1980s ‘Buy Oregon’ effort matched buyers to vendors

1980s ‘Buy Oregon’ effort matched buyers to vendors
The deep and painful recession of the 1980s spawned a “buy local” program in Eugene that the Oregon Legislature later made statewide and the U.S. Department of Commerce replicated nationally.

Now, three years after the start of the Great Recession locally, some business people are saying it may be time to revive the effort.

When business is going like gangbusters, in years such as 2005, the chief criteria for company buyers is finding the best price, said Rick Evans, who once ran the statewide buy local program.

“But now people are saying, ‘Where it comes from does matter, and if we can keep jobs locally, that’s meaningful. If we’re not buying stuff from China, that’s meaningful,’ ” Evans said.

The notion behind the “Buy Oregon” program started in 1983 by the Eugene- and Springfield-based Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation was: If money would recirculate locally, it could reduce the state unemployment rate, which then was 12 percent, compared with today’s 9.6 percent.

The Buy Oregon staff interviewed local business buyers to determine whether there were in-state substitutes for items they usually bought out of state. When there were, the program made a match.

“I always thought of it as the yenta of business, you’re doing a lot of matchmaking,” said Michael Shuman, research director for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, a nonprofit alliance representing more than 22,000 independent business members in the United States and Canada.

Some examples:

Trailer maker Burley Design Cooperative started buying wheels from Eugene bike-maker Gary Hale.

Several local television stations canceled contracts with a California firm and hired Eugene-based Shelton Turnbull Printers to produce script forms.

Pasta Plus made bowtie noodles for Chef Francisco.

The Eugene City Council backed “Buy Oregon” during its first two years with $20,000 in grants.

The third year, the Legislature passed a bill to take the program statewide and renamed it Oregon Marketplace. Eventually, the Legislature used lottery money to keep the business-matching program alive.

“This was fabulously successful for about 15 years,” Shuman said, adding that the state lost interest eventually.

Evans said the program fell out of favor in the late 1990s.

“It was viewed by some legislators as provincial. It was like, ‘Borders mean nothing to buyers.’ They’re looking for the best price whether or not it’s across a border,” said Evans, who is executive director of the Organization for Economic Initiatives, which ran the program for the state.

In 1999, the Legislature stripped the program from the budget, and it was gone, Evans said.

Now, some local business people are wondering whether a new “buy local” program is in order.

In 2008, local printers IP/Koke Printing and Northwest Web went out of business, taking more than 125 jobs with them, Shelton Turnbull President Barry Miller said.

A buy local yenta would have helped, he said.

“Very often, we’re looking at producing print jobs and a company up in Portland receives it,” he said. “I always wonder why. If someone ran up there for price, we could certainly lower our price and get more competitive, if given that chance.

“A lot of it is communication.”

Another Eugene business, HYDRO-FIT, found sourcing and manufacturing locally were the only way to survive the recession.

In 2003, the company, which specializes in deep-water aerobics gear, was growing rapidly, and the factory in the Whiteaker neighborhood of Eugene was overrun with orders, President Craig Stuart said.

Stuart contracted Pro Trade, a Eugene company that helps other Eugene companies find manufacturing plants for their goods in China.

But after four years of outsourcing, the labor prices were going up, transportation prices were going up and Stuart felt he had imperfect quality control, he said. So he brought the manufacturing back home to Eugene — which, in retrospect, was a lucky move.

The next year, the economy slid into recession, and HYDRO-FIT sales dipped.

“All we had to do was cancel purchase orders,” he said. “We could respond right away to the changing demand for our products. We weren’t sitting on 5,000 of these in our warehouse — which are now not going to sell in six months.

“Had we still been outsourcing to China, we would have been obligated and sitting on huge amounts of inventory that wouldn’t move. (Returning production to Eugene) totally saved us.”

Today, Stuart employs nine people in his Eugene factory. And he can affix a “Crafted With Pride in the U.S.A.” logo on his products, which helps with sales, he said.

“This is especially important business-to-business today,” he said. “We’ll sell our products wholesale. Some of the largest companies in the industry today make that a priority — if you aren’t ‘Made in America,’ you would be on the second decision ladder.”

The more energy costs increase, the more manufacturing will return to the United States, Shuman said. The return will be timed incrementally by the products’ weight, heavy to light, he said.

“It’s going to make absolutely no sense to make bricks in China and bring them back to the United States,” he said.

In the meantime, many local businesses are buying supplies locally, even if it costs more than ordering online or at the big box office supply stories.

Smith Family Bookstore gets its office supplies at Willamette Stationers, bookstore co-owner Evon Smith said.

“We use our neighbors,” she said. “We make a lot of decisions as a business: How can we shop local? How can we buy in our own community?

“That’s a commitment we have.”

Hybrid Real Estate buys its supplies locally, as well as services such as its answering service and computer repair, co-owner Bryan Ranstad said.

“When someone is a part of a community,” Ranstad said, “they tend to want to make it better. They tend to want to make it their own.”

— Diane Dietz

“When someone is a part of a community, they tend to want to make it better.”

Bryan Ranstad

Hybrid real estate co-owner

Happy Thanksgiving from Hybrid Real Estate!

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Hybrid Real Estate: A DIFFERENT WAY TO SELL REAL ESTATE

A DIFFERENT WAY TO SELL REAL ESTATE

Small company finds success with a high-tech, low-cost model

By Diane Dietz

The Register-Guard

Published: (Sunday, Oct 23, 2011 05:00AM) Today

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Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard

With daughter Zoelle, 9, (left) and son Beringer, 4, supervising, Bryan and Kelly Ranstad manage Hybrid Real Estate from home.

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Hybrid Real Estate is not yet three years old but it’s growing quickly, despite the slowdown in the real estate market.

The Eugene residential real estate company launched by Bryan and Kelly Ranstad has attracted 60 real estate agents, claimed 4.7 percent of the local real estate sales volume — year to date — and is the first and only real estate firm to be recognized in the 24-year history of the Austin Family Business Program awards.

“Most people thought that we were not very smart starting a real estate company at the very beginning of a downturn,” said Kelly Randstad.

The Austin competition’s judges lauded Hybrid for leading an “entrepreneurial shift in real estate industry.”

The Ranstads’ model for operating a real estate company — high tech, low cost and geared to back up experienced and creative agents — was right for the times, those agents and even the firm’s competitors say.

“We realize we’re very, very fortunate to be in this position in this economy, especially being a startup business,” Kelly Ranstad said. “We’re very humbled by it.”

The Hybrid model — though unique in its particulars — is part of a third wave of management changes that have swept through the real estate industry over the past three decades, said Steve Murray of Real Trends, a Colorado-based industry newsletter.

“The guys in your market aren’t the first guys to do this or perfect it,” he said, “but it’s definitely a trend.

“It started in the bigger cities. And now it is in the mid-size cities — 300,000 to 1 million — we’re seeing these things pop up all over the place.”

The changes are internal. They’re about how the owners of real estate companies split the commission with agents — who are independent contractors — when a house is sold.

Thirty years ago, the agents shared most of their earnings with the company, which provided them with an office, training and management, Murray said.

“When I started real estate, everything was a 50-50 split,” said Mike Boyst, principal broker with Hybrid. “If you sold a house and got a $1,200 commission, the company took $600 and you got $600.” As the agents made more in commissions, the proportion going to the agency got smaller. The split became 60-40 or 80-20, Murray said.

The RE/MAX model in the late 1980s brought the first wave of change, Murray said. Agents kept all of their commissions but paid a high flat dollar amount to have a desk and reception area at a RE/MAX office, he said. The company went from a few thousand agents in the early 1980s to a peak of 90,000 in 2006, Murray said.

A second wave came when Keller Williams Realty rose to prominence in the 1990s. In the Keller Williams model, agents pay the broker money until the agent reaches a set amount, and then the agent is done for the rest of the year. The company quickly grew to 80,000 agents.

The third wave began about five to seven years ago, Murray said, when low-cost, technology reliant firms such as Hybrid arose in cities throughout the country. They’re attractive to agents, especially in a recession, because the agents retain more of their commissions, he said.

Each new wave has left a mark on the traditional real estate franchises, Murray said. The older firms were forced to reduce their share of the split, somewhat, to retain their agents.

The Hybrid Real Estate model got its start in late 2008.

Boyst, who had managed real estate offices for 20 years in Eugene, had just been laid off. He was having coffee with Bryan and Kelly, then in their early 30s, and batting around ideas for a new kind of real estate firm.

By the next day, the Ranstads had a written plan. “I was blown away with how fast they work,” Boyst said.

Boyst needed a job, and the Ranstads needed Boysts’ experience and reputation. “We were not well-known people in the industry,” Bryan Ranstand said. “We were small potatoes. He’s our silver-haired fox.”

The Ranstads financed the startup with money they made earlier as agents.

They endeavored to position themselves against larger national firms by emphasizing that they were “100 percent local.” “All the money stays in the area. That’s huge,” Bryan Ranstad said.

But their key decision was to keep costs as low as possible for agents. An agent is able to take home roughly $10,000 to $12,000 more a year than at traditional brokerages, according to the company’s commission schedule.

Hybrid saves money by limiting its brick and mortar outlay. They don’t have a big office with a receptionist.

Instead, they have two “customer care centers,” small offices with conference tables, where agents can meet with clients. Otherwise, agents work out of their home offices and their cars.

Instead of buildings, the company has an aggressive technology program. “One of the advantages of being an independent company,” Bryan Ranstad said, “is that technology is moving very fast. ... It’s really hard for a big, national machine to keep up with it because there’s too many branches out there, where you have to train.”

“Technology for us has to pass a certain test,” he said. “It has to be cheap or free. It has to help you sell your listings or it has to help you grow your business in some way — and if it doesn’t do those things, then it probably isn’t really going to help you.”

The Ranstads were early adopters of “e-property,” creating a Web page for each property, using virtual tours and other electronic methods to get buyers interested. Hybrid signed up as a beta tester for Real Lead, a program developed by a Eugene company that provides information to agents within minutes of visits to the Web page.

“Kelly’s very tech savvy and can offer a lot of expertise,” said David Leier, president of Prudential Real Estate Professionals. “She keeps current on all the new trends — how to do surveys — and how to promote and to push that way.”

Hybrid agents use Dropbox, a free service that allows them to upload and share documents. “We don’t have to keep all of these fat files all the time,” Hybrid agent Kathryn Sampson said. “Everything is in a safe cloud.” Not having to go into the office frees up time, she said.

Hybrid also controls costs in ways as simple as making its own real estate signs, for $12 a pop. And it hires experienced agents who don’t need basic training, who thrive working on their own, with support of the agency but no management.

The concept works, said Hybrid agent Tim O’Dell. “If you want support, it’s there,” he said. “If you want to pool your resources for advertising, that’s possible, too. It’s everybody runs their own show the way they like to run it.”

Hybrid real estate grew at a rapid clip: 38 agents signed on the first year, 51 came on the second and the third’s not over yet, and the count is 60. Five years from now, the couple hopes to have opened branches in nearby cities. In 10, they plan to conquer the Northwest.

“I would hope we really are a significant regional company,” Bryan Ranstad said.

“It’s everybody runs their own show the way they like to run it.”

— Tim O’Dell, HYBRID AGENT

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WINNING FIRMS

The Austin Family Business Program at Oregon State University announced that three Eugene businesses placed in its 2011 excellence awards:

IB Roof Systems: First place in the medium-sized business category

Hybrid Real Estate: One of two finalists in the micro business category

GloryBee Foods: One of two finalists in the large business category

Register Guard 2011

Hybrid Real Estate Blog: East Eugene Oregon Real Estate Statistics

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Hybrid Real Estate Blog: West Eugene - Danebo Real Estate Market Trends.

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Current Real Estate Trends for Santa Clara - Eugene, Or

The Santa Clara neighborhood in Eugene Oregon has been a shining star in our local real estate market. When I compiled our MLS data over the last 12 months you can clearly see that inventory in this area is at an incredible low of 4.9 months. The County average is at 7.7 months, so clearly Santa Clara has been a popular real estate market here in Eugene. The most notable feedback we hear from buyers is that they like this area because of the larger yards, lower taxes, and it is close to downtown, but not too close. You can find a mix of older established neighborhoods and newer subdivisions in Santa Clara making it an appealing Eugene area for a large segment of buyers. Almost 70% of the homes listed in the Eugene neighborhood actually sell, which is high compared to other areas in the Lane County area. If you are interested in researching active homes listed for sale in Santa Clara, Eugene, Oregon Please click the button above. There you will fins ALL MLS listings including short sales and foreclosures. 

Hybrid Real Estate Blog: Springfield Oregon Real Estate Market Trends

Hybrid Real Estate Blog: Springfield Oregon Real Estate Market Trends: When puuling just the Springfield Oregon data from the MLS Archives we can gain a better understanding of that particuliar real estate mar...

Has Eugene - Springfield Oregon Real Estate Hit Bottom?

Have you heard? The real estate market is in recovery! At least that is what Jed Smith, managing director of quantitative research for the National Association of Realtors is saying. But don’t go cashing in those home line-of-credits just yet. This is going to be a very slow recovery. Thanks to new requirements that a buyer now actually has to have a job and the sad fact that there are too few jobs available you can bet that this will be pretty stagnant. I would expect to remain flat over the next few years, but we are moving in the right direction and that is great news!

So, what does that mean for our local market? Eugene-Springfield Real Estate typically follows the national trends pretty consistently (Just with a year or so lag time). With that said, assuming we have hit bottom, where have our local prices landed? Well, according to Oregon mls statistics we landed right back in the 2004 real estate market – the beginning of the boom. What that means for those of us who purchased in the craze is that all that equity we knew we were gaining while crawling over each other in our bidding wars does not exist.

Ask your Realtor, this market is heating up. Month over month the sales activity in Eugene and Springfield Oregon has increased. Although May sales were down 16.3% this May when compared to May 2010, pending sales increased 32.4%! Because of the large amount of pendings, along with low listing numbers we are finally experiencing lower inventory: Currently at 7.6 months. Hopefully, this is our bottom. The average sales price continues to decrease (17% down from last year). With the exception of Coburg and the McKenzie Valley Areas all areas experienced depreciation in the Eugene – Springfield area.

Okay, let’s talk areas. The bright spots again Coburg prices up 17.2% (thanks to the high end homes selling again) and McKenzie Valley up 5.2% these are both small communities, with 15-18 sales in May each. Places you don’t want to own in: River Road, Springfield, East Eugene, and Danebo. All areas have closing price decreases between 10 – 13%. But the worst hit area, down 18.3% is the charming town of Junction City…Ouch.  If we are not going to appreciate fine – I’ll be happy to just hit bottom.

Think it is a great time to buy? Me too!

Search all Oregon MLS Listings Here:  http://www.hybridrealestate.org/

The Benefits of Using a VA Home Loan to Purchase Your Oregon Home

Known for its natural beauty, recreational activities, close proximity to the coastline, and the home of the University of Oregon, Eugene offers a distinct way of life that everyone can take pride in. Service members and veterans looking to reside in the Eugene area have a great opportunity to find the home of their dreams and pay little out of pocked through the benefits they have in the VA home loan program.

Why Choose a VA Home Loan?

VA loans are partially backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which allows borrowers to obtain money saving benefits that they would not normally be able to obtain with a conventional loan.  Benefits military members can expect to enjoy through the VA home loan program include:

1. No down payment option
2. Competitive interest rates
3. Flexible loan terms
4. High loan limits

For military members interested in financing their Oregon home, both the lack of a required down payment and the high loan limits allowed are highly beneficial. Conventional loan options require up to 20% down and coming up with that payment may be financially impossible for some families, while service members can buy a home up to $417,000 in Oregon without having to put a nickel down.

The extra money saved through the VA home loan program is a great resource for our service members who have seen many transfers and deployments, which has the tendency to negatively affect credit scores and personal savings.

Who is Eligible for a VA Loan?

VA home loans also have some of the most lenient eligibility requirements of any lending program on the market. To become initially eligible for a VA home loan, military members must submit their Certificate of Eligibility and have filled one of the following service requirements:

1. Have served at least 3 months on active duty during war time
2. Have served 181 days on active duty during a time without conflict
3. Have served 6 years in the military Reserves or National Guard

Although the VA home loan program does have lenient eligibility requirements, many VA-approved lenders will desire a credit score of at lease 620 for loan approval. Military members with credit scores below 620 or with imperfect credit histories are still encouraged to apply since these loans have been made in the past.

Choosing the right lender to apply with is critical. A lender that is knowledgeable and has a good reputation is preferred and can ease the loan procurement process. For more information on the VA home loan program, contact a VA approved lender today!

Matt Polsky is a blogger associated with VA Benefit Blog, a blog focused on providing veterans and service members with current news and information on the benefits they have through serving our country. For more information, Matt can be reached at matt@vabenefitblog.com.

Women's Council Of Realtors

I recently was appointed as the 2011 President of the Women’s Council of Realtors of Lane County. The WCR is a successful network of Successful REALTORS empowering women by providing an environment of collaboration and positive energy focused on helping each other to be more successful in the Real Estate industry. As an established career professional who values integrity, respect for fellow Realtors, and appreciates continuous career development I am committed to excellence and bringing excellence out in others.

I believe that business success brings influence, credibility and greater opportunity. I advocate involvement in the real estate industry, and in the broader community, believing that it helps us grow individually at the same time as our involvement brings about positive change. I am excited for this opportunity to grow within such a great organization and look forward to future mentoring other women exercising their potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders.

I am excited to announce my first WCR of Lane County event. Please join me at the Mallard Hall June 9^th to hear and ask questions of distinguished Eugene-Springfield Broker/Owners at our Panel. You can rsvp with me at kel@ranstadgroup.com. I also invite you to become a member of this empowered group of Real Estate Professionals. Check out our website at http://lanecountywcr.com. Feel free to contact me to discuss all the resources this membership has to offer!

Eugene and Springfield Oregon Areas

The Eugene-Springfield Oregon area has several different neighborhoods that are small communities within the cities. Most areas are divided by major landmarks such as Highways and Rivers. These areas typically have their own high schools, shopping centers, neighborhoods, and really seem to have their own unique sub-cultures.

Eugene has the South Eugene Hills property with small locally owned shops, South Eugene High School, a Rec Center, and access to many hiking trails and natural parks. West Eugene is home to Church Hill High School and is located near the Lorane-Crow-Veneta Area where you can enjoy our locally owned wineries and Fern Ridge Lake. The River Road-Santa Clara area is home to North Eugene High School and is separated from West Eugene by Hwy 99 and Ferry Street Bridge by the Willamette River. Many enjoy the larger lots in this area and the separation from "main stream" Eugene." Ferry Street Bridge is home to Sheldon High School, as well as the popular private High School Marist High. Ferry Street Bridge is surrounded by the Pape' Beltway, Delta Highway and I-5. Ferry Street Bridge is known for great shopping. It is here you can find the Valley River Mall, Oakway Center, several strip malls, and is just across the highway from the Gateway Mall. It is also home to the University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium and miles and miles of gorgeous bike paths.

Springfield has four distinct areas in their town as well. Springfield Oregon is separated from Eugene by I-5. The Hayden Bridge Area of Springfield lies along the McKenzie River. Hayden Bridge has been a draw to many dense employment companies such as Symantec and the River Bend Hospital. Thurston is surrounded by the Thurston Hills is bordered by the McKenzie River. Located near Dexter Lake and incredible fishing up the McKenzie River Thurston is home to Thurston High School and the upscale Mountain Gate subdivision. Glenwood itself is an area of transition. Located near the University of Oregon, Glenwood is located to the south of Springfield and is one of the few areas approved for future development. Springfield itself is home to Springfield High School and the Gateway mall. When one thinks of "downtown" Springfield this is the area they are referring to.

March Stats: Scary or promising?

The March 2011 MLS Lane County report has been released. When looking at this data we can see that the number of closed sales increased in March when compared to February, as expected. However, when comparing March 2011 with March 2010 data shows a disappointing 17.5% decrease in sales. Even more staggering is that this March pending sales decreased 30.9% and new listings fell 33.8%.

Due to the increase is sales, the inventory has dropped from 12.4 months in January to a more appropriate amount of 8.6 months. With that said over the last year the average home sales price decreased by 9.9% with the median down 14.2%. Those numbers seem gloomy, but there is a bright spot. When comparing this March to the average home sales price of last month we saw the average price increase from $179,400 to $193,500 or 7.9%. The median home price rising from $159,100 to 169,900 (6.8%).

What do these statistical trends mean? Are we in a double dip recession of the real estate market? Maybe we will mark February 2011 of the bottom of this popped bubble. If that is true and the March increase is not a fluke, I have bad news for some of those buyers out there… If you were looking to buy at the bottom you missed it! Because that is what a bottom looks like. Is it really? I have no idea, but I sure hope it is.

Search Eugene Oregon Real Estate Here

In honor of Spring Break - Traveling with my 3 year old!

RMLS Stats for Eugene & Lane County–FEB 2011

February Stats are in and it appears that the sales activity in the Greater Lane County area has decreased compared to February 2010. Closed sales were down 10.1% and pending sales were down a whopping 19.9%. With just a half month of inventory less than 2010, 2011 looks somewhat bleak. However this optimistic girl would like to point out that February was notably better than last month. Closed sales were up an unimpressive 4.6%, but pending sales increased 14.4%. That is what I am talking about! The good news for the sellers out there is that new listings actually decreased 12.1% with the number of new listings at 407 compared to 463 in January.

Hopefully that will give sellers the opportunity to sell those homes that have been just sitting on the market watching foreclosures and short sales exchanging hands. My gut tells me however that these numbers are most likely skewed. Those clever Realtors out there know that if you cancel a listing in December and relist it in January that listing will be assigned a new MLS number, making that listing appear fresh. At first glance, buyers may see this as “tricky”, however those agents are contracted to represent the seller and are looking out for their best interest. That may be good for sellers, but not my stats! As you can see in the graph below, historically new listings end the year as 300ish, but January it bumps to 500ish. I can assure you that it is not because January is a hot selling month.

The following graph displays the closed sales in Lane County over the last Three Years. You can see the 2011 number are a bit flat for this season of the selling cycle. I would expect to see a significant jump next month, but only time will tell.

Lastly, the most telling graph is the average Sales price over the past 10 years. When comparing this February with that of 2010 the average sales price decreased 15.4%, the median down 16.3%. When looking at the data from just last month we can see that the average sales price dropped from $197,800 to $179,400 (-9.3%), while the median price fell from $167,000 to $159,100 (-4.7%). Seasoned buyers know that the best opportunity to buy is in the slow Nov-Feb season. Personally I have seen experienced investors buying up investment properties left and right. When they are no longer able to sit on their hands because the deals are just too good I become confident. The indicators are presenting! Is this the bottom?

Search Eugene Oregon and Lane County Real Estate Here

A Birthday Love Story - By the Ranstads

Kelly - I'm having a hard time with your birthday present.
Bryan - I must say a gift from the heart is getting old... I've gotten so many wonderful cards from you.


Bryan - Remember that letter you wrote me?
Kelly - Letter?
Bryan - You know that letter or maybe it was a poem.
Kelly - When did I give you that poem honey?
Bryan - I don't know... for a birthday or maybe an anniversary.
Kelly - Or maybe the night you proposed...
Bryan - Oh Yeah


Bryan - So what are your ideas for my birthday present?
Kelly - NOTHING - It comes from the heart.

Ahh the love! But don't fret I did get him something... Floor Mats!
Can't accuse that from coming from the heart LOL
Happy Birthday Bryan! Love you ;-D

Recession Recovery?

After attending the 2011 Economic Forecast session hosted by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, I must say that is was refreshing to hear some slightly optimistic economy news. Most of the panelist agreed that The Eugene-Springfield metro area should experience a mild growth in our local community in 2011. In fact our area has already experienced some job growth in 2010. But for those of us expecting a complete turn around and waiting for a “V Shape” recovery… Don’t hold your breath.

The panelists acknowledged that our local economy had roughly 30 years of uncommon, steady growth. The Average Senor Citizen out there today has lived through 5 recessions, while most young managers have experienced one or maybe two. The outcome: Our society is ill equipped to successfully maintain in a tough economic state. We have seen many businesses close their doors, companies merging to stay afloat, and new companies flourishing with innovative, new, financial sound business models.

When it came to real estate, we were all in agreement that the real estate market will probably be the last to recover. However, it is hard to pinpoint the housing market because it is easily influenced by interest rates, loan programs, grants, and incentives. If we experience high interest rates and strict lending practices I feel it is safe to say that we will continue to experience a downward spiral. Currently, we have low interest rates (even though they are gradually increasing) and lending practices have greatly loosened from 2010 standards. With $500 and a 500 credit score low income buyers can now purchase a home. I’m not saying this type of program is wise, but I do acknowledge that the easier it is for people to buy homes in the lower end, the more homeowners are able to sell and purchase a more expensive home, and so on. I am interested to see how this market plays out.

This recession has been a painful eye opener to many. Financial empires have fallen, business as usual is no more, and unemployment is abundant. With that said I like to focus on the greatness this recession will produce. Healthy, financially responsible corporations, recently unemployed individuals that took the opportunity and went back to school or acquired a new trade, relationships that have suffered tremendous stress and are stronger today for it. No one says that this recession has been easy, but I foresee a resilient, strengthened community arising from its ashes.

Search Eugene-Springfield Real Estate

Recession Rebound?

After attending the 2011 Economic Forecast session hosted by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, I must say that is was refreshing to hear some slightly optimistic economy news. Most of the panelist agreed that The Eugene-Springfield metro area should experience a mild growth in our local community in 2011. In fact our area has already experienced some job growth in 2010. But for those of us expecting a complete turn around and waiting for a “V Shape” recovery… Don’t hold your breath.

The panelists acknowledged that our local economy had roughly 30 years of uncommon, steady growth. The Average Senor Citizen out there today has lived through 5 recessions, while most young managers have experienced one or maybe two. The outcome: Our society is ill equipped to successfully maintain in a tough economic state. We have seen many businesses close their doors, companies merging to stay afloat, and new companies flourishing with innovative, new, financial sound business models.

When it came to real estate, we were all in agreement that the real estate market will probably be the last to recover. However, it is hard to pinpoint the housing market because it is easily influenced by interest rates, loan programs, grants, and incentives. If we experience high interest rates and strict lending practices I feel it is safe to say that we will continue to experience a downward spiral. Currently, we have low interest rates (even though they are gradually increasing) and lending practices have greatly loosened from 2010 standards. With $500 and a 500 credit score low income buyers can now purchase a home. I’m not saying this type of program is wise, but I do acknowledge that the easier it is for people to buy homes in the lower end, the more homeowners are able to sell and purchase a more expensive home, and so on. I am interested to see how this market plays out.

This recession has been a painful eye opener to many. Financial empires have fallen, business as usual is no more, and unemployment is abundant. With that said I like to focus on the greatness this recession will produce. Healthy, financially responsible corporations, recently unemployed individuals that took the opportunity and went back to school or acquired a new trade, relationships that have suffered tremendous stress and are stronger today for it. No one says that this recession has been easy, but I foresee a resilient, strengthened community arising from its ashes.

Search Eugene-Springfield Real Estate

Economic Forecast from the National Assoc. of Realtors

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has recently released its economic forecast. NAR acknowledges a 4.8% decrease in sales of existing homes nationally in 2010, but reportedly expects a 7.9% rise in 2011, growing another 4.5% in 2012. After a 12.9% drop in the median sales price in 2009, the Nation did see a slight rise of .3% in 2010. Again the National Association of Realtor (NAR) expects the median home price to rise .5% this year and another 2.4% in 2012.

The sale of new residential homes is expected to rebound faster than those of resold homes. New construction is expected to see a 17.7% increase in sales in 2011 after experiencing a 15.5% drop in 2010. It is anticipated that the sale on newly constructed homes would climb up to 30.9% in 2012. That said the forecast predicts that the new-home median price will climb 1.8% this year after seeing a 2.2% increase in 2010.

NAR reported that the average 30-year-fixed mortgage rate averaged at 4.7 % in 2010, and is expecting them to gradually rise to an average of 5.1% in 2011 and 5.9% in 2012.  The economic Forecast also cited that they expect the U.S. unemployment rate to fall from 9.7% in 2010 to 9.4% in 2011 and 8.7% in 2012. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I hope that this economic forecast is reliable. We are seeing stable real estate markets nationwide and I suspect that Eugene and the rest of Oregon are not too far behind.

Eugene Oregon Real Estate

Just Released: 2010 Eugene Real Estate Stats

The final 2010 RMLS stats are in. When we compare the market activity for 2010 with that of 2009, we can see that close sales were up 1.8%! That is great news given that if we were to compare December 2010 to Dec 2009 closed sales were down 6.1% New listings fell to 19.2% and pending sales decreased to 2.2%. If I led with that one could get a false impression. I’m not sure if it will be true for other offices or not, but at my office, Hybrid Real Estate, we have seen a large uptick of “paper” coming in. That to me says that buyers are writing offers this January. They may not all close, but at least the conversation is being started.

Back to statistics. If you compare the average sales price over the last year we can see that it is down 3.9% for the year (2.1% if looking at the median price). When comparing the average sales price of December 2010 with that of November, we can see that the average sales price grew from $202,900 to $205,800 a 1.4% increase. When looking at our inventory we are up from last year at 8.1 months. With that said we did decrease from 9.2 month of inventory the month prior.

The bid appreciation winners of December 2010 were Mohawk Valley at 23.2%, West Lane County Properties at 4.8% and the Coburg Area at 4.4%. We were down overall this month and these areas do not have a lot of volume exchanging hands right now so these numbers to me are a little misleading. Who was hit the hardest with depreciation? Junction City with a 16.6% depreciation (ouch), Pleasant Hill area down 13.3%, Danebo down 9.8%, and River Road down 7.1%.

My beloved Ferry Street Bridge remains consistent at .2% appreciation. Neighboring Gilham continues to suffer down 8.2%. Springfield is hanging in there down just .7% in December. I expect more of the same in 2011, but only time will tell. Consumer Confidents (in the real estate market anyway) seems to be getting stronger. With that said real estate loans are getting harder to obtain and I expect interest rates to start creeping back up. As I have stated in the past, if you can financially afford to do so “Now is the time to buy!” I hate owning rentals (although I have owned several over the years). If I am looking to invest in some cash flow properties again you better bet that there are some deals out there that are just too good to pass up.

Eugene Oregon Real Estate

20 ways to take your office mobile

Chris Smith, co-founder of real estate tech blog Tech Savvy Agent, has a best friend who is an attorney in Miami and just bought his first home. What did the friend like best about his real estate agent? That he never had to meet her.

Two speakers at Inman News' Real Estate Connect conference today helped attendees sort through the best tools and applications available to help real estate professionals take their business mobile: Smith and Adam Hirsch, a former brokerage director of business affairs and now chief operating officer at technology news site Mashable.

Smith outlined the physical parts of an office that smart phone and tablet applications and other mobile tools can now replicate for free or at a low cost:

Continue Reading Here: 20 ways to take your office mobile Inman News