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Hillsboro, OR Real Estate News

By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
I love kids and would do anything for them and today was no exception. Over the past two years many of you have read about me coaching not one, but two teams. One softball and one baseball, to make sure these kids got to play.This year, I have one more that is ready to play, but the league doesn’t have enough coaches, and unless they can get two more coaches, they have announced they are going to have to cancel T-Ball for the 5 year olds.Now, this isn’t even the end of the story. It costs approximately $50 dollars to join our little league, and though it doesn’t seem like a lot, this year in the 7 & 8 year old group, we have 26 kids! Not even enough to make up 3 full teams!I think this has a lot to do with the economy. Parents have to work two jobs to make ends meet and don’t have time ...
Comments 14
By David Peterson, Home Stager Portland OR-Synergy Staging-Portland Oregon
(Synergy Staging ~ specializing in vacant home staging)
Synergy Staging recently staged a beautiful remodel in Hillsboro, Oregon.  This 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath home has a great floorplan with two masters - one on each level - a pool - both a living room and family room, plus a loft.  We staged the entire house except for 2 bedrooms as the upstairs really needed to be defined for potential buyers. Here are some pictures of the before and after results.        Here is the large Living Room just off the front door        Another View of the Living Room        Lower Level Master Bedroom        Another view of the Master Bedroom on the Lower Level        Master Bathroom        Family Room - with Loft above        Loft above Family Room - first time staging with a chess set!And thanks to Project Staging for selling us one of those great Target slipp...
Comments 39
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Yesterday I got an e-mail from one of my clients wanting to see a home. Unfortunately, I had to be part of my own personal cops show outside my parents' house. Then I had a scheduled open house on the other side of town. There was just no way I was going to be able to fit this client in today.That is when I get the call from them telling me that they had sent me an e-mail telling me they wanted to know more about this house and if I could show it to them today. (To be honest, I hadn't even received the e-mail yet.)But, they said, we couldn't wait for you Todd, so we just drove over there and you no longer have to find out more about the home and we no longer want to see it. HUH? What? I had to ask what it was that they didn't like as I knew that actually this was a pretty nice neighborh...
Comments 15
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Loaded question here, isn't it? Most of have you been asked this question at least once in our career, but how do you answer it? Do you find out what their needs are or do you just blindly give them a list of three lenders that you have had success with in the past?For me personally, I like to find out if they need credit repair first or if they are ready to buy now with nothing to do really but find a home. I have a list of 4 or 5 lenders that I give a person based on their situation, because as we know not all brokers are created equal when it comes to each and every situation.So, what do you when you are asked the question, "Who do you suggest?"
Comments 10
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Over the past three years I have done a lot of lease options and owner financing deals. Now the market has changed and so is everyone else. I'm starting to get lost in a sea of idiots. But, as they play catch up, I'm preparing myself for the next wave in real estate and when the road turns, I will be faced in the right direction while they are behind me once again playing catch up.Now, will I ever be the number one agent in Washington County, Oregon? Probably not, but that isn't what it is about for me, it is about my family and the families of my clients. But, I do know that if I want to keep food on my family's table, than I need to change with the times and be the lead dog when it comes to the ever changing market.I will still continue to do lease options and owner financing, but wha...
Comments 9
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Last week I wrote an article that got me lots of attention, a feature in the Activerain newsletter called "The foreclosure that never had to happen", and calls from agents and mortgage brokers from around the United States, and even an e-mail from a congressman's office. It made for one busy day on the phone and one dead battery.But, despite my good intentions from the post to try to help this country get out of these hard economic times, this post did have a downside for me personally. You see, I made this post public because I wanted Congress to be able to read it freely and hopefully understand, from all our comments, that this isn't out of the ordinary, it is an everyday occurrence.What happened was one of my clients read the post and felt the same as my fictitious seller. Since we ...
Comments 22
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
 Your clients have got themselves a great 30 year fixed rate loan at a wonderful rate of 5.5%. So they close on their home and that is when the letters start. Refinance! Save money each month! Pay off your credit card bills! Heck these letters start before the house has even closed because of the credit bureaus selling their information to every loan chasing mortgage broker out there.But, what you really need to do is warn them about is the scams out there. The misleading letters that attempt to get people to switch their mortgage from their current lender to some scum bag that tricks them in to a higher loan percentage and huge closing costs.My parents recently closed on their new home and within days they started receiving letters saying they should refinance to save money. But, one t...
Comments 9
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
 One of my clients who owned rental properties prior to me knowing him had one of them he wanted to put on the market because the clients weren't paying their rent. I advised him that if they weren't paying, then more than likely, the property was going to be in less than salable condition when they got it back and that the tenants would probably not make it easy to sell. So my suggestion was to have them evicted prior to putting the home on the market.He went of over to the property and the person on the lease agreed to be out by the 1st of November, but there was a problem. There was another adult living there who wasn't on the lease. He told me about this person and I told him you need to get that person to sign on the lease or it may be harder than you think to get the person out. A...
Comments 10
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Well, this is a loaded question, but I can tell you that on my website, I have links to all the area schools and the report card given to them by the state. As for my kids? Well, they are home taught, the teachers are all right, not a lot of kids per class, but recess with dad is a lot of fun.For more information on home schooling, I suggest you check out Calvert School and you will be amazed at what you read. I know that it isn't for everyone, but I know for my kids, they are better people for being home taught. 
Comments 6
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
This is an open letter to all listing agents and sellers:This is the letter I think I'm going to send to every agent of a seller that tells me that they want me to come back later. It is very important that sellers understand that when you have a hot buyer, delaying them in anyway will lose the sale. This is why so many automobile salesmen don't want you to leave their lot. They know once you leave you only have about a 2% of ever walking through those doors again, this also applies to looking at a home. Once they leave, the ship has sailed and the sale is lost forever. 
Comments 12
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
In the past I have been approached with many partnership ideas, but I know what it is that makes a true partnership. I give something and you give something in return that makes it beneficial to us both.That is how I approach real estate and my clients. I offer them hard work, dedication and ethics and they offer me a commission, referrals and in a lot of cases, their friendship. But, sometimes in real estate the difference between partnership and business kick backs are not that far apart.Let's look at one example of some of the things I do in business. I have many mortgage brokers print my flyers. In return they get to write an article or advertise on my website or on the back of my listing flyers. Now, if they get a call, they can keep that business and I don't expect anything in ret...
Comments 84
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
This story takes place only about a year ago, when the pasture was green. There was no need to leave to go the neighbors where the grass looks greener, you had plenty and all you thought you would ever need. But, things were starting to change, the grass was getting browner and the signs were coming that things were about to change for the worse, and they did.People were starting to see overtime at work being cut back. Lay offs started to happen and some families just couldn't handle the pressure of keeping a house on one income for very long. They knew it would be only a temporary situation, but they knew they needed to find another job before they could get back on their feet and go back to a normal way of life.This person, like so many since, then called the bank and was calling to s...
Comments 50
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Today I picked up my new real estate car that I have been very excited about it since one of my clients asked if I wanted it. I have been working extra hard to scrape the money together to buy it. I've dreamt about a car like this since I bought my first car over 20 years ago.Well, I went to pick up my new car today and delivered to the shop so I can start to work on it. I bought my car as a conversation starter. I have to say it worked better than I ever expected. I didn't even have my car home as I had stopped off to tighten the chains when someone stopped me and talked to me for 10 minutes about the car. Of course I ended up steering it toward real estate and I ended up getting his information and giving him my card.Now, this car is about a year away from its true debut, but I need y...
Comments 35
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
The Tony and Libby Kelly Group | Keller Williams Portland Premiere | 503-753-7300 4335 NE Hannah Ct, Portland, OR Completely renovated Hillsboro home! 3BR/3BA Single Family House offered at $419,900 Year Built 1944 Sq Footage 3,040 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3 full, 0 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 10,019 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION This completely renovated home features extra large kitchen, light&bright living room/family rm w/ fireplace and slider to deck, main flr master w/access to deck. New lower level w/large bedrooms, full bath, office/den & wonderfully designed family rm/bonus w/ fireplace. Cen. air, RV parking. Furniture and Decor negotiable. see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Central A/C Central heat Fireplace Family room Living room Office/D...
Comments 3
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
The Hillsboro, Oregon, 4th of July parade was once again a great success with thousands of people showing up to see the parade that had kids, dogs, public officials, and everyone smiling.This year we sat in front of my co-coach of my daughter's softball team who happens to have a house right on the parade route, and what awesome seats they were! Everyone brought food. A few girls had spent the night and were ready for the parade when we arrived!This parade was better than the ones I had remembered from the past, and that may be because during the past parades, I remember it being 90-95 degrees and this year it was a comfortable 65 degrees out.The Hillsboro police motorcycle division, put on one great show for the kids and the kids loved it! They were followed by the fire department and ...
Comments 3
By Dorothy Merritt
(Re/Max Equity Group, Inc.)
My name is Dorothy Merritt and I am a real estate broker working at a wonderful Re/Max office in Hillsboro, OR.  Our office has a lot of very professional agents who share information about how they market their listings, the activity they are getting and how buyers are responding to the market. This is very helpful to have this kind of input for me as an individual realtor and for the clients that I represent.  There are approximately 55 agents at this time and usually 2/3rds of them come to the weeking office meetings to where we can opening share information about the listings that we have currently and about the listings that are coming soon.  This is helpful because many times we have been able to sell properties from the information that we get at the meeting, often before the pro...
Comments 1
By Tony and Libby Kelly, CRS, ABR, ePro, SRES, CLHMS, CDPE
(Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere)
The Tony and Libby Kelly Group | Keller Williams Portland Premiere | 503-753-7300 6993 NE Willowgrove St, Hillsboro, OR Gorgeous home featuring a soaring 2 story living room ceiling, neutral interior colors and spacious family room. 4 Bdrm Single Family House offered at $299,900 Year Built 2000 Sq Footage 1,874 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Gorgeous home featuring a soaring 2 story living room ceiling, neutral interior colors, spacious family room w/ fireplace, large open kitchen w/Maple cabinets, master suite w/ extra large bathrm & walk-in closet. Lrge level backyard w/ huge patio. Great location near INTEL & MAX. see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Fireplace Family room Living ro...
Comments 2
By Todd Clark - Retired, Principle Broker Oregon
(eXp Realty LLC)
Well, the forms came this week, and I had to tell my 6 year old son that he may not be able to be on the Red Sox again. Last year was his first year playing little league t-ball and he was on the Red Sox. I think it made him a lifelong Red Sox fan.But, when he found out he may have to be on another team, he got a little depressed. However, he still has been practicing in our backyard ever since the day the announcement came that it is time to sign up for spring league.I played baseball until mid junior high, when the coaches decided that throwing side arm wasn't good, and they cut me when they couldn't break me of the habit. So, I took up running. I am happy to say I had some success at that and I got to run in 3 countries because of it.But, I'm starting my son out on the right foot. I'...
Comments 11