Finally! The day has arrived! Well, not quite……We are moving over to an awesome new community site called BakerCityLiving.com. Team Rudi is sponsoring the entire site! It will provide free websites for people, businesses, families, etc. in Baker City. They are perfect for blogs and photo galleries. Really easy to use with tutorials every step of the way. Check out some of the sites that are already up. www.BakerCityLiving.com We will be forwarding our domain name within the next 24 to 48 hours. So your links or favorites or RSS should continue to work. If you are interested in getting a free site for your family, business, organization or whatever you do, e-mail info@bakercityliving.com or you can e-mail us at info@teamrudi.com.
Moving to BakerCityLiving.com
June 16, 2008 by Team RudiMajor Upgrade Very Close!
April 10, 2008 by Team RudiWe have been working very diligently over the past couple of months on our new blog. We are going to a self-hosted solution, featuring the WordPress platform. This change will allow us to be much more flexible and allow us to deliver better content in a more dynamic manner. Thank you for your patience in the interim and bear with us while we implement the changes. The domain will remain the same www.bakercityrealestateblog.com and you can also access it at www.bakercityrealestatesales.com
Baker City Real Estate: Weekend Wrap-Up Monday, February 18 2008
February 18, 2008 by Team RudiIf you like foggy, cold days, you would have loved Saturday in Baker City. Even with the fog, there was a lot of activity in the Baker City real estate market. There were several showings by multiple agents, with offers written by some of them. It appears that buyers are starting to take advantage of the lower interest rates and some great opportunities on several nice homes. Sunday was absolutely beautiful and sunny. Hopefully, we’ll see more days like that leading into Spring!
Internet activity has exploded over the last month, which is a good indicator that there are people interested to see what is happening with Baker City real estate. The weather has been harsher this winter than usual, and that may have accounted for a softening over last year at this time. The national media hype over the dismal real estate numbers may also account for some of it also. However, the national hype means little to most markets, including ours. Local real estate markets are driven by their own factors. The northwest has remained strong, even with the national market taking a huge hit. Portland and Seattle are still showing increasing home prices and good sales numbers. For Baker City, we are closely watching Boise and Bend, which have been great sources of relocating buyers over the past couple of years. We are still seeing buyers from those areas, just not as many as both markets are much softer than 12 to 18 months ago. Keep checking back here for updates to this.
We are hoping to release the 2007 annual numbers and the January 2008 monthly numbers this week. We will also be posting regularly now and will be implementing the changes we talked about last week. Stay tuned for more!
Update Coming Soon
February 12, 2008 by Team RudiSo…..what have we been up to lately? We have been working hard on some major projects and redesigns of several things within our business all to help serve you better! We have also been working with a blog specialist to help redesign our blog and bring you even more relavant real estate content. That should be rolled out soon. We promise that we’ll be posting regularly again in the very near future.
In the mean time, let me tell you about our local real estate market. With the unusually harsh winter we’ve been having, it is hard to tell how the market is going to be. There is still activity and plenty of interest in our market. Homes are still selling and we still have low inventory. Interest rates are once again down to a point that it is stimulating buyers to act now. Please do not buy into the national media hype! All real estate is local. Keep checking here for updates on how the market is going. We will again be posting the sold reports and weekend wrap-up on a weekly basis. Thanks for your patience.
2007 World Series and 35th Anniversary of the 1972 Oakland A’s Championship
October 22, 2007 by Team RudiCongratulations to the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies on making the 2007 World Series! Team Rudi leans a little in favor of the American League.
Speaking of the World Series, 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of the Oakland A’s 1972 World Series championship. It was the first of three in a row for the A’s and Team Rudi’s own Joe Rudi. Joe played left field and had a great 1972 season, where he was selected for the All-Star game and won a Gold Glove. He also made a spectacular catch in the ‘72 series that is still talked about today. Here’s an interesting picture of some of the Oakland stars from 1972.
Joe’s the guy on the left with the long hair and sideburns. Thank goodness he cuts his hair these days. And, yes, that is Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter in the front row. The only one missing is Rollie Fingers.
Baker City Real Estate: Weekend Wrap-up - Sunday, October 21, 2007
October 22, 2007 by Team RudiPretty quiet weekend for real estate in Baker City. Bad weather on Friday and Saturday may have kept some buyers inside. But, it is pretty hard to tell if this market is anything but typical for this time of year. Hunting season is usually one of the slowest parts of the selling season, and elk season starts this week. Homes are still selling, deals are getting done, mortgages are funding and escrows are closing. Inventory is still low and prices are holding. As always, you can see what’s on the market by going to www.BakerCityHomeSales.com. We have the entire Multiple Listing Service’s listings at your fingertips. You can even sign-up for our “Property Alert” service and get new listings e-mailed to you when they come on the market.
Baker City Real Estate: Weekend Wrap-up Sunday, October 14 2007
October 15, 2007 by Team RudiFairly quiet weekend for the Baker City real estate market. This is fairly typical for mid-October, even with the decent weather we had. Wow, the changing of the leaves is beautiful this year! If you haven’t experienced fall in the Baker Valley, you need to come take a look.
Inventory is still low and prices are remaining steady. Demand is still relatively high with homes selling within days if they are priced correctly and in good, clean condition. Interest rates are still good and mortgages for those with decent credit are fairly easy to get. Website visits are continuing to be strong, as people are looking for properties in our local market.
This week, the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse. We probably will see a calm week and light traffic from outside of the area, which usually means increased internet traffic.
As always, if you have any questions about the Baker City real estate market, please feel free to comment on our blog, go to our website www.BakerCityHomeSales.com, visit our Chat Room or give us a call at 866-417-5205.
Baker City Real Estate: Market Analysis
October 12, 2007 by Team RudiYou might be wondering what is going on in the Baker City real estate market. With all of the national bad news, is Baker City’s market as bleak as the rest of the U.S.? The answer is a resounding no. Although the local market has slowed from the activity of the summer and early fall, the demand for decent homes at fair market prices is still high. As with this entire year, overpriced listings have not been selling very quickly. The same can be said for homes that need extensive renovations, unless they are priced to attract investors or flippers.
If you are a seller or considering selling at this time, the message is clear. Price your home correctly and make it appealing. The current market is not supporting pricing a home at the top of the range. The entire year has shown that buyers have been patient and are waiting for clean homes at fair prices. You cannot rely on buyers being able to envision your house with new paint, or carpets, or cabinets. If there are cosmetic changes that would make your home more appealing, it might be time to make those changes. Get rid of your clutter and give your home a thorough and extensive cleaning. Rent a storage unit, if you need to.
If you are a buyer or considering buying at this time, there are opportunities in this market. Although inventory is still low, there are many properties that have been on the market for a long period of time. Now may be the time, as we go into the winter, that sellers may be willing to sell at lower prices. With all the negative news in the media, sellers have been hearing about slowing home sales and falling prices. We’re not ready to call this a “Buyers Market” because there are still plenty of properties that are selling quickly and near the top of their respective market price ranges. Keep checking through the late fall and winter, however, as this may actually change.
If you are an investor, this market may be one that you can’t resist. The rental market is still suffering from extremely low inventory and high demand. As the mortgage problems continue and the ability of the average person to get a decent mortgage gets harder and harder, those with rental properties will be in a very good position. Rents have been going up over the year. As we stated above, there are good opportunities in this market.
If you are interested in trying to flip properties in this market, you may have a tough time. The spread between what you can buy a property for, renovate it, and re-sell it is probably not high enough to make it worth while. However, if the new home market softens and we see contractors beginning to compete and turn to remodel jobs, you may be in a good position. The concern is both finding a good deal and the maximum price at which you can re-sell the property. However, again, there are opportunities in this market. There haven’t been an influx of foreclosures, but we may just be in the beginning of that phase. Keep a close eye out for distressed properties in good neighborhoods.
A final thought. If the surrounding “feeder markets”, like Bend and Boise, start heating back up, we will see a quick return to the higher demand for properties in Baker City. As homeowners in those areas cash out and look to relocate to a smaller community with a slower pace of life, they are looking at communities like Baker City. Home prices locally are still at a level that is extremely attractive when compared to our surrounding larger areas in the Northwest and California. Those people who take advantage of the current market and are patient enough to wait for that time to come will be handsomely rewarded.
Keep checking back here for more Baker City real estate market analysis. We will start releasing statistical reports very soon. We’d also like to hear what you would like to see us post. Don’t forget that we have our Chat Room up and running and we are available by instant message when we are logged-in. Go to our website for more information: www.BakerCityHomeSales.com
Baker City Restaurant Review: Paizano’s Pizza
October 8, 2007 by Mike RudiWe’re starting a new feature on our blog. Due to the number of buyers that come in from out of town and ask about restaurants in the area, we’ll be reviewing local restaurants from time to time.
Today’s review is a very special one. A brand-new restaurant is opening Wednesday, October 10th and we were lucky enough to get a “sneak peak” yesterday. Paizano’s Pizza is located at 2940 10th St. in Baker City. Many locals remember it as the old Shogun Video building and even older locals remember it as the Kentucky Fried Chicken. However, you’ll never know either of the businesses were ever there once you walk inside the door.
Owners Stephen and Kina White have done an amazing job in transforming the inside of the establishment. It is a very comfortable space, even at full capacity. Sports enthusiasts - this is the place for you. Three televisions, including one large flat-screen, are hooked up to three separate DirecTv receivers. They even subscribe to DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket, so you can watch your favorite teams playing on Sunday while you enjoy the awesome food and drink (more on that in a minute). Paizano’s will be the place to go after all the local sporting events and kids’ games. The younger crowd that we saw yesterday were all enjoying themselves. The whole family will enjoy the fact that the restaurant is smoke-free.
As cool as the atmosphere is, the food and drink are even better. Paizano’s has an incredible menu and features gourmet pizza, salads, sub sandwiches, appetizers, deserts, and our favorite, STROMBOLI! Truly, it is an amazing menu with something for everyone. For those of you who have never tried or heard of a stromboli, it is a pizza crust rolled out and topped with all the ingredients of a normal pizza, then folded over to a half-moon or crescent-shaped turnover. You then dip it in pizza sauce. We’ve had stromboli before in different parts of the country, and this was the best ever. I am not kidding you, you cannot go wrong by ordering it.
The other thing you have to see to believe at Paizano’s is their pizza. The “giant” size is 23-inches in diameter and almost seems like it would be impossible to cook. But, cook they did and from the reviews of several of the patrons, the pizza is awesome. You can truly tell that there is a lot of pride and care put into the food. We are excited to go back and try the other menu items. By the way, you can click here to see their menu.
We also sampled both flavors of what will become their “famous” sangrias. Both the white and the red were delicious, and both were served with fresh, exotic fruit. Paizano’s also has Coors Light and Mirror Pond Ale on tap. Plenty of non-alcoholic drinks, for the kids or when you feel like a pop instead of a beer.
Paizano’s has a great website, too, with lots of great extras, www.PaizanosPizza.com. We encourage you to check it out.
Overall, we give Paizano’s a score of five out of five stars (we can’t find the right graphics, but we’ll figure it out and fix it as soon as we can). This restaurant will become a neighborhood favorite and a place where you can gather with family and friends to enjoy great food and company.
Happy Birthday, Mike Rudi!
October 5, 2007 by Team Rudi
Happy birthday to Team Rudi’s own Mike Rudi! Yes, Mike’s birthday is only a day after his mom, Sharon Rudi’s. In fact, the story is that Sharon and Joe had plans to go out to a nice dinner for Sharon’s 21st birthday, but Mike had other plans. Sharon spent most of her 21st in the hospital going through labor, but says she didn’t mind a bit.
