Blog & News

July 24, 2012

It has been a controversial question in the home real estate market for years. Do houses with lots of energy-saving and sustainability features sell for more than houses without them? If so, by how much? Some studies have shown that consumers’ willingness to pay more for Energy Star and other green-rated homes tends to diminish…

July 9, 2012

Lake Oswego is one of Family Circle’s 10 Best Towns for Families. The communities featured in the magazine’s annual roundup of perfect places to call home combine affordable housing, good neighbors, green spaces, strong public school systems and giving spirits. The results of the comprehensive survey appear in Family Circle’s August 2012 issue. This year’s…

July 6, 2012

Taking steps to reduce your electricity and energy use at home is a smart choice — and the good news is you won’t have to replace all your windows or move to a yurt do it. Here are a few quick and easy projects to get you started. 1. Insulate electrical outlets. Insulate the electrical…

July 2, 2012

Real estate markets across the country are inching their way to a slow recovery after bottoming out, according to several real estate economists who spoke at a forum hosted by the National Association of Real Estate Editors. National Association of REALTORS®’ Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries, and National Association of Home…

June 28, 2012

Buyers spend a lot of time looking at properties online, touring homes on the Sunday open house circuit and talking to their real estate agent. They’re laser-focused on finding the best home that meets their needs. The problem is, buyers sometimes don’t take the long view of a property. They’re only looking at a home…

June 4, 2012

The green home is about to be upon us, in a big – or at least bigger – way. It may amount to one-third of the entire market by 2016, according to industry publisher McGraw-Hill Construction. Harvey Bernstein, the company’s vice president for industry insights and alliances and a civil engineer, explained how green has…

May 29, 2012

Good news keeps rolling in on housing. Caveat: Improvement is relative. Prices still are stuck in the basement. Millions more foreclosures will hit the market in coming years. But with feet firmly on the ground, there’s no reason not to enjoy the spate of recent reports showing housing finally moving off the critical care list….

May 21, 2012

NAHB recently unveiled an index that tracks housing markets on the mend, the NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI).  The IMI is intended to draw attention to the fact that housing markets are local and that there are metropolitan areas where economic recovery is underway.  The index measures three readily available monthly data series that…

May 16, 2012

A new analysis suggests that home prices will begin to rise later this year. It’s been a rough five and a half years for the American homeowner. Since the housing bubble reached its peak in early 2007, Americans have watched helplessly as $7 trillion in housing wealth evaporated. At many points during this ugly plunge,…