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. 
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 […]
As a real estate agent, I am frequently asked to explain how property taxes are assessed. Oregon’s complex property tax system doesn’t always make it easy to figure out, but the property tax system is one of the most important sources of revenue for Oregon. The following is […]
When people talk about a real estate transaction being “in escrow,” they often assume it is about to close. However, there are several events that normally take place after escrow is opened and before the actual closing of the real estate transaction. This article covers the details of […]
As we head into a new year as well as a new decade, one of the big questions many people have is about the stability of the real estate market. Lucky for me, the company I work for has their own economist that provides quarterly projections as well […]
On Real Estate & More – December 2019/January 2020
Oregon is making a significant change in what type of housing is allowed to be built in the state. House Bill (HB) 2001 was adopted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in June 2019 and gained national attention as Oregon is the first state in the nation to […]
One of the things many people enjoy about living in Jackson County is the rural feel of the area and its open farmland. But as evidenced over the last year, a lot of that farmland is being planted to hemp, which is unmistakable at harvest season, when the […]
Purchasing a home is typically one of the biggest investments in your lifetime and few people have the cash to purchase a home outright. One option that comes up occasionally, and can work well for everyone, is to get a private loan from a friend or family member. […]
Water is a critical part of our way of life. Our economy, environment and our day-to-day lifestyle need water in order to flourish. But it’s a limited resource, and especially this time of year we need to rethink the way we […]
With all the wildfires that have devastated communities throughout the west recently, fire safety is at the forefront of many property owners’ minds. The increase in population over the last century has pushed much of the growth into what used to be forest and grasslands. […]
Many households in rural areas of Oregon obtain their water from a well. The question that always comes up in real estate transactions is how much water does the well produce and how much do you need?
The amount of […]
Oregon has a housing shortage and that shortage has been growing in part because of a lack of housing being constructed combined with an influx of people moving to the state—lured by the state’s job opportunities and its forests, mountains, coastline and quality of life. […]
Trees play an especially important role in enhancing our quality of life. They provide screening from structures, privacy, are an effective sound barrier and can limit noise pollution. Trees improve air quality by acting as natural air filters removing dust, smoke and fumes from the atmosphere by trapping […]
Instead of staying at a hotel, more and more travelers are staying in short-term vacation rentals they find through online rental services like Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO, FlipKey, and many others. By far the main reason most people use short-term rental websites like Airbnb is to save money. It […]
February weather in Southern Oregon doesn’t always seem like spring but this is the time that many people start to think about the real estate market again; spring marks the beginning of the busiest home-selling and buying season. With warmer weather, more daylight, and the motivation to get […]
Jacksonville got its start as a gold rush town; later settlers coming west on wagon trains found the Rogue Valley to be a desirable place to establish land claims and settle down as farmers and ranchers. Jacksonville was at one time the largest town in the Oregon […]
The technology used today for real estate transactions is amazing. The internet provides resources for everything related to real estate—locating properties, viewing, listing, advice on buying and selling, and even pricing calculators, known as an automated valuation model, or AVM.
An AVM is a program that automatically analyzes various […]
Qualifying for a mortgage nowadays isn’t easy. Lenders have strict requirements that weed out applicants with poor credit or too much debt or other extenuating circumstances. But there are other options that could work, depending on the willingness of both the buyer and seller, including a lease option […]
I will be blunt. Before I became a real estate broker, I didn’t think all that highly of the profession. I had been working as a city land use planner and had many occasions where buyers and their agents didn’t do their due diligence until after the property […]
I am sitting in my camper at Lake of the Woods as I write this article, reflecting about life. I usually write about land use or real estate issues, but summer is upon me and I want to talk about this wonderful Rogue Valley we call home. The […]
Making the decision to sell your home is often the easy part. What can be more challenging is getting your home ready to sell, and a big part of that is being prepared for a home inspection. A home inspection is a big factor in getting your sale […]
Selling a home is not for sissies. Between the last-minute showings, scurrying to clean up the pile of toys and stuff more junk into the junk drawer, the stress of negotiations when an offer finally does comes in, and wondering what hidden issues the home inspection may bring, […]
With spring in full swing, you may be thinking about buying a home but are not sure where to start. Here’s a list of the main items that typically occur when purchasing a home.
As a real estate broker, I spend a lot of my time looking at homes and conducting research. One of the things I do most often is preparation of a comparative market analysis (CMA), which is a document that helps determine the selling price range of a home […]
Clients repeatedly ask me about Zillow. For those who aren’t familiar with Zillow, it’s a website offering an opinion of a home’s value called a “Zestimate” and it is prominently displayed on each property’s listing page.
While that information is helpful for buyers and sellers, Zillow’s Zestimate can be […]
February is when many people start to wonder if it’s time to put their house up for sale. It’s not a bad idea to start thinking this way, as spring marks the beginning of the busiest home-selling and home-buying season in most areas. With warmer weather, more daylight, […]
The general school of thought for real estate—and it often proves to be correct—is that listing your home in the spring market will bring the biggest benefit. People are more likely to look for homes when the weather is nice. Weather-wise, it is a nicer time of […]
What happens during the escrow period after a buyer and seller enter a purchase agreement? As the seller, you may think you won’t have to do much during this time except sit back and wait; however, there is considerable work that needs to be done before […]
The approval of Ballot Measure 91 in 2015 to allow the sale and use of recreational marijuana has made some dramatic changes to the landscape of Southern Oregon. The County’s limited farmland, especially properties with irrigation rights, has increased considerably in value and there is a limited inventory […]
According to Wikipedia, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” is an expression that means you shouldn’t presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. Although the phrase is generally understood to be referencing the stereotypically overweight sopranos of the opera, it […]
The world we live in today is a digital one and searching for a home is no exception. Buyers now have apps that let them search by location and neighborhood. Online listings have virtual tours so viewers can look at potential homes while narrowing down their search in […]
Everyone wants to get the highest price possible when selling their home, and many people believe their home is worth more than it actually may be. After all, homeowners have emotions attached to their home and, as a result, often think their home is worth more than prospective […]
Many households in rural areas of Oregon obtain their water from a well. The question that always comes up in real estate transactions is how much water does the well produce and how much do you need?
The amount of water needed will yield various results, though some websites […]
Buying a home involves many steps and the type of financing you choose is one of the most important. Just as homes come in a variety of architectural styles and prices, so do the ways you can finance them. While it’s easy to tell if you prefer a […]