As a realtor, we not only assist people into new homes, we also care for our communities.  One of the many ways that we achieve this is through the Equity Group Foundation.  This is a charitable foundation where agents and staff contribute time and resources to help local organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of our neighbors.  Local charities, especially those that are smaller without national or federal funding, are assisted through this organization both physically and financially to assist with specific causes.  In the last six years The Equity Group Foundation has invested more than $516,000 back to our communities. Some of the most recent grants offered are: •·         Bradley Angle House - to assist woman and children suffering from domestic violence •·         Calvin Rann... 11/13/2008

We have made it through the elections and regardless of whether or not your candidate was elected President, we all know that change is approaching.  These changes will not happen on January 20, 2009 when Barack Obama takes office, in fact, we may not see any significant changes for a year or more.  However, based on Obama's campaign, some of the changes that we can expect are: •·         Significant tax relief for middle/lower class, small businesses as well as Senior Americans. •·         Improve job security by encouraging American companies to keep jobs at home. •·         Invest in clean energy by providing financial means to create, educate and implement new energy sources. •·         Encourage technology and innovation by investing in the sciences. •·         Create accountabilit... 11/12/2008

Home staging is no longer an option when selling your home.  Whether you are staging yourself or hiring a professional it is a necessary action to take.  The purpose of staging is to clear the room surface while also making it appealing to look at.  Many people have difficulty doing this on their own because they are emotionally attached to the items that they have displayed.  It is also difficult because many sellers have not fully accepted the fact that they will be moving in a short period of time and want their home to remain as they have it. Here are some Do's and Don'ts to keep in mind when staging your home: •·         Do paint a room if the walls are stained or dingy looking.  Don't paint using ultra modern colors or overly bright colors. •·         Do paint using neutral colors... 11/04/2008

The changing real estate market has caught many agents by surprise.  This is a tough business to be in with duties ranging between home staging and decorating to sales and marketing to negotiation and loss mitigation.  When the market is good we are buffered from some of the more discouraging aspects of our business because the income opportunities distract us.  However, when the market is slower we have to work twice as hard to earn half the profits.  It is times like these that determine the true professionals.  Professionals do not whine about the changes, they embrace them as an opportunity for change.  It is also an opportunity for growth and self improvement.  Try the Jeff Foxworthy test when determining who the professionals are in your market: •·         You might be a professio... 11/04/2008

Synergy Staging received a call the other day for a staging proposal at a home in West Linn, Oregon.  You can imagine our surprise when we pulled up to the home and it was one that we had looked at over 1 1/2 years ago when we happened to be touring some local Open Houses.  At that time it wasn't staged and we recommended it, but never heard from the owner.  It apparently sold at a reduced price (we warned them!) and now the new owner does believe in the power of staging!  After renting it for one year they are ready to sell.  And we were of course more than delighted to stage the home - especially since we had wanted to do it last year. Here are some of the Before & After photos of the Living Room and Kitchen with vibrant orange walls                            It seems like we have be... 10/30/2008

I recently read an article titled "101 Ways to Save".  I am sure that we all agree that saving is a top of mind concern to perhaps every person within the United States.  I found that the article was a good reminder of many things that we already know: wash your clothes on the cold cycle, credit card rebates, shop at Goodwill and consignment stores, replace your old windows... We have been fortunate to live in society full of wealth with the opportunity to have many things.  There are cultures that are thankful for a single pair of shoes where many of our closets contain many pairs.  Other cultures are thankful to get a single bowl of rice for dinner where we are compelled to have at least 3 items on our plates.  In reading this article I was drawn to the thought that many of us have th... 10/27/2008

Do you remember your class President election?  When I was in High School a small group of students got together and ran a campaign for "Loomis".  Let me clarify, Loomis was not an actual student of the school.  He was simply a baby picture of one of the students.  What makes this story interesting is the great character study that it created for our election process.  To begin, Loomis had a great platform.  He looked at what the students of the school wanted and promoted those items (via posters and "word of mouth").  He was different yet very liked by all the students of the school.  In fact, Loomis was so charming that he was able to get away with the fact that he never needed to inform anyone of how he was going to accomplish the like minded goals of the students.  He didn't have a ... 10/22/2008

I thought that would get your attention!  My husband and I are restoring an 1895 Victorian home and as part of our research we picked up some books on turn of the century house designs.  These books are wonderful and include house plans and "how to" instructions on how to plumb your new home.  The cost breakdown is: Excavating and preliminary work               $  40.00 Stone Masonry                                       $250.00 Brick Masonry                                         $100.00 Cement Floor                                         $  50.00 Rough lumber, paper lining and shingles   $450.00 Flooring lumber                                      $  80.00 Outside cornices                                     $  20.00 Windows, doors, fittings                           $450.00 Other M... 10/21/2008

As with any bill presented to Congress the federal government's bailout plan contained much more than assistance to banks and the purchase of "toxic mortgages".  The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act also contained tax credits that investors and developers can begin taking advantage of immediately. The tax credits are focused primarily on alternative energy sources such as solar power, small wind power (100 kilowatts or less produced), and geo-thermal power that are incorporated into projects.  The federal government offers up to a 30% credit and allows the opportunity to carry over the credit to the next year if necessary.  These credits can be in addition to any state or local credits that are available. The bill also removed the $2000 tax credit cap for residential solar installat... 10/21/2008

That is right, our dear little town is on its way to being recognized as an official Historic District.  Thanks to the efforts of many of our local citizens we are in the final stages of the designation.  According to Ruth Offer who attended the October 10th meeting states that that board is supportive of the designation and believes that we should become a district.  They have, however, requested a few alterations to the boundaries and requests that the nomination be rewritten to include the changes.  With these alterations it is very likely that it will pass during the February meeting.  Ruth is requesting any information that anyone may have about the histories of their homes if they are located within the district.  10/16/2008

The latest Market Action report, which is provided by PMAR (Portland Metro Association of Realtors), came out today with statistics for the month of September.  According to this report, market activity continues to slide, however, not as significantly as it has over the past few months.  Additionally, we are seeing a 15% decrease in new listings from last year which is an indicator of lack of market confidence.  Based on the current rate of sales and number of homes to sell it would take 10.4 months to sell all of the inventory on the market.  We continue to see a decrease in price as well with the average Metro area price down 5.6% and the median home price down 5.8%.  Fortunately, we are not looking at double digits as many other states have experienced.  The average market time is 1... 10/15/2008

Let me begin by apologizing.  I have been in Real Estate for nearly 8 years now and when I sit down and talk with sellers about the sale of their home we talk about marketing, staging, curb appeal, etc.  I have just realized that we have not said a word about what you are paying for!  I know what you are thinking, "the marketing of my home of course," but you are wrong.  Yes, marketing is important but any relatively savvy agent can find out where the best places to advertise your home are (and it is not the newspaper), any agent who has done more than a couple of transactions can give you a few lessons on advertising and wording, any agent who has been through more than 50 houses can tell you a little bit about staging...  "Well, if its not marketing, staging or curb appeal, then what ... 10/13/2008

Sometimes I wonder where the media comes up with its content.  In case the general population is not anxious enough about our countries state of affairs we have people running around saying "the sky is falling, the sky is falling!"  The reality is: there are plenty of loans available.  Yes, you do need to have a job in order to get a loan and chances are you are going to have to put some money down in order to purchase the home.  FHA (First Time Home Buyer or anyone who has not owned a home in the past 3 years) is perhaps one of the best loans for buyers who fit the criteria.  This loan offers low interest rates, 3% down payment and assistance with closing costs.  There are also a good number of conventional options available for move up buyers and self employed! Next time you hear a st... 10/09/2008

What a month!  Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG...  Now on to some better news...  Did you know that more millionaires were made during the great depression than any other era in U.S. history?  Although many of us consider the Great Depression a bleak time in our history it was actually a pivotal turning point for our country both economically and innovatively.  Here is a little history lesson:  The Great Depression actually began several years before the 1929 stock market crash and lasted until World War II brought the country out of it.  In the years prior to 1929, greater and greater amounts of credit were extended to individuals and businesses.  The economy was sliding over the edge from available cash to excessive amounts of credit debt. When the amount ... 10/08/2008

Hammerle Park is a 5 acre plus park located in West Linn, right off Hwy 43. This park, during the hot summer days, is great for kids as it has a wading pool that is only about a foot deep, but to a hot child, that is all they need!This park also has swings, slides, and two different sets of playground equipment, one for older kids and one for kids under three. (Personally, I love this, as usually younger kids get run over on the bigger equipment by older and faster kids.)Located at the north end of the park they have a Tennis court for anyone to use, and on the North side, they have two baseball fields that are pretty well taken care of compared to some of the ones I've seen in recent years.The park also has bathrooms, so no need to leave the park if the kids should have to go, and for ... 07/27/2008

Ask yourself - don't I deserve the best?   YES!   In both your life and work.    I believe I can give you what you are looking for, only because I have very high standards that I adhere to for myself, and as a client I would expect you to settle for nothing less. I pride myself on being able to "hear" what you are saying.   There is a BIG difference between a real estate broker that listens, and a Real Estate Broker that HEARS.    You can trust that if I don't understand, I will ask questions.    It's all about you - and what your heart desires and wants.     If I don't have answers for you - I will get them. I specialize in the Luxury Lifestyle, all aspects, in the Portland Metropolitan area.   I have local contacts, as well as contacts in other countries.   If you are looking for your... 07/09/2008

Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR was recently contacted to stage an Occupied home.  The sellers were very motivated to get everything in order to make their home presentable and to stand out among the other homes in their beautiful neighborhood.  When we visited this lovely home, these "residents" mounted on the living room wall greeted us -- We were able to convince the husband that his mounted trophies needed to be packed away prior to showing the home.  The brass fireplace surround was also easily removed, instantly updating this room.  The piano was moved so that it no longer fought with the fireplace to be the focal point. We then staged the living room using only the seller's items, and made it much more appealing to the target buyer. Potential buyers will now find this home ... 05/28/2008

Recently Room Solutions Staging in Portland Oregon was selected to stage an occupied home.  The sellers were very motivated since they'd purchased another home and were anxious to move.  Their home was in excellent condition but needed staging expertise to improve traffic flow and redefine the purpose of some rooms, working with the sellers' items and adding a few of our accessories.  Here are some Before & After photos: The Living room seemed overcrowded, causing it to appear small; removing some pieces made a big difference and opened up the space: The Dining room was being used as an overflow seating area for the living room -- but after staging, showed potential buyers what a nice dining room it is for entertaining: The Nursery's furniture placement made the room seem smaller; we op... 12/20/2007

How And Why To Prepay Your MortgageOne of the best ways to have more cash, retire early, and enjoy debt-free living is to prepay your mortgage, an option that even lenders increasingly applaud. We live in a society where home debt is generally mounting. The Consumer Federation of America reported this month that between 1989 and 1999 declined by $1,500, in part because of a greater willingness to increase mortgage debt. But for financial reasons and as a matter of personal preference, many people favor a home with less debt. Why wait 30 years to be mortgage-free, they reason, when the same goal can be accomplished years earlier without refinancing or new closing costs. If prepaying a loan seems attractive, the first question to ask is whether prepayments are permitted without penalty. S... 07/09/2007

Getting Top Dollar For Your HomeLike all sellers you would like top dollar for your home, on the flip side every buyer would like to pay as little as possible.  This on going dichotomy is solved with many factors including: market conditions, your home's desirability, and how quickly you want to sell.  In most transactions buyers and sellers tend to meet in the middle somewhere.  However, Tamie has a few suggestions that have worked for her sellers to tip the scales in their favor.The urgency to make improvements later on may be prompted by a leaking roof, a change in size of the household, or the need to convert the basement into a home based business.  You have a number of options to pay for improvement, including paying cash.  However, most homeowners favor financing the job especial... 07/09/2007