Mt. Hood Chatter by Liz Warren

Wednesday Morning Inspiriation

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY: "You've failed many times, although you may not remember.
You fell down the first time you tried to walk.
You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn't you?
Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat?
Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot. R.H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on.
English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips
before he published 564 books.
Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.
Don't worry about failure.
Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try."

~ Full-page ad published in the
Wall Street Journal by United Technologies "I CAN'T" IS DEAD! There's a wonderful story in "Chicken Soup For The Soul" about a 4th grade teacher and a funeral. The teacher had her students fill a sheet of ..(read more)

Interest Rate and Economic Growth Predictions

Wonder what will happen with interest rates for the rest of the year and into 2009? Check out this chart for the NAR, National Association of Realtor's, and Freddie Macs predictions for the rest of 2008 and into 2009. Interest rates are still fantastic so it is a great time to buy. Here are NAR's predictions for economic growth through 2009. See Chart Below--As far as real estate goes in the Mt. Hood area, Welches, Rhododendron, and Government Camp, things should be staying pretty much the same in our area as far as market conditions are concerned unless credit loosens up. Do I think that will happen soon? Honestly, no I don't. Yes, there was a bill passed to help first time home buyers to receive a tax credit to help get them into homes. Unfortunately, most first time home-buyers are not starting out in our area due to commute and gas prices so this will not have an impact from what I can tell.

Latest August Newsletter for Mt. Hood real estate trends

Visit my latest August newsletter for Mt. Hood real estate! Hit this link

Monday Morning Inspiration

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY: "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs
even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor
sprits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live
in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

~ Theodore Roosevelt
BETTER TO ATTEMPT AND FAIL... In an old "Peanuts" cartoon, Sally is making a list while Charlie Brown looks on. Sally says, "I'm making a list of all the things I've learned in life..." In the next panel she continues with, "Well, actually, I'm making two lists." Charlie asks, "Why is one list longer than the other?" Holding up the much longer list, Sally explains, "These are the things I've learned the hard way!" It's easy to chuckle a little at the part about "learning things the hard way," isn't it? We've all done that. There's really a more revealing message though in ..(read more)

Monday Morning Inspiration for August 18th

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY: "I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference."

~ Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken" PLAYING FOLLOW THE FOLLOWER? Every morning a telephone operator in a small town received a phone call in which she was asked the time of day. One day, the operator asked her mysterious caller why he called every day to ask the correct time. His answer? "I'm responsible for blowing the town whistle every day at noon, and just want to be sure I'm right on the second when I do it." With a chuckle, the operator replied, "Here at the telephone exchange, we set our watches and clocks by the town whistle!" Watch children in a schoolyard and you'll notice the same thing. Children watch the child they perceive to be the leader, and then mimic his or her ..(read more)

Monday Morning Inspiriation

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY: "Opportunities are seldom labeled."
~ John A. Shedd FILL IN THE BLANK! From "Wellsprings of Wisdom" by Ralph Woods comes this story:

A successful businessman was invited to address a group of young executives on the subject of opportunities. He began his talk by tacking to the wall a big sheet of white paper and placing a black dot in the middle of the sheet. "What do you see?" he asked, pointing to the paper on the wall. "A black spot," called out everyone in the audience. "Yes, I see a black dot too," replied the speaker, "but none of you saw the much greater expanse of white. This is the point of my talk on opportunities." While it is so easy to focus on the "black dots" - the immediate tasks that face us each day - how often do you grasp the opportunities that no one else notices in the white space? Don't answer that you haven't the time to notice the ..(read more)

Monday Morning Inspiration

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY: "If you want to learn something new, concentrate on getting that
'right feeling' that is true to yourself. Take the risk of letting go
the precious little control you've struggled to gain, letting go enough
to immerse yourself in what you are doing. Then - do it!"

~ Drs. Tom Rusk & Randy Read THE SEARCH IS OVER! Have you ever read Shel Silverstein's wonderful book, "The Missing Piece and the Big O"? It's a whimsical fable that has touched readers of all ages. It chronicles the search most of us have undertaken at one time or another in our lives to find the one person who can make us whole. As the "Missing Piece" searches, it encounters other "parts." Some of them fit, but cannot roll. Others have too many pieces missing - while still others have too many pieces. The missing piece continues the futile search until one day it meets the "Big O" - a whole (not ..(read more)

Zig Zag Riverfront Cabin near Mt. Hood

$210,000 only SEVEN minutes to skiing! TAKE A TOUR HERE Charming and well maintained ski cabin on the banks of the Zig Zag River only seven minutes from ski areas! It's spacious with nearly 1400 square feet of living space. Plenty of room in the living room, kitchen and dining area. Franklin fireplace for warming up after skiing. The living room has tall ceilings with wood beams and wood accents. The kitchen and dining area are open and you can watch the river through a wall of windows that look out to the forest and river. A deck is located on the front of the cabin for listening to the river. Most of the windows have been replaced making a warm and cozy cabin for wintertime use. A handy wood storage area is just off the mud room. You'll love the bathroom which was completely rebuilt including a full sized shower and tub. A metal roof is perfect in case it snows. The snow will slip right off the roof for easy care. Located only one hour ..(read more)

Mt. Hood Newsletter Hot Off the Press!

If you're interested in what is happening locally in the Government Camp, Welches, Rhododendron and Brightwood real estate markets plus nationally in real estate news you might want to sign up for my monthly newsletter to keep up with what is happening! I cover trends in Mt Hood National Forest cabins, Government Camp properties, local improvements that may inpact your ownership, lending issues and more. Here is the latest copy!

Brightwood, Welches and Rhododendron Road Construction

Locals and travelers passing through the Brightwood, Welches and Rhododendron area in August will be slowed down a little bit by an Oregon Department of Transportation project. A long awaited turn lande will be added between Wildwood to Wemme. There will also be paving from the Hiway 26 Salmon River Bridge all the way to LoLo Pass Road. Expect single lanes at times but the traffic will always be moving. If you would like more details on the project check out this link: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/REGION1/MtHood/project_wildwood.shtml

Monday Morning Inspiration

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY: "Ideas come from space. This may seem astonishing and impossible
to believe, but it is true. Ideas come from out of space."

~ Thomas Edison STRIKE IT RICH! From the "Commercial and Financial Chronicle" (December 10, 1932) comes this quote from an article entitled "El Dorado": "El Dorado, a country rich beyond all precedent in gold and jewels, lies at every man's door. Your bonanza lies under your feet. Your luck is ready at hand. All is within; nothing is without, though it often appears that men and peoples by dumb luck or avarice or force or overreaching strike upon the sea of prosperity. Man individually and collectively is entitled to life in all abundance. What do you seek? Pay the price and take it away. There is no limit to the supply. By a full and powerful imagination anything can be brought into concrete form." Thomas Edison was a man of 10,000 ideas - a virtually endless ..(read more)

Mt. Hood Original 1925 Cabin

This is an original 1925 cabin near Still Creek in Rhododendron. Lots of charachter and charm in this two bedroom cabin. Wood floors, old fashioned paned windows and a great deck to relax and listen to the Creek will lull your cares away. Walk to Rhododendron across the footbridge. Located only one hour from Portland in the Mt. Hood National Forest! Minutes to year round skiing and thousands of miles of hiking trails in your backyard! $95,000 TAKE A TOUR HERE

Mt. Hood Salmon River Lodge

Stunning setting on the Salmon River with nearly two acres of land bordering hundreds of acres of BLM land! Custom built in 2007 with all the bells and whistles. Huge soaring great room with over 26 foot ceilings, a wall of windows, hardwood floors and a floor to ceiling fireplace. Open floor plan with dining room and kitchen open to the great room. Gourmet kitchen with top end appliances, granite countertops throughout the house. Three full bedrooms and two and a half baths with over 2500 square feet of living space. Call for a punch list of items included in this home. It will amaze you. Huge wrap around deck with covered areas, french doors, a spacious loft upstairs with two bedrooms and another full bath upstairs. The bottom level of the house boasts an over sized two car garage and massive shop area which could also be used for storage. This custom built home is located in Brightwood down a private gated road with Boulder Creek frontage, Salmon River frontage ( wilth ..(read more)

Thursday Morning Inspiration

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY: "Pursue the good ardently.
But if your efforts fall short, accept the result and move on."

~ Epictetus WHO ARE YOU? Who do you want to be? Which are the principles by which you want to live? Do honesty, perseverance, and wisdom define you? Are sincerity, generosity, and a caring attitude your trademark? Having a vague idea of the benchmark traits you wish to exhibit is not enough. To be extraordinary, it is necessary to define yourself in specific terms. If you haven't adopted a precise set of principles, consider choosing from the list that follows: humility, diligence, moderation, silence, temperance, chastity, courage, resolution, justice, industry, faithfulness, order, tranquility, cleanliness, encouragement, frugality, generosity, sincerity, persistence, honesty, perseverance, or caring. Choose five that most closely match the person you would choose to be. Next define what each means to you, and how you can ..(read more)

July 3rd Report: Inventory is way up!

Summer has finally hit the mountain with warm temps and hazy Northern California smoke interrupting our Mt. Hood views. Along with the smoke rolling in we are seeing increasing inventory of properties rolling in. All price ranges are seeing jumps in active numbers. Take a look at the info below to see the current numbers. Average days on market have hit 106 with a 22 month supply of homes currently for sale. Of course some price ranges are moving better than others. The majority of the homes sold in the past twelve months were in the $225,000-$235,000 range. If there was ever a great time to purchase on the mountain it is right now. Interest rates are historically screamingly low hovering at 6.3-6.5% and a large choice in inventory. It’s a buyer’s paradise. We suspect as the 4th of July weekend moves on we will see the bargain hunters emerge. Have a safe and happy 4th of July!