Thanksgiving

For a special surprise click on the image.... go ahead, do it.

The Internet ... sites for downloading audio books

My wife, Dianne Rodway, loves audio books. She participates in two book clubs and this is her favorite way to "read" the assigned texts. Thought you might like to know where to download audio books.

• Audible.com features more than 50,000 digital titles including novels, magazines, radio shows, and podcasts. A one-month subscription costs $15. Non-members can download books for $15 to $50 per title.
  
• Overdrive.com partners with libraries Nationwide to offer free book downloads to library cardholders. A word of warning: most books come in WMA format, which requires devices compatible with Windows.
  
• Audiobooksforfree.com has a "generous (if eclectic) selection of titles." The catch? Most books in the public domain are "musty classics rather than today's best-sellers". Free audio recordings also tend to be low quality; higher-quality versions cost from $5 to $8.
  
• Apple's Itunes Store has thousands of titles for purchase. Costs vary depending on the nature of the publication.
  
  Source: Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Portland real estate values still retreating

Case Shiller released their most current index numbers today. We like this index because it reflects the value change of actual homes. CS compares a home's recent sales price to the it's previous purchase price. Based on this information, the Portland area logged an annual decline of 8.6% over the past one year period and a 6.6 % decline over a two year period.

Real Estate values in Portland are now equivalent to March 2006 levels.




Nationally, Case Shiller reports a 17.5% drop over one year. If you are really into these types of numbers, you might like to peruse the Case Shiller web page located here.

First snowfall hits downtown

While driving to work this morning I spotted the first recorded downtown snow fall of the season. Apparently, sometime over night, an isolated snow shower fell near the corner of NW Davis and 12th in the Pearl District. City crews must have been notified because they cleared off the intersection leaving several piles along the curb on both sides of NW Davis.

As of this morning the snow was quickly melting. Pedestrians were seen hopping around puddles of snowy slush as they made their way in and out of the nearby Portland Art Institute building.

Buying in the Pearl

Yesterday I met with new clients from out of town. They live in a Rocky Mountain state and have young family members living in the Portland metro area. This is not uncommon as we seem to frequently connect with out of state buyers with local ties. They contacted us thru our web site www.bpr.com.

After using the site to research Portland downtown condominiums, they visit our city and give us a call. As with most new clients, our first time out was spent getting familiar with buildings that meet their high level criteria. We looked at one bedroom condos at Bridgeport Condominiums, Tanner Place, 937 Glisan, and the Elizabeth. I now have a good idea of what they really want and will be able to help them make a good decision.

November Real Estate Market Report

Market activity continues to be on the decline when compared to 2007. October pending sales fell 39.6% when compared to October 2007. The number of closed sales also fell 21.4%. Comparing October to September, we also saw a decline across the board. There were 25.6% fewer accepted offers and 10.7% fewer sales. With this lower rate of sales activity, the supply of properties for sale (inventory) would last approximately 11.1 months.

The median sale price for Metro Portland is $275,000, down from $287,000 in October, 2007 and the average days on market for listed properties is 127 days.

New Safeway opens in the Pearl District

The long awaited Safeway super market opened last Friday in the Pearl. Located on NW Lovejoy between, NW 13th and NW 14th. It is a full feature store with pharmacy and up scale wine list.

While we were taking our first stroll thru the isles, I took the opportunity to get a flu shot. They were being offered at the pharmacy counter and there was no wait.

For those of us who work and/or live in the Pearl, this new store is a welcome addition.

You can even order your groceries online. they will be delivered in a cute van like this one here. More information can be found on their web site Safeway.com.

Condo Trends: Boomers Driving Higher Density Housing

According to M. Anthony Carr, and published in this weeks Realty Times, two-thirds of baby boomers who make more than $100,000 intend to downsize in suburbia, according to a report from building industry watcher Hanley Wood. Boomers are the Americans born between 1946 and 1964 and number 78 million strong — 28 percent of the population.

Robert Tippets, past-chairman of the 50+ Council for the National Association of Home Builders, says the growing force of silver-haired buyers will influence the building trends and designs of condominiums in the coming years.

“For one thing, units are getting larger to accommodate empty nesters who want extra rooms for offices, computers and guest quarters,” he says. In the past, it was hard to get larger units that size outside of luxury condominium projects.

Another survey of baby boomers by active adult developer Del Webb Boomers demonstrates the mobility of boomers as they age: 44 percent want a smaller house once they begin the empty nest season of life.

The same percentage wants a home that requires less maintenance as their top reasons for moving.

• 62 percent rate maintenance as a “paramount issue in choosing a home”
• 36 percent plan on moving more than 3 hours away from their current residence
• 26 percent are planning to purchase a home in an active adult community when they retire.

Five Reasons why Portland is a Great Place to Live

1) Housing prices are still more affordable then other major west coast cities.

Median Sales Price

Phoenix/Masa/Scottsdale, AZ $205,100
Sacramento $230,000
Salt Lake City $234,200
Portland $286,100
Seattle/Tacoma $380,500
Los Angeles $417,800
San Diego $459,000
Anaheim/Santa Anna $553,300
San Francisco $684,900
San Jose/Sunnyvale $755,000

2) Portland is ranked No. 1 for public transportation and pedestrian friendliness, safety, cleanliness, public parks, and environmental awareness according to Travel & Leisure’s 2008 survey of America’s favorite cities.

3) Portland was selected by the League of American Bicyclists to be the 1st large US city to receive the Platinum level designation and ranks first in the nation for biking to work.

4) Portland has terrific restaurants because it is a magnet for talented chefs from across the nation. It is second ranked by Cooking Light Magazine as a city that best fits it’s philosophy.

5) Portland is among AARP Magazine’s top five places to live (and retire).