Portland Condos. Here is a link to Calendar of Events at Powell’s Books. Such a fun place to visit whether to browse the endless rows of books or attend one of Powell’s Books events with the main one located right in here Portland’s Pearl District. Portland Condos shares this link Calendar of Events – Powell’s Books.
Portland Condos. With many of our Portland Condos we see condos and lofts less than 500 square feet with often open spaces that need to include your kitchen, living space and sleeping area. Here is an article from Houzz.com with a similar floor plan that we see here in Portland such as condos in some of our older history buildings in Northwest Portland such as condos in The Embassy Condos to many of our Portland condo buildings in the Pearl District especially some of our warehouse conversions such as Marshall-Wells lofts and The Avenue Lofts. As these Portland Condo owners need to be imaginative in creating living space that is open which I have seen many wonderful ideas but thought this could inspire you even more! Click on this link to read some ideas and view fun photos to use in your Portland Condo! …It may be tiny, but this studio in a coveted location shows high design, savvy reuse and an artistic sensibility
Portland Condos. Here is an Interesting article frin DSNews about although interest rates are at an all-time low the number of refinancing are not as high as expected. The last paragraph I find quite true with many of our Portland Condos and home owners including myself, “This illustrates how big a restraint it is that almost half of mortgage borrowers can’t qualify to refinance because, thanks to the collapse in home prices and tighter lending standards, they don’t have the 20% in home equity needed to qualify,” the research firm observed” If you own a Portland Condo or Loft that perhaps you financed most of the condo and or decreased in value during the recession the 20% equity needed to refinance it challenging unless you actually bring money to the closing of the refinance or sale of your Portland Condo. In addition the lenders “box” has become so tight it eliminates many Portland condo owners that we either give up trying or worst not even try at all. My thoughts with this is when are the banks going to loosen up the credit so that the other half of those who would like to purchase or refinance their Portland condo can do so? This would most certainty help the economy as the article mentioned. The pendulum has swung so far over to such strict guidelines hopefully it swings somewhere in the middle so whether you want to refinance your Portland condo or purchase a new condo you have the ability to do so! Full the full article Reports: Refi Numbers Low Despite Low Mortgage Rates.
Portland Condos. Below is a link to an article from DSNews with an update in regards to short sales. We are still seeing many of our Portland condos being sold as short sales, many with multiple back up offers as it takes so long to get the Portland condo seller’s current lien holder (bank) to accept less than what the principal loan amount is owed. The last paragraph in this article is very hopeful “As a result, DBRS expects short sales to be one of the key loss mitigation techniques used in 2013 with more servicers delegating or automating their acceptance and counter offer process in order to be more responsive to short sale bids on properties”. The time frame it takes for the seller’s lender to respond to the offers whether it is a Portland condo, loft, townhouse or home has been one of the biggest issues with short sales so hopefully we will start seeing a shorter turnaround time in accepting the offered price. Full the full article. Ratings Agency Forecasts a Stronger Year for Short Sales in 2013.
Portland Condos. With many of our Portland condos and lofts here in Portland OR being less than 500 square feet many of my clients as “How do I arrange my furniture?” Here are some great design ideas that Portland condo residence can use to create a wonderful living space in their Portland condo. Many of our Portland condos that are smaller in size are studios so incorporating your bedroom space to be attractive from the livings space yet define can be quite fun and of great design as you will see from this article. This is true with Portland Condos in all our neighborhoods including the Pearl District where we see lots of warehouse and industrial types of condos and lofts, South Waterfront for a state of the art Portland Condo to Northwest Portland where many of our Portland condos where older apartment buildings built in the early 1900’s with lots of yesteryear’s charm converted into condos here in Portland, Oregon.
The other day a client ask me who was thinking about selling her Portland home what I knew about the sales or transfer tax come January? This has caused some confusion for our Portland condo and home owners. This morning a great blog article came over to me from Linkedin that wanted to share with a detailed explanation of the 3.8% tax. To summarize that “yes it is a tax but not a sales tax” from Lnkedin. The 3.8% tax bill is part of the Health Care Reform Act, which passed in 2010. It was added into the health care law at the last minute and was never considered in hearings. The tax probably will be debated during the upcoming tax reform debates in 2013. Here are some of the key points:
Portland Condos. Looking for a coffee shop in one of Portland’s favorite condo areas, The Pearl District? Here is a link from Yelp that list all the coffee shops in the Pearl District. One of my favorites is Barista’s conveniently located just up the street from Chown Pella Lofts, couple blocks from The Avenue Loft, Streetcar Lofts and Marshall-Wells Loft all great Portland condos where you can walk from to get your favorite coffee drink! Over little more North in the Pearl District there not only well known Starbucks but also I enjoy Lovejoy Baker’s where the breads and pastry are so delicious. Lovejoy Bakery is close to many of our Pearl District Northern Portland Condos such as The Metropolitan Condos, Streetcar Lofts, Lexis Condominiums, The Pinnacle Condos, Tanner Place Condos, Bridgeport Condos to name just a few. Going a bit South in the Pearl District toward Burnside when shopping at Whole Foods or Powell’s Books enjoy getting my coffee at Peet’s Coffee which am sure those Portland Condo residents are the Henry Condos love as it practically out their front door. Many of our Portland coffee shops are located on the ground floor of some of the Portland condos buildings such as Urban Grind Coffeehouse in one of the Pearl District historic Portland condominium lofts buildings the Marshall-Wells Lofts. Of course there are many more coffee shops in Portland’s Pearl District as we love our coffee here in Portland especially on rainy Sunday afternoon’s such as today! Becky Scharf
ortland Condos. Yesterday blog was about coffee shops in one of Portland’s favorite condo neighborhood the Pearl District but what about those great coffee shop in the Northwest 23rd Nob Hill area? Northwest 23rd neighborhood boosts many coffee shops as listed with Yelp. For those Portland condo residents on the southern part of Northwest 23rd area just below the Envoy Condos and a block or so away from The Westerly Condos and Cambridge Portland Condominiums we have Peets coffee inside of Zupans and Starbucks on NW 23rd and W Burnside. A little ways North over on NW 21st we have Ken Artisian Bakery located just down the street from The Embassy Condos. Over toward the West side of the Northwest Nob Hill area we have World Cup Coffee and Tea House with those Portland condo residents close by in the The Addison Condos and classic The Alhambra Condominiums. Going a bit North over by Northwest Thurman close to the Vaux Portland condos is one of my favorite coffee shops which am sitting here now writing this article is The Dragon Fly Coffee shop. This is a great coffee shop for those who enjoy wonderful coffee and a relaxing friendly atmosphere to visit with friends, read or work on the computer! Toward the river those Portland condo residents at The Pacifica Tower Condos and Riverscape Condos enjoy just a short walk to Breken Café which not only has great coffee but delicious sandwiches, salads and soup that is a great meeting place for many. There are many more coffee shops all around Northwest 23rd – Nob Hill Portland Condo neighborhoods as I said yesterday we Portlanders love our coffee!Becky Scharf
The other day a client ask me who was thinking about selling her Portland home what I knew about the sales or transfer tax come January? This has caused some confusion for our Portland condo and home owners. This morning a great blog article came over to me from Linkedin that wanted to share with a detailed explanation of the 3.8% tax. To summarize that “yes it is a tax but not a sales tax” from Lnkedin. The 3.8% tax bill is part of the Health Care Reform Act, which passed in 2010. It was added into the health care law at the last minute and was never considered in hearings. The tax probably will be debated during the upcoming tax reform debates in 2013. Here are some of the key points:Portland Condos. With many of our Portland condos and lofts here in Portland OR being less than 500 square feet many of my clients as “How do I arrange my furniture?” Here are some great design ideas that Portland condo residence can use to create a wonderful living space in their Portland condo. Many of our Portland condos that are smaller in size are studios so incorporating your bedroom space to be attractive from the livings space yet define can be quite fun and of great design as you will see from this article. This is true with Portland Condos in all our neighborhoods including the Pearl District where we see lots of warehouse and industrial types of condos and lofts, South Waterfront for a state of the art Portland Condo to Northwest Portland where many of our Portland condos where older apartment buildings built in the early 1900’s with lots of yesteryear’s charm converted into condos here in Portland, Oregon.Portland Condos. Below is a link to an article from DSNews with an update in regards to short sales. We are still seeing many of our Portland condos being sold as short sales, many with multiple back up offers as it takes so long to get the Portland condo seller’s current lien holder (bank) to accept less than what the principal loan amount is owed. The last paragraph in this article is very hopeful “As a result, DBRS expects short sales to be one of the key loss mitigation techniques used in 2013 with more servicers delegating or automating their acceptance and counter offer process in order to be more responsive to short sale bids on properties”. The time frame it takes for the seller’s lender to respond to the offers whether it is a Portland condo, loft, townhouse or home has been one of the biggest issues with short sales so hopefully we will start seeing a shorter turnaround time in accepting the offered price. Full the full article. Ratings Agency Forecasts a Stronger Year for Short Sales in 2013.Portland Condos. Here is an Interesting article frin DSNews about although interest rates are at an all-time low the number of refinancing are not as high as expected. The last paragraph I find quite true with many of our Portland Condos and home owners including myself, “This illustrates how big a restraint it is that almost half of mortgage borrowers can’t qualify to refinance because, thanks to the collapse in home prices and tighter lending standards, they don’t have the 20% in home equity needed to qualify,” the research firm observed” If you own a Portland Condo or Loft that perhaps you financed most of the condo and or decreased in value during the recession the 20% equity needed to refinance it challenging unless you actually bring money to the closing of the refinance or sale of your Portland Condo. In addition the lenders “box” has become so tight it eliminates many Portland condo owners that we either give up trying or worst not even try at all. My thoughts with this is when are the banks going to loosen up the credit so that the other half of those who would like to purchase or refinance their Portland condo can do so? This would most certainty help the economy as the article mentioned. The pendulum has swung so far over to such strict guidelines hopefully it swings somewhere in the middle so whether you want to refinance your Portland condo or purchase a new condo you have the ability to do so! Full the full article Reports: Refi Numbers Low Despite Low Mortgage Rates.Portland Condos. Here is an Interesting article frin DSNews about although interest rates are at an all-time low the number of refinancing are not as high as expected. The last paragraph I find quite true with many of our Portland Condos and home owners including myself, “This illustrates how big a restraint it is that almost half of mortgage borrowers can’t qualify to refinance because, thanks to the collapse in home prices and tighter lending standards, they don’t have the 20% in home equity needed to qualify,” the research firm observed” If you own a Portland Condo or Loft that perhaps you financed most of the condo and or decreased in value during the recession the 20% equity needed to refinance it challenging unless you actually bring money to the closing of the refinance or sale of your Portland Condo. In addition the lenders “box” has become so tight it eliminates many Portland condo owners that we either give up trying or worst not even try at all. My thoughts with this is when are the banks going to loosen up the credit so that the other half of those who would like to purchase or refinance their Portland condo can do so? This would most certainty help the economy as the article mentioned. The pendulum has swung so far over to such strict guidelines hopefully it swings somewhere in the middle so whether you want to refinance your Portland condo or purchase a new condo you have the ability to do so! Full the full article Reports: Refi Numbers Low Despite Low Mortgage Rates.Portland Condos. Below is a link to an article from DSNews with an update in regards to short sales. We are still seeing many of our Portland condos being sold as short sales, many with multiple back up offers as it takes so long to get the Portland condo seller’s current lien holder (bank) to accept less than what the principal loan amount is owed. The last paragraph in this article is very hopeful “As a result, DBRS expects short sales to be one of the key loss mitigation techniques used in 2013 with more servicers delegating or automating their acceptance and counter offer process in order to be more responsive to short sale bids on properties”. The time frame it takes for the seller’s lender to respond to the offers whether it is a Portland condo, loft, townhouse or home has been one of the biggest issues with short sales so hopefully we will start seeing a shorter turnaround time in accepting the offered price. Full the full article. Ratings Agency Forecasts a Stronger Year for Short Sales in 2013.Portland Condos. With many of our Portland condos and lofts here in Portland OR being less than 500 square feet many of my clients as “How do I arrange my furniture?” Here are some great design ideas that Portland condo residence can use to create a wonderful living space in their Portland condo. Many of our Portland condos that are smaller in size are studios so incorporating your bedroom space to be attractive from the livings space yet define can be quite fun and of great design as you will see from this article. This is true with Portland Condos in all our neighborhoods including the Pearl District where we see lots of warehouse and industrial types of condos and lofts, South Waterfront for a state of the art Portland Condo to Northwest Portland where many of our Portland condos where older apartment buildings built in the early 1900’s with lots of yesteryear’s charm converted into condos here in Portland, Oregon.
Portland Condos. Here is an Interesting article frin DSNews about although interest rates are at an all-time low the number of refinancing are not as high as expected. The last paragraph I find quite true with many of our Portland Condos and home owners including myself, “This illustrates how big a restraint it is that almost half of mortgage borrowers can’t qualify to refinance because, thanks to the collapse in home prices and tighter lending standards, they don’t have the 20% in home equity needed to qualify,” the research firm observed” If you own a Portland Condo or Loft that perhaps you financed most of the condo and or decreased in value during the recession the 20% equity needed to refinance it challenging unless you actually bring money to the closing of the refinance or sale of your Portland Condo. In addition the lenders “box” has become so tight it eliminates many Portland condo owners that we either give up trying or worst not even try at all. My thoughts with this is when are the banks going to loosen up the credit so that the other half of those who would like to purchase or refinance their Portland condo can do so? This would most certainty help the economy as the article mentioned. The pendulum has swung so far over to such strict guidelines hopefully it swings somewhere in the middle so whether you want to refinance your Portland condo or purchase a new condo you have the ability to do so! Full the full article Reports: Refi Numbers Low Despite Low Mortgage Rates.
