Archive for April, 2008
Navigating Historic Home Ownership
April 22nd, 2008 Categories: Architectural Guidelines, Real Estate News
Homes and landmarks with Historic designations are scattered throughout the North Coast and most commonly perched proudly on the hills of Astoria. They continue to be one of the most popular and really exciting parts of our local real estate market , and I am often asked about the responsibilities of owning a home that is considered historic so I recently set out to give myself a “refresher course” on historic home designations and to get the facts and try and dispel some of the myths of historic home ownership. (like the most popular question; does the city really tell you what color you have to paint your house? the awnser is no by the way)
Your first stop in Historic home ownership should be to Read the rest of this entry »
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New Urbanism at work in Historic Mill Pond Village
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Columbia River, Mill Pond Village, Real Estate News
2855 Mill Pond Lane, Astoria, Oregon
What is New Urbanism?
Astoria is lucky to have such a project in our midst. Award-winning Mill Pond Village was the brain child of Developer Art Demuro and Lennerz, Coyle & Associates. Mill Pond Village showcases many of the brightest designers and builders in our area as well as offering the best riverfront living in Astoria! Creative planning has encouraged a true community spirit here. Residents can walk to shopping, congregate on their covered front porches, stroll the riverwalk or catch the historic trolley.
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April in Astoria is not to be confused with April in Paris!
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Weather
This spring is sure to be remembered for it’s cool temperatures and snow advisories. Our entire area saw snow fall this weekend and this morning. Everyone from Safeway to Starbucks was saying “this is so strange” to ” how unusual” and “it must be global warming”.
Then some visitors from Wisconsin came into our office and Read the rest of this entry »
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Astoria Housing Market Update- April ‘08
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News
Here’s the updated market stats for Astoria, Oregon residential sales for April.
The temporary bump in inventory due to the December storm seems to be leveling off finally. While a balanced inventory is 6 months supply, the Astoria area at 9 months is promising. There seems to be lots of Buyers looking, but reservations about the economy are at the top of mind for most.
While Astoria (97103 zip) seems to be gaining speed, the overall Clatsop County residential market looks like this for the last 30 days:
- Sold- 33
- New- 106
- Pending- 35
- Expired- 76
- Current Active- 567
source: Clatsop MLS
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Can I really get a house in Astoria for $153,500?
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News
You may have heard that Astoria is on the radar once again for being one of the top 5 places to retire. And yes, Barbara Corcoran did give yet another outlandish number as the average home price. I remember when this happened a few years back. I fielded more than my share of calls from out of state buyers wanting to purchase their retirement shang-ri-la for a mere $150k. Can a person really get a “retirement” home for $153,500? And by retirement home I mean a property that doesn’t require a lot of rehab or have any crazy issues!
Here’s the skinny on houses that sold this past year near the $150k price tag- Read the rest of this entry »
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Beautiful & Unpredictable
April 16th, 2008 Categories: Weather
That about sums up spring here on the North Coast. Saturdays weather was such a welcome change!!! Dry, warm and sunny! (it was actually hot out in God’s Country!) These kind of days always are such a blessing and seem to bring out thoughts of gardening, bbqing and the lazy days of summer. Read the rest of this entry »
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Top 5 Reasons To Love A Small Town
April 9th, 2008 Categories: Life in General
Photo by Shirley Morisse
I was born and raised right here in good old Clatsop County. Like most 18 year olds who spent their youth in a small town, I was really only certain about one thing: I was getting out of this one horse town and never looking back. Fast forward 14 years and here I am BACK in this one horse town and discovering how great small towns can really be. (Provided you don’t want to FedEx something on a Saturday, hit the gym for a workout after 10pm, anonymously have a post-work cocktail to unwind, or anonymously do anything really.)
- People talk to you! Yes, it’s true what they say, friendliness abounds in small towns. This can be both good and bad, but mostly good. Bonnie the checker at Safeway will tell you the recent hijinks of her Terrier named Rascal despite the long line; Jimmy at Pro Lube who hasn’t seen you since you were 10 will loudly exclaim you aren’t the homely girl they remember you being; and if you unknowingly drop a dollar bill, a stranger will happily chase you down the street to return it without fear of being maced.
- There’s no carpool lane! Say goodbye to your depressing morning commute that requires you to roll out of bed at 5am so you can beat the 7am stampede at the local Starbucks, then drive 10mph in the carpool lane for an hour and MAYBE make it to work on time. Some old timers here in the county may argue that nowadays we have a rush hour akin to Seattle at 4pm, but I’ve yet to hear a traffic report on any local radio station. Amen.
- Escape civilization in 5 minutes or less! Hankering for some Zen time void of all humanity? No need to schedule that 7 hour drive to the nearest State Park into your Blackberry a month in advance. Here in Astoria you can drive a few miles in any direction and find beaches to walk, mountains to hike, and rivers to fish.
- Kids still play outside! If you are accustomed to driving the sprawling subdivisions of any major metropolitan area, seeing children playing outside is a rare occurrence. Around here, it’s still commonplace to see kids running rampant through neighborhoods until the final waning hour of daylight. Depending on your parental status, or “auntie” status as is the case for me, this is another one that can be both good and bad.
- Coffee on demand! This is not a universal small town perk, but it certainly is true here in Astoria. We love our lattes and you can get one just about anywhere. We have a plethora of drive-thru stands, sit-down coffeehouses, and various conglomerations of businesses where you can do your laundry, tan, rent a movie, and have your double mochaccino to boot.
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Spring Break at the Beach
April 7th, 2008 Categories: Weather
A time for bikini’s, beach volleyball and ……….snowmen? While typically we would expect to see rain with an occasional sunny day, this spring break was not at all typical. Easter Sunday ushered in the week with cool, wet, gray weather. However, on Monday the temps continued to drop and by nightfall we were at the freezing mark.
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Pilots work behind the scenes to keep Astoria safe, economy moving
April 7th, 2008 Categories: Columbia River
An interesting article in the Coast River Business Journal highlights many of the benefits the Columbia River Bar & Columbia River pilots contribute to Astoria, Warrenton, Hammond and surrounding areas. As a native Astorian, watching ships go by the Astoria’s waterfront is a daily occurance, one that doesn’t phase most of the locals. We don’t think about the many dangers the pilots face, the trickle down effect to local small businesses and the safety they provide on our waterways.
A rich history dating back to what many consider the original Columbia River Pilot Capt. Flavel, the pilots have maintained the extremely high standard set before them. The duty of the pilots includes many things, first among them is safety. The Columbia River Pilots represent the State Of Oregon on the Columbia, and maintaining flow of goods while preventing mishaps is no easy task.
What started as brave men in row boats navigating without GPS or even computer generated charts has become an organization on the edge of technology. These cowboys of the Columbia ride in to battle not on horseback, but by helicopter or a highly specialized boat capable of rolling over without any ill effects. Keeping our rivers safe and Clatsop county’s piece of the $16 Billion in goods imported/exported on the Columbia is no easy task, but the Pilots make it happen each and every day.
Chopper lowering a pilot onto a ship for piloteage on the Columbia
The pilot vessel Chinook
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Thank God we can sell Real Estate better than we can sing!
April 2nd, 2008 Categories: Fun Stuff
This post is for all my fellow RE/MAX’ers who went to Vegas! A fellow concert-goer shot this not far from where we were sitting. Dave Liniger sure knows how to put on a party! What happens in Vegas…..
RE/MAX puts on an annual convention at various locations. It was in Las Vegas this year and they ended the 4 days of education with a Fun Night! The rock band Journey was the live entertainment this year. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year!
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Jennie
Terri
Jeremy
Miranda
Amy
Vicky
