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Mt. Hood Real Estate Blog

Liz Warren

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Displaying blog entries 1281-1290 of 1924

Monday Morning Coffee

Monday, May 16, 2011
by Liz Warren
Monday Morning Coffee

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"Strength of numbers is the delight of the timid.
The Valiant in spirit glory in fighting alone."
- Ghandi


COMMITTEE COMFORT!

It has been said that "a camel is a horse created by a committee." You've probably witnessed the process yourself. You put any twelve decision-makers in a room together, and they can't seem to make a decision at all. Worse yet, they create something that is comfortable to all members - a camel of their own making.

Ghandi says numbers are the "delight of the timid." At some time or another, we all want the comfort of being surrounded by others with interests common to us. Maybe it's on sales meeting day when the discussion turns into a gripe session. Maybe it's in the break room, around the proverbial "water cooler," or in a training class we've just taken. Wherever the group meets, the results are often the same - a lack of action backed up by all the reasons that justify the inaction.

Ghandi also says the glory is "in fighting alone." Look around. Do you see one or two individuals who spend little of their time with the group? Sometimes called "loners," these are usually also the over-achievers, the top producers in life and business. They know where they're going and they don't need your approval to do it. The committee says they aren't "team players."

Being human, it is certainly normal to seek the comfort of others. In the case of those few individuals described as "the Valiant in spirit," however, their strength comes from their accomplishments. In each of us, there is also that "Valiant" spirit - the part of us that wants to strike out on our own. You can do that by resigning from the committees of your life. Elect yourself President and Chairman of the Board of your own future - and make it unanimous!

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Government Camp Looses County Funds

Monday, May 9, 2011
by Liz Warren

Lets face it, budgets are tight and Clackamas County is one large county cutting back on expenses. Locals and visitors alike have been amazed at the transformation of Government Camp from the sleepy ski town to a bustling beautifully developed environment that it is today. Streetlights, paved sidewalks, paved and plowed streets are a couple of improvements from the urban renewal district which was formed in 1989.

At the tune of around $20,000 per year, Clackamas County had arranged to keep the sidewalks cleared and streets lit for the past five years. Now, time is up and Government Camp must find a way to pay for these amenities on their own.

Incorporation failed on the May 2010 ballot so alternative actions are sought by residents on how to pay for these items. Options include a road district or a county service district. Both have their downfalls.

Meanwhile meetings are in the works on how to solve the funding issues for these improvements. More details may be found in this Oregonian article.

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Government Camp Foreclosures

Monday, May 9, 2011
by Liz Warren

One of the biggest selling properties in Government Camp over the past two years have been the Collins Lake Condo Units. Recent sales have dropped to levels 10% to 20% above their original offering prices from 2004! Most of those sales were foreclosures.

Here are two  foreclosures on the market today at Collins Lake:

Government Camp foreclosures

Today's foreclosures typically represent a 30-40% discount off today's current market value. If you are a skier and are looking for an affordable place to park your head during ski season, this might be the ticket. Government Camp's location at the base of Mt. Hood makes for quick access to Ski Bowl, Timberline and Mt. Hood Meadows with a short drive on weekends!

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Monday Morning Coffee

Monday, May 9, 2011
by Liz Warren
Monday Morning Coffee

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"Infinite patience produces immediate results."
- Unknown


TIRED OF WAITING?

Have you ever wanted something special to happen in your life or desired to attract a person or outcome into your life? Maybe you laid specific plans that should have produced the desired results. Maybe you prayed that the results would occur. Perhaps you focused on the desired outcome with great intensity over an extended period of time.

What was your response when nothing happened, when there occurred not the slightest apparent movement towards your desired objective? If you became impatient, chances are good that you were too attached to the outcome. Perhaps, while you were waiting, you were also skeptical or allowed friends and associates to dampen your belief that the desired outcome would occur

Today's quotation at first glance appears to be at odds with itself. After all, there's a great chasm between "infinite" and "immediate." Yet, when you exercise infinite patience, the desired results often appear immediately, or so it seems. Patience means not being so attached to the outcome that you sit waiting minute-by-minute for the results. When you take action to achieve or strongly believe in your objective, it cannot NOT occur.

When you are detached from the outcome, you do not sit idly by waiting for the result. You continue doing other things, moving towards other outcomes. As you do, the results you sought earlier come to you of their own accord and at the appropriate time. You cannot rush them, and they often come disguised as other outcomes.

The next time you desire a specific objective, keep it to yourself. Avoid putting it out on the line for all to see and criticize. Exercise infinite patience, and know that what you desire is already on its way to you. Then, recognize its arrival with gratitude!

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Foreclosures and Shortsales in Today's Market

Thursday, May 5, 2011
by Liz Warren

Tracking distressed sales on the mountain in the area from Government Camp to Brightwood shows that short sales and foreclosures make up 40-50% of our area sales over the past several months on average. Nationally, these numbers match. Here is a chart showing the short sales and foreclosure movement.

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Having Appraisal Issues?

Thursday, May 5, 2011
by Liz Warren

Recent area transactions for Welches, Government Camp, Rhododendron and Brightwood bring challenges if using a bank to obtain a mortgage. One of the many pieces of the puzzle is the appraised value of the property. Lenders send out the appraiser to determine the value of the property they plan on lending on.

Today's appraisals are conservative in nature as all banks are trying to reduce risk in lending after the recent bubble fiasco.

Did you know that 35% of appraisals run into issues? Here is some information breaking down the numbers from NAR.

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Morning Coffee

Tuesday, May 3, 2011
by Liz Warren
Monday Morning Coffee

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done."
~ Henry Ford


EVER BEEN CRITICIZED?

If you've ever had a dream - you've also had critics. It seems they show up right on cue every time that special new dream begins to form. Critics come in the form of family members, employers, friends, and associates.

Interestingly, the only opinion worth listening to is your own. The opinions of others simply reflect their own limitations - and have nothing to do with the achievement of your dreams. Just imagine how shallow the world would be today if the following individuals had listened to their critics:

Arnold Schwarzenegger's family said, "How long will you go on training all day in a gymnasium and living in a dream world?"

Mary Kay Ash's attorney advised two weeks before her first store opening, "Liquidate the business right now and recoup whatever cash you can. If you don't, you'll end up penniless."

His teachers to Ray Charles: "You can't play the piano, and God knows you can't sing. You'd better learn how to weave chairs so you can support yourself."

What Diana Ross heard her teacher say when auditioning for a high school play: "You have a nice voice, but it's nothing special."

Have a dream? Live it, pursue it, and achieve it - with a passion!

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Portland Pricing Chart vs. Other Cities

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
by Liz Warren

Here is the latest chart from Case Shiller showing the 20 city composite comparative over time just released in March 2011. These numbers indicate we are almost on the edge of a double dip. Surprisingly, pirces are off 58% from the peak in Las Vegas and only 6.8% in Dallas. Portland is down 26.4% from the peak of pricing.

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Morning Coffee

Monday, April 25, 2011
by Liz Warren
Monday Morning Coffee

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them."
- Henry David Thoreau


BUILD YOUR OWN!

"Follow the yellow brick road," sang Dorothy and her unusual entourage in The Wizard of Oz, as they marched toward the Emerald City. The road was clear and their direction set. What they didn't know was that the good witch and the joyful munchkins had sent them down a road leading to a wanna-be fake wizard behind a curtain.

Have you ever had friends or family direct you to take a "yellow brick road" of their imagining? If you blindly followed their advice, you may have ended up in your own Emerald City of disappointment. The truth is that you have the power to create and follow a yellow brick road of your own, one that leads to the realization of your dreams.

The hard part is that YOU must also lay the paving stones of that road. You must first decide on a destination, and then be certain that each brick faces in that direction. Along the way, you may be distracted by winged monkeys or a wicked witch of your own making. If you succumb to those distractions, you may look back to find that your paving stones are uneven and lead in the wrong direction.

Only by having your destination clearly in mind will you arrive unscathed by life's many dead-ends and hairpin twists and turns. You must also be committed to the work involved - choosing only the right bricks, having the patience and perseverance to lay them straight, and the strength to avoid life's temptations as you work.

In the words of Thoreau - "If you have built castles in the air . . . "

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Morning Coffee

Monday, April 18, 2011
by Liz Warren
Monday Morning Coffee

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

"The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss."
~ Thomas Carlyle


TAKE A SIESTA!

When setting goals and planning our future, we sometimes fail to look far enough ahead. Consider the following story:

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, then stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."

The banker scoffed, "I'm a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. You would eventually open your own cannery and control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years." "But what then?" asked the fisherman. The banker laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions? And then what?" The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos." (!!!)

So . . . what are you working for? The IPO or the good life? Stop working toward "someday," and appreciate your success on this day. Take time to enjoy the siesta!

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Displaying blog entries 1281-1290 of 1924

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