Oregon

Personal property can help a house sell faster.

The Seller of this home is obviously a well-heeled, astute, serious seller. I am in a quandry on what to do if my buyer wants this egg-carton collection. How do I come up with a value for this collection that does not insult the Seller and have him reject our offer, and still be fair for my client? What is the current market value of this collection? I have not seen anything as unique as this on Antiques Road Show and a Google search of "egg-carton appraisers" turned up nothing. I hope this home does not sell before I get this figured out!

To see other things that really help a house sell faster, read Refrigerator Magnets are Toxic.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs and he is also a licensed contractor. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.

With a market that is somewhat driven by what's happening with our neighbors to the South of us in California, we have definitely seen the numbers slowing here in the Rogue Valley. When a percentage of our buyers can't sell their property in California, it slows things down for us here in Jackson County and Josephine County Oregon.

But, guess what? It appears we may be reaching a turning point here. "Yeah, right!" you might be saying, based on all the doom and gloom reporting we are seeing in the news. Here's why I think this:

• Inventory is contracting - Inventory of Homes for sale in Jackson County Oregon, the "hub" of Southern Oregon, has contracted three consecutive months in our year over year numbers posted at www.jacstats.com - by 16% September 1st, by 14% August 1st, and 16% July 1st. Based on the number of "Sold" signs I'm seeing as I drive around town, I'm guessing there will be a further contraction for October 1st.