Ron's Blog

Predictions for our Market

I hope you all caught the article in Thursday’s Oregonian about Portland real estate market predictions.  The article “Home prices may bottom out next year,” was based on predictions made by a Portland housing consultant, Jerry Johnson of Johnson Gardner, at a presentation he made to local builders.  He forecasts that ou

I’ve been in contact with a couple of mortgage brokers I work with, and I’ve been hearing good news about the drop in interest rates that we saw a week ago.  The brokers I’ve been hearing from are confident that they can get FHA and conventional financing for their clients at a rate of 5¼ % to 5½%. 

I had a client recently ask for a refresher on the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, and I thought that I would throw the information on the site for all to see.    

I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend and that you and yours made it home safely.  I’m still recovering from my 11 hour car trip back from Montana, and I’m still full from Thursday. 

Below is an excerpt from one of my free reports, "24 Tips for Getting the Most Money Out of Your Condo".  You can order your no-obligation copy of this and other reports by clicking on the "Resources and Relocation" link on the left of this page. 

Because of the recent banking meltdown, many people believe that financing for real estate purchases no longer exists.  Many believe that banks are no longer lending money.  News reports about how banks are hoarding money instead of loaning it out spin through TV news loops in rapid succession.  The reality, however, is very different. 

Hi again.  Below is a continuation of yesterday's article about short sales.  Click here if you missed that one.  Otherwise, read on! 

What Does the Bank Get Out of a Short Sale?

What is a Short Sale? 

What are FHA Loans?

I’ve been spending a lot of time out in Beaverton and Hillsboro recently.  I ended up doing a condo/townhouse transaction out there for a friend who didn’t want to work with another Realtor, and that’s turned into a couple more transactions.  I like to focus on my subject market but that doesn’t always work out the way I plan.