Hood River Real Estate Update

These are some favorite gorge pictures I've taken over the years. There is always an endless supply of scenic views in the Columbia River Gorge available for those who enjoy photography. Some of the places I like to take pictures from are Ruthton Park, Rowena Crest, Underwood viewpoints, Stevenson, Rooster Rock State Park and the Mosier Twin Tunnel Trail.

Neglected and dilapidated with peeling paint, broken windows, leaking roofs and plenty of other problems, if houses could talk we might be surprised at their history. Houses can be loved again and gain addtional years of useful life with the right care and handling. Here are some before and after house pictures I took of homes in the Gorge. The first one is the Historic Colby House, a 1905 Victorian located at 1219 Columbia Ave in Hood River. The Second one is located on Montello Ave in Hood River. The third house is located in Stevenson Washington.  All of these homes were in dire need of repairs and are now  leading useful lives again.

Direct from the RMLS-Regional Multiple Listing Service.  Here's what the White Salmon market in Klickitat County reveals January-November 2008.  This includes White Salmon and Snowden areas. Year to date 51 homes have sold with an average sales price of $293,137. Total homes listed during Jan-Nov 2008 was  126.

  Unlisted solds are not included in this report.

Month	Year	Units Listed	Listed Volume	Listed Average	Units Sold	Sold Volume	Sold Average	Average DOM	Average CDOM
Jan	2008	2	2,234,000	1,117,000	5	1,703,000	340,600	167	90
Feb	2008	10	3,160,250	316,025	2	765,000	382,500	138	175
Mar	2008	10	4,671,400	467,140	5	1,108,950	221,790	139	139
Apr	2008	10	2,753,799	275,379	5	1,537,000	307,400	206	273
May	2008	25	14,908,800	596,352	6	2,042,000	340,333	146	154
Jun	2008	18	6,877,130	382,062	4	959,000	239,750	15	26
Jul	2008	18	7,343,300	407,961	9	2,494,550	277,172	186	293
Aug	2008	16	9,093,900	568,368	3	684,000	228,000	41	79
Sep	2008	8	3,700,900	462,612	5	1,098,000	219,600	199	284
Oct	2008	6	2,946,623	491,103	5	1,683,500	336,700	176	190
Nov	2008	3	777,900	259,300	2	875,000	437,500	179	315
Totals:		126	58,468,002	464,032	51	14,950,000	293,137	145	183

EASTSIDE HOOD RIVER is located east of Hwy 35. Turn east just past Tum a Lum Lumber at the China Gorge Restaurant (watch for the big panda bear) and head up through the sharp curves to Eastside Rd. You can also take Whiskey Creek Rd. about a mile further South and East off of Hwy 35.  Steep and winding narrow roads lead to the Eastside area. It is convenient to the Mosier Twin Tunnel Trail for walking or riding bikes. There is a rural country feeling and many of the homes and properties have views of the Columbia River. The Eastside is a rather exclusive area with few homes ever on the market at any given time. With the narrow and steep roads I don't find it as family friendly for young children.  It is not too far from downtown Hood River, but not what one would consider walking distance either.   

WESTSIDE HOOD RIVER

When you're looking for a home or property near Hood River it's good to know the general area. Westside Hood River is located on the west side of town. It is a beautiful area at the furthest I'd say 10 minutes from downtown Hood River. Many people like Westside Hood River because it has a rural country feel, yet is still convenient to town. It is generally level and good bike riding, near the schools, etc. Many homes and properties have mountain views. Some even have double mountain views of both Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. Another thing people like about Westside Hood River is the domestic water is supplied from Ice Fountain Water District.  This is very good drinking water. Many properties also have irrigation rights from Farmers Irrigation. If you like to garden and landscape it's really nice and affordable to have this irrigation water from May till Oct.

In recent years a number of subdevelopments have been built on Hood River's Westside. If you take May St. by the Hood River Middle School and Aquatic Center and head west you pass many newer homes. One development off May St. is Fox Hollow with larger sized homes. Willow Ponds is another nice development with very custom homes.

Conveniently located at 902 Oak St. in Hood River is the Columbia Villa Bed & Breakfast.  This beautiful historic home was built in 1911. The massive stonework columns on the porch give you a glimpse of what to expect inside this luxurious house. There are five guestrooms to choose from as well as enjoying the Great room, Dining room, and Sun room during your stay. A Gourmet breakfast is served every morning made from scratch and using many locally grown organic foods. You will enjoy many wonderful views of the Columbia River, Gorge, and Mt. Adams during your stay at the Columbia Villa.  Wireless internet is available for guests and the Columbia Villa is located just 3 blocks to downtown Hood River for your shopping and dining pleasure.

Disclaimer: I assume no responsibilty for accuracy of information provided within this post and blog. Many entries on this blog are based on the opinions and  ideas of the author and are provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied.  

We have had such a great fall with beautiful colors but now the rain has finally come to the gorge. The trees are starting to lose their colorful leaves. Even though it's been damp and drizzly it can still be pleasant to get outside for a walk around town. Here are some Hood River pics I took on Sunday around town.

Here's the combined sales total of single family homes for the entire Columbia Gorge Region: Hood River & Wasco Counties in Oregon Klickitat & Skamania Counties in Washington.  These are the cities and towns reporting sales.  These sales are only LISTED sales not FSBO's or unlisted sales. There were 52 homes total sold gorge wide in the month of October 2008.

• Stevenson-1
• Cougar-2
• Underwood-1
• Snowden-3
• Trout Lake-1 
• Dallesport-1
• Goldendale-3
• Cascade Locks-1
• Hood River/city-13
• Hood River/westside-4
• Hood River/eastside-1
• Parkdale-3
• The Dalles-14
• Mosier-2
• Dufur-2

Year to date residential sales for each County: Hood River County-174 sales  Wasco County-170  Klickitat County-133 Skamania County-40

Here's a further month by month comparison of each counties residential sales for Jan-Oct 2008 

 Gorge County                            Monthly sales totals

Skamania    Jan-6    Feb-7    March-3    April-4    May-4    June-0   July-3  

                       Aug-2  Sept-2  Oct-4 

Klickitat     Jan-10   Feb-5   March-16  April-12  May-10  June-9  July-14  

                    Aug-15  Sept-21 Oct-8                     

Hood River  Jan-10   Feb-12  March-12   April-15   May-27   June-13  July-19 

                      Aug-17  Sept-18  Oct-22

Wasco         Jan-10   Feb-14  March-14   April-16    May-23   June-18   July-17 

                 Aug-14  Sept-10  Oct-18

Now is a great time to buy your piece of The Gorge.  I hope you find this information helpful.  

Here's how 2008 sales are looking compared to 2007 sales:

 2008 Gorge total sales    Jan-36    Feb-38    March-43     April-47     May-64    June-40   July-53   Aug-48 Sept-51 Oct-52

 2007 Gorge total sales    Jan-40    Feb-48    March-82     April-72     May-73    June-85   July-95   Aug-72 Sept-65  Oct-82

Disclaimer: I assume no responsibilty for accuracy of information provided within this post and blog. Many entries on this blog are based on the opinions and  ideas of the author and are provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied.  

The latest sales data from the RMLS for Klickitat County is in. These sales comps reflect only properties listed on the RMLS.  Unlisted or fsbo properties are not included. The numbers are down from Sept. There were 8 total residential sales and  5 total unimproved sales for Klickitat County for Oct 2008.  Here's the break down.

Snowden- 3 home sales - Listed for $150,000 Sold for $161,000   Listed for $180,000 Sold for $165,000 Listed for $445,000 Sold for $422,500

Trout Lake- 1 home sale- Listed for $129,500,  SOLD for $125,000

Dallesport-1 single family home sale- listed for $239,000  SOLD for $235,000  

Goldendale- 3 single family homes- listed for $99,500 SOLD for $97,500  listed for $234,900 SOLD $215,000  listed for $225,000 SOLD for $225,001 

Unimproved Lots and Land Sold- 5 total sales- 2 Goldendale   1 Lyle  1 Appleton  1 Bickleton

There are 27 current sale pendings in Klickitat County - 16 residential homes and 11 unimproved parcels

Disclaimer: I assume no responsibilty for accuracy of information provided within this post and blog. Many entries on this blog are based on the opinions and  ideas of the author and are provided without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied.