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Moving to Portland

Posted on by Meagan Stein

Portland is a place known for lush greenery and verdant parks, eco-friendly residents, and a myriad of coffee shops, craft breweries, and eclectic eateries. If you’ve ever had the chance to play tourist here, you’re likely already aware of a few of things that make this city great – proximity to Oregon’s beautiful beaches and mountains, ample opportunities for kayaking, fishing, hiking, and other outdoor recreation, and our thriving arts and music scene. Not to mention there are lots of fun landmarks and attractions to explore, like the Oregon Zoo, the Japanese Garden, the nearby Columbia Gorge, and Washington Park, just to name a few. By vacationer’s standards, this is a great city to visit, but what’s it like to live here?

If you’re contemplating a move to the lovely City of Roses, you’re probably curious to know a bit more about the city than just the travel guide highlights. To give you an inside look at the real nitty-gritty details of what it’s like to live here, our friends at Great Guys Moving Company, in conjunction with Moonraker Marketing, have put together a useful infographic. In this “Moving to Portland” guide, you’ll find helpful information on everything from the most walkable neighborhoods to the climate to the cost of living here.

Takeaways

What are the big takeaways? Portland, the 29th largest city in the country, is a very manageable size. With fewer people and more land mass than other West Coast cities, Portland is also one of the most affordable. While almost everything is more expensive here (except the cost of energy) than compared to the national average, it’s still a lot cheaper than living in Los Angeles or San Francisco. For instance, the average cost of a home in San Francisco is more than double the average home price in Portland. It’s also a great place to live for those looking for a reprieve from California’s insanely high taxes. Though the Oregon income tax, at 9%, is one of the highest in the country, it’s offset by the fact that there is zero sales tax. Portland is also a great place for job-seekers, with unemployment at .6% below the national level and ample career opportunities in everything from farming and fishing to sales and construction. When it comes to weather, Portland is a tad rainier and sees fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S., but it also has an overall milder climate.

I can help

Whether you’re moving here for a new job or just a change of pace, you’ll find that Portland is a great place to call home. As you plan your move and start the search for a place to live, keep me in mind. Whether it’s a contemporary condo in walkable downtown Portland or a craftsman bungalow in Laurelhurst, I can help you find the perfect property to call home!

-Calle Holmgren

Online Real Estate Scams

Posted on by Meagan Stein

Hold onto your money, folks, and verify, verify, verify.

Online scams nowadays often have more to do with social engineering than serious hacking. But protecting your data is very important, too. Online scams nowadays often have more to do with social engineering than serious hacking. But protecting your data is very important, too.

So this is a super exciting topic, right? I’ve attended enough classes on information security to know how quickly people tune out (about 47.8 seconds). We’re all vulnerable, though, so let’s keep on top of this crazy world.

THE WIRE FRAUD SCAM

How it works
This one has been around for a couple of years and there are several different variations. However, the end result to a client during a real estate transaction is virtually the same. You receive an email from what looks to be your title company or realtor (it may have come from a hacked email address or be a “spoofed” email address). It includes wire instructions related to the house that you are purchasing. You go ahead and wire the amount to the account details shown because why wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, that account you just sent your money to was actually an account that the scammer had access to.

Don Don’t let go of your control! (haha, see what I did there)

Scammer = $, You = 🙁

How to avoid the scam
Always, and I mean always, verify wire instructions via a phone call to someone you trust (the title company if you are familiar with the agent, your realtor, or your loan officer). Don’t use any contact information contained in the email with the wire instructions.

Fictitious Property Scam

This one mostly impacts people that live out of state looking to purchase or rent a property but there are local variations, too. It is especially prevalent in hot markets. I could see this really starting to impact Portland. Take a look at my blog about all the people moving here.

How it works
Scam artists copy photos of previously listed homes and create a fake property profile. They post to websites that allow for basic, unverified user accounts such as FSBO (for sale by owner) websites. Prospective buyers/renters call the information listed and, depending on the variation of the scam, may go so far as to make an offer to purchase/rent the home.

In the case of properties for sale, the interested buyer moves forward in wiring funds or mailing a cashier’s check for earnest money (an amount often sent with an offer to purchase to prove how “earnest” the buyer is in their desire to buy the home). After funds are sent, the online property profile vanishes. In the case of rentals, the scam artist asks for an upfront “application fee” which promptly disappears along with the online listing. This scam can also happen on popular websites like Zillow, Trulia, or Craigslist. These sites aggressively crack down on scam accounts but there will always be some that slip through.

For sale online in southeast Portland for 0,000. Just take my money, already. For sale online in southeast Portland for $450,000. Just take my money, already.

How to avoid the scam
For home buyers, always work with a buyers agent. Attempting to buy a home without representation, especially when you live out of state, can lead to a whole host of problems (we’ll save that for a future blog). Of course, I’m completely biased in this opinion because I’m a realtor but when it comes to the buyer side of things, there’s very little to lose by having someone represent you.

Other things you can do if you’re a renter or you just don’t want to hang out with your friendly neighborhood realtor:

  1. Check the tax records. Most places have some type of online public access to check this (locally that would be PortlandMaps) but if not, lookup the local Tax Assessor’s office and give them a call. If the name on the tax record doesn’t match the property profile, slowly back away before turning around and running. Figuratively speaking, of course. Don’t, like, leave your computer behind in a public place.
  2. Ask for the property address then look it up on your favorite maps program then check the street view. Does it match the picture? No? Methinks I smell a rat.
  3. Contact a local realtor and ask them about it. I am sure that any who respond will be happy to help you find information about the house even though they don’t represent you. Who knows why. I guess realtors are just super friendly that way. Then, if they seem like smart people that you could hang wallpaper with for an hour or two, maybe consider interviewing them…?
  4. Check for odd grammatical and spelling errors along with weird turns of phrase. Evildoers are getting better at this but are rarely perfect. Also, if the listing details clearly don’t match what the pictures of the place look like or the price is entirely too good to be true, it is very likely a scam.

You knew this post had to include a picture of the ubiquitous hoodie-wearing hacker, right? You knew this post had to include a picture of the ubiquitous hoodie-wearing hacker, right?

So there you are. These scams will now be successfully avoided by everyone I know. But, I feel like there’s more to say about protecting yourself online that goes beyond real estate. Since this post has been relatively short for me, why not keep going? Just a disclaimer: no matter what you do, there is never a way to be completely protected.

Having made that cheery statement, here’s just a few pieces of advice for greatly reducing your online vulnerability that I find myself frequently dispensing and are just as frequently ignored:

  1. Keep ALL of your devices up to date which means update everything as soon as a new release comes out. That means Apple users, too (the days of thinking that Apple products aren’t vulnerable are over). No, do not wait a week or two to see if you like the feel of the update. Vulnerability patches are entirely too important to wait.
  2. Use a random password generator for everything. Store them in a password keeper (check out LastPass and Dashlane). Make sure that the password you use to access the password keeper is really good (like a passphrase). Yes, there are some downsides to using a password keeper and there’s always debate about the safety of keeping all your passwords in one place. However, the alternative most people use is having one, maybe two, passwords for EVERYTHING. To me this is a lot riskier than relying on a very successful company to maintain sophisticated software that protects your data.
  3. If you do not want to use a password keeper then make sure not to use the same password for everything. Please use a different password for all of your financial accounts. At least in this manner, if one of your non-financial passwords gets cracked, they can’t use it to drain your accounts. Make your financial passwords as difficult as possible (which means more complex than a word followed by a digit or two.) If you find yourself copying your passwords onto Notepad or Word then it’s time for a password keeper.
  4. Do not click links in emails unless they are from a trusted source, no matter how interesting they look. Also, be careful of “attachments”. A recent scam involves taking a screen capture of a PDF or other attached document and inserting it into the email. This way it looks like a legitimate document to download but is actually a link to a site that will install malware on your computer.

– Brandi Whitaker

The Case of the Rapidly Increasing Oregon Population

Posted on by Meagan Stein

WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE MOVING TO OREGON AND WHAT I THINK ABOUT IT

“Nancy Drew and the Jewel Stealing Sasquatch That Moved to Oregon”

If this were The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew (I devoured those books as a kid) then I would start this case by hunting for clues. There would inevitably be some type of jewels, paintings, or other objects involved and I would almost certainly get to travel to interesting locations. At some point I would get to ride in a spectacular car, motorcycle, boat, plane, or other oddball method of transport like a Sasquatch or something. In the end, my master sleuthing would uncover the mystery, plus some unexpected twist no one was expecting (or maybe I’m thinking of Scooby Doo).

Figuring out why Oregon is one of the top moving destinations in the United States takes a super sleuth. Some reasons are obvious. People from more expensive areas, like much of California, enjoy moving to Portland because they have a lot more buying power. Their jobs also tend to transfer well to our market. Many companies are opening PDX satellite offices and have found that their employees are jumping at the chance to move up here (I’m looking at you, Google).

There is no denying that you can afford more house in Portland than you can in the heavily populated areas of California. The median home price in San Francisco is north of 1.3M. I’ve seen headhunter after headhunter try to recruit many of my engineer friends to move down there (unsuccessfully). The running “joke” is that a down payment in Silicon Valley could buy you an entire house in most of the rest of the United States.

This is California. If it were Oregon these people would be wearing Smartwool long johns, Pendleton sweaters, Columbia jackets, and Patagonia puffer coats. And they This is California. If it were Oregon these people would be wearing Smartwool long johns, Pendleton sweaters, Columbia jackets, and Patagonia puffer coats. And they’d still be huddled a lot closer together for warmth.

But, as much as Oregonians love to blame all problems (especially traffic) on Californians and people living in Vancouver, there is a deeper story here.

California’s net gain/loss is actually pretty close to zero (about the same amount of people move in as move out). Oregon, on the other hand, stands at about a 67% gain vs 33% loss rate. It seems that word has traveled far and wide. People from Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, and others are all finding their way to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle is getting them, too).

However, one of the biggest sources of transplants is New York and other northeast states. New York itself is one of the most moved from states at a 63% loss vs 37% gain rate. It’s easy to see why this would happen. All the reasons Californians love to move here make sense for New Yorkers. And unlike Southern Californians, East Coasters aren’t trading year-round mild weather for the privilege of growing webbing between their toes.

Pro tip(s) for migrators: Only wimps carry umbrellas in Oregon. Never buy a piece of outerwear without a hoodie. Beards are not optional. Pro tip(s) for migrators: Only wimps carry umbrellas in Oregon. Never buy a piece of outerwear without a hoodie. Beards are not optional.

Although, they’ll still have to grow webbing between their toes.

They’re also going to have to deal with an ongoing housing crisis. But that’s another story.

Even though the majority of people move to Oregon for a job (52.75%), there are other reasons. The next most cited response is retirement (19.90%) and people over the age of 65 are actually the largest age group moving to Oregon (24.35%). Although it’s fairly even across the board.

Oregon doesn’t seem like the most likely place to retire but when you factor in Bend, Sisters, Ashland, and the entirety of the coast, it does make sense. Not to mention the fact that we have some kickin’ retirement communities around the Portland metro area.

Family and Lifestyle round out the other major reasons people move to Oregon. Family will always be a good reason to move but not every state offers quite the same lifestyle as Oregon. Whether you want to start a tech company, keep it weird, or follow your outdoor adventure dreams, we’ve got it all.

Weather wasn’t a survey option but I’m sure if it had been, that would have been the top response, right? Or the prevalence of bicycle lanes. That would have been way up there.

This isn This isn’t a bicycle race. It’s just Portlanders on their normal morning commute.

So, we have a pretty good idea now of why so many people are moving here. The next question would be: Is this a good thing?

I would have to say, “YES!” Many of the people moving here are accepting jobs that sorely need to be filled. Because companies are beginning to realize that Oregon is more than just the end destination of their favorite 80’s computer game, the job market is booming. We’ve been setting records for job growth and we need talent, stat.

Of course, we also need available housing, stat. But, that’s still another story.

Full disclosure: I am not a native Oregonian. I moved here in 2001 from my home state of Georgia. I have an enormous soft spot for anyone from the eastern seaboard because I worked sales for years to New York and the surrounding states. For some reason, my straight-forward, analytical, “get ‘er done” personality jives well with New Yorkers. I sometimes miss traveling back there and being able to visit 6 states in a day (although I don’t miss the tolls).

So if you’re looking to transplant yourself to the Portland area, look me up. We’ll see all kinds of interesting locations, maybe weather a few twists, and eventually uncover a jewel of a home. But no Sasquatches. I promise.

– Brandi Whitaker

The Oregon Energy Fund: Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Posted on by staff

We recently chatted with Brian Allbritton, the executive director at the Oregon Energy Fund. This is a local non-profit we definitely stand behind because it is a way for neighbors to assist their neighborhood. Here’s a little more about the history of the organization, how it works day to day, and how you can help – it’s easy!

History of the Oregon Energy Fund

The Oregon Energy Fund started in 1989 and has been helping people for nearly three decades. Though it wasn’t always called the Oregon Energy Fund (it was most recently called HEAT Oregon), it has been dedicated to what the organization stands for since the beginning: helping people in crisis pay their utility bills.

Former governor Victor Atiyeh recognized there was a problem in Oregon: there were too many people that needed help that had no recourse. In these cases, people were financially stable enough in good times to make them ineligible to receive federal or state assistance in bad times. Even a minor crisis easily kept them from paying their utility bills.

Mr. Atiyeh, along with several other politicians and energy executives, got together to figure out how to address this need. Now present in each and every Oregon county, the statewide non-profit has been operating without a single government dollar ever since.

Need for the Fund

There are many residents that receive no form of government assistance but would require help should an emergency arise. Emergencies such as big snowstorms, car accidents, or bad illnesses can mean a change in income and even unexpected bills. Fines on unpaid utility bills and reconnection fees for shut-off utilities compound the problem.

The need for emergency utility assistance has only grown since the fund began. Rent increases continue in much of the state, especially Portland, and wages are not keeping up with the cost of living. This is why the Oregon Energy Fund helps roughly 10,000 of our neighbors each year.

How People Get Assistance

The Oregon Energy Fund partners with organizations in each county. These are often community action agencies but are sometimes social services organizations. The organizations are there for the community — they meet with applicants, review needs, and determine eligibility.

Residents receive a one-time grant which the Oregon Energy Fund uses to directly pay the vendors, relieving those in need. The Oregon Energy Fund takes the weight of unpaid bills off the shoulders of people in crisis.

How You Can Help

The Oregon Energy Fund accepts donations and offers an option for recurring donations. You can visit their website to set it up. If you’re looking for a way to help your neighbors that has a very real and significant impact, this is a great and easy way to do it!

By partnering with highly effective agencies in each county, the Oregon Energy Fund can assure you that your money is being used in the most efficient way possible to help those around you.

Your donation ensures that Oregonians have somewhere to turn for help when they need it. Facing a change or cancellation to your utilities is a personal and detrimental problem. Together, we can work to solve it!

Two Portland-area chefs cooked to win!

Posted on by Starr DeGennaro

Two Top Chef Finalists are from Portland

Will Portland’s next claim to fame be the home of Bravo TV’s Top Chef (Season 12) winner?

In last night’s episode, two out of three Top Chef Finalists are from Portland – Gregory Gourdet and Doug Adams! You may know Gregory Gourdet’s Asian influenced menu from Departure, the 15th-floor restaurant in downtown Portland’s the Nines hotel; Or Doug Adams, the Chef de Cuisine of Paley’s Imperial restaurant and Portland Penny Diner. The third finalist is Mei Lin, a female chef from West Hollywood’s Ink. Culinary Arts is a male dominated industry. There has only been one female winner in Top Chef history!

Check out the Oregonian’s Kristi Turnquist’s recap of last night’s episode to find out which Top Chef finalists advanced to next week’s season finale showdown!

Starr Gartner

Portland’s 1st Annual Dumpling Week!

Posted on by Starr DeGennaro

Get Ready For…

Portland’s 1st Annual Dumpling Week!

February 1-7, 2015

The Oregonian is hosting Portland’s 1st Annual Dumpling Week! Cultures around the world have their various twists on the dumpling-a small savory ball of dough that may be boiled, fried, or baked in a casserole. Over 19 restaurants around the Portland metro area are participating-including fantastic restaurants in Inhabit’s immediate vicinity-Bollywood Theater, Son of a Biscuit and Xico, to name a few!

The full list of participating restaurants is as follows:

  • Aviary
  • Bollywood Theater
  • Boxer Ramen
  • Country Cat
  • Departure
  • Grassa
  • Imperial
  • Kachka
  • Kenny’s & Zuke’s
  • Lincoln
  • Little Bird
  • Mama Chow’s
  • Ox
  • Paley’s Place
  • Salt & Straw
  • Son of a Biscuit
  • St. Jack
  • Viking Soul Food
  • Xico

Starr Gartner

Farmer’s Market Fresh

Posted on by Starr DeGennaro

PSU’s Farmer’s Market Now Open Year-Round

By Starr Gartner

Grab your re-usable bags and beloved rain gear. Inhabiters are happy to report flagship Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University is now open year-round! Enjoy local, winter access to farm to table goods including, but not limited to, fresh vegetables, meat, dairy, pastries and local wines.

On November 6th, the market announced it will remain open every Saturday from January 3, 2015, to February 28, 2015, from 9 am to 2 pm. The winter market will maintain one block, from Montgomery to Harrison, and will expand back to two blocks in March, when it resumes regular business hours of 8:30 am to 2pm.

For more information and market history, visit Portland Farmer’s market blog.

Division Streetscape Complete

Posted on by Meagan Stein

Mark your calendars! The Division Streetscape project is finally coming to an end! To celebrate the end of construction the Division/Clinton Business Association is throwing a block party called “OpenFest” on October 24th from 9am – 7pm.

Businesses up and down Division St. will be celebrating with live music, food, and entertainment. See the full list of activities here. Be sure to stop by Inhabit for our Open House between 5pm – 7pm. We’ll have food and live music!

Inhabit’s Opening Party a Success

Posted on by Eric Hagstette

What a party!

Now that we have all had a chance to recover from our Grand Opening event, we want to thank everyone for coming out and christening our new space.

If you were unable to make it, please feel free to stop by when you’re in the neighborhood, or drop us a line at info@inhabitre.com. Inhabit is currently interviewing agents and we welcome all inquiries! Inhabit is a progressive real estate brokerage located in the heart of Division Street’s burgeoning walking district. We offer beautifully designed semi-private and shared workspaces, along with a private conference room and an outdoor patio. We look forward to sharing our space with like-minded Realtors.

A special thank you to our new neighbors!

We had great support from our neighbors & Southeast business partners: Floare provided spectacular floral decorations, American Local delivered amazing bites of food, not to mention our tapped Hopworks keg and wine from Cyril’s Clay Pigeon. We’d also like to thank Pilot Wealth Management, American Local, Floare and Sunshine Tavern for donating gift certificates toward our door prizes.

Door Prize Winners!

  • Chris Dorr of Re/Max – iPad Mini!
  • Michelle Koury of Realty Trust – American Local Gift Certificate
  • Jacob Hailey of HomeStreet Bank – Imperial Tap Growler & Gift Certificate
  • Michael Palinsky of Reside Realty – Ava Gene’s Gift Certificate
  • Dan Powell of Metropoint Real Estate- 2 hours of business coaching from Pilot Wealth Management
  • Steph Noble of NW Mortgage – Sunshine Tavern Gift Certificate
  • Crystal Meza of Residential Realty NW – Terrarium workshop at Floare

Now it’s time to start planning our next party; our friends and client Opening Bash! Stay tuned for more details!

To Airbnb or Not to Airbnb?

Posted on by Eric Hagstette

Portland’s close-in pocket neighborhoods are a perfect market for the AirBnb concept. Many of our clients are taking advantage of this short term rental demand and converting underutilized space to create passive income. We’ve seen this trend grow stronger and stronger as Portland becomes a wildly popular urban, vacation destination.

Here is a recent article Dale came across on oregonlive.com that discusses the city of Portland’s willingness to ease some of it’s restrictions on the short-term rental market laws.  

Portland is the best, according to movoto.com

Posted on by Eric Hagstette

Those of us living in Portland know how great it is. Motovo.com took a compilation of it’s Big Deal Scores from 15 of their national-level top 10 cities lists published in 2013 and averaged them out to produce an overall score for each city for the entire year. Portland ended up NUMBER 1 on the list.

Movoto’s 10 Best Cities in America 2013 By Movoto Real Estate