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We apologize for the lack of posts recently...we are working on a new website that will go live in January! Be on the lookout in January for all of the helpful information you are used to!

Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve our services.

Featured Properties - Hil-Wood and 29th

These two properties are currently available and are gems in the Corvallis market! 

3462 SW Hil-Wood Place

New Price! Amazingly remodeled, this single-level-living home near OSU, shopping & more will WOW you. Located in desirable SW Corvallis on a spacious park like .24+/- acre lot, this remodeled home including a new kitchen with cherry finish cabinets, granite counters & stainless steel appliances, updated bathrooms with granite counters & tile floors, new main level flooring, lots of new paint, new light fixtures & much more! From the bonus loft & fireplace to the newer roof (5yrs old), shed & garage with storage - this home is a must visit!

MLS# 680971

New Price: $299,900

Built in: 1977

3 Bedrooms & 2 Bathrooms

1580 +/- Square Feet

Bonus loft area

Newly remodeled

Take a Virtual Tour of Hil-Wood Here!

1705 NW 29th Street

Desirable NW Corvallis single level home located on a 1/4 acre corner lot across the street from Cloverland Parks. This move-in ready home comes loaded with 5 bedrooms, 2 updated bathrooms, wood floors, updated kitchen, living room with fireplace, family room, vinyl windows, crown molding, a fantastic backyard with shed & more. Home is pre-inspected by Amerispec & good to go. Don't wait. Check out this home today!

MLS# 676608
New Price: $318,900
Built in: 1956
5 Bedrooms & 2 Bathrooms
1944 +/- Square Feet
Wood deck
Near parks and shopping

Take a Virtual Tour of 29th Here!

October Shout Outs!

"I feel gratitude in my heart each time 

I can meet someone and look at his or her smile."

~ Elie Wiesel ~

One of my favorite activities each month is putting together my list of gratitudes and shout outs.  It is even more fun as we approach the holidays and Thanksgiving as there are so many people and things to be thankful for.




Larry and Sharon - Congrats on your successful sale of your Corvallis investment.  It was a great home and I am glad we were able to get it done for you in a rather quick amount of time.





Tom and Carol - I sure appreciate you and our new friendship.
Thanks for having me involved not only in the sale of your Corvallis 4-plex, but in the 1031 purchase of your new investment. Congrats!





Vesna and Vukman - You did it!!!  Congrats on finding that perfect home for you and your sons.  It took a while – but it happened!!





Jim and Dorothy - THANKS for having me on your team as we worked towards a successful sale on Cascade.  So happy it happened so quickly while you were traveling.  I look forward to helping you on your other properties also.







A very special shout out this month to all of those people who participate in our communities on the government level and just finished the elections.  You deserve big time kudos.  What a long and tough process to donate your time to make a difference.  Thanks for your giving nature!

Another special thanks to my Rotary board members working so diligently to help me have a great year as president of the Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis.  You are very special to me and our club and are very appreciated.

Stupid Things Landlords Do - Upcoming Class!

Photo credit: www.bondedinc.com 

Linn-Benton Rental Housing Association

is Calling all landlords!

Want to avoid getting in the local paper, get charged large fines, or even end up in jail?  This has happened to landlords who found themselves in difficult situations and did the wrong things. It has also happened to landlords who thought what they were doing was "legal", only it was not.  This workshop will cover some of the "Stupid Things" landlords have done to get themselves in trouble. We will discuss how to avoid these situations and ways to remedy it once a mistake has been made You are encouraged to bring your own real life examples to share.


Date: November 20, 2014

Topic: Landlording 201 – Stupid Things Landlords Do

Speaker: Violet Wilson

Continuing Education Credits: 3

Cost:  $50 Members       $75 Non-Members
           ( includes lunch and class materials)

Time: Registration and Lunch 11:30  - Seminar 12 to 3 p.m.

Where:  Elks Lodge – 1400 NW 9th St, Corvallis

Please register by November 15, 2014 

by calling 541-286-5033 or lbrhaoregon@gmail.com

LBRHA's mission is to provide members with the tools to support their commitment to professionalism in the management of their properties and businesses. Even though it may take a little more work and cost slightly more, LBRHA's belief is that “doing things right” increases profitability in the long run and minimizes the headaches and potentially significant expense associated with problem tenants.  LBRHA is committed to providing members with the resources and information necessary to achieve this goal. In alignment with their mission LBRHA offers classes and resources throughout the year.

Learn more on the LBRHA website!

Featured Property- 26312 Valley View Dr, Cheshire, Oregon

The most exquisite log home with natural beauty & the most amazing woodwork! Around every inside corner you will find wonderful surprises! Studio apartment above with kitchenette, 2 covered porches - one with hot tub/spa. Garage/shop with 2 bays. Greenhouse, orchard, 2 wells & updated water system. Truly a stunning property.

Active Under Contract

MLS # 681822

3 Bedrooms 

2 Bathrooms

1996 +/- sqft in main home

Built in 1979

5.11 Acres 

A Successful Purchase!

Lee helped another family recently relocate to Corvallis! 

Read on to hear their success in finding just the right home!

How did you meet Lee?
Lee was highly recommended at the time by a prospective employer. We were asked if we wanted to be connected to a local Realtor. The search, interview, and vetting process at this particular office was one that took almost a year from the actual hire date. On the first of many face to face interviews, Lee had set up a tour of Corvallis for us. This was about 8 months before actually moving here and with no guarantee of landing the job. When we got to our hotel we had a welcome basket that Lee had left us and on our last day after all the interviews were finished Lee took us around the town and neighboring areas. He gave us great information on the city, schools, community, Oregon itself, and information relating to the housing market in the area. I was rather impressed that he knew so much and so many people related to Corvallis and that he was probably doing all of this on his own time.


What were you most excited about when buying your home?
We were looking forward to a great job and moving out of the big city to a small town in Oregon.  It was a great opportunity to imagine our kids growing up here and choosing a neighborhood and home with lots of play space.


What lessons have you learned from this process?
The housing in Corvallis is unique. Not only is there a certain time to sell and buy but the homes are all special in their own way. I found that is was actually pretty challenging to really find what you want.


What advice would you give to a friend who was buying a home, having recently gone through the process yourself?
If you have the time, patience is always good. Take into account what your plans for the future include e.g., kids, grandparents, living at the home for more than 15-20 years or less than 5. Also in this case, use Lee; not only is he the best Realtor but when your roof starts to leak or it's time for a remodel, he has a plethora of resources. It could be someone at the city related to permits, a builder, landscape guy, or if you want to become involved with the community, he knows how to connect you.


What were some of your needs when buying?
At the time, we had a newborn and preschooler, so schools were important. Most of Corvallis is kid friendly but everyone has their interpretation of what makes a good neighborhood for their kids. At the age our kids were, we needed to have a place that was pretty much move in ready and in a neighborhood with less traffic, near a park, and bike paths.


How did Lee help with these needs?
The market in Corvallis can be challenging and to add to that we were on a very tight timeline. Being out of state, I only had a few opportunities to actually see properties. When I did make it to town, Lee had a schedule that had us seeing 15+ houses in just a day and a half. When I was back home Lee was sending e-mails, text messages, pictures, videos, and basically any media he could get his hands on to help. He went as far as walking through a house with a video camera strapped to his head for us. He was running all over the city for information related to permits and property boundaries. When it came time to put offers in, because of our situation everything was done remotely. As my current position did not allow me to take off any more time, Lee handled all the aspects of closing. Getting the house in order, there was some HVAC work that was in question with the previous service company that he took care off. He also took care of inspections, walk through, and even locked the place up and held the keys until we were finally able to get into town. Lee did so much for us and still does.



What do you and your family do for fun?
A few of the reasons for moving to Oregon was to have a slower, more community based life, breathe clean air and enjoy the outdoors more. So far Corvallis does not disappoint. One last point, as I said Lee is well connected so by the time I arrived, I had a network of outdoor people waiting for me to join them!

Thank you, Lee, Jenny, and Jessi!

Sincerely,
Brandon

Home sweet shipping container: Real estate's hot new play

DC shipping container apartments Credit: Travis Price Architects

Every day, 21,000 of them sail into U.S. ports, carrying everything from tea to T-shirts, but just a fraction ever go back. Shipping containers. Strong, durable and eminently recyclable. An estimated 700,000 are sitting near the nation's waterfronts, unused, wasting shipyard space and littering landfills. It all presents an incredible opportunity for developers of environmentally friendly, sustainable real estate.

Stephanie Dhue | CNBC

"The structural integrity of a shipping container is paramount. It's the starting point," said David Campbell, standing in a sea of containers in his Charlotte, North Carolina, factory. "It's a really great building platform. Take the raw form and transform it into something that's larger in scale."

"It is a Lego piece, so how do you put them together using different capacities," Campbell asked rhetorically.



For him, it began with a few pictures of containers he saw online—and an idea to use them as pop-up marketing spaces for all kinds of venues: NASCAR races, concerts, sporting events. That brought his company attention from major brands like Hyundai, Under Armour, Nike and Google.

The container carcasses are not just strong and mobile, they are relatively cheap building materials, ranging anywhere from $800 to $3,000. Campbell buys them from ports, brokers and individual sellers. He has completed projects ranging from $10,000 to $2 million.


"We are the only in-house design and engineering company that has a full set of fabrication abilities—from heavy metal to ornate metal to custom cabinetry, and then we also run our own trucking company," Campbell said.

What's tricky are the regulations, because there aren't any on a national level. Developers have to work with each municipality, which could label the containers modular, mobile or permanent construction and then impose zoning and building codes depending on the decision.

Boxman Studios is transforming this shipping container into what will be a beer garden for "Assembly Row" a Boston mixed use development.

Credit: Travis Price Architects

"The real trick is going to be not to disguise it with some sort of phony traditionalism but to begin to embrace them and to see all the variations that can happen," said Travis Price of Travis Price Architects.

Price designed a multifamily apartment building in Washington, D.C., near the campus of Catholic University. It took just four months to turn 18 metal boxes into micro-unit apartments. Home sweet home for a group of college students.

"At first I thought it was a little crazy, but when I saw it going up, I thought it was pretty cool," said Nick Pelli, a junior at Catholic, who rents an apartment with several other students in the container complex.

"A lot of people have been coming by, even the nun from the convent came by and blessed our unit the other day. There's a lot of buzz about it," said Henry Rasweiler, a senior and fellow container tenant.

The sheer strength and simplicity of the structures are an open palate for architects and engineers—and entrepreneurs like Boxman's Campbell, who thinks they would be ideal for disaster relief or the military. He said he gets calls every day from potential customers with new ideas—good news for the future of so much idle metal.

Watch the CNBC interview here!



Article originally posted on www.cnbc.com on Realty Check with Diana Olick

10 Best Apps for Home Buyers

Photo from www.kikaenterprises.com

When it comes to staying organized and efficient during the home-buying process your best tool might already be in your pocket: your smartphone. If you are in the market for a new home, technology can help make your search a little easier. There are mobile apps that allow you to search listings, calculate mortgage costs, find out which businesses and attractions are nearby, and design what your new home could look like. Below are some of the best real estate apps for homebuyers.

Find the Home

MLS Apps: Realtor.com, Redfin.com, Trulia.com, Zillow.com...

Platform: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

These apps are grouped together because they essentially do the same thing: help you search the local MLS (multiple listing service) to find properties for sale. Homebuyers can search by city/state or zip code to see current listings, and filter by price, number of beds/baths, property type, square feet, lot size, features, age of home, and listing activity (i.e., open houses, new listings, price reduced). Realtor.com is often recommended by real estate agents because it tends to have the most accurate and up-to-date information, sourced from more than 800 MLSs, with 90% of its listings refreshed every 15 minutes.

AroundMe 

Platform: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

The AroundMe app quickly identifies where you are to show you a complete list of nearby businesses and attractions, including the distance from your current location. This can be helpful when looking for a house in an area that is unfamiliar to you. You can search for the nearest bank/ATM, bar, coffee shop, gas station, hospital, hotel, movie theater, restaurant, supermarket, theater and taxi company. You can view every listing on a map, view GPS directions to your chosen destination, add the information to your contact list and email the details to a friend.

 

Homesnap 

Platform: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Homesnap is another MLS app with an added feature: Snap a photo of any home across the nation to get instant property details, including home values, when it last sold, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, taxes, lot boundaries, local school ratings, similar listings, and nearby sales. If a home is currently on the market, you may be able to see interior photos. When you are ready to buy a home (or put yours on the market), you can use the app to contact a real estate agent to schedule a showing or to add your home to the MLS. This app draws on the same listing information used by realtors to provide timely, accurate real estate information. Or if you're looking for a quick and easy way to find information on any property for investment purposes, do it with a single photo via Homesnap.

House Hunter

Platform: iOS

Cost: Free

It’s hard to keep track of all the details when house hunting, but House Hunter does all the hard work for you by providing a scorecard that organizes notes and photos of potential homes. You can choose from more than 80 different home features to score potential homes and access a quick note feature to enter information about the homes.

 

Fund the Home

Mortgage Apps: Trulia Mortgage Calculator, Trulia Home Loan Rates, Zillow Mortgages, etc.

Platform: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

If you are like most homebuyers, you will need a mortgage to purchase your new property. Mortgage apps, such as Trulia's Mortgage Calculator, Home Loan Rates and Zillow Mortgages, help you determine how much house you can afford, calculate your monthly payment and shop for real-time rates. You can also see side-by-side customized loan quotes from a number of lenders, compare lender ratings and reviews, and directly contact a lender from your mobile device to learn more about a specific quote. These apps also include refinancing calculators so you can see if/how much you'll save monthly and in total by refinancing.

Credit Karma

Platform: iOS, Android, CreditKarma.com

Cost: Free

Before searching for a home, it's important to be sure you can get financing (unless you're paying cash). A lot of realtors will even ask for a pre-approval letter from a bank before they will begin showing you homes. Credit Karma is a great tool that's available for free and can give you an estimated score that's provided by TransUnion, as well as an overview of how your score was calculated. What a bank sees may be a little different but the general consensus has been that Credit Karma is fairly accurate and generally within a few points. I pulled my own credit and then checked with my bank and both were within 10 points of each other.

If you need financing, you need Credit Karma.

The Dictionary of Real Estate Terms

Platform: iOS

Cost: $2.99

Buying a home can be confusing, especially if you aren’t familiar with real estate jargon. The app, which costs $2.99, has more than 3,000 real-estate specific terms to help navigate conversations with brokers and real estate agents.

Fix-Up the Home

Houzz

Platform: iOS

Cost: Free

It’s hard to picture a fixer-upper in its final state, but Houzz will do all the imagining for you. Claiming to be the largest database of home design ideas on the Web, the Houzz app has more 500,000 high-resolution photos to give you remodeling ideas for out-dated homes. You can browse by style, room and location and save them to a virtual idea book.

Handy Man DIY

Platform: iOS

Cost: $1.99

For many home buyers, a new home comes with a list of required improvement projects. If you don’t want to hire a contractor you can get your own virtual one with Handy Man DIY and it’s only going to cost you $1.99. This app lets calculate and store room dimensions, figure out floor and wall square footage and create shopping lists for projects. The app also has how to videos and instructions to guide you through various projects. 

Sherwin Williams Color Snap app

Platform: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Picking out paint colors can be tough but the free Color Snap app makes it a little bit easier. See a color you like in a photo, someone’s house or in a flower, all you have to do is snap a picture and the app will show you colors of Sherwin Williams paints that match. You can also browse hundreds of colors and adjust them to get the shade you want.

For Sellers!

If you are preparing to sell your home there are also some great apps available to help! Check out the one below and stay tuned for more ideas in the future!

Home Value Pro

Platform: iOS

Cost: Free

Eager to sell your home but not sure where to price it? This app lets you view property values, foreclosure information and housing trends in neighborhoods across the country. The app lets you analyze housing data by ZIP code, provides 12 month median home price trends, foreclosure rates and home sales trend activity that can help you properly price your home. 

Article compiled from articles on investopedia.com, imore.com, and foxbusiness.com