm from the 1860s in Eagle Creek.

 

Hops Festival

September 24, 2016

Enjoy beer from microbreweries, local cuisine, arts and crafts vendors, and live music at Hops Fest in Hood River. Kids OK until 5 p.m. No dogs.

 

Oktoberfest at McMenamins

September 24 - 25, 2016

multiple locations

Enjoy beer, food, singing to live music, and entertainment during Oktoberfest at McMenamins locations.

 

Hemp Festival

September 24 - 25, 2016

Hempstalk has food vendors, live music, speakers, and info booths about hemp products and marijuana decriminalization at Waterfront Park.

 

Gluten-free Expo

September 25, 2016

Sample and buy products from 50 vendors, and hear talks at the Healthy Living and Gluten Free Expo at Salem Convention Center.

 

Beer Festival

September 30 - Oct. 1, 2016

Portland Fresh Hops Fest features hoppy beer for adults, plus root beer and lemonade for kids at Oaks Amusement Park.

 

Greek Festival

September 30 - Oct. 2, 2016

Portland Greek Festival has Greek food, crafts, music, and dance at NE 32nd Ave. & NE Glisan St. Free.

 

Pumpkin Festival

September 30 - Oct. 30, 2016

See pumpkins shot from a cannon, take a hayride, navigate a corn maze (haunted some evenings), try archery & paintball, and choose a pumpkin during Pumpkin Fest at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Trends That Will Influence Homes In 2016

Design changes, as does architecture. Trends don’t emerge as rapidly here as they do in say, food or fashion, but the economy, the environment, and demographics all spur shifts in the choices of materials, designs, layouts, and construction methods for single- and multifamily dwellings.

These 12 trends reflect ways to cope with environmental challenges, incorporate new building materials and methods, and alter the looks and functionality of our homes. Hear top designers and architects explain why these emerging trends are important and how they’ll influence real estate choices in the near future.

Click Here to read the full article.

 

Alberta Arts District - a vibrant Northeast Portland neighborhood overflowing with art, shopping and dining options.

Alberta Arts District is a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, United States. The neighborhood centers on Alberta Street, a thoroughfare stretching through the North and Northeast sections of the city and crossing Interstate 5.

Alberta Street has always been one of the main hubs of the Northeast area in Portland. The street was once the essence of the culture contained by the primarily urban and African-American community. Since the gentrification in the Northeast area, Alberta Street is the heart of an arts, restaurant, and shopping district approximately 20 blocks long. The area around Alberta is becoming very popular with yuppies^[1] as well as hipsters, bohemians, hippies and other groups associated with the counterculture.^[2] Alberta Street accommodations available to travelers range from hostels to five-star hotels.^[3]

The 19th Annual Alberta Street Fair is Saturday, August 13, 2016, offering an eclectic mix of activities and events that could only be found on Alberta Street. The Alberta Street Fair showcases the best of the Alberta Street community. The event features entertainment, music, vendors, food and drink for people of all ages.

Hosted by Alberta Main Street, the event continues to be one of Portland’s most beloved neighborhood street festivals, drawing more than 25,000 people annually.

Click Here for more details on the Alberta Arts District

Click Here for more details on Alternative Lodging in the Alberta Arts District

My favorite issue of Portland Monthly with Portland's "Neighborhoods By The Numbers" for 2016 is out on store shelves now!

Click Here to see how your neighborhood stacks-up!

Portland Monthly's "Neighborhoods by the Numbers / Hot Neighborhoods" Issue is on newsstands now.

Whether you’re a solo first-time buyer, you’ve expanded into a young family, or you’ve just sent your last kid packing to college, there’s a perfect place for you in Portland.

Portland Monthly is cautiously optimistic about Portland's slow-simmering real estate market. But 2013 saw a surge of good news. Home buying is up—way up. 

Almost half of Portland's neighborhoods have returned to the median home prices they enjoyed five years ago. In many places, crime is down. Rosy outlooks abound. Indeed, a whopping 73 percent of people who took Portland Monthly's reader survey think it’s a good time to buy—and to sell—a home.

In light of this citywide burst of confidence, Portland Monthly is highlighting five Portland hoods that illustrate the promise of a new era in real estate.

Click Here to read Portland Monthly's Neighborhoods By The Numbers / Hot Neighborhoods online.

Does it makes more sense to invest in a new home vs remodeling your existing home?

Contemplating purchasing a new home and factoring the costs associated with remodeling is always a little stressful.  The annual Remodeling Cost vs Value Report for 2013 was just released and will give you the latest statistics on the renovations that will bring you the highest return on your investment, along with and average costs associated with renovations in the Portland metro area.  

Download Cost vs Value 2013

What Earline's customers are saying -

 

Dear Earline,

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I called Wells Fargo and we went over the Hud report.  She said they would send it to another department and get back to me.  They finally did and told us they would contact our original lender to get the money we paid into the escrow account.  Apparently it wasn't transferred over when they got our loan.  The only thing is she wasn't sure if the error could be straightened out by the March 1st due date of our next mortgage payment.  I'm supposed to contact them again next week.

 

The good news is that they did agree that money should have been transferred over to them.

 

The great news is that Thomas and I have a realtor like you that we can call on to help us navigate thru issues like this.  I wouldn't have known to look at the HUD report without you.

 

Thank you so much Earline.

 

Ruby

 

If rooting for the underdog and another's success is one of your strengths, David & Goliath is Malcolm Gladwell's best book yet!

Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won. 

Or should he have? 

In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages, offering a new interpretation of what it means to be discriminated against, or cope with a disability, or lose a parent, or attend a mediocre school, or suffer from any number of other apparent setbacks.

Gladwell begins with the real story of what happened between the giant and the shepherd boy those many years ago. From there, David and Goliath examines Northern Ireland's Troubles, the minds of cancer researchers and civil rights leaders, murder and the high costs of revenge, and the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful classrooms---all to demonstrate how much of what is beautiful and important in the world arises from what looks like suffering and adversity. 

In the tradition of Gladwell's previous bestsellers---The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and What the Dog Saw---David and Goliath draws upon history, psychology, and powerful storytelling to reshape the way we think of the world around us.

Click Here for more detailed into and/or to order it on Amazon.