Cycle Oregon bicyclists are settling in at Riverside Park in Grants Pass, Oregon this weekend, as the rest of the town is still bustling with excitement.  With warmer days and cooler nights, there is plenty to do in America's Best Little River Town.  Hellgate Excursions is offering jet boat rides down the wild and scenic Rogue River.  Downtown "G" Street is beaming with eclectic shops, coffee houses, and tasty restaurants to enjoy, with live music at G Street Bar & Grill, Miranda Mae Cafe, and the Laughing Clam.  And let's not forget the Grants Pass Grower's Market.  It's the place to be every Saturday morning.   Grants Pass, Oregon...  It's a great place to visit and a wonderful place to call home! 09/18/2009

Gary Swanson was just rated "the best new Realtor by a dam site."  This damsite will soon be no more! By December of 2009, the last  obstacle from here to the Pacific Ocean will be destroyed. This should create a stronger salmon population. Give me a call and let me welcome you home!   (541) 441-4410 or click here. 09/12/2009

Here are the latest Grants Pass, Oregon real estate stats for July 2009. 1137 - Active Residential Listings 79 - Homes Sold 54 - Listings Pending 122 - Average Days on Market $202,996. - Average Sold Price Stats provided courtesy of Real Estate Cafe'.  Source of information is the Southern Oregon MLS - Monthly NAR Statistical Report.  Information herein has not been verified and is not guaranteed. Click Here for more information regarding Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate 09/11/2009

Grants Pass, Oregon - The Grants Pass Oregon real estate market seems to be flooded with first time home buyers hoping to cash in on low prices and the generous $8000 income tax credit being handed to those buyers who haven't owned property in the last three years. Many of our first-time home buyers are young, gainfully employed, and blessed to be in the middle of Southern Oregon's best buyer's market in years.  However, a few of our buyers are older and wiser retirees, who sold their homes in CA prior to 2006, at the height of the real estate market, and managed to put their money in a safe place, waiting for the market to turn.  And, that it did!  These folks are now pulling their money out from their mattresses and mutual funds and are reaping the benefits of being first-time home b... 09/09/2009

Contract activity for pending home sales has risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen in the history of the index since it began in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in July, increased 3.2% to 97.6 from a reading of 94.6 in June, and is 12.0% higher than July 2008 when it was 87.1.The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it was 100.7. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the better.  ~ RIS Media Click Here for more information regarding Southern Oregon real estate ~ Melinda Peterson 541-659-1620 09/02/2009

WHY USE A REALTOR  TO SELL YOUR HOME in Grants Pass, Oregon? Why not go it alone and sell your house yourself?  Certainly you're smart enough!  All you need is an attractive sign, right? Well, first I would ask what your primary reason is, and if the sole aim is to save money, forget it!  A very small percentage of sales are made by owners and as a Realtor, I certainly wish a person luck in their efforts, but look at what you really save:  Most all FSBO's (for sale by owners) are willing to pay a selling Realtor if they bring a buyer.  So in reality, what you are saving is 3% at most.  On a $300,000 sale price you will save $9,000.  Pretty good chunk of change right?  Or is it?  Don't you think a buyer will want at least a 6% discount knowing your selling your home yourself?  What I obs... 08/27/2009

September 18, 2009 ~ Day 6 of Cycle Oregon's ride through Southern Oregon lands them in the quaint river town of Grants Pass, Oregon, the official "Layover Loop" (43 miles) in the 7 day ride through the State of Jefferson.  Riders will have a day of choices: lounge around the banks of the wild and scenic Rogue River, explore America's Best Little River Town, or enjoy a Wine Stroll in downtown.  Of course, there is always the ride!  This moderate loop with a couple climbs will keep your legs fresh and leave plenty of time in the day to enjoy the area.  Head out west, then north, and loop back as you pass through oddly but wonderfully named places like Merlin, Hugo and Winona, as well as Jumpoff Joe and Louse creeks. Visit CycleOregon.com for more information about the upcoming ride.  Fo... 08/14/2009

I just love Grants Pass, Oregon!  Not a day goes by that I don't find myself smiling, laughing, or just enjoying an "ahhh-hahh" moment living here.  One of the first things you'll see when you visit our quaint little town is the "It's the Climate" sign hanging across 6th Street (near the G Street Dutch Bros... a favorite place I like to patron).  One can almost gather what the sign implies, but for those inquiring minds who want to know... Grants Pass, Oregon is situated between 2 mountain ranges offering excellent protection from extreme weather conditions.  Our temps are typically mild, our wind velocity is usually less than 7 mph, and we experience four true seasons.  No doubt, on any given day, Grants Pass, Oregon offers picturesque views of blue skies with white patchy clouds, beau... 08/13/2009

As professional Staging Experts and Realtors, we have been told that we can be a little fanatical about making sure that we have great pictures of our listings.  After all, selling a home is much like being in a beauty contest, no?!  BEFORE our Realtors go-live with a listing, we discuss important Stage Your Home to Sell tips with our Sellers, providing them with helpful hints in preparing their home for picture day.  Three important tips are cleaning (Q-tip clean), de-cluttering (no hiding stuff in closets, buyers look there too!) and de-personalizing the home.  Putting away personal family photos, re-arranging furniture to better fit the space, and special attention to curb appeal are just a few staging ideas that are suggested.  The ultimate goal is to create a beautiful and inviting... 07/19/2009

Check out the video...in Manhattan, N.Y., it's a 1 bedroom 1 bath, in Huntington Beach, California, it's  720 sq ft, and in San Francisco, it's a row house, and in Grants Pass Oregon, it's a 4,000 sq ft elegantly crafted home in the heights overlooking city lights.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFiiQR8rcaA   07/16/2009

Those that know me well, have heard me say; "Life is short, eat dessert first." After returning to Southern Oregon from a typical "mini" trip to LA to visit my grand-baby this past week, I was in shock to see a huge Penske moving truck flipped over on it's side with the cab completely crushed.  The contents of the truck (furniture, etc.) were spilled over Interstate 5.  It appeared that no one could have survived the crash.  Today's news of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson's death was truly shocking as well.  I started to think how short life really is.  A prevailing question entered my mind; "Have I made good use of my time and energies on this earth?"  I certainly hope so.  I know life is too short to live with regret.   The moral of this story... it's important to forgive those wh... 06/25/2009

Here are the latest Southern Oregon real estate stats for May 2009 for Grants Pass, Oregon 1086 - Active Residential Listings 62 - Homes Sold 42 - Listings Pending 123 - Average Days on Market $196,912. - Average Sold Price Stats provided courtesy of Real Estate Cafe'.  Source of information is the Southern Oregon MLS - Monthly NAR Statistical Report.  Information herein has not been verified and is not guaranteed. Click Here for more information regarding Southern Oregon Real Estate 06/25/2009

A good friend and local mortgage broker referred me to Activerain today and I, we, are pleased to be here!  Thanks Paul!  For a good time Rentec Direct has been maturing in the property management software marketplace and while there's a good chance the name is new to many of you here in the "rain" I am excited to announce that we don't want it to remain that way!!An introduction.  Rentec Direct is a rapidly emerging company providing landlords and property mangers an online application to manage their properties.  The software is designed for the smaller to medium landlords who have 1 to 50 properties they manage.  The goal behind Rentec Direct is to keep it simple so anyone can use it!  This of course doesn't mean it's feature-less.  We've compared Rentec Direct to many of the other p... 06/07/2009

May 1, 2009 the Home Valuation Code of Conduct goes into effect for all conventional loans that are underwritten to be sellable to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The Home Valuation Code of Conduct essentially puts a wall between mortgage lenders & consumers and the appraiser so that there can be no "influencing" of an appraisers estimate of value.   The code does not change the process for VA, FHA, USDA/Rural Housing, or private money transactions What does the HVCC mean for Realtors and Consumers?     The code requires that appraisals be ordered through a 3rd party "Appraisal Management Company" (AMC) who assigns it to a local appraiser. This means that we can no longer expect an appraisal to be done in 3 days.     There may be some challenges in transferring an appraisal report from one l... 05/17/2009

Here are the latest Southern Oregon real estate stats for April 2009 for Grants Pass, Oregon 1082 - Active Residential Listings 74 - Homes Sold 38 - Listings Pending 126 - Average Days on Market $204,393. - Average Sold Price Stats provided courtesy of Real Estate Cafe'.  Source of information is the Southern Oregon MLS - Monthly NAR Statistical Report.  Information herein has not been verified and is not guaranteed. Click Here for more information regarding Southern Oregon Real Estate 05/14/2009

Never be afraid to try something new.  Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark, and a large group of professionals built the Titanic.  There are times when we all feel a bit fearful, wondering where our next paycheck is going to come from.  We have all asked ourselves the question, should we jump ship and try something new, with the possibility that we may sink or swim?  Warren Buffet recently said; "When people are greedy, be fearful.  And, when people are fearful, be greedy."  Now, I don't know much about the greedy part, but I do know that Fear can either paralyze us in our tracks, or motivate us to do great things.  Things we might never have imagined!  So, we can choose to stare adversity in the face... and smile, or we can run and hide.  Which will you choose?  Recessions take... 05/14/2009

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFx_CDiuEUE    35 SECONDS OF VIDEO I TOOK OF CATHEDRAL HILLS WILD FLOWERS...  WHICH IS APPROX. 500 ACRES OF WALKING TRAILS SURROUNDING DOWNTOWN GRANTS PASS...AHHH, I LOVE THIS PLACE . I DO HAVE A FEW HOMES LISTED THAT BORDER, OR ARE WITHIN A FEW BLOCKS OF THIS PARADISE (THE A-FRAME HOME IS WITHIN A FEW BLOCKS )... IT MAKES A GREAT BACK YARD.  05/02/2009

It's the parking lot behind the Post Office, where all the excitement begins every Saturday morning in downtown Grants Pass, Oregon.  As we anxiously await the first tender seedling to burst through the cool ground, we are ever grateful for the local bounty of the Grants Pass, Oregon Grower's Market.  Counting the days until we can sink our teeth into fresh sweet peaches, buffalo jerky, artisan handmade bread, cheese, and yummy honey is just part of the anticipated excitement.  Grants Pass, Oregon Grower's Market is a community of local growers and artisans offering home-grown produce and home-made crafts and goodies to the general public.  Customers experience a sensory extravaganza of spicy petunias, roses and chives, rosemary, thyme, and lavenders, fresh peaches, ripe tomatoes, coff... 04/25/2009

Today, I experienced a moment of happiness and embarrassment at the same time.  With my busy real estate schedule, I barely have enough time left over in the day to tend to my yard at home.  Being new to the neighborhood, I felt a bit responsible for the un-kept look of my yard (since I had not mowed my lawn in over a month!).  So, I decided to whip out the mower last night at 8pm and do the job.  I was glad I did, as I knew my neighbors would appreciate the fresh trimmed look.  The surprise came the next morning as I was leaving for work.  My neighbor smiled and waved.  I apologized for being a bad neighbor and told him I would make more of an effort to keep my yard looking nice.  He said he and his wife thought I didn't own a lawn mower (I actually own 2), so they were going to mow i... 04/23/2009

  Adorable updated 2 bedroom, 1 bath cottage in NE Grants Pass, Oregon.  Recently remodeled, this vintage cutie is move-in ready!  All the appliances stay including the natural gas heater, washer & dryer, and ceiling fan.  Newer windows, paint, exterior siding and beautiful custom stamped concrete porch.  Check out the 16x16 shop in the backyard, great for storage or tinkering!  District 7 Schools too!  This one won't last long at this price!  A STEAL OF A DEAL @ $99,500.  MLS #52902412 Click Here for more information about Southern Oregon Real Estate 04/20/2009