Archive for the ‘Green Homes’ Category
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
One of the most talked about features of the Portland Real Estate market is how close most homes for sale in Portland are to public transportation. Here at the McDonald Group Portland Real Estate blog, we’re often getting inquiries about the future of Portland and Oregon’s transportation system, and we’ve been tracking the growth of ridership and new construction of transit lines, including developments in Portland-area suburban commuter support. In a report out this week, Portland public transit agency TriMet showed increased ridership for 2010 – up more than six percent from 2009. Public transportation in the Portland metropolitan area has grown to over 1.74 million total trips per week. The contributing factors to this growth in rider numbers are varied, including the convenience of Portland’s transit system, desire to decrease carbon footprints, reduce time spent in rush-hour traffic, and save money by cutting down on personal car use.
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Thursday, January 13th, 2011
Portland’s South Waterfront Neighborhood is about to get a bit more pedestrian and bike friendly.Work has started on a new bridge over Interstate 5 that will connect South Portland’s Lair Hill neighborhood to the up-and-coming South Waterfront district. The pedestrian bridge, called the “Gibbs Street Bridge” will run under the popular OHSU Aerial Tram, from the intersection of Southwest Gibbs St. and Kelly Ave. on the east side to the intersection of Southwest Gibbs St. and Moody Ave. on the west. Portland Real Estate is increasingly bike friendly, with many homes for sale in Portland within easy walking or biking distance to neighborhood resources like restaurants, grocery stores, and public services like libraries.
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Posted in Announcements, Green Homes, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, New Construction, Portland Landmarks, South Waterfront, Southwest Hills | No Comments »
Friday, January 7th, 2011
The Metro Council, the government agency that makes land-use decisions for the Portland area, voted today to pass a resolution in support of the statewide ban on plastic bags in retail stores. Similar bag bans have passed in San Francisco and China, but Oregon may be the first state in the US to officially ban plastic bags. Many stores in Portland – including retail giant Fred Meyer (the original Oregon superstore chain that combines a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, clothing store, shoe store, fine jewelers, home decor store, home improvement center, garden center, electronics store, toy store, sporting goods store and more under one roof) – have already eliminated plastic bags from their check-out lanes. Even the farmers’ market, one place you might expect their to be resistance to the bag ban due to the need for plastic bags for bulk veggies, has already replaced the standard veggie bag with compostable, recycled-material bags. Metro councilor Rex Burkholder said in a statement regarding the resolution, “Plastic bags cause tough litter problems in our neighborhoods, significant issues at recycling facilities, and lethal harm to wildlife.”
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Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
Thanks to new regulations that took effect on New Year’s Day, Oregonians can now take advantage of lease offers from contractors to install solar panels and eliminate upfront costs. The Portland branch of SolarCity, a major national solar company providing residential solar panels, announced a lease program today that will allow Portland area homeowners and residents of the entire state of Oregon to install alternative-energy solar panels for low monthly payments. This new lease program allows homeowners to enjoy the energy-bill slashing qualities of solar instantly, rather than waiting for the payoff on the initial investment to kick in after a few years. If you’re buying a home in Portland, renovating a historic home, selling your home and looking for ways to make it competitive in the Portland real estate market, or just looking for ways to update your home and reduce your carbon footprint, this new deal is definitely worth a second look.
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Posted in Green Homes, Home Improvement, Investment Information, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
Everyone loves a home with mature, beautiful trees, but how much value does greenery add to homes for sale? As covered in a recent article published in Nursery Magazine, new research from the Pacific Northwest Research Station determined specific dollar values for neighborhood trees in Portland. This is great news for those of us that treasure the trees and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest, resources that can often be placed second to new construction and development. The main factors considered in determining these dollar values were “environmental and social amenities” including cleaner air, moderated storm runoff, reduction of environmental CO2, elevated property values, reduced heating and cooling costs, and improved human health. Similar studies in New York City determined that the five boroughs’ 600,000 street trees provide a financial benefit of $122 million a year, which totals more than five times the cost of maintaining them, but the Portland housing study is one of the first to look at the value of street trees on the Portland real estate market.
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Posted in Green Homes, Home Improvement, Investment Information, Moving To Portland, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
For most people in Portland, the coldest months mean higher utility bills, but there are steps you can take to prevent your energy and heating costs from skyrocketing this winter. In this age of high-end sustainable renovations, high-profile LEED certifications, and the seemingly never-ending marketing of the next popular Energy Star kitchen or home appliance, it sometimes feels like you need to spend a lot of money in order to cut back on energy use and save money. However, like many things in life, small changes can add up to a big difference, and some of the most important adjustments you can make in your home are downright cheap – leading to big savings this winter.
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Posted in Green Homes, Home Improvement, Moving To Portland, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Believe it or not, many bicyclists in Portland braved the icy roads and snowy bridges today to commute to work across town. Many pride themselves in toughing out the worst winter weather on two wheels, and though that kind of devotion might be seen only amongst the heartiest of bikers, new numbers released by the Portland Bureau of Transportation show that biking numbers have continued to rise through 2010. In the Portland Bicycle Count Report for 2010 (click for PDF) the transportation bureau gives interesting details about the Portland biking community, counting bicycle trips at various locations throughout the city as it has since the early 1990′s. 2010 saw a 12 percent increase of bicycle traffic on bridges and a 7 percent increase in bicycle trips on Portland streets over the past year. Southwest Portland had the highest increase in number of cyclists, with an increase of 19 percent.
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Monday, November 22nd, 2010
We’re not going to lie, Portland can be a rainy city. This time of year, the weather gets serious, but in the true creative spirit of Portland, residents are taking the meteorological lemons and turning them into lemonade. There are many ways to harness the rainwater so common to the Pacific Northwest, saving residents money, resources, and the environment along the way. Rain gardens – garden areas set up to catch rainfall coming off of roofs – are a creative utilization of the Portland weather, easing the burden on the Portland storm-water and sewer systems, and can lead to savings on utility bills. Installing Rain Gardens and other forms of rain water capture leads to discounts in the Storm Water Management portion of your water and sewer bill! Portland was one of the first American cities to attempt to reward and educate residents about storm-water management.
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Posted in Green Homes, New Construction, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010
What’s more Portland than combining biking and sustainability? Last week the Portland City Council took the next step towards realizing the Gateway Green project – a new Portland Parks and Recreation project to create a new bike park and recreation area in east Portland, including an ongoing annual grant of almost $200,000. Located near the intersection of Interstate 205 and Interstate 84, the Gateway Green project will develop land owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The project still depends on the aquisition of private and public shareholders, but the city’s support is an important initial step for the creation of the outer Northeast Portland bike haven.
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Monday, November 8th, 2010
Portland’s neighborhood system is known for its enclaves of walkable retail areas, centered around restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and boutiques, and some of the most successful areas are popular because of the ease of access via public transportation and bike. The Pearl District, Nob Hill, Hollywood, Hawthorne, Clinton, and Belmont districts are all walkable and accessible for all Portland residents, thanks to our amazing transportation systems. One of the most popular modes of transportation for residents and visitors alike is the Portland Streetcar, launched in 2001. In the almost ten years since the opening of the Streetcar lines, ever area serviced by the Streetcar loop has boomed in popularity.
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Posted in Announcements, Green Homes, Neighborhoods & Areas, Pearl District, Real Estate Tips | No Comments »
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
With the season-opener of Halloween in our rear-view mirror, it’s time to push forward to the big players of the Holiday Season. It might be a bit early to start thinking about Christmas trees, but we at the McDonald Group Real Estate blog found out about an amazing company in Portland that has been changing the way the City of Roses thinks about holiday trees for almost two decades, and we needed to share (Besides, we love seeing homes for sale in Portland dressed up for the holidays, and aren’t opposed to an early start to the festivities!). We love the smell of real pine in our homes for the holidays, reflecting the cooler weather and rainy mornings outside, but we understand that the thought of chopping down a tree for a few weeks of decorative enjoyment can make some eco-conscious people a bit nervous. Well, worry no more, you can have your tree and stay green, too! The Original Living Christmas Tree Company has been delivering live Christmas trees to Portland homes for 19 years, and they’ll be offering their signature service within Portland city limits once again.
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Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
One of the best things about the Portland Real Estate Market and homes for sale in Oregon is that, no matter where you are in the Portland metro area, you aren’t living very far from farmland and picturesque countryside. Even new construction of modern town homes and condos have access to mountains, parks, and rural beauty. When we at the McDonald Group Realtors are out on the road researching neighborhoods and suburban communities for clients, we’re always struck by the short distances between bustling downtown communities with all the amenities of big-town living and the pristine beauty of hillsides covered in fall trees and sprawling farmlands with horses and sheep. What’s more, if you don’t get out to the farmlands very often, the farmers come to you – every suburb and Portland neighborhood has access to amazing farmers’ markets and stores that sell local produce. Local restaurants, even local outposts of national chains, use as much local produce, meats, and products as they can. Oregon even has its own fast food chain – Burgerville – that prides itself in using the best that Oregon has to offer, from sustainably raised beef and locally produced cheeses to the best berries, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and onions for seasonal treats. Some of the best restaurants in Portland use almost exclusively local products, changing their menu weekly to accommodate changes in the harvest.
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Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Have you heard about Eco-Districts? They are the newest project supported by a summit at the Portland Sustainability Institute, and could be the next new wave of Portland Real Estate development. Portland is already known for its green urban planning, healthy public transportation system, and urban growth boundaries that preserve green spaces and prevent unchecked urban sprawl, but the next big step in the green city direction could be fully planned eco-districts. These specially zoned regions are expected to take place in urban renewal areas, including the Lents neighborhood, Lloyd District, Gateway, the South Waterfront, and the Portland State University district, and could develop strategies for cutting-edge sustainable new construction and development, including redesigns of existing buildings with green updates and low-carbon public transportation options to renewable power generation and well-supported farmers’ markets. Other projects could be focused on developing natural urban habitats, sustainable water and waste management and community development to launch neighborhood residential and business involvement in the green updates.
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Thursday, October 28th, 2010
One of the most talked about features of the Portland Real Estate market is how close most homes for sale are to public transportation. Here at the McDonald Group Portland Real Estate blog, we’re often getting inquiries about the future of Portland and Oregon’s transportation system, and we’ve been tracking the development in federal and state funding for new construction of transit line and advances in Portland-area suburban commuter support. This week has definitely been an amazing week for the transportation sector, as Oregon has been awarded two separate multi-million dollar grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation for bus, light-rail, and streetcar improvements. In an announcement today, Oregon senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden revealed that Oregon has been awarded $7.5 million to further invest in public transit improvements, which when added to the $9 million grant awarded on Monday for more transit-related projects, totals over sixteen million dollars for enhancing Oregon’s transit systems.
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Posted in Awards, Green Homes, Moving To Portland, New Construction, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips | No Comments »
Monday, October 25th, 2010
Lake County – also called “Oregon’s Outback” – sits in the Southeastern quadrant of Oregon state. A high desert region known for its cattle ranches, timber holdings, and the eponymous lakes, it is one of the largest and least populated areas in the region, and it’s about to get a lot more attention. After last week’s announcement of funding approval, Lake County will add “Major Producer of Oregon’s Solar Power” to its list of notable features. Element Power LLC, a solar contractor based out of Southwest Portland, received a permit from the Lake County Planning Commission for what will be the largest utility solar installation in Oregon in Christmas Valley in Lake County.
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