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Real Estate Blog

Housing Prices in the Willamette Valley

March 1st, 2007 2:06 PM

In 2006 10,587 homes were sold through the willamette valley multiple listing service with an average price of $230,064.

Question- Are houses in the Willamette Valley affordable? With housing sales up in recent history, I say Yes. I would like to know your thoughts.

Posted by Jason L. Miller on March 1st, 2007 2:06 PMPost a Comment (1)

Jason L Miller Completes Buyer Sales Strategy Course for Residential Real Estate

March 19th, 2007 9:21 AM

March 16, 2007 --- Jason L Miller has just returned from Eugene OR where he completed a highly specialized course in residential real estate buyer sales strategies conducted by the Council of Residential Specialists of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

This course is one in a series of professional education sequences required to qualify for the coveted Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation.

"The growing importance of negotiation as well as sales strategies in today's residential real estate market were addressed by the instructor in this course," said Mr. Miller. “The many and varied needs of the buyer, who is making what is probably the largest single purchase of a lifetime, is dealt with in this advanced course."

The segments of the course included counseling techniques, understanding human behavior and professional knowledge of the required steps in the real estate sales sequence.

The Council of Residential Specialists Courses are presented throughout the U.S. in affiliation with the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, as part of its on-going program of promoting the professionalism of the residential sales associate.

Posted by Jason L. Miller on March 19th, 2007 9:21 AMPost a Comment (0)

Impact of High Fossil Fuel Prices

March 7th, 2007 2:28 PM

Does the cost of fossil fuels change the housing market?

I know that fossil fuels and energy efficiency have become a very popular and even political topic. I am not taking sides or trying to change your feelings on the subject, however the cost of fossil fuels such as oil, gasoline, coal and natural gas definitely has an impact on housing in several ways.

It directly impacts the cost of new homes the most. Many products used in new homes either contain petroleum products and/or take large amounts of energy and heat to produce, and fossil fuels are still used to produce a good percentage of energy today. The distribution and delivery of the materials used in home production is generally done by diesel trains or trucks. For these reasons the prices of materials used will often rise.

The contractors who build the new home will often raise their rates as well due to their costs of operating rising. The machines used on the job site often run on gas or diesel and the handheld power tools often use electricity or compressed air that was generated by electricity or gas/diesel. They will also have higher commuting costs when the cost of fuel rises.

Another impact on costs of homes will be the consumer demand for more energy efficient homes. At this time it costs more to make a home more energy efficient due to costs of energy efficient products and the extra materials and labor used in construction.

The pre-owned market will suffer as well. If energy efficient homes are in demand the energy efficient home will bring a premium price and less energy efficient homes will need to upgrade their energy efficiency to compete, both will raise the market price. We could also see the demand for large homes decreasing.

There maybe many options to reduce energy consumption or dependence on fossil fuels however it will take decades to have a big enough impact. In my opinion this will become the reality in the not so far future.

Posted by Jason L. Miller on March 7th, 2007 2:28 PMPost a Comment (0)