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Liz Warren

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Now is a Great Time to Sell on Mt. Hood

by Liz Warren

2 Reports That Say Now Is a Great Time to Sell

2 Reports That Say Now Is a Great Time to Sell | MyKCM
 

Heading into the spring buying market, there are strong trends starting to emerge.

The Mt. Hood area has about a 2.4 month supply of homes for our area listed as area 153 in RMLS. This includes properties in Government Camp, Welches, Rhododendron, Brightwood and a few falling in the Sandy zip code. This is a complete seller's market!

The inventory of homes for sale has increased on a year-over-year basis for eight months in a row. Home price appreciation has continued to grow, although at a slower rate. The homeownership rate has reached heights last seen in 2014, with millennials and Generation X leading the way!

Let’s dive a little deeper into some of the recent reports that have been released and what they mean for the spring buying season!

1. National Association of Realtor’s Existing Home Sales Report              

Sales of existing homes were down for the third consecutive month in January. Some of this can be explained by the natural seasonality that the real estate market experiences every year, and some can be explained even further by a lack of homes available for sale on the market.

Inventory

For the last eight months, the inventory of homes for sale has been higher when compared to the same month the year before. The challenge in the market is the mismatch of the type of home that is available for sale. First-time homebuyers looking for a starter home are often competing with other buyers to stand out, often outbidding each other.

Lawrence Yun, NAR’s Chief Economist, agrees that the market is still experiencing an inventory shortage.

“In particular, the lower end of the market is experiencing a greater shortage, and more home construction is needed.”

Home Prices

The median home price for homes sold in January was $247,500. This is up 2.8% from January 2018 and marks the 83rd consecutive month of year-over-year gains. The 2.8% growth in home prices represents the smallest year-over-year change since February 2012 but is a welcome change for buyers who had feared being priced out of the market.

Days on the Market

Properties that sold in January were on the market for an average of 49 days with 38% of homes on the market for less than a month.

Yun is positive about how today’s market conditions will help buyers this spring,

 “Existing home sales in January were weak compared to historical norms; however, they are likely to have reached a cyclical low. Moderating home prices combined with gains in household income will boost housing affordability, bringing more buyers to the market in the coming months.”

2. NAR’s    Pending Home Sales Report                          

The national Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose 4.6% to 103.2 in January from 98.7 in December. An index score of 100 is considered normal. All four major regions of the country experienced gains in January, with the largest increase coming in the South.

 “The PHSI is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.”

Increases in the PHSI often predict increases in the level of home sales in the coming months, which is great news for the housing market leading in to spring! Yun had this to say,

“Homebuyers are now returning and taking advantage of lower interest rates, while a boost in inventory is also providing more choices for consumers.”

Bottom Line

The housing market in 2019 will require homeowners to list their house at the right price to attract buyers. If interest rates continue to stay low while wages increase, and more inventory comes to market, 2019 could be one of the best years for home sales in recent history.

Getting Your Home Ready for Sale on Mt. Hood

by Liz Warren

The Cost of Buying a Home on Mt. Hood

by Liz Warren

   

Steiner Log Cabin in Brighwood Oregon

by Liz Warren

It's true, once in a blue moon you can buy a piece of Mt. Hood history like this Steiner Log Cabin in Brightwood. It's tucked away near the Salmon River on about a third of an acre. The cabin features classic Steiner signatures including custom doors, staircase with half logs, curved hand railing and stone fireplace. Wood floors flow throughout the cabin which has one bedroom on the main level and a loft upstairs overlooking the living room area and the crossed structural beams of the roof supports. The bathroom even has a claw foot tub.  If you want to take a step back in time, this is the place. Many Steiner fans have toured the property through the Mt. Hood Museum tours in summer. This is one of Steiners earliest builds in the area! $360,000

Steiner Log Cabin Brightwood Oregon

Steiner log cabin living room with one bedroom and a loft              Cozy loft bedroom in a 1930's Steiner Log Cabin in Brightwood Oregon

Vaulted ceilings in this log beamed ceiling with half log stairs to the loft

First Steps for Buying a New Home On Mt. Hood

by Liz Warren

Zig Zag Village One Level Three Bedrooms

by Liz Warren

Zig Zag Village One Level Home

72915 E VILLAGE LOOP RD Rhododendron, Or. 97049

Here's a great fixer that boasts three bedrooms, one bath and an oversized single car garage. Located on  a dead end street in Zig Zag Village in Rhododendron. Great vacation or full time living! Amenities include summer time pool and tennis courts, access to the Sandy River through common areas, sewer and water!

Here's more information on 72915 E. Village Loop Road

Mt. Hood Condo Sales for 2018

by Liz Warren

Mt. Hood Condos have been selling like hotcakes in 2018. Thirty two condos sold last year with twenty of those sales in Government Camp. Here’s the breakdown for each Condo complex:

 

 

                                               Government Camp Condos

 

  • Collins Lake            11
  • Grand Lodges           3                   
  • Snow Bird                  2
  • Edelweiss                  1
  • Thunderhead             1

 

Meanwhile down the hill in Welches twelve condos changed hands. Here’s the shake down of those twelve sales by complex:

 

  • Fairway Estates          7     
  • Clear Hills                    3
  • Whispering Woods     2

 

Demand is high for condos in Government Camp and Welches!

 

Check out current inventory for sale in Government Camp

 

No condos currently available in Welches.

 

Give me a call if I can help you with selling or buying your Mt. Hood Condo!

Possible Year Over Year Price Change

by Liz Warren

If your plan for 2019 includes selling your home, you will want to pay attention to where experts believe home values are headed. According to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic, home prices increased by 4.7% over the course of 2018.

The map below shows the results of the latest index by state. Oregon is right up there with a 5.1 increase in 2018!

How To List Your Home for the Best Price | Simplifying The Market

Real estate is local. Each state appreciates at different levels. The majority of the country saw at least a 2.0% gain in home values, while some residents in North Dakota and Louisiana may have felt prices slow slightly.

This effect will be short lived. In the same report, CoreLogic forecasts that every state in the Union will experience at least 2.0% appreciation, with the majority of the country gaining at least 4.0%! The prediction for the country comes in at 4.6%. For a median-priced home, that translates to over $14,000 in additional equity next year! (The map below shows the forecast by state.)

How To List Your Home for the Best Price | Simplifying The Market

So, how does this help you list your home for the best price?

Armed with the knowledge of how much experts believe your house will appreciate this year, you will be able to set an appropriate price for your listing from the start. If homes like yours are appreciating at 4.0%, you won’t want to list your home for more than that amount!

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is pricing their homes too high and reducing the price later when they do not get any offers. This can lead buyers to believe that there may be something wrong with the home, when in fact the price was just too high for the market.

Bottom Line

Pricing your home right from the start is one of the most challenging parts of selling your home. Once you decide to list your house, let’s get together to discuss where home values are headed in your area!

 
 

Selling Your Home on Mt. Hood?

by Liz Warren

Cold Temperatures and Snow Comes to Mt. Hood

by Liz Warren

Hunchback Mountain at the Mt. Hood Oregon Resort in Welches Oregon

Get ready for plunging temperatures coming to the mountain in the upcoming week. Learn how to protect your pipes from freezing in this article below from HomeAdvisor, NAR.


Cold Weather in Welches Oregon 2019

How to Prevent Freezing Pipes

 

You CAN keep pipes from freezing, and avoid the costly damage that goes with.

 

Wicked winter weather can cause plumbing pipes to freeze and possibly burst, causing flooding and costly water damage to your home. Taking preventive measures before winter sets in can reduce and eliminate the risk of frozen pipes and other cold-weather threats.

Related: How to Protect Your Home From Severe Cold

 

Where the Trouble Lies

“Some pipes are more prone to freezing than others because of their location in the home,” explains Paul Abrams, spokesman for Roto-Rooter.

Pipes most at risk for freezing include:

  • Exposed pipes in unheated areas of the home.
  • Pipes located in exterior walls.
  • Any plumbing on the exterior of the home.

Preventative Measures for Outside

A frozen garden hose can cause more damage than a busted hose; it can actually burst an interior pipe. When the water in the hose freezes, it expands, increasing pressure throughout the whole plumbing system. As part of your regular seasonal maintenance, garden hoses should be disconnected, drained, and stored before the first hard freeze.

If you don’t have frost-proof spigots, close the interior shut-off valve leading to that faucet, open and drain the spigot, and install a faucet insulator. They cost only a couple bucks and are worth every penny. Don’t forget, outdoor kitchens need winterizing, too, to prevent damage.

 

Exposed Interior Plumbing

Exposed pipes in the basement are rarely in danger of freezing because they are in a heated portion of the home. But plumbing pipes in an unheated area, such as an attic, crawl space, and garage, are at risk of freezing.

Often, inexpensive foam pipe insulation is enough for moderately cold climates. For severe climes, opt for wrapping problem pipes with thermostatically controlled heat tape (from $50 to $200, depending on length), which will turn on at certain minimum temps.

 

Under-Insulated Walls

If pipes traveling in exterior walls have frozen in the past (tell-tale signs include water damage, mold, and moisture build-up), it’s probably because of inadequate or improperly installed insulation. It might well be worth the couple hundred dollars it costs to open up the wall and beef up the insulation.

“When nothing else works, say for a northern wall in a really cold climate, the last resort is to reroute a pipe,” notes Abrams. Depending on how far the pipe needs to be moved — and how much damage is caused in the process — this preventative measure costs anywhere from $700 on up. Of course, putting the room back together is extra.

 

Heading South for the Winter?

For folks leaving their houses for an extended period of time in winter, additional preventative measures must be taken to adequately protect the home from frozen pipes.

  • Make sure the furnace is set no lower than 55 degrees.
  • Shut off the main water supply and drain the system by opening all faucets and flushing the toilets.

In extreme situations (vacation home in a bitterly cold climate), Abrams recommends having a plumber come to inspect the system, drain the hot water heater, and perhaps replace the water in traps and drains with nontoxic antifreeze.

Displaying blog entries 591-600 of 1878

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