Clean indoor air for smoky days

Many of you have reached out asking how to keep the air inside your home clean and safe while we contend with smoke from the wildfires. Multnomah County put together a series of straightforward videos about how to make your furnace function most effectively, how to make a DIY air filter with an affordable box fan, and how to properly select and wear a mask if you need to go outside when there is wildfire smoke in the air. We recommend watching them all. It will only take about 10 minutes and you will feel empowered to take small actions that can make a difference in the air quality in your home.

Stay safe and keep your questions coming. We will do our best to direct you to resources to meet your needs!

How Does The Residential Infill Project Affect Me?

Since the Residential Infill Project (RIP) passed, questions have been bubbling up about which areas of Portland will be impacted by zoning and building requirement changes. We have been in conversation with Tracy Morgan, Project Manager with the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, to learn as much as we can about the proposed updates. He has tasked us with gathering questions from Realtors and property owners to inform educational materials the city is developing about RIP.

If you have specific questions about the impacts of RIP on neighborhoods or building regulations, please send them to us.

In the interim, learn the basics with this RIP Project Summary and use this interactive map to look up your address to see RIP changes in your area.

Stay tuned for more information about the project!

RMLS Market Action Report

August's report shows listings falling and pendings rising compared to July 2020. The general lack of inventory is made dramatically clear on the 3rd page of the report, as you see the red line on Active Listings way below years past...and falling where we typically are rising.

The smoke slowed showings a bit this week, but business continues to function as we grapple with the new reality of wildfires that are stronger than ever. Climate refugees are starting to be a thing, as we see folks moving from places with water concerns. Overall, Portland continues to be a place to go to as opposed to go from.

View the full Market Action report here.

Hold Steady Portland

Unprecedented. Historic. Devastating. These words have come up often in 2020. The wildfires throughout Oregon have significantly harmed many communities and individuals.

AND

People are stepping up and coming together in so many creative ways. Kee's Loaded Kitchen is teaming up with Renata to raise money to feed firefighters. Don't Shoot PDX is collecting critical supplies to support indigenous communities affected by the wildfires. If you have time or food service supplies to donate, check out Feed The Mass on Instagram to see what they need to continue offering free meals to those in need (as they have been doing throughout the pandemic!).

If you are looking for ways to help those impacted by the wildfires, consider supporting the Oregon Food Bank, an incredible resource for our communities year-round, they are working tirelessly to get water, food, and critical supplies to those most in need right now. Travel Oregon has compiled a list of local organizations throughout the state supporting the communities hardest hit by the wildfires. 

We strongly believe that continued support of Black Portlanders through the work of the Black Resilience Fund–providing direct aid to those impacted by any of the ongoing crisis affecting our community–is critically important. 

One thing we are being reminded of in 2020 is the importance of local journalism outlets, like Street Roots, that give voice to those who are rarely heard. To protect the health of their vendors, Street Roots did not print a paper this week. They are fundraising to cover the two week loss of income of their vendors. Please consider supporting them.

Animals provide comfort to many members of our communities–housed and unhoused–providing a sense of connection and emotional support. Organizations are working to support those impacted by the wildfires, and also those experiencing poverty and homelessness. They could use your help.

Let us know about other ways you're seeing people come together in your communities, and please reach out if you're struggling to connect with the resources you need.

Renovations in the age of COVID

Whether you had renovation plans in the works before the pandemic arrived or you've just had plenty of time at home to notice the things that don't work for you, maybe you're considering having some work done on your house. And maybe you're wondering, is that ok?

Everyone's situation is unique, so there isn't one right answer, but we can offer some suggestions about how to think your way through to the answer that's right for you. Here are some questions you might ask yourself regardless of where you are in the process:

Is this project urgent in some way? Does it pose a threat to your safety or the potential, if not fixed, to result in further damage to your house? Is there a creative way to do as much planning and design as possible without workers entering your home?

If workers will need to be inside your home, is it possible that you can go away while they're working? Note that there is some risk with this plan–imagine one of the tradespeople on your project gets sick or has a family member get sick.

If the project needs to happen now, can you devise a set of protocols that you and anyone working inside your home will agree to? (Everyone–workers and family members–wear masks at all times, if anyone in your household or the workers' households contract COVID, the work is automatically paused for a two-week quarantine). This article provides some great tips about interviewing contractors and other

RMLS Market Action Report

I’m starting to sound like a broken record but the market is red hot and in favor of sellers! It makes it pretty clear when you look at the numbers what is happening.

While we have an increase of listings of 6.8% over last year this time, the pending sales are up 21.9%. The activity has raised the median sales price by 4.5% year to date, but I expect that number to rise as these recent sales roll through.

View the full Market Action report here.