One of the cities unique landmarks, the Portland Japanese Garden will see a significant expansion. Nestled in the city’s West Hills, the garden has an international reputation that has resulted in year-round crowds, occasionally reducing the quality of its offerings. To improve the visitor experience, an expansion is currently in the planning phase to ensure the excellence of the garden is unmatched, while allowing more space for events such as classes. Read More +
Tanasbourne, Oregon has blossomed into one of the nicer communities in the western Portland metro area, but even thirty years ago that would have been hard to imagine. In the early 1970’s, the seeds to what is now Tanasbourne were planted by the Standard Insurance Company, who developed a large land tract along 185th avenue to build an indoor mall. Original tenants included a library, daycare center and several offices, as well as the occasional retailer, and the mall wasn’t quite the raging success that Standard had hoped. Still Tanasbourne persevered, adding major retailers like Safeway and PayLess Drug (which has since become Rite Aid) to the mall. Read More +
Folks looking for an incredible bargain in a great neighborhood, the above video may just feature your perfect home. The property at 12972 Clement Lane is an absolute beauty, featuring 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, cavernous vaulted ceilings, central air, plenty of natural light, and a wonderfully open yet private backyard and deck. Read More +
As hypothesized here a couple of weeks ago, the iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon Wireless, this having been confirmed by Verizon themselves after months of speculation. The iPhone is of course one of the most popular gadgets for individuals and businesses alike, and it will sell for $200 with a new activation (or scheduled upgrade) from Verizon. The announcement came yesterday and while they haven’t begun shipping the iPhone 4 yet, people who are looking to be kept abreast of updates can sign up here. Read More +
The good news just keeps rolling in for us. We are very pleased to announce that Beth Silva is joining the Summa Real Estate Group, as a part of the Matin Real Estate team. A truly wonderful person to work with, Beth provides a free one-hour consultation with prospective buyers to discuss their needs as well as the current market. No small wonder then that she will act primarily as a buyer representative with Matin and Summa, a position at which she has excelled since moving into real estate from the education field several years back. And … well, she says it best herself. Watch the video!
Whether you’re an environmentalist at heart, a resident of the Lents neighborhood, or someone who just doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty to improve the community, your help could be used Saturday. The Portland Development Commission has organized a tree-planting as part of the long-term urban renewal project in the Lents area. In addition to planting 10 new ash trees, volunteers will remove old diseased trees throughout the day in an attempt to improve the local environment. Anyone who would like to participate should head to the Pilgrim Lutheran Church (4244 SE 91st Ave) at 8:30am on Saturday.
While there are still peaks and valleys in the overall economic picture, today some good news abounds stateside. The US economy added 103,000 jobs in December 2010, dropping the overall unemployment rate to 9.4 percent. While that fell short of some forecasts, it’s still the lowest jobless rate in 19 months. Private employers actually added a net total of 113,000 jobs last month, but that was offset slightly by the government eliminating 10,000. Read More +
It’s a new year, so what better time to start planning ahead. A $2 million federal grant was awarded to Metro, the regional government for the Portland metropolitan area, to study new transportation choices in the area from Portland to Sherwood. The grant, funded by the Federal Transit Administration, will be used to determine how best to improve public transit through the Southwest Corridor, the area along 99W through Tigard, King City and Sherwood, and how to connect the area to Portland, be it via light rail, commuter rail, bus or rapid streetcar. Read More +
Oregonians excited about reducing their carbon footprint (and possibly their electric bill) now have yet another way to do so. Due to new regulations that took effect January 1st, Oregon residents can now put up solar panels on their homes for no money up front and as little as $20/month, a bargain compared to even just a year ago. New legislation allows both the company that sells the panels as well as the person whose home they go on to claim tax credits issued by the state as an encouragement for residents to “go green.” Read More +
Taylor Group Realty is joining the Summa Real Estate Group and, well … we love an excuse to have a drink with our friends. So come join us for cocktails at the The Taylor Group office and meet the newest members of the Summa team. Or if you’re already quite familiar with Taylor Group, you can get to know us Summa folks. Either way we’re very excited and we hope to see you on January 20th. Check the flier for details.
