Hood River Real Estate and Columbia Gorge Real Estate

Here’s a sneak peek of Sherman Lofts……..One of the Brokers in the office is a partner in this project, and we will be releasing it on the RMLS here shortly….

Nice View, Eh?

The Smaller units are 1800 square feet, and will be around $580k, while the larger ones are a truly luxurious 2500 sf, and will be over 600….

but get this….That doesn’t include the HUGE garage on the ground floor! The garage is so big you could fit a mezzanine level of storage in it.

The design is clean without being cold, and the views are really really nice. Not too high, not too low. but sweeping and unblockable.

The flow is well thought out, and the properties feel pretty cozy, especially the penthouse units (the larger ones) They have a floor that feels like you are in a bit of a treehouse. The entire floor is your own space, with a master, private deck, walk-in closet, bath and extra “flex space” just on that level…..Very cool.

I’d give this place a real ten. You’ll have to see it to appreciate how all the elements come together…….Bring your checkbook….

December (more specifically, the last ten days of December)is a rough time for me.

Holidays remind me of my mother, and she passed away this year.

I’m a mix of Gratefulness (Mom’s favorite word) and aspiration. A real product of Hawaii in so many ways. Conflicted, is what many people would call it. A foot in both worlds.

Why do I ramble on? Well, I had a couple of business posts on this Blog earlier this year, so I have to true it up before the clock strikes. Standing with feet in multiple worlds does generate one side effect, and that’s the ability to see many shades of gray, hopefully from a vantage point that allows you to see the approaching weather, with something nearby to hunker under…….

The market in Hood River is no longer ominous. People arrive daily, ready to move in, ready to become a part of the community. All the National Real Estate Websites are pointing out that the new model of Real Estate is a “global” model (It’s a poor word, but it’s not mine) They often confuse “global” with Global, but currently they are talking about it meaning an influx of foreigners with money that’s usually worth 2x ours.(global) I call it getting the short end of the Global stick, but hey, buy local.

2008?

Rockin. It’s so full I can’t even approach it. “global” to me means everyone is inbound. They’ve been that way for years, and 2008-2009 (with my usual financial toxic bomb caveat) will be the last time you’ll ever be able to buy in Hood River again. There’s just too much money looking for a safe place.

Call me a Bull or not, but remember I said it early.

About two years ago, Warren Buffet warned against Derivatives by commenting that he thought…(and I’m paraphrasing here) The Derivatives market had become so complex that he didn’t think people trading in it knew exactly what they were buying anymore, and there was a greater than average risk of collapse and fiscal scandal…….

Until last month, I had rarely heard of MBIA and other Bond Insurers….But as we work through the last few days of the fourth quarter, when everyone writes down their losses for 2008…..That “toxic Sludge” everyone’s been talking about may be in the bond insurers court……I’m just guessing here, but a Failure at a place like MBIA would be, at best…..costly.

Hang on to your balance sheets and your FICO Scores (for whatever they are worth, BTW) Although I called it a bottom in Hood River Last week, My caveat might come to fruition……

Values wont drop, but the ability to get credit might just vaporize for a bit…..This will drag on the market here, but there sure is alot of cash sloshing about, and since it can’t go overseas…..well, let’s just say we are seeing alot of it around here.

But my view of the impact will be that some sectors get hit, the one’s where people are exposed and have to sell an asset in a hurry, at a discount. That’s tract housing, and raw land. (the kind where the curbs and gutters are in and it’s been platted)

Ruff. Ruff Ruff…

Maui