Hood River Real Estate Update

The Original Wasco County Courthouse - This wood-frame building in The Dalles, Oregon once was the seat of government for the largest county in the United States.  Wasco County extended all the way to Montana. The old courthouse, constructed in 1858, is one of the oldest courthouses west of the Mississippi River.

Original Courthouse History Forums start Feb. 2, 2008.  All programs begin at 1:30 p.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the 1859 Courthouse located at 410 W. Second Place in The Dalles.  Coffee and cookies will be served.  Below is the schedule of topics.

Feb. 2- Klickitat Bubbling Water: Surprising History of the Mineral Springs- A chance discovery of a soda bottle at a flea market is what started an amazing journey into the history of mineral springs near Klickitat, Washington. A fascinating story will be shared with historic photographs and documents.

Feb. 16-The Celilo Canal and Portage Railroads-Historian Jerry Tanquist follows up programs about the great Southern Railroad and the Deschutes River "railroad war". In this program you will take a look at two early railroads and also the canal that once connected the middle to upper river around the unnavigable Long Narrows and the Great Falls at Celilo.

Feb. 9- Coming to Stay:A Columbia River Journey-Mt. Hood author Mary Schlick will discuss her new memoir and sign books that are brought or purchased. The book is based on nearly 60 years of close association with Native Americans on the Colville, Warm Springs and Yakima reservations. This award-winning author is an advocate of Native arts and artists and adjunct curator at Maryhill Museum. 

Feb.23- On the Air in the Gorge:67 Years of Radio History- with Rodger Nichols, former radio personality, and current news reporter for The Dalles Chronicle.

#1   Hire a REALTOR-  When you are ready to make a home purchase it is a good idea to use the services of a  REALTOR. A good REALTOR can help you locate the home you're looking for quickly and efficiently. Once homes matching your specific criteria are found, the REALTOR will take care of setting up showings coordinating with your schedule, touring the home and determining if the home is competitively priced.

#2     Submitting an offer- When you decide to submit an offer on a home, the buyer's REALTOR  fills out the Purchase and Sale Agreement or Real Estate Agreement. This agreement defines the proposed purchase price, terms, and timing of the closing on behalf of the buyer.  This document also covers which appliances stay with the home. Typically, this will be any built in appliances such as dishwashers, ranges, microwaves, etc. Any other appliances that are to remain with the property such as free standing refrigerators, washer and dryers, etc. should be identified in the listing contract by the seller, as well as any appliances or items that are excluded from the sale. These items are then written into the sales contract that they are included or excluded in the sale.

#3    Negotiating-Once an offer is submitted to the seller there are often still several steps in negotiations before an agreement is met to everyones satisfaction. This usually takes place with the counter offer forms going back and forth between the buyer and seller until either an agreement is made or not. A good real estate agent can provide the homebuyer assistance in evaluating any counteroffers or contingencies that may arise during this process.

#4     Title Report-When the buyer and sellers are in agreement with all the terms of the sale escrow is opened. A Preliminary Title Report will be done on the property which will confirm proof of ownership, and the history of transactions shown in public records affecting the property. The title report will also show whether there are any liens or outstanding claims, judgments against the title. Most often title insurance will be purchased to protect from any outstanding claims.

#5    Escrow-Closing instructions are submitted to the escrow company. The escrow account is a neutral account that is opened by the buyer and seller for the duration of the transaction. The escrow company acts as a neutral third party providing settlement services and title insurance. The buyers earnest money is deposited into the escrow account as evidence of their good faith intention to complete the purchase transaction. Sometimes the earnest money funds are held in a broker's client trust account.  Prior to closing, the escrow agent provides a closing statement to the principals for their review and approval.  This statement shows how the funds will be dispersed.

According to early pioneer accounts, Hood River was originally named "Dog River".  The name of Dog River originated from a story told about an episode on a cattle drive. Apparently a herd of cattle bedded down for the night on the west bank of what would later become known as the Hood River while the cattle hands set up camp on the east side of the river. Heavy rains fell that night and the river rose so high the men could not cross to retrieve the cattle. The rain continued many days and the crew eventually ran out of food. They bought a dog from a nearby Native American encampment and, out of desperation, killed the dog for food. From then on, the area became known as Dog River.

Mary and Nathaniel Coe were Hood River's first permanent Euro-American settlers. They claimed 319.92 acres in 1854. The Coe's went to work planting apple seeds for nursery stock and a large vegetable garden. Within five years, the Coe's home served as the community center, Courthouse, church, and funeral parlor. By 1858 the Coe's sold apricots, meat, melon, peaches and vegetables in The Dalles market. At this time Mary Coe renamed the community Hood Vale, then Hood River, a more fitting name for the beautiful surrounding countryside. A post office was established in 1858.

Hood River developed slowly until 1882 when the railroad was completed along the south side of the Columbia River.  The railroad connected the small river settlement with other towns across the nation.  The town of Hood River was platted in 1881 as a result of the railroad depot.  The railroad ushered in a new period of growth with the town's population more than tripling from 201 people in 1890 to 622 people in 1900.

As the fertile land of the Hood River Valley was developed after the turn of the century, the population continued to increase. The completion of the Mt. Hood Railroad from Hood River up the valley to Parkdale in 1910 further improved the transportation links in the region and brought more business into Hood River. Hood River became the economic center of the Hood River Valley.

The buildings in downtown Hood River reflect the influx of wealth that occurred in the first decades of the 20th century as the tourism, fruit, and timber industries developed.  The original town of Hood River, a four block area was platted in 1881.  Additions platted from 1888-1900 are characterized by residential buildings which date from the turn of the century to the 1940's. The majority of these residential buildings reflect either the Vernacular style or the Bungalow style. The largest building activity occurred from 1901-1913 (the end of the Progressive Era). Between 1901 and 1914, half of the commercial buildings in downtown Hood River were erected.  Early residential development was beginning also.  After the turn of the century Hood River experienced a boom in population; many additions were made to the original plat of the town at this time.

                 The Honorable Andrew A.Jayne

The following information is taken from the nomination to the National Historic Registry for the Ernest S. & Clara C. Colby House.

The Historic Colby House at 1219 Columbia Ave. in Hood River was constructed in 1905. The house is one of the earlier houses built in the city in the Riverview Park Addition. The house was built as one of the first during the building boom period of Hood River's development from 1905-1915.  The Hood River Development Company which formed in 1904 was one of the early promoters of residential development. Andrew A. Jayne was the Secretary of this development company. Andrew A. Jayne was a prominent citizen, three term Circuit Judge, attorney, and the State Legislator who submitted the bill in 1908 which created Hood River County, breaking it out of Wasco County.  Previously, Wasco County covered this area all the way to Multnomah County. The Honorable Andrew A. Jayne lived in Hood River from 1900-1912, and lived in the Colby House from 1910-1912.  The Historic Colby House was named after Ernest S. & Clara C. Colby who owned the home for the longest period of time and reportedly converted the single family residence into a duplex in the 1930's. Ernest was an electrician and manager of Apple City Electric at the time.  

Here's the latest sales data for Skamania County from the RMLS.

Skamania- 0 sales        Sale Pending- 1 home

North Bonneville- 0 sales       Sale Pending- 3 homes                                    

Stevenson-3 sales  $200,000, $255,000 & $293,600   Sale Pending-5 homes

Carson- 3 Sales  $147,897, $289,000, & $363,000     Sale Pending- 1 home

Home Valley- 0 sales   Sale Pending- 0 homes

Cook/Underwood/Mill A/Willard - 0 sales    Sale Pending- 0 homes

Total homes Sold Dec 2007 Skamania County- 6 homes   Total currently Sale Pending- 10 homes

The Bonneville Dam is Located in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. The Bonneville Dam was the first of the major dams to be built on the Columbia River. It was one of the northwest's largest Depression-era New Deal projects, built to harness the river for hydroelectric generation and to improve navigation.

Construction of the dam began in 1933, and water began to rise in 1937. In a short time, the impoundment drowned the historic Cascade rapids that had been a treacherous obstacle for Native Americans for generations and for European-American explorers and travelers since the arrival of Lewis and Clark. The dam which is  2,690 feet long and 197 feet high, is about two miles downstream from the Bridge of the Gods located in Cascade Locks, Oregon.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains Bonneville Lock and Dam for hydropower production, fish and wildlife protection, recreation and navigation. There are visitor centers with interpretive programs and tours on both the Oregon and Washington sides.

Since 1938, Bonneville Dam has supplied the region with inexpensive electrical power. Visitors can experience first-hand the operation of two hydroelectric powerhouses and watch migrating fish traveling upstream at the underwater viewing rooms next to the fish ladders. This area is along the Lewis and Clark route.

Here's the latest sales data for homes sold Dec. 2007 in Klickitat County from the RMLS.

Total home sales Klickitat County- Dec 2007- 9 homes sold

White Salmon/Bingen- 3 single family homes sold

Snowden- 0 homes sold

Troutlake/Glenwood- 1 home sold

Husum/BZ Corner- 1 home sold

Lyle- 1 home sold

Dallesport/Murdock-1 home sold

Appleton/Timber Valley- 0 homes sold

Centerville/High Prairie- 1 home sold

Goldendale- 1 home sold

Bickleton/East County- 0 homes sold

Klickitat- 0 homes sold

Currently Sale pending Klickitat County- 12 total homes

White Salmon/Bingen- 4 homes

Snowden- 2 homes

Trout Lake- 2 homes

Lyle- 1 home

Goldendale- 3 homes

Here's the latest sales data for Dec. 2007 from the RMLS.

Cascade Locks- 2 single family homes sold  $165,000 & 264,900

Hood River/City- 4 single family homes sold -  $254,900, $264,900, $309,900, $329,000  

                         1 townhome- $545,000

Hood River/Westside- 2 single family homes sold - $403,000 & $775,000

Hood River/Eastside- 0 sales

Odell- 0 sales

Parkdale- 0 sales

Total sales for December- 9 homes sold

Currently Sale Pending- 15 homes

Cascade Locks- 2 homes

Hood River/City- 6 homes

Hood River/Westside- 4 homes

Odell- 1 home

Parkdale- 2 homes