PMAR Governmental Affairs Director Jane Leo follows up her August 13th in-person testimony with a letter raising concerns about a "tax-on-a-tax" and what it means to do "business" in the city of Portland.

Letter to the Portland City Council outlining PMAR's objection to the tax proposal

City of Portland's Powerpoint explanation of the tax highlighting "real estate licensees would not be exempt."

Ordinance scheduled to come before the City Council on August 13, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. Document shows proposed changes to the City Code.

PMAR Call to Action e-mail sent August 11th

Now is a perfect time to buy!

Make homeownership a reality!

The following ad announces the debut of PMAR's new homeownership resource website: HOWNW.com.

Housing Remains a Sound Long Term Investment

America’s low-and moderate-income families are facing a crisis—nearly 5.4 million American families have critical housing needs.

Surveys show that many homeowners and homebuyers are not aware of the true value a Realtor provides during the course of a real estate transaction.

The Bureaus of Environmental Services and Development Services are working together to address property issues involving party sewers.

Presented by Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors® at the June 5th PMAR Regional Homeownership Opportunities Summit

MD, JD, PhD....those are all familiar letters to see behind a name on a business card. But, when you look at a Realtor®'s business card, you might be baffled. GRI? ABR? SRES? We're here to help you decode these mystery letters!

So much attention has been focused on national news lately that it can be difficult to understand what is going on in our own backyard. You may hear talk about the national housing market not doing well—but what about our neighborhoods?

When you're a first time homebuyer, it can seem that you're doing little else but writing out checks: for the earnest money deposit, the home inspection, sewer inspection, furniture, movers, curtains, paint, a lawnmower, and a multitude of other costs. And so, it will come as welcome news to first time buyers that relief is in sight, in the form of a $7,500 tax credit on their purchase.

If your long list of home remodeling projects makes your credit card company rub their hands with glee, you may appreciate the following joke from ContractorCity.com: A window salesman phoned a customer. "Hello, Mr. Brown," said the sales rep. "I'm calling because our company replaced all the windows in your house with our triple-glazed weather-tight windows over a year ago, and you still haven't sent us a single payment." The customer replied, "But you said they'd pay for THEMSELVES in 12 months."

When the time comes to buy or sell a home, and you are looking for a Realtor®, Real Estate Insider suspects you won’t have a hard time finding one…or two…or ten! With over 7,500 Realtors® in the Portland metropolitan area, it seems like everyone knows a friend, neighbor or loved one who has made real estate their career. The question is, how do you choose who represents you in one of the most important transactions you’ll ever make?

Lately, it seems like every cause, inanimate object, and hobby has a month to call their own. For example, did you know that June is National Iced Tea Month and National Accordion Awareness Month?

The Irish have an old saying, “There is no fireside like your own fireside.” Of course, if you are a renter, you could adapt that saying to, “There is no fireside like the fireside that you are paying someone else to use.”

There is nothing quite like that first moment when you turn the key in the door, walk into your newly purchased home, and realize that it is all yours. No more noisy apartment neighbors clomping around upstairs. No more paying rent to someone else. You are home—and it is all yours.

Here at Real Estate Insider, we used to wonder why Realtors® replied to our e-mails at 10 o’clock at night…midnight…sometimes even at 2:00 a.m. “Don’t these people ever sleep?” we wondered.

Bad news sells, and sells well. And, at the moment, real estate news seems to be selling very well! However, the true state of the housing market cannot be distilled into a seven-word headline. Like most economic issues, it is complex—and to some extent, a matter of perspective. And, as the old saying goes, real estate is local.

If you’re a homeowner, Real Estate Insider can tell you where 60% of your wealth comes from, without knowing anything about your job, savings, or even your weakness for buying really cute shoes. No, we’re not psychic. We just know that studies show for an average homeowner, 60% of their wealth comes from their home’s equity.