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Portland Blog - This Week in Portland Feb 13-20, 2010
Hello, Portlanders. Wow, there are early signs of spring popping up all over Portland. I have crocus flowers blooming and my daffodils are already springing up. I am so excited and can't wait for the beauty that comes out in Portland every spring, especially the cherry blossom trees. I am already getting outside and enjoying the little moments of sunshine and taking hikes at Forest Park. If you're looking for some gardening inspiration, visit the Portland Yard, Garden and Patio show, on through this weekend at the Oregon convention center. I can't wait to start working on my garden and getting loads of flowers this year. I totally neglected my yard this past year, and it is a disaster area, with moss everywhere!
Are you ready for Valentine's Day? Check our Portland Valentine's Day page for some last minute ideas. Not everyone cares to celebrate this "Hallmark holiday" :-), but if you are in the mood, we have several ideas listed. I
recommend dinner at Echo Restaurant in Portland. It has a very romantic ambiance, and they are hosting a special Valentine's day dinner. They might have a few reservations left! And of course Portland's Moonstruck Chocolate makes a wonderful gift. Or, if you just want to whip up your own tasty treats or romantic meal at home, check the Food Network for a bunch of new recipes just for Valentine's Day, like chocolate truffle tarts with raspberries. offers a green valentine - plant a tree in honor of your loved one for $35 - what could be more romantic than that? Whatever you decide to do this weekend, Valentine's or not...have a great time!
Echo Helstrom at the Aladdin - TODAY - Echo Helstrom will be performing at the Aladdin Theater on Saturday, February 13th to celebrate the release of their new EP "Paper Airplane". Joining us wil be Jake Oken-Berg who is also releasing a new EP with Justin Jude opening. We are very excited about this release and are celebrating with a performance including members of the Oregon Symphony and other special guests.
Zwickelmania, Oregon Brewer's Guild - TODAY - This President’s Day weekend, dozens of Oregon breweries and brewpubs will open their doors to visitors for the state’s 2nd annual Zwickelmania. Zwickelmania, hosted by the Oregon Brewers Guild (OBG), is a free statewide event that offers visitors a chance to tour Oregon breweries, meet the brewers and sample their favorite beers. When: Saturday, February 13th, 2010 from 11-4 pm What: Oregon Brewers Guild Brewery Open House.
Portland Yard, Garden, and Patio Show - Join us for the 2010 Yard, Garden & Patio Show presented by Dennis’ Seven Dees Landscaping & Garden Centers! Enjoy our new Patio Party Beverage Gardens, Outdoor Cooking Classes, and Backyard Games for all ages. Experience our Display Gardens, Free Garden Seminars & Demonstrations, and the Remarkable Green Market. Come for the fun, and prepare to be inspired!
Chinese New Year at Portland's Classical Chinese Garden - Feb 14-28 - An annual festival for families and children this celebration includes lion dances, puppet shows, martial arts and demonstrations sharing the rich culture and history of Chinese New Year. This two week celebration culminates with traditional lantern viewing on February 28th. Throughout the festival, all visitors receive a red envelope, symbolizing good luck for the coming year.
Portland Worst Day of the Year Ride - Tomorrow - Join 3,500 other riders for the Worst Day of the Year Ride, an 18-mile odyssey around downtown Portland that has quickly become a quirky annual tradition.
We'll keep you warm and comfy at every turn with tons of belly-nourishing treats including hot cocoa, doughnuts, fruit, spicy chai tea, soups, fresh foccacia bread, bagels, hot cider and much more.
Portland Japanese Garden - Small Blessings in Maboo and Stone -
Deloss Webber: Small Blessings in Bamboo and Stone ttp://www.japanesegarden.com/events/webber February 6–21, 2010 Open during Garden hours
Free with admission. The Portland Japanese Garden is pleased to present Deloss Webber: Small Blessings in Bamboo and Stone as the first in its 2010 Art in the Garden exhibition series. On view February 6–21 in the Garden's Pavilion, this exhibition highlights the unique work of this extraordinary artist. Incorporating knotting techniques from traditional Japanese and Native American basketry, wicker furniture, loom weaving, fly-tying, and nautical knotting.
OHSU Brain Awareness Lecture Series - OHSU’s 11th Brain Awareness Season focuses on how your mind uses tools to formulate decisions, language, rational thought ,empathy and self-awareness. Lectures take place at the Newmark Theater at the PCPA at 1111 SW Broadway, Portland, OR and begin at 7pm. Tickets start at $25.
A note about my statistics:
They are a comparison of January 2009 - January 2010 for all of Multnomah County and are taken directly from the RMLS. What follows is my own analysis of these statistics. For our purposes, I thought it best to analyze Multnomah County as a whole. Each neighborhood, however, is a little micro-universe and has its own market. Changing the parameters of the zip codes, price variables, or time periods can lead to very different results. This analysis is of all homes sold in all price ranges in Multnomah County. If you have any questions about specific zip codes, or any questions about the market in general, please reply to this forum with those questions or feel free to contact me at: http://www.propertiesofportland.com.
Since Portland is a neighborhood city, you can now search by "Irvington, Alberta, etc.". You can check it out by clicking here.
On to the report
Here is a chart of all homes for sale, pending for sale, and sold in Portland, Oregon for the last 15 months:
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
For Sale: 3393 in January 09, 3095 in January 10. Inventory is DOWN 9.8%
Sold homes: 261sold in January 09, 324 sold in January 10. Sales are UP 24.1%.
Pending sales: 381 pending for sale in January 09, 537 pending for sale in January 10. Pending sales are UP 40.9%.
Chart for average price per square footage:
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
Average price per square foot in January 09 was $145. In January 10 it is $138. This figure has dropped 5.1%.
Days on market and sold/list price %:
The other thing that this chart shows is what percentage of listing price the home, on average, is selling at. This is a great indicator of pressure on prices. In January 2010, sellers were getting, on average, 97% of their asking price.
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
Average time it takes to sell a home in January 09 was 81 days. In January 10, it is 80 days. A decrease of time on market of 1.2%.
The percentage of listing price that was paid was 96% in January 09 and is 97% in January 10.
Average price for sale vs. average price of sold:
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
The average price of a home listed in January 09 was $379,000. In January 10, $357,000. This figure has decreased by 5.8%.
The average price of a home sold in January 09 was $298,000. In January 10 it was $294,000 This figure has decreased by 1.3%.
Months of inventory:
Months of inventory gives a timeline of how long it would take for all of the current listings to sell. Anything above 4 months is considered a buyers market. In January 2010, this figure was 9.4 months. Portland is currently, on average, a buyer's market.
This does NOT mean that it will take, on average, 9.4 months for your home to sell. That number was 80 days, remember? It means that, if not a single listing were to come on the market in Multnomah County from this moment, it would take 9.4 months for all available homes to sell before there would be nothing left.
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
The months of inventory in January 09 was 13 months. In January 10, it is 9.4 months. This figure has decreased by 27.7%. This is a great indicator of the state of the market. You can see how much things have improved from last year at this time.
As I have said before, none of this information matters if you have a particular neighborhood in mind since Portland neighborhoods are their own micro-markets. If you have one in mind to buy or are selling your home, please request a report for that neighborhood and I am happy to post it on this blog or send it to you.
Hey people, I want to know what you think of these reports. Too many stats? Just right? Something missing? Let me know so I can make these more useful for you. What are your thoughts about real estate right now? What do you think of the information in this report? Post to this blog so we can discuss.
Visit my website where you can contact me and search all Portland Metro Area listings from the RMLS: http://www.propertiesofportland.com
The
Best Real Estate Deals in Portland this Week
Check Ross's listings for some cool houses for sale in Portland - great deals posted weekly. Check this one out, in Hillside.
2763 NW WESTOVER RD Portland, OR 97210 - Hillside - $1,199,500
Save Grant High School
Help Finding a Good Cat Vet
You can post your own questions to the online Portland neighborhood, here.
All PortlandNeighborhood.com content is protected under copyright.
Are you ready for Valentine's Day? Check our Portland Valentine's Day page for some last minute ideas. Not everyone cares to celebrate this "Hallmark holiday" :-), but if you are in the mood, we have several ideas listed. I
recommend dinner at Echo Restaurant in Portland. It has a very romantic ambiance, and they are hosting a special Valentine's day dinner. They might have a few reservations left! And of course Portland's Moonstruck Chocolate makes a wonderful gift. Or, if you just want to whip up your own tasty treats or romantic meal at home, check the Food Network for a bunch of new recipes just for Valentine's Day, like chocolate truffle tarts with raspberries. offers a green valentine - plant a tree in honor of your loved one for $35 - what could be more romantic than that? Whatever you decide to do this weekend, Valentine's or not...have a great time!
Featured Portland Events
Each week, we feature our hand-picked list of Portland events. If you have a Portland event you'd like to see featured, add it to the Portland events calendar! Here is this week's events rundown.Echo Helstrom at the Aladdin - TODAY - Echo Helstrom will be performing at the Aladdin Theater on Saturday, February 13th to celebrate the release of their new EP "Paper Airplane". Joining us wil be Jake Oken-Berg who is also releasing a new EP with Justin Jude opening. We are very excited about this release and are celebrating with a performance including members of the Oregon Symphony and other special guests.
Zwickelmania, Oregon Brewer's Guild - TODAY - This President’s Day weekend, dozens of Oregon breweries and brewpubs will open their doors to visitors for the state’s 2nd annual Zwickelmania. Zwickelmania, hosted by the Oregon Brewers Guild (OBG), is a free statewide event that offers visitors a chance to tour Oregon breweries, meet the brewers and sample their favorite beers. When: Saturday, February 13th, 2010 from 11-4 pm What: Oregon Brewers Guild Brewery Open House.
Portland Yard, Garden, and Patio Show - Join us for the 2010 Yard, Garden & Patio Show presented by Dennis’ Seven Dees Landscaping & Garden Centers! Enjoy our new Patio Party Beverage Gardens, Outdoor Cooking Classes, and Backyard Games for all ages. Experience our Display Gardens, Free Garden Seminars & Demonstrations, and the Remarkable Green Market. Come for the fun, and prepare to be inspired!
Chinese New Year at Portland's Classical Chinese Garden - Feb 14-28 - An annual festival for families and children this celebration includes lion dances, puppet shows, martial arts and demonstrations sharing the rich culture and history of Chinese New Year. This two week celebration culminates with traditional lantern viewing on February 28th. Throughout the festival, all visitors receive a red envelope, symbolizing good luck for the coming year.
Portland Worst Day of the Year Ride - Tomorrow - Join 3,500 other riders for the Worst Day of the Year Ride, an 18-mile odyssey around downtown Portland that has quickly become a quirky annual tradition.
We'll keep you warm and comfy at every turn with tons of belly-nourishing treats including hot cocoa, doughnuts, fruit, spicy chai tea, soups, fresh foccacia bread, bagels, hot cider and much more.
Portland Japanese Garden - Small Blessings in Maboo and Stone -
Deloss Webber: Small Blessings in Bamboo and Stone ttp://www.japanesegarden.com/events/webber February 6–21, 2010 Open during Garden hours
Free with admission. The Portland Japanese Garden is pleased to present Deloss Webber: Small Blessings in Bamboo and Stone as the first in its 2010 Art in the Garden exhibition series. On view February 6–21 in the Garden's Pavilion, this exhibition highlights the unique work of this extraordinary artist. Incorporating knotting techniques from traditional Japanese and Native American basketry, wicker furniture, loom weaving, fly-tying, and nautical knotting.
OHSU Brain Awareness Lecture Series - OHSU’s 11th Brain Awareness Season focuses on how your mind uses tools to formulate decisions, language, rational thought ,empathy and self-awareness. Lectures take place at the Newmark Theater at the PCPA at 1111 SW Broadway, Portland, OR and begin at 7pm. Tickets start at $25.
Portland Photo of the Week
This lovely image was submitted by Paula. Thanks for sharing your photos. Each week we select a winner and if your Portland photo is featured in the blog, you score a bag of Coava coffee, woo hoo! So, come upload your Portland images, here.February Portland Real Estate Market Report
by Ross SeligmanA note about my statistics:
They are a comparison of January 2009 - January 2010 for all of Multnomah County and are taken directly from the RMLS. What follows is my own analysis of these statistics. For our purposes, I thought it best to analyze Multnomah County as a whole. Each neighborhood, however, is a little micro-universe and has its own market. Changing the parameters of the zip codes, price variables, or time periods can lead to very different results. This analysis is of all homes sold in all price ranges in Multnomah County. If you have any questions about specific zip codes, or any questions about the market in general, please reply to this forum with those questions or feel free to contact me at: http://www.propertiesofportland.com.
Since Portland is a neighborhood city, you can now search by "Irvington, Alberta, etc.". You can check it out by clicking here.
On to the report
Here is a chart of all homes for sale, pending for sale, and sold in Portland, Oregon for the last 15 months:
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
For Sale: 3393 in January 09, 3095 in January 10. Inventory is DOWN 9.8%
Sold homes: 261sold in January 09, 324 sold in January 10. Sales are UP 24.1%.
Pending sales: 381 pending for sale in January 09, 537 pending for sale in January 10. Pending sales are UP 40.9%.
Chart for average price per square footage:
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
Average price per square foot in January 09 was $145. In January 10 it is $138. This figure has dropped 5.1%.
Days on market and sold/list price %:
The other thing that this chart shows is what percentage of listing price the home, on average, is selling at. This is a great indicator of pressure on prices. In January 2010, sellers were getting, on average, 97% of their asking price.
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
Average time it takes to sell a home in January 09 was 81 days. In January 10, it is 80 days. A decrease of time on market of 1.2%.
The percentage of listing price that was paid was 96% in January 09 and is 97% in January 10.
Average price for sale vs. average price of sold:
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
The average price of a home listed in January 09 was $379,000. In January 10, $357,000. This figure has decreased by 5.8%.
The average price of a home sold in January 09 was $298,000. In January 10 it was $294,000 This figure has decreased by 1.3%.
Months of inventory:
Months of inventory gives a timeline of how long it would take for all of the current listings to sell. Anything above 4 months is considered a buyers market. In January 2010, this figure was 9.4 months. Portland is currently, on average, a buyer's market.
This does NOT mean that it will take, on average, 9.4 months for your home to sell. That number was 80 days, remember? It means that, if not a single listing were to come on the market in Multnomah County from this moment, it would take 9.4 months for all available homes to sell before there would be nothing left.
Yearly change from January 09 to January 10:
The months of inventory in January 09 was 13 months. In January 10, it is 9.4 months. This figure has decreased by 27.7%. This is a great indicator of the state of the market. You can see how much things have improved from last year at this time.
As I have said before, none of this information matters if you have a particular neighborhood in mind since Portland neighborhoods are their own micro-markets. If you have one in mind to buy or are selling your home, please request a report for that neighborhood and I am happy to post it on this blog or send it to you.
Hey people, I want to know what you think of these reports. Too many stats? Just right? Something missing? Let me know so I can make these more useful for you. What are your thoughts about real estate right now? What do you think of the information in this report? Post to this blog so we can discuss.
Visit my website where you can contact me and search all Portland Metro Area listings from the RMLS: http://www.propertiesofportland.com
The
Best Real Estate Deals in Portland this Week
Check Ross's listings for some cool houses for sale in Portland - great deals posted weekly. Check this one out, in Hillside.
2763 NW WESTOVER RD Portland, OR 97210 - Hillside - $1,199,500
Heard on the Forum
Come join the discussions in the forum and groups.Save Grant High School
Help Finding a Good Cat Vet
You can post your own questions to the online Portland neighborhood, here.
New PortlandNeighborhood Members
A huge hello and hearty welcome to our new members! We hope you love this wonderful Portland blog! If you love this site as much as we do, please invite your friends!All PortlandNeighborhood.com content is protected under copyright.
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