Use Caution When Removing Leaded Paint

Experts are warning again about the dangers of removing leaded paint products in your home. If your home was constructed prior to 1978, there is a 75% chance that there is leaded paint somewhere on the walls. Take heed, as this would be true of many of our homes in the older Portland Homes for sale. Leaded paint is not harmless until you go to remove it. Take all precautions when sanding or removing the paint. 

Check with your city’s building department regarding any regulations regarding the removal and disposal of leaded paint chips and air dust.

Faced with strict local removal and disposal regulations, many painters prefer to leave lead removal to licensed subcontractors. “Abatement is more than just having the equipment and sucking up the dust,” says Portland, Ore., painting contractor Kathleen George. “You need to understand and follow all the rules. I prefer calling in a pro so that I can focus on painting.”

Tweet

Portland Homes Dot Ninty Five Diverse Neighborhoods

Portland is known as one of the most environmentally friendly cities anywhere. This is a city made up of 95 different and unique neighborhoods, each offering its own personality and lifestyle. Portland homes come in just about every type, style, price and size to satisfy anyone’s wants or needs. There are custom built single family homes, condos, town homes, lofts and large estate type homes available for sale. Portland has so much diversity and offers so many housing opportunities that it is wise to see your Realtor who can show you all of the different options available to you.

Tweet

Selling Vancouver Property in a Slow Market

Here in the Vancouver-Portland real estate market, like the rest of the nation real estate sales have been very slow and as we all know the property values have dropped. Great for the buyer and there are still plenty of home-buyers eager to make a purchase. Preparing your property is something you need to do before the property officially goes on the market. So before you put your Vancouver home for sale, do the following:

• Take care of basic repairs.

• Thoroughly clean your  house and yard and then keep it tidy throughout the time it is on the market.

• If possible, have your home staged by a professional.

In a slow market, hiring a REALTOR® is crucial to get your home sold in a reasonable amount of time.
Be sure you:

• Keep pets contained during a real estate showing and make sure that your cat litter box is always clean

• Remain realistic in your expectations of the price you will be able to sell your home.

Of course these are but a few suggestions. Call me and I will discuss with you more creative ideas on how we will market your property.

Tweet

Great Time to Buy

• Prices of homes are very reasonable
• Interest rates are very low.
• It is a buyers market

So if you have been waiting to purchase your dream home, there is no better time than now.

Call me and I will assist you in all matters pertaining to your Portland home purchase and if need be the selling of your current home.

Tweet

All About ‘Welcome Wagon’

Welcome Wagon is the world’s largest welcoming service to new homeowners offering a variety of products and services designed for people who have just relocated.  The products and services are offered by the business partners of Welcome Wagon in the area they have chosen to relocate to.  Each year, Welcome Wagon reaches out to millions of new homeowners with the ‘Welcome Wagon Gift Book.’    Welcome Wagon knows the new home buyer and what products and services they need. 

Consider this about The New Home Buyer:

1 42% of those moving into a home are first-time homebuyers
2 They have no existing buying loyalties in their new community and are seeking information for products and services they need
3 They are proud of their new home and are eager to purchase products and services to beautify their home and garden
4 In total, will spend approximately $102 billion on move-related products and services
5  They will spend over $9,400 each on home-related products
6  They will spend 20 times more on household products than established residents
7  They are optimistic, positive and powerful spenders, no matter what economic or environmental factors are affecting other consumers

Welcome Wagon, In the Beginning:
Welcome Wagon was founded in 1928 by an insightful marketing man in Memphis, Tennessee, Thomas Briggs. Mr. Briggs was inspired by the stories of early Conestoga “welcome wagons” that would meet and greet westward travelers, providing fresh food and water for their journeys.
He created Welcome Wagon to embody this same spirit of warm hospitality.  He hired “hostesses”, women who were friendly and knowledgeable about their communities and neighborhoods, to personally deliver baskets of gifts supplied by local businesses to new homeowners. 
Over a cup of coffee, hostesses would tell new home buyers about local civic and cultural activities in the community and answer questions the home buyer would have covering many subjects like schools, businesses, utilities, etc., while handing out gifts and coupons from the local businesses. This hostess network expanded across the country until, (aside from Briggs and just a handful of males) Welcome Wagon became one of the first all-woman companies in the US.

Tweet

Next Page »