"Jen was an absolute dream to work with! She's extremely personable, honest, patient, local and passionate. My fiance and I were first-time home buyers with infinite questions and concerns (most of which were probably outside her wheelhouse), and Jen fielded them all like a pro and in record time. Her knowledge and expertise on the home-buying process, the financial piece, and structural acumen of properties were quite impressive and I can't imagine anyone making the experience any more enjoyable and comforting. We've already recommended her to a handful of friends in the area looking to buy a home and will continue to do so! Thanks for everything, Jen!"
Check out the Design Portland Event Calendar. It’s your “year-round source for what’s happening in our city’s design community, across a range of formats, design practices, and event types.”
In this episode of the REconomy podcast from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi explain why today’s housing market is unlike the housing market that preceded the Great Recession and why we’re unlikely to see a housing market crash anytime soon.
“The housing sector entered this recession under built, not over built, like last time in 2009, while housing demand has outstripped supply. In fact, in 2019, the last full year in which we had comprehensive data, over 1.3 million new households were formed, while only 923,000 new housing units were produced. That's a shortage of almost half a million housing units. Prior to 2009, the opposite was true, housing supply was significantly outpacing demand. The supply and demand imbalance is one of the other reasons for the rapid house price appreciation today.” – Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American
CLICK HERE to hear this episode of the REconomy Podcast!
It's a new year and I'm with an amazing new company, Neighbor's Realty, where "We aim to be good corporate citizens by sharing profits with local and national organizations that reflect the values of housing equality, racial and social justice, and protecting our environment.”
This is a fascinating resource! Historical Redlining laws created racially segregated neighborhoods and locked many communities out of the ability to purchase a home. Today, you can see how those laws are still impacting neighborhoods and continuing to benefit some while harming others.
There is no better archive of redlining than the HOLC (Home Owners' Loan Corporation) maps and the accompanying area descriptions. This site juxtaposes these maps from the 1930s with contemporary health disparities. In most cities, you will see striking similarities between redlining eighty years ago and health disparities today. This is a testament to the long-lasting impact of racial segregation and redlining in shaping the enduring contours of marked inequality in American cities.
Here’s a fascinating look at how immigration policy shapes our economy by the NCRC ( National Community Reinvestment Coalition)
The United States has more immigrants than any country in the world. In 2018, approximately 44.7 million immigrants lived in the United States, accounting for 13.7% of the country’s population. Although immigration has always played a key role in the history and the making of the United States, from the colonial era to the California gold rush and Ellis island, the United States recently saw immigration slow down during the Great Recession. In 2008, the Census Bureau released data from its American Community Survey that reported immigrant numbers were leveling off after years of steady climbing. Today, in light of the coronavirus and the current administration, immigration to the U.S. is becoming more heavily restricted.
Join the Architectural Heritage Society for Part 1 of this 4 part series:
“Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you? Or maybe even who built it? What was your neighborhood like when your house was first built? How has it changed? Researching the history of your house can answer many of the questions you might have.
Please join us for this Zoom webinar as AHC Education Manager Val Ballestrem takes us through some of the steps necessary to uncover the history of your vintage house (as well as most any other building in the Portland area). Using the latest online sources, local archives, and libraries, you'll learn that the process is not so mysterious when you know what steps to follow and where to look.”
