Agent Profile
Tony and Libby Kelly, MBA, M.Ed. are ranked in the top 1% of REALTORS in Portland Metro. They have been featured on HGTV's "House Hunters" 3 Episodes & "My House is Worth What?" 4 Episodes.
How WALKABLE Is Your Neighborhood?
This website, http://www.walkscore.com/, is a great resourse for researching a neighborhood. Not only will it help you get a feeling for the type of area you are looking at but it will also help you find restaurants, grocery stores, parks and entertainment that are located near you.
There is also this great ranking feature that shows you which neighborhoods in your city are the most walkable.
http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/Portland
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com
Top Ten Cities for Local Food
The Huffington Post went out and researched the food scene across the United States and of course Portland made the Top Ten Cities for Local Food! Special mention went to Three Square Grill and Higgins restaurant.
http://higgins.ypguides.net/page/o30a/Philosophy.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/27/10-best-us-cities-for-loc_n_244682.html
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com
Gen Y
The Residential Specialist for July and August mentioned that half of Generation Y (born 1980-1999) plan to buy a home in the next three years.
This statement was the result of a study by The Concord Group which also found that 70 percent of those who participated in this study believe that home prices will stay where they are now, or will be higher, two years from now.
Gen Y is not down with the long commute. They say they are willing to pay a premium to live close to work.
Also found in this study is that Gen Y wants more space in their next place; want to live near alternative modes of transportation; will be putting down under 20 percent; and eventually plan on leaving the city for the suburbs.
The Residential Specialist, July/August 2009, Page 7
(In case you are a CRS member…) http://www.crs.com/magazine/trsmagazine-current.shtml
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com
Portland Oregon Market Report
June Residential Highlights
This June, same-month pending sales were up for the first time since December 2006 in the Portland metro area, and inventory reached its lowest point since August 2007. Comparing June 2009 with the same month in 2008, pending sales were up 8.4%, while closed sales decreased 5.4%. New listings also dropped 18.3%. Further, comparing June 2009 with May 2009, closed sales increased 24.5% (1,776 v. 1,427) and pending sales were up 10% (2,164 v. 1,967). New listings also rose 9.7% (4,257 v. 3,879). Inventory fell to 8.2 months, dropping for the fifth consecutive month and reaching it’s lowest point since August 2007. Active listings typically rise at this time of year, but were virtually unchanged since May (14,491 v. 14,493). Conversely, actives increased 10.1% from May to June in 2007, and 4.2% in 2008
Second Quarter Report
Comparing the second quarter of 2009 (April-June) with that of 2008, closed sales fell 15.3% (4,625 v. 5,461) and pending sales dropped 3.2% (5,784 v. 5,972). New listings decreased 23.8% (12,165 v. 15,973).
Sale Prices
The average sale price for June 2009 was down 14% compared to June 2008, while the median sale price also dropped 13.5%. Month-to-month, the average and median sale price were mixed when compared with May levels; the average sale price was up 2.9% ($299,800 v. $291,400) and the median sale price was down 0.04% ($249,900 v. $250,000).
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com
Hollywood Calls On Tigard
“Public Enemies,” the movie which just opened Wednesday, Johnny Depp’s plays John Dillinger who holds up banks and fights off FBI agents. If you find yourself admiring his sleek gun holster, it’s because it was made in Tigard, Oregon.
Ted Blocker Holsters produced the leather holsters worn by Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Jason Clarke and several others.
Don and Shelley Brown have owned the holster company since 1999 and produced props for several other movies. So it is nothing new for them but it does make them proud to see their products out there.
California prop house Independent Studio Services contacted Don and Shelley in January. They work with Ted Blocker Holsters on a regular basis because of their quality, speed and reliability.
Ted and Jean Blocker were gun enthusiasts who love the fast-draw. They started Ted Blocker Holsters in California in 1972 and began working with Hollywood moviemakers soon after. They moved the company to their home state of Oregon in the early 1990s, because it’s AWESOME here!
Over the years the company has provided holsters for “Miami Vice,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “The Changeling,” “Alien Nation,” “Saving Grace” and “Southland.”
Although Hollywood is not the only client. This is a major company who also works with law enforcement officers, hunters, competitive shooters and concealed carriers.
Don said he plans to go see “Public Enemies” soon after it comes out in the theater.
“I haven’t seen a movie with Johnny Depp yet that wasn’t good,” he said.
http://tigardtimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=124649681744589800
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com
Housing Rebound
Though modest, pending home sales continued their rise in May for the fourth straight month. That is the first time in nearly 5 years.
It had been predicted that there would be no growth, so this was actually a pleasant surprise.
But pending does not necessarily mean that the home will sell. Sales that actually close, in relation to those that go pending, are not where they should be. Deals are delayed or falling through due to the new rules for appraisals.
Many complain that appraisals are including foreclosed properties in their list of comparable homes. Foreclosed homes tend to sell for about 20% less than regular home sales because banks are desperate to get them off their books.
With many appraisals not distinguishing between to two types of properties, homes values are being set below what is expected. This can cause lenders to back out and deals to fall through. Eventually these numbers will right themselves when we have less foreclosures, it will just take some time.
The good news is that buyers are out there putting offers on homes. This indicates a market rebound, albeit a slow one, but a recovery none-the-less.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/01/real_estate/May_pending_sales/index.htm?postversion=2009070110
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com & OUR NEW PORTLAND METRO BLOG AT http//:www.TonyandLibby.blogspot.com & pdxrealtynews.com (make sure you leave comments)
Beast – Review
Libby and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary by dining at one of Portland’s coolest dining spots, Beast. This is Naomi Pomeroy’s (of ClarkLewis, Family Supper, Gotham Tavern fame) most recent culinary hit. Family Supper was one of favorite stops before the Ripe empire, co-founded by Naomi, folded. Beast has the same communal table, and super personal service as Family Supper. The setting of this Alberta Arts District spot is cozy with two handsomely set communal tables set around the open kitchen. If you are the type that can never decide what to order, the fixed-price (no choices or substitutions) menu will be perfect. We went on a Wednesday night for the 8:45 seating. This turned out to be the perfect time for a true one-on-one dining experience with the chef. We were one of two couples in the whole place! Most seem to dine at the earlier 6 pm seating.
The food was fabulous and the constant conversation with Naomi as she was preparing our meal was fun and insightful. I would highly recommend for thus looking for unique food in a warm environment. And please stop by our listings on NE 13th, NE 15th, and NE 29th in the Alberta Arts District 
- Cuisines: Fusion
- Price Range*: $23-$45
- Recommended For: Breakfast/Brunch, Local cuisine, Make Reservations
- Address: 5425 NE 30th Ave, Portland, OR 97211
- Phone: (503) 841-6968
Housing Market
Home prices fell again in April but not as much as it did in March. This could be an indication that the housing markets may be starting to turn.
Granted it is only one month and it may just be an indication that it is spring, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t the start of a turn around. After all, the stock market has already started it’s recovery, same with consumer confidence.
On the down side, home prices are still falling and unemployment, along with foreclosure, are rising. But I still choose to see the beginning of a slow change for the better.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/30/real_estate/April_Case_Shiller/index.htm?postversion=2009063010
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW PODCAST ON THE HOMEPAGE OF OUR WEBSITE http//:www.TonyandLibby.com
Recent Blog PostsOne of America’s Best Pancakes
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
I have been driving by this place for YEARS and have not got around to trying it. I have always wanted to because the line to get in is so long, but have not because the line to get in is so long. One of these days I’m going to get up [...] Plastic Bag Resolution
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Portland, Oregon city council is demanding a ban on single-use plastic bags at the grocery store. So much so that they passed a city resolution Wednesday stating that Portland will ban plastic bags sometime in the future if state lawmakers fail to pass a statewide ban next year.
A city resolution [...] Top 10 Cities for Young Adults
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Portland, Oregon has 2,241,841 residents and 21.9% of those are from Generation Y. Some of the top employers include Intel, Fred Meyer Stores, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Health Systems, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the NW, city government and Legacy Health System. These are just some of the reasons that Portland, [...] Lower Rate of Childhood Obesity
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
From 2003 to 2007 Oregon has come up as having the lowest rate of childhood obesity of any other state in the country. Unfortunately ALL states need to do something about it’s overweight children. Some will have more trouble than others because of factors like poverty and race have complicated [...]Market Report Portland Oregon
Friday, July 16th, 2010
June Residential Highlights While inventory continued to stay low in the Portland Metro area, sales activity saw both increases and declines. When comparing June 2010 with June 2009, closed sales increased 13.3%. Pending sales and new listings fell 25.2% and 4.9%, respectively. Comparing June 2010 with the previous month, May 2010, closed sales dropped 1.9% (2,012 v. [...]Agency Info
Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere
17700 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd
Portland, OR 97224