Sandy J. Brown lives in Jacksonville and is a real estate broker and land use planner with Windermere Van Vleet Jacksonville. She can be reached at sandyjbrown@windermere.com or 831-588-8204. 
BUYING A HOME is a significant investment and the process of purchasing a home is filled with both stress and excitement. Once you enter into escrow on your dream home, it’s easy to focus on the more visible aspects such as the layout, location, and overall aesthetics. […]
LIVING IN THE COUNTRY is a dream for many. If you have not purchased or lived on rural property, there are many unique considerations to be aware of. When buying in a city or town, it is generally easier to determine allowed uses of the property, boundaries, and […]
TREES IN JACKSONVILLE are protected after reaching a certain size; these trees are considered “Resource” trees, defined as any tree with a circumference equal to or greater than 12 inches diameter at breast height. There are also protection standards for multi-stem trees and the topping of any live […]
BUYING A HOME is one of the largest financial transactions most people will undertake. As I explained in last month’s article, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reached a settlement agreement in March which took effect August 17, 2024, and will impact anyone buying or selling a home.
The […]
THE RECENT NAR SETTLEMENT has been a hot topic in the media, triggering discussions about potential changes in the real estate market. Considerable misinformation has been reported, which has created confusion over what will happen in the real estate industry.
In this article, I will go over the two […]
THERE ARE FEW HOMEOWNERS that would be willing to purchase a home without homeowner’s insurance. However, there is a growing number of homeowners in Oregon who are facing higher annual premiums or have had their policies canceled when they came up for renewal, with some insurers no longer […]
SELLER FINANCING can be a useful tool when mortgage loans are difficult to qualify for or when interest rates are high. This alternative type of loan may help sellers move their home faster and get a considerable return. Buyers can benefit with typically less rigid qualifying requirements, sometimes […]
JUST ABOUT ANYONE will tell you that there is not enough housing in Oregon, which drives up the price of everything. Oregon’s Governor Tina Kotek has said addressing that problem is a big priority for her, and now, the Oregon Legislature is delivering.
In January 2023, Governor Kotek issued […]
WHETHER YOU’RE THINKING OF SELLING in the next six months or a few years down the road, remodeling with return on your investment in mind is a smart financial move. Few investments recoup more than 100% of their cost, but collectively, there are several inexpensive home improvements that […]
OREGON’S WORK TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CONCERNS has been in progress for over a decade, starting with the establishment of greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by the legislature in 2007. In the State of Oregon, the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions is from transportation. To help reduce greenhouse […]
By now, everyone knows that the demand for housing has been in a slump as homebuyers wait, hoping the market will become more affordable. Home prices are still near all-time highs, and recently the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate hit a 23-year high. Despite this, there are […]
Buying a new home is exciting, but also one of the biggest investments a person will make. While some costs like property taxes, insurance and maintenance are often considered by many home buyers, there are other costs that should be considered. And it’s important to consider how some […]
As homebuyers adjust to mortgage rates that have climbed to their highest level in more than two decades, it has led to some real transitions in the housing market. Home affordability has emerged as a major issue due to low inventory and increased borrowing costs. Although average home […]
In fall 2022, I was contacted by a property owner whose property had not sold with another agent and he wanted to relist the property in Jacksonville with me. I sell a lot of property in Jacksonville so did not find this request unusual, but thought it was […]
Purchasing a property is one of the biggest purchases most people will ever make, and your real estate agent is essential to making it happen. But it takes a team of professionals who work with your real estate agent, and a good Realtor will have an established team […]
I previously helped clients with the purchase of their first home. As a part of the due diligence process, I went into the planning department to inquire about permits on the property and any long-range plans for the area. I was told that the vacant lots next to […]
After you have entered escrow, you will receive a “preliminary title report” from the title company. Most of you are probably wondering: What is this, and why do I need it? The title report is the title company’s agreement to issue a title insurance policy for the property […]
If you are in the market to buy a home, a home appraisal is likely going to be an important part of the process, especially if you are getting a loan. An appraisal is a process where a licensed real estate appraiser determines what they believe to be […]
Purchasing a home or a piece of land may be one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. Knowing what land uses are allowed (and those that are not) is one of the most important things to do as part of your due diligence prior to purchasing the […]
That’s the question on everyone’s minds lately, as a recent decline in mortgage rates has convinced some buyers to start looking again. But there are a few other factors that may keep buyers out of the market.
Redfin recently stated that mortgage applications are up 28% from early November. […]
If you have looked at the news recently, forecasts for the real estate market suggest that things could be very different in 2023 compared to what we became used to the past several years. The biggest change has to do with the overall pace of the real estate […]
Whether you’ve found the perfect home or are still in the early stages of the home buying process, it’s important for you to know that the down payment will not be your only out-of-pocket cost. Knowing what expenses to expect can help you plan accordingly.
Closing costs are fees […]
Although sales of existing homes in Jackson County only fell 1.8% overall for the year (per the Rogue Valley Association of Realtors), inventory of all homes on the market increased about 60% from this time last year and pending sales for the year have decreased by 5%—so it […]
In last month’s Jacksonville Review, I wrote about Senate Bill 762, which makes extensive changes to Oregon wildfire policy, affecting how the state responds to wildfires and potentially requiring property owners make modifications to their property in order to lower their wildfire risk. The draft Wildfire Risk Maps […]
One of the most important bills passed by the 2021 Oregon legislature was Senate Bill 762, which makes extensive changes to Oregon wildfire policy, affecting how the state responds to wildfires and potentially requiring property owners make modifications to their property to lower their wildfire risk.
Unlike before, where […]
Recent data shows home sales have slowed as higher mortgage rates and still-rising home prices have made purchasing a home no longer attainable for some buyers. All eyes are now on indicators of supply and demand to see whether those conditions will last. Several data points can help […]
Your credit score determines a lot more than the loans you can get and the interest rate you pay. Landlords use credit scores to decide who they will rent to. Insurers use them to set premiums for auto and homeowners’ coverage. Credit scores determine who gets the best […]
U.S. home prices hit an all-time high in 2021, but those price increases are expected to slow in 2022 due to a number of economic factors. One of the biggest factors is how rising interest rates will impact the housing market. This used to be a pretty easy […]
Since 1991, Transportation Planning Rules have set transportation planning requirements for all Oregon cities and counties. It has become clear over the last decade that Oregon’s existing rules are not sufficient to meet Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets.
On March 10, 2020, Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-04, directing […]
Homeowners often want to turn a den, office, or attic into a bedroom. Who doesn’t want the extra space for family or guests, even if it’s small? Defining a legal bedroom may seem simple, but despite clear building codes, the process is not as clear cut as you […]
Although everyone hoped COVID-19 would be a faded memory by now and that the economy would have recovered, this has not been the case, and the pandemic’s influence on the economy is still being felt. Although it is rebounding, COVID continues to impact economic growth and many economists […]
Over the years, the City of Jacksonville’s Development Code was revised multiple times by multiple authors to reflect the changing of the community. However, with so many incremental changes, the Code became complicated and burdensome, and in some cases, contained conflicting or inconsistent requirements. The City started […]
Getting preapproved for a mortgage is an important first step in the process of buying a home, especially in a competitive real estate market like we are currently experiencing. It gives you an idea of how much you can borrow, which helps narrow down your search to houses […]
Purchasing a home and going through the mortgage loan process can seem daunting, especially if you’re a first-time home buyer. A home purchase is one of the biggest investments you will make, so it helps to know what is happening at each stage of the process, so you […]
On June 23, the Governor signed Senate Bill 391 into law. SB 391 allows an owner of a parcel at least two acres in size in an area zoned rural residential to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on that parcel, provided there is already a single-family dwelling […]
Raising chickens in urban areas has become a popular pastime for many families. Some people want to produce eggs or meat to save money, live more sustainably, or simply know where their food comes from; others like to keep “fancy” or special breeds of chickens. Some people have […]
Walking through our sweet town of Jacksonville, there was a cute little cottage that caught my eye. After many months of discussion with the owner, my husband and I decided to take the plunge and start our own business. We purchased that cottage property, and as of writing […]
As real estate inventory has declined and buyer demand increased, multiple offers have become common—we are in a seller’s market. This means there are more buyers than homes available for sale. As a buyer, it can be harder to get your offer accepted, even if you write a […]
If you are currently in the real estate market, you already know it’s a seller’s market with little inventory and a lot of competition for homes. Therefore, when I came across this blog post on the National Association of Realtor (NAR) website by research economist Scholastica Cororaton about […]
If you are in the process of buying a house, you will see there are a variety of factors that make up a home’s level of affordability; it’s not just the purchase price, but also interest rate, taxes, maintenance costs and any other expenses associated with purchasing and […]
Oregon has a long history of land use planning to protect farm and forest lands. Oregon’s economic dependence on agricultural and timber production combined with concerns over loss of these valuable resource lands and the potential for conflicts with incompatible uses led the Legislature to protect agricultural lands […]
Perhaps no state in our country is cited as often as Oregon in urban planning literature for its progressive transportation and land use policies and purported success in containing urban sprawl. One of the most significant parts of this effort is formation of Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs) around […]
Most property owners can understand why they should get a building permit for new construction or maybe even a home addition. But what about smaller remodeling projects? Do you need a permit to reroof your home or build a backyard deck? What if you want to do […]
In 2019, House Bill (HB) 2001 was adopted and gained national attention as the first state in the nation to ban the century-old practice of reserving land for a single type of residential development. HB 2001 requires larger cities with populations over 25,000 such as Medford to allow […]
With all of the fires that have devastated our community recently, fire safety is at the forefront of many property owner’s minds. The increase in population over the last century has pushed much of the growth into what used to be forest and grasslands. This trend has created […]
Jacksonville has become a desirable place for both travelers and residents alike. Part of the appeal is the charming architecture, a well-preserved example of a 19th-century western mining town.
One of the oldest communities in Oregon, Jacksonville began with the discovery of gold in 1851. Miners flocked to the […]
When the coronavirus first brought the country to a standstill, many people believed real estate would come to a halt and prices would drop. However, data released in May from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that home prices increased in the first quarter of 2020 despite […]
Almost 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay-at-home orders ground much of the economy to a halt, prompting trillions in stimulus spending by the federal government in an effort to keep industries afloat.
But anyone hoping a silver lining to the […]
The business of real estate is still being conducted in Oregon, with some adjustments for everyone’s safety. Most work is being conducted from home offices as much as possible—within the provisions of the Governor’s orders and at the discretion of the Realtor and client.
Marketing & Showing Homes—Marketing properties […]
On Real Estate & More – Submitted for the May 2020 issue
It was supposed to be the typical spring boom for real estate. But thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic downturn, what was expected to be a thriving sales season has hit a wall. On the real estate listing site Zillow, there’s already […]