Happy Holidays!

Our family, friends, and colleagues have brought many smiles & much laughter to our lives this past year.  We are so grateful to have you all in our lives and we are sending out the warmest wishes possible to everyone.  May this holiday season be full of laughter, love, & cozy times with your nearest and dearest.  Ugh - so sappy, sorry friends!  

Hopefully there will also be plenty of teasing, jostling, and so much overeating that we all loathe ourselves just a little bit.  

We'll see you at the gym or on the trails next week...

PDX white Christmas = car + 1 hour.  photo by erin

Highlight Reels!

The information superhighway represents two extremes in our world:  unparalleled productivity and vast expanses of time suck.  Without it, we would need to spend an extra 20 hours a week (um, guesstimate) on mundane tasks.  Luckily, we can waste those extra hours in the very (virtual) place that saves us this time. 

Some of the best ways we kick back to watch the sand slip through the glass is by cooing over cute baby or grown-up animals (come on, everyone does this!).  Think of it as your holiday rage cure (it's not just on the road anymore).  How can you not grin while checking out cuties being precocious or snuggly or furry!?

In case you were in a coma this week – baby seal finds his “just right” spot to nap.

This lizard would kick your butt at Just Dance.

Why don't our basements ever get cute bear visitors? No fair!

The supermodel of dogs practices her Jedi mind trick

Ta-Da! Meet our newest team member!

We are excited to present our most recent addition to the Team Green PDX family, Deidre Livingston, our Buyer’s Agent.  We thought we’d share a little more about the lively Deidre with whom we have been enjoying working and getting to know over the past few weeks.

Q:  How long have you been putting your mad skills to work for the real estate industry?

A:  Late in 2004, I found myself asking Kevin, my then boyfriend and also a realtor, how things were coming along with every transaction he had going on. After awhile he just looked at me and said, “You know you ought to go and get a real estate license!” Along with studying for my license that summer, I was still working for a food broker and during a business trip to Tyson University, the chicken processor in Arkansas, I passed on some great evening events sponsored by Tyson because I wanted to spend the night in my room reading the Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller.  We had also attended a Howard Brinton event that summer in El Paso Texas before I had a license. Basically, the rest is history I was in love with a new career!

 

Q:  What is your specialty?  This could be related to work, the kitchen, a stupid human trick – anything, really…

A:  If we are still talking about real estate, I would have to say it is taking care of buyers. I love working with buyers and helping them through the process. I believe some realtors can give this industry a bad name. I won’t let that bother me. I am proud of my integrity and honesty. If a buyer needs more information before making a very big decision, I am going to help them take that extra time to get it right.  I especially love saving them money!  I sleep well at night.

Q:  What is your very favorite book?

A: Wow, that really is a tough question to answer. My favorite authors are John Maxwell, Brian Tracey and Jack Canfield. I have dozens of books I read over and over again. I don’t think I like the Kindle. I can’t highlight, dog-ear, and spill stuff on the pages! Unless I leave some amazing legacy, no one will want my books. They are getting so beat up from re-reading, they may get tossed in the dumps.

Q:  Give us the dirt – tell us something kooky about yourself.  Please?

A: Yes, I have done some pretty silly things in my life. I believe I have a great sense of humor and it took me a long time to learn to really laugh at myself and at life. If you want something on me, how about the time I was terrible distress over something personal and had to run a few errands. When I finished with my banking I had realized I locked my keys in the ignition. When the tow truck guy showed up he reached through the open passenger window and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

Q:  What is your favorite place to unwind?

A: Glad its sunny out today since you are asking where my favorite place to unwind is. I have many favorite places. When I can really unplug, reflect and plan, I love to be at the Oregon Coast. I love the ocean. When I’m up for a good vacation I pick a coast with white sand and palm trees. I know when I retire I will probably pick a coast outside the US. The world has some amazing places for us to enjoy.

Deidre's Happy Place (photo by Erin, Oahu, HI)

Team Green PDX Asks/ Portlanders Answer, Part II

Team Green PDX gets cozy with several Portland residents about home buying.  Our second interviewee is Lisa Bush, MBA, a Human Services Specialist III with the State of Oregon.  Lisa currently owns in the beautiful Scappoose-ish area and has a passion for social justice and poochies (she even fosters pups in need of homes!).  

Q:  What is appealing to you about owning your own place?

A:  My last landlord was horrible and the place was a dive.  I made it a cute dive but it was a dive none-the-less.  When they evicted me so the landlord’s mother could move in I felt powerless.  What I wanted was a place to call my own that no one could pull the rug out from under.  It gave me a sense of security.

Q:  What is scary about it?   

A:  Lots of things.  Since I bought it the value has dropped and may never get back up to where it was and the upkeep is expensive and never ending.  That being said I wouldn’t trade it for renting again.

Q:  What is your ultimate dream home?   

A:  Log cabin prow fronted A-frame in the woods overlooking a lake, river or the beach.

Q:  What  did you buy for your first house? (Photos please!)   

A:  I bought a tidy little three bedroom ranch on the typical 5,000 square foot city lot.  It wasn’t what it looked like that appealed to me, it was what I could see it would look like when I was done with it.  I replaced all the windows, removed a sliding glass door and put in wooden French doors, ripped up the carpets to reveal the hardwood floors, replaced kitchen flooring and painted the entire interior.

Lisa's first home sweet home

My second and present home was a totally different process.  I wanted out of the city and looked at every available property from Linton to Deer Island.  Then one look at my corner lot, up against the forest, totally finished house was all it took.  When I walked in the front door, the living/kitchen/dining room were all open and looked out through 9 feet of windows onto the back deck.  The only thing I did to make it mine was paint the kitchen/dining room avocado instead of school bus yellow.

Q:  Do you feel adequately educated on the process or were you at the time?  

A:  I had been a mortgage loan officer in the past so I was fully aware of the process.  The first time there were realtors involved and the second was a “for sale by owner.”  Both processes have their place in the giant scheme of things.

Q:  Advice on renting/ buying for your lil’ brothers and sisters (those coming up behind you)?  

A:  Make a list of your must haves, would like to haves, and absolutely cannot have and then enlist all of your resources (friends, realtors, internet searches) to make sure you see everything there is to chose from.  

One of Lisa's ADORABLE foster kids (sorry, he has already been adopted folks!)

Team Green PDX Asks/ Portlanders Answer, Part I

Team Green PDX gets cozy with several Portland residents about home buying.  Our first interviewee is Matthew Cuda, an MBA/ Environmental Scientist.  He currently rents and lives on the eastside.  He may or may not enjoy long walks on the beach. 

Q:  What is appealing to you about owning your own place?

A:  The appeal to owning my own place is that it would actually be mine and that I could make changes to it that suit me. For instance, in my current rental I have this tiny kitchen sink that is not very deep. Water splashes everywhere and it makes it a pain to wash large dishes. If I owned my place, I would be willing to invest into a sink that is functional. The other appeal to owning my own place is knowing that the money I pay each month to a mortgage is going towards something I could own one day (an investment). I like the idea of having the control and security to make changes and not have to worry about an increase in rent or having to move.  

Q:  What is scary about it?

A:  The commitment is probably what scares me the most. I think I could get past the idea of a huge loan, but feeling like I couldn’t move or change jobs easily scares me. Another fear is that relates to the commitment of owning a home is what if I can’t make the payments. My whole idea has been to have a job that I “liked” and was stable to make me feel good about buying a home. There are plenty of nice homes on the market that are within my price range, but I just am not confident with the overall job market. It’s the fear of the unknown……….

Q:  What is your ultimate dream home?

A:  A dream home? Or a home I could afford?  I would love to have a house with a nice size landscaped yard, a nice large patio, a fire pit, and even a pool J.  I would like to have 3-4 bedrooms with 2+ baths and a large garage. I would love to have a house that was 2 stories’, including a basement. I like the character of an older home that has been updated but am open to new construction as well. The Laurelhurst neighborhood with its craftsman style homes and large porches are very appealing. I think I could definitely find a dream place there! Overall I want a house with nice outdoor space as well as good indoor entertaining space where you don’t feel cramped. I could go on and on about other things I would find in a dream home if I had the opportunity.

Q:  What do you picture buying for your first house?

A:  I picture buying an older home (or condo) with some outdoor space. I definitely don’t picture myself purchasing a home that is fully updated with all the amenities and finishes I would like but probably something that is nice, livable, and a work in progress. I have seen some homes on the market that have the basic updates like windows, siding, carpets/flooring that are affordable. I don’t want to buy some place that requires a ton of work or that I won’t be happy in until I make changes.

Q:  Do you feel adequately educated on the process?

A:  Not really….. I have talked with a number of first time buyers and I think until I really commit to finding a place I won’t become better educated. I lack the knowledge of what I can afford and how much a monthly payment would be at each price range. I definitely feel I have more to learn.

Q:  Any advice on renting/ buying for your lil’ brothers and sisters (those coming up behind you)?

No advice on buying obviously but renting, I would say rent in areas that you think you may want to buy in at some point. Make sure you realize that if you are in a long-term rental that it may be worthwhile to buy.

Thanks Matt for your candid input; your dream house sounds pretty rad!  Here's a cute Laurelhurst home that may fulfill some of those Matt's wishes...now we just need to fix the job market!

Trying to Sing in the Rain

Commuting can be such a drag, especially by car.  Biking in the rain can get old pretty fast too.  Any way you travel, four-way stops are completely exasperating in this town, which is why we LOVE that Pemco commercial about them.  Luckily our lauded transit program TriMet is trying to make getting from point A to point B sans car just a tad easier.  They recently launched an improved multi-mode trip planner (pretty cool, indeed).  It still doesn't change the grim fact that Erin's commute via public transit would take (drum roll please)...121 minutes not including a 1/2 mile walk up a ginormous hill.  That works out to be slightly over 14 minutes per mile traveled, pretty close to the speed of walking.  Besides the obvious singing along with the radio, what other ways are there to brighten a dreary commute? 

PDX to get a farmers market in the "other season"

The article headline announces that Portland will have a winter farmers market starting January 2012.  We think winter seems a bit strong to describe the wet, damp, drippy, gray, drizzly weather of PDX.  Misusing the word winter might make winter feel really bad about itself.  At any rate, we are exuberant over the news.  A) It puts a solid reason to get excited about January (okay, maybe help lessen the dark, wet post-holiday gloom is more accurate and B) The market will have meat, fish, cheese, and sweets!  Oh, and some winter produce.

Just another thing to add to list of reasons we all love Portland so much that we are 100% completely okay with the winter weather in PDX!

We think Meadows could have a rad winter farmers market