I've joined the CIA. Not really.

Like lots of other professionals, Realtors need to keep up with continuing education in order to keep our licenses current.  Recently I spent the best part of a week attending CIAS training with some colleagues.  Nope, nothing to do with CSI (I've never watched that show) or the CIA, CIAS is Certified Investor Agent Specialist.  A mouthful, but really the course had to do with polishing up my skills representing investor clients

Say the word investor, and an image springs to mind of some incredibly wealthy person that is wheeling and dealing, fixing and flipping, all at such a high level of real estate it doesn't even seem like something the average person could do.  I've represented many investor clients and in fact I'm an investor.  All of us have something in common:  we are pretty average folk, we generally buy the property and manage it successfully ourselves, and we hang onto it as a long term investment that will bring us cash flow over time.

Nonetheless, to a first time investor just getting set up it can be daunting.  The course provided lots of resources to assist an investor in determining what's a good investment, and then providing a little help getting set up to manage the investment.  Frankly, right now is as good a time as I've seen to start investing--interest rates low, prices reasonable, and rents are on a sharp rise.  In fact, one article I read put Portland in the top 10 markets for rental increases, great news if you're a landlord.

Some clients of mine recently bought another small apartment building to go with the one they purchased a few years back.  This is a retirement vehicle--by the time they're ready to retire the buildings will be generating an income stream that will be a nice source of revenue to add to their other investments such as 401Ks and IRAs.

If you're wondering about investing in real estate and how it all works, give me a call or shoot me an email.  I can give you the benefit of both my experience and all that fresh education!

Stumped in Stumptown--Distillery Row

Winter in Portland can be long and drippy, so I've resolved to look around for new ways to get out of my house.  On a recent Saturday afternoon we toured Distillery Row with friends.

Portland's inner Eastside is home to several craft distillers, and most are open on a Saturday afternoon for tastings.  Some even offer tours of the distillery.  If you've ever toured a winery, it's similar to that but on a much smaller scale.  No vines, fewer barrels, less high-falutin' talk about the product.  Just booze in varieties, and a surprising account of how simple it seems to make different kinds.  And then tastings in tiny cups.  I have to say that I was nervous about drinking straight spirits, but the tastings are small and it's fun to see how the flavor of the spirit stands out, unlike in a mixed drink.

So, yeah, I had to buy something.  House Spirits, home of delicious Aviation Gin and many other products, produced a quintessential Portland coffee liqueur made from Stumptown coffee.  Mmm, had to have it.  Now that I've got it I'm a little stumped (pardon the pun) as to what to do with it.  If anyone has a killer coffee cocktail recipe, pass it along.  Until then I'll be enjoying it over ice cream.

Solar, Even Cheaper

I recently attended a training session on solarizing homes, and went away more excited than I expected to be.  Over the last couple of years installing solar panels on your home has become more affordable thanks in part to amazing tax credits.  Now it is possibly......almost free?

The guys from Imagine Energy told us that the price of solar panels has dropped dramatically, due to factors including decreased demand in Germany and Japan as well as a glut of much less expensive panels from China flooding the marketplace and causing American and European manufacturers to get their prices low to remain competitive.  Here in the Portland area we have a manufacturer located in Hillsboro, so it's possible to buy locally even in the matter of solar panels.

Imagine Energy has partnered with a California company, SunRun, to provide a 20 year lease on solar panels installed on your home.  The price can vary a bit based on your particular situation, but is somewhere in the neighborhood of $6000, with the caveat that your home needs to have a certain amount of life left in the roof and your electrical system needs to meet some requirements.   You would get the Oregon Residential Tax Credit that is $6000, paid in $1500 increments over 4 years.

How does the lease thing work?  SunRun maintains your system over the life of the lease, and the lease is transferable if you sell your home.  At the end of 20 years, SunRun will either remove the panels or sell them to you, and obviously they'd prefer to sell them to you as they'd rather not have your used panels back.  Imagine Energy says they anticipate the buyout amount would be fairly nominal at the end of the 20 year period.

It's not known exactly how much longer the Oregon Residential Tax Credit for solar is going to last.  If you're interested in installing solar, let me know and I'll get you the contact information for Imagine Energy so you can investigate this amazing deal.