SkyBlue Portland Blog - SkyBlue Portland

Portland Home Sales Rebound (2 Year High)

Portland home sales rebound to their highest level in nearly two years. Have we mentioned Elliot Njus lately? Real estate writer for Oregon Live? He does a great job covering the highs and lows of the Portland Metro housing and urban growth market. We read everything he writes. You might want to follow him on Facebook. Here's a summary from his recent article: In May 2019, home sales hit their highest level in nearly two years, according to new numbers from the listing service RMLS. And median sale price soared to a record of $420,000 -- up from $417,900, set last … Continue reading...

Walking Portland Archive

Walking Portland Metro Posts & Maps Archive | SkyBlue Portland

Here you'll find pointers to our growing collection of Portland Metro custom-curated walks, plus turn-by-turn route maps you can follow on your iPhone while exploring the city. How sweet is that? Monthly Meetups PDX Women Who Walk (Blog Post) PDX Women Who Walk Meetup SkyBlue Portland Online Walking Maps Portland Coffee Maps Portland Coffee | Southeast Portland Coffee | Northeast Portland Coffee | Southwest Portland Coffee | Northwest Portland Coffee | North Portland Coffee Roasters Portland Walks (Posts + Maps) NW Portland … Continue reading...

Walking Portland: NW Pearl District to SW Arlington Heights

This 8-mile, quintessentially Portland walk takes us through numerous worlds--from the Pearl District in the city core along the Willamette River through the Northwest District and Goose Hollow, up a stair climb into Washington Park, and then high into the idyllic hilltop neighborhood known as Arlington Heights. On the descent, we stroll through the International Rose Test Garden and have the option to tour the highly touted Japanese Garden to bout. Here's our Walking Map: Green lines indicate the route out, while red lines indicate the route back. Every effort … Continue reading...

Walking Portland: Southeast Parkways

This 7-mile Walking Portland loop includes Laurelhurst, Sewallcrest, Colonel Summers, and Ivon Parks--while traversing Ankeny, Clinton, Lincoln, Salmon, and Taylor street greenways. The large variety of well-loved vintage homes and gardens makes this one of our fave walks in the city. Portland Parkways Portland Sunday Parkways is an innovative city program that promotes active living through a series of free walking events over the summer, opening the city's largest public space--its streets--to walk and bike while fostering civic pride, stimulating economic … Continue reading...

Boomerang Buyers: Don’t Be Afraid to Buy a Home Again!

Let's start with the bad news first. According to CoreLogic, from 2006 to 2014 “there were 7.3 million housing foreclosures and 1.9 million short sales.” The hesitation many Americans feel after experiencing a foreclosure brings to mind the old saying: “Fool me once--shame on you. Fool me twice---shame on me.” According to the 2019 Home Buyer Report from NerdWallet, “Thirteen percent of Americans have lost a home due to a financial event such as foreclosure in the past 10 years. More than 6 in 10 of them (61%) have not bought a home since, and 20% of those who … Continue reading...

Walking Portland: Hosford-Abernethy, Ladd's Addition & SE Clinton Street

This five-mile Walking Portland loop features one of Portland's oldest and increasingly trendiest neighborhoods--Hosford-Abernethy, which includes blast-from-the-past Ladd's Addition and newly fashionable Clinton Street--with top-notch restaurants and one of the best ice cream shops in the city. For info on our monthly Portland walking tours, join us on our Facebook page, Women Who Walk. And sign up for a walk at PDX Women Who Walk Meetup. Click here to get our interactive map. Directions Main Route Start at corner of SE … Continue reading...

Walking Portland: Historic NE Irvington

If it’s spring in Portland and a 5+ mile walk—replete with beautifully maintained historic homes and lovely gardens, five top-notch coffee enclaves, several indie-cool shops, a chocolate atelier, plus one of Portland's most iconic streets (NE Broadway)—is just what your heart desires, head on over to the historic NE Irvington neighborhood. Portland's 100+ Neighborhoods Portland's 100+ distinctive neighborhoods are a walker's paradise. Every neighborhood offers surprising discoveries, varied terrains and views, and unique neighborhood personalities. Irvington is … Continue reading...

Dogs of Portland: Bourbon

It’s Friday morning, and by morning I mean 5:30 A.M. The sun hasn’t yet risen over the western bank of the Willamette River. The Fields Park is shrouded in mist. I grind Italian roast and glance out the window at the park and coffee shop below. There he is, sitting resolutely at the door of Ovation Coffee & Tea, resigned human in tow. Bourbon. A canine fixture in the Pearl District, and the cutest, funniest, quirkiest English Bulldog you may ever meet. He’s waiting for the coffee shop owner to open the door and give him his morning biscuit. And by wait, I … Continue reading...

Buyer Demand Surging as Spring Market Begins

Last fall, according to the "click-bait" headlines, 2019 was going to be a disastrous year for the real estate market. Some went so far as to say that we might experience a housing crash like the one that occurred during the last decade. Fast forward a few months and it's clear that the real estate market is back in a big way. Buyer demand has increased dramatically over the past three months and nationally, both the ShowingTime Showing Index and the National Association of REALTORS Buyer Traffic Index reflect the surge in buyer activity. Why the increase in … Continue reading...

Walking Portland: Hillsdale, Multnomah Village & Gabriel Park

What do you get when you combine two hip southwest Portland neighborhoods, a city park you can get lost in, an indie-cool shopping village, and the best coconut cream pie in the known universe? This heavenly 5-mile walk traversing Portland's southwest Hillsdale and Multnomah neighborhoods, including beautiful Gabriel Park--guaranteed to chase away winter blues or summer doldrums. In other words. this is a walk you'll want to take year-round. But first, let's take a look at the two Portland neighborhoods in question. Here's Multnomah. It includes Gabriel Park, … Continue reading...