Blog & News

November 6, 2012

Lately, the housing market may be the one thing going right for the economy, Reuters reports. Several signs have pointed to a housing market in full recovery mode. “Higher sales, prices, and building, albeit modest so far, are a welcome boost as other drivers of the economy falter,” Reuters reports. Unlike the “boom” years, housing…

November 1, 2012

As reported on Bloomberg: “Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is extending its bet on the U.S. housing market by forming a venture with  Brookfield Asset Management Inc. as low interest rates, inventory and prices spur a real-estate rebound. Berkshire’s Home Services of America Inc. unit will be the majority owner of the venture to manage a…

October 30, 2012

Kids love it – the candy, the costumes, the laughter and the fun. It’s Halloween! Zillow recently announced its top Trick or Treat Towns for 2012 and Portland made the Top 10! These cities provide the most candy with the least walking and safety risks for kids. The list also broke down the top neighborhoods…

October 29, 2012

Green building — or sustainable building — involves incorporating eco-friendly elements into the design and maintenance of a home and minimizing the impact on the environment when building houses, condos and the like. More homeowners and builders are interested in green building and want to choose energy efficient features for their homes, so it’s important…

October 23, 2012

Americans have a love affair with the Bungalow. The term “bungalow” originated in the Bengal region of India. Evolving from a native hut called a bangala. A bangala was described as a comfortable abode built low to the ground with high thatched roofs and overhanging eaves, which shaded the single story home, a perfect way…

October 22, 2012

Here’s something to consider the next time you’re stuck in traffic in downtown Portland: If city planners succeed, that congestion won’t improve. In fact, it might even get worse. As they work on a wide-ranging plan for the future of the central city, a blueprint to ensure that downtown Portland’s next 20 years are as successful as…

October 17, 2012

Many experts are beginning to call a bottom in house prices. Why? Writing in the Financial Times, Roger Altman, former deputy Treasury secretary, explained why he is so bullish on housing: “This surge will be driven by a combination of improving house prices, a lower inventory of homes for sale, rising rates of household formation…

October 11, 2012

There is some good news on the housing front with two reports indicating the long-stagnant U.S. real estate market is climbing to its feet and growing more stable. The first indicator comes from CoreLogic, which says the nation’s current “shadow inventory” of homes is in decline, a healthy sign more houses are moving off the “for sale” market….

October 11, 2012

Twelve years ago, the U.S. Green Building Council launched a rating system called LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, hoping that architects, engineers, designers and real estate firms would improve energy efficiency and increase the use of recycled materials and nontoxic paint in their projects to win LEED-certified recognition. Now LEED has grown…