Hood River Real Estate Update

Here are the sales in Hood River County for the month of April 2008. This information is taken from the RMLS-Regional Multiple Listing Service.  TOTAL HOME SALES APRIL 2008 HOOD RIVER COUNTY-  10 sales

Cascade Locks-  0 Sales

Hood River/City-1 sale Manufactured Home-listed for $205,000 Sold for $210,000 DOM-191 days   5 sales-Single Family Homes- listed-$320,000 Sold-$318,500 DOM 196   Listed-$398,000 Sold-$366,000 DOM-158   Listed-$425,000 Sold-$375,000 DOM-12 days    Listed-$479,000 Sold-$459,000   DOM 285 days  Listed-$535,000 Sold-$399,000 DOM-88 days   1 sale townhouse  Listed-$595,000 Sold-$595,000 DOM-0 days

Hood River/Westside- 2 sales-Single Family Homes- Listed-$1,195,000  Sold-$1,100,000 DOM-665 days  Listed-$474,900  Sold-$450,000  DOM- 12 days

Hood River/Eastside- 0 Sales

Odell- 0 Sales

Parkdale-1 Single  Family Home- Listed-$225,000  Sold-$180,000 DOM-64 days

23 CURRENT SALE PENDINGS IN HOOD RIVER COUNTY- Hood River/City- 1 manufactured home in a park               4 townhomes    3 condos        12 single family homes    Parkdale- 3 single family homes

The Columbia River Gorge is a beautiful area of Oregon and Washington separated by the Mighty Columbia River. There is a vast difference in climate and landscape from West to East in the gorge. The West end of the Gorge starts at Troutdale, east of Portland, OR and Washougal, east of Vancouver, WA. Here the climate is much the same as Portland with about 45" of annual precipitation but by the time you reach Cascade Locks, OR and North Bonneville, WA you will find yourself in a rain forest with 80" annual precipitation, plenty of trees, and lush undergrowth. Another 20 miles east to White Salmon, WA and Hood River, OR and you will find the climate is drier with only 25" of precip per year. Yet another 20 miles east to Dallesport, WA and The Dalles, OR and you have reached the arid high desert of the gorge with dry hills, sage, a few pines and scrub oaks, and only 12" annual rainfall.

I love taking scenic pictures in the gorge and here are some views I've captured over the years. Starting from the west end to the east end.

I took these pictures yesterday around Hood River. It was feeling like spring and a nice morning for a walk through town, past the Veteran's Memorial fountain, Stratton Gardens and up the 2nd St. stairs then back downtown. Mike's Ice Cream-a popular Hood River spot-was looking colorful. I tried to take pictures of historic homes I haven't photographed before.

I have been following the real estate market here in the gorge since 1985 when we bought our first home in Stevenson, WA for $23,000. Granted, it was a true fixer with not even a foundation, but it had potential.  It was perfect for a young, ambitious family and the payments were less than the rent we'd been paying. After 6 years, $15,000 and plenty of sweat equity we sold it for $70,000. The market was still reasonable in the Hood River area. In 1993 we bought another fixer bungalow in the old part of town for $66,000 and the empty buildable lot for $22,000.  We built a new 1700 sq. ft. craftsman style home on the lot which I marketed for $200,000. 

In 1996, there were very few homes in this price range. Only a handful of homes would even bring this price. After marketing for quite a few months and even moving in ourselves we finally sold for $186,000. The Hood River market was in the early growing stages. Every year home prices were going up but in 2000 you could still buy a 1500 sq. ft. new tract home in Pacific Heights for around $150,000. In 2000, The Colby House, a 1905 Victorian on Columbia St. that we had totally rebuilt and listed on the National Historic Registry sold for $300,000. This was the most the market would bring and few homes were selling for over $300,000.   By 2003, the market had become very competitive. There were multiple offer situations and some homes were selling for over the listed price. Prices in the gorge continued rising through 2005 with plentiful home sales. The market started shifting in 2006. Many sellers had seen what similar homes had sold for and kept wanting more but where were the buyers now? The market was slowing down. 

The gorge area is unique in that it consists of 4 counties in 2 states. In each county there are many small towns. The county data is an overall compilation of the entire county. To get a totally accurate picture you would need to compare each individual town year by year. Now in 2008 the market is quite different than it was a few years ago. We have a large inventory of homes for sale. Sellers are having to be more realistic with pricing and consider their competion. In general homes are still holding a reasonable appreciation value in the gorge but may take longer to sell.

Here is a breakdown from data compiled from the RMLS for March 2008 compared to March 2007

2008 Klickitat County Active Listings-170  Average sales price-$167,800  Average DOM- 143

2007 Klickitat County Active Listings-194  Average sales price-$205,300  Average DOM-111

2008 Skamania County  Active Listings-88  Average sales price-$288,300  Average DOM-298

2007 Skamania County Active Listings-88  Average sales price-$353,900  Average DOM-147

2008 Wasco County   Active Listings-220  Average sales price-$142,400  Average DOM-131

2007 Wasco County  Active Listings-211  Average sales price-$227,600  Average DOM-118

2008 Hood River County    Active Listings-246   Average sales price-$285,400  Average DOM-173

2007 Hood River County  Active Listings-168   Average sales price-$328,900  Average DOM-85

This home is located in East Stonegate just west of town in Hood River Oregon. Stonegate is a unique planned unit development with CCR's, architectural guidelines, nature trails, a habitat conservation area, common green spaces & parks, trees and privacy. My husband designed this home specifically for the lot it sits on. We built this home in 2005 with much attention to detail and fine craftsmanship. See gallery with construction photos at: http://amymcallisterrealty.vflyer.com/7/index.html   The covered front porch has mahogany decking and rustic log porch columns. The lower level is ECO-Block (ICF-concrete form) construction and has radiant heating in the floor. There is a 1 bedroom apartment with a full size kitchen, living room, laundry facilities, and both separate outside entrance and interior entrance to the main house so has many use possibilities. There is a total of 3365 sq. ft. with 5 bdrms, 4 full baths, 2 living rooms,and 2 kitchens.  The main floor has CVG (clear vertical grain) fir flooring, raja slate flooring, a custom built fireplace hearth and surround with built in bookcases, master on the main with large bathroom with travertine and pebbletile walk in shower and adjoining sauna.  A balcony off the kitchen and dining rooms is ready for summer entertaining complete with natural gas BBQ hookup. The siding is clear cedar #1 shingles with woven corners and board & batten. The roof is 30 yr architectural comp. An oversized double car garage, plenty of paved parking, located at the end of a quiet culdesac with mature trees and privacy complete the setting. You won't be disappointed when you view this one of a kind home. Owners are a General Contractor and a Real Estate Broker. Priced at about $249 per sq ft. total of $839,000

The Gorge White House was built in 1910. The architectural style is Dutch Colonial Revival which was popular from 1890-1915. Some of the characteristics of this style include the gambrel roof, oval windows with keystones, attic windows, transoms, dentils at the cornice, screened porch, balconies, leaded beveled glass, fluted porch columns, arched window with keystone in the west facaing gable and sidelights framing the doors. The exterior and interior of the house are intact. The inside features quarter sawn white oak columns, coffered ceilings, newel posts, staircase, floors, doors, and windows. The house is located in a rural setting in the Hood River Valley surrounded by orchards. It is listed on the National Historic Registry. The first floor of the Gorge White House is open to the public.

The Pine Grove Methodist Church was built in Pine Grove about 5 miles south of Hood River in 1907.  The church first began in 1879 when three men and their families met to organize a Sunday School.  In 1882 land was donated for a school house which was made of logs and the Sunday School met there for some time. In 1887 land was donated for the present school grounds and a one room structure was built in a grove of pine trees. The name of the school and church was Pine Grove. In 1889 a two room structure was built. The old building was given to the Sunday School. More land was donated on which to move the one room building for church purposes giving the Sunday School its first home.  During the next few years several different denominations were represented served by ministers including Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and the Salvation Army. In 1904 $1,000 was left as an inheritance to help build a Methodist Church. Other contributions from the community helped as well and the church was built and dedicated on April 28, 1907. It was the first church in Hood River Valley.  Today the church can be rented for weddings. It has seating for 150 guests.

The Annual Spring Plant Sale by the OSU Master Gardner Program will be held on May 10 from 9 am -3 pm. It will be held in the Learning Garden at the OSU Extension Office in Hood River at 2990 Experiment Station Road. There will be herbs, flowers, shrubs, vegetables, and perennials available at very reasonable prices. All plants are high quality and ready to add to your garden and yard. Come early for the best selection. There will also be gardening books and used gardening tools for sale and Master Gardeners will be available to answer gardening questions you may have. While shopping at the plant sale be sure to stop by the Learning Garden for new ideas. The demonstration areas include a native plant garden, eco-lawn and bio-swale displays. You can also check out the progress being made on the new Japanese Heritage Garden which will be the first public Japanese Garden in the Gorge.

Here are some sights out and about in The Dalles which is located about 85 miles East of Portland, Oregon in Wasco County in the Columbia River Gorge. The population in the city of The Dalles is about 12,250 with a total of 23,712 population in all of Wasco County. The Dalles, Oregon is known as the end of the Oregon Trail. There are many historic homes and buildings in The Dalles. Wasco County enjoys plenty of sunshine and only gets about 12 inches of precipitation annually. The communities in  Wasco County are The Dalles (county seat), Mosier, Rowena, chenowith, celilo, Dufur, Maupin, Tygh Valley, Wamic, Pine Grove, Pine Hollow, Antelope, Friend, and Shaniko.

There are many wildflowers that bloom in the Columbia River Gorge. Some of the flowers are easy to recognize like balsam root and lupine. The blooming begins in March and as the season warms continues to change. There is a diversity in the flowers that bloom due to the gorge's two distinct climate zones in this 85 mile long area. The region is dry on the eastern side of the mountains and wet and thickly forested on the western side. The two zones meet in the central gorge where you can find the greatest variety and abundance of flowers.  Some wildflowers to look for in the Columbia River Gorge between March and June are: bitter root, glacier lily, indian paintbrush, balsam root, and larkspur.

The following flowers can be seen in this central area usually from March through June.  Two prime viewing sites sith easy hiking trails of 3 miles or less are Catherine Creek in Washington and the Tom McCall Nature Preserve near Rowena Crest in Oregon.

Grass Widow (Sisyrinchium douglasii). These flowers are members of the iris family. They are among the first to bloom in March in the central and eastern Gorge. They have small pink-purple flowers and grow from stems and clasping leaf blades that resemble grass.  They are 6 to 10 inches high.

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon poeticum). Another common name is "poet's shooting star". These flowers have  deep pink flowers with yellow centers. The petals sweep backward to reveal pointed stamens in the yellow center. 

Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum). These lilies have yellow petals that curl back displaying the stamens. The flowers are about 2 inches across on stems 6-12 inches. 

Yellow Bells (Fritillaria pudica). These yellow  bell-shaped members of the lily family grow singly on stems up to ten inches tall. You will see them in open grasslands.

Cluster Lily (Brodiaea howellii). There are several varieties of Brodiaea. They all have similar clusters of white flowers sometimes with purple streaks or sometimes almost completely purple. The flowers cluster at the top of stems which can grow to about a foot or more in height. 

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium). These are similar to Grass Widow with  a darker blue color. They have small six-petal flowers which seem to emerge from the folds of the grass-like stem and leaves.  The stems can reach from 6-12 inches tall.

Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria lanceolata). This lily has an unusual color ranging from chocolate brown to very deep purple with yellow speckles. They grow several on a stem nodding downward.  They favor the open oak woods. 

Blue Camas (Camassia quamash). This member of the lily family was important to the Native Americans who collected the bulbs for food. The delicate six-petal flowers grow several to a stem. Some may be blooming while others above them are still buds. These flowers are blue but a similar white flower, called the "Death Camas," is poisonous. Camas prefer to grow where moisture collects. 

Bitter Root (Lewisia rediviva).  These grow close to the ground in dry rocky areas, pushing their multi-petal pink blooms up between the stones. They grow on hidden stems, but often in the company of others nearby. 

Balsam Root (Balsamorhiza deltoidea and Balsamorhiza sagittata).  These abundant flowers have sunflower-like blooms. They spread across Gorge grasslands and oak woods in April and May. They can grow 1-2 feet in height and are surrounded by a dense base of large arrow-shaped leaves. The sunny flowers are about 3-4 inches across.

Lupine (Lupinus sp.) Blue lupines mix with Balsam Root to cover fields and oak woods. There are several similar species but most grow as one- to two-foot-stocks which bear numerous flowers.

Paintbrush (Castilleja hispida) There are several species of paintbrush which find different niches in the Gorge region. These flowers have a long upper which is actually formed of numerous leaf bracts.  This flower  resembles a bushy paintbrush.  Red is the predominant color with some in shades of yellow and orange.