Sherwood, A Best Town For Families

The Portland suburb of Sherwood has been name one of the nation’s best towns for families, according to Family Circle magazine.

Family Circle reviewed towns with populations between 15,000 and 150,000. From that, nearly 800 localities were selected with a high concentration of households with an average income of $75,000. Family Circle then selected the 10 winners from among the highest-rated towns. The magazine said, “We set out to find communities across the country that combine big-city opportunities with suburban charm, locations that offer an ideal blend of affordable houses, good jobs, top-rated schools, wide-open spaces, and a lot less stress.”

Here are top ten towns:

Sherwood, OR
Evans, Ga.
Rockwall, Texas
Indian Trail, N.C.
Edina, Minn.
Noblesville, Ind.
Perrysburg, Ohio
Hendersonville, Tenn.
Kenmore, Wash.
Sun Prairie, Wis.

Portland Home Prices Down 16%, U.S. 18.1%

This morning’s Case-Shiller report shows Portland home prices were down 16 percent year-to-year from April 2008 to April 2009. On average, U.S. home prices were down 18.1 percent during the same time period.

The national rate of decline improved for the third straight month, with April’s decline better than March’s loss of 18.7 percent.

Here is the annual rate of declines for the 20 metro areas included in the Case-Shiller Index:

Rate = City

-4.9% = Denver
-5.0% = Dallas
-7.7% = Boston
-10.0% = Charlotte
-10.5% = Cleveland
-12.5% = New York
-14.8% = Atlanta
-16.0% = Portland
-16.8% = Seattle
-16.9% = Washington, D.C.
-18.7% = Chicago
-20.0% = San Diego
-21.3% = Tampa
-21.3% = Los Angeles
-22.1% = Minneapolis
-25.4% = Detroit
-27.3% = Miami
-28.0% = San Francisco
-32.2% = Las Vegas
-35.3% = Phoenix

Portland, A World’s Best Biking City

Portland has been named one of the world’s Top 10 biking cities.

Portland is one of only three American cities to make the list, according to Travel and Leisure Magazine. The other two U.S. cities are Minneapolis and Seattle.

Here is what T&L says about Portland:

As the only large U.S. city to receive the League of American Bicyclists’ top rating, Portland leads the domestic charge to put two-wheel transportation on par with automobile travel. Highlights in the Pacific Northwest enclave include 270 miles of on-street bike lanes and paved paths; hundreds of signs for bikers navigating their way; lock-up corrals for parking in the city; and mandates that give incentives for developers willing to provide showers and locker rooms for bike commuters.

Here are the Top 10 Biking Cities:

Copenhagen, Denmark
Portland, OR
Munich, Germany
Montreal, Canada
Perth, Australia
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Seattle, WA
Paris, France
Minneapolis, MN
Bogata, Colombia

Also of note: Based on the number of people who bike to work, the U.S. Census Bureau lists Portland as the No. 1 bicycling city in the country.

Portland: Cleanest, Most Underrated U.S. City

Portland has been named the cleanest and most underrated U.S. city in a survey of travelers conducted by TripAdvisor.com.

According to TripAdvisor, “Portland, Oregon is a major U.S. city that doesn't get a whole lot of publicity, but is a gem in the eyes of TripAdvisor travelers.”

On the flip side, Detroit was rated the dirtiest city while Las Vegas was rated most overrated.

Seattle was ranked the healthiest city and New York City the most favorite.

How Green Is Your Home?

Green here. Green there. Green everywhere.

With so much talk about going green, it can be confusing as to what that really means. In regards to real estate, there are many shades of green- from new Earth Advantage green homes to old bungalows with green features such as bamboo flooring and added insulation.

Yes, old houses can be green too. And one way of going green or learning how to go green is by ordering a free home energy review from Energy Trust of Oregon.

I recently had a free review performed on my home joining the more than 10,000 homeowners who’ve done so since the reviews began in 2003. The review did in fact take about an hour with the advisor inspecting my furnace, water heater, insulation, windows, and ducts.

When the review was finished, the advisor told me what areas of my home were energy efficient and which areas (not many) could use improvement. He also installed water-saving showerheads and faucet aerators.

To learn more about the free review or to schedule one, visit this Energy Trust of Oregon link.

Use Flower Power To Sell Your Home

So often the advice from your Realtor is to keep it neutral. Pick wall colors that can’t possibly harm the sensibilities of any buyer. Pick exterior colors as bland as white bread. And for the most part, I agree.

Yet this time of year, homeowners throughout Portland can find scores of hanging flower baskets that will give these neutral-colored houses some pop and sizzle.

For $20, the right flower basket will catch the eye of a homebuyer. And unlike a welcome mat, this welcome sign can be seen by people driving by, walking on the sidewalk, and better yet buyers pulling up for their first impression.

It’s a little detail that gives back big.

Sewer Scopes More Common In Portland

The frenzied housing boom Portland witnessed this decade produced many things- bidding wars, record low inventory, a seller’s market, high real estate prices… short sales, record high inventory, a buyer’s market and lower real estate prices. The early ups and today’s down.

Beneath these markets, record real estate sales, and specifically thousands of houses- an inspection service grew at a pace even more hurried. Stats, I don’t have them. I can only tell you from professional experience- the sewer scope inspection, these years, transformed from rare to medium to normally done.

Buyers I guide understand why performing sewer scopes are important. Sellers now come to expect them done hand-in-hand with home inspections. And while I don’t have the numbers to back me up, I do have the phone numbers for companies that perform sewer scope services. I can tell you that they’re as busy as anyone in the real estate industry. In fact, the company I refer most often is always booked way in advance of anyone else. The owner told me he turned down 30 appointments last week and 25 the week before.

Below is a video of a sewer scope performed on an old house in the Laurelhurst neighborhood in Southeast Portland. The scope came back fine, but the inspector was looking for root intrusions, gaps, large bellies in the line, etc.

Portland Sewer Scope produced by Salvador Del Cid on WellcomeMat