Cat Houses - for felines, that is

I've written in the past about catios, those enclosed areas giving cats some outside space, safe from predators, cars and the like.

Catios come in many shapes and sizes. many are owner designed and built. Some contractors have gotten in the game, identifying a niche.  A custom catio can be quite expensive.

 An enterprising builder out of Petaluma, California has put together a series of kits and accessories  for catios  These kits are designed to attach to your house, with the cats accessing through a window.  Free standing units are also available.

My friend, client and pet sitter/dog walker extraordinaire, Renee Stilson, just got one for her cats. Lucky cats, they are.  Here are a few pictures of a catio in action.

the kit

work in progress

the finished product

catio access

While I'm sure there are no statistics yet, I'd think, if properly built and situated, a catio could even add value to your home.  Hmm.

 If you are in need of a fabulous pet sitter, Renee, though her company,  Home Sweet Home Pet Sitting provides professional, caring and compassionate pet sitting and dog walking.

 I've got plenty more pictures and resources about catios, and would be glad to answer questions.  leslievjones@gmail.com, 503-312-8038.

Portland Market Stats

The Regional Multiple Listing Service released the numbers for July 2015 last week.  There are a few items to note.

Inventory remains quite low.  At our current rate of sales, it would only take us 1.7 months to sell all the homes currently on the market.  This is for the whole Portland metro area.  In Portland's close-in neighborhoods, inventory continues to be a real challenge.  In the 97214 zip code, there are currently 19 houses on the market, ranging from $389,900 to $825,000, with a median price of $660,000.  And in the 97232 zip code, there are currently 11 houses on the market, ranging from $349,000 to $849,000, at a median price of $669,950.

With short inventory comes shorter market times.  In July, houses that closed had been on the market an average of 45 days, compared to 57 days in 2014. In Portland's east side neighborhoods we are seeing market times of 23 days in North Portland, 25 days in NE Portland and 32 days in SE Portland.  These market times are from the time a listing becomes active in RMLS, until an offer is accepted and the listing status becomes pending.

We're doing a pretty large volume of business. July 2015 had the most closings of any July on record, with 3452 closings, up 28% from July 2014.  Wow.

We're still seeing plenty of buyers entering the market as we head toward fall, and usually see a flurry of activity as the holidays draw near. If you've been thinking of buying or selling, there is still time to get it done before the end of the year.  Get in touch and I'd be glad to outline first steps.  leslievjones@gmail.com  503-312-8038

Read the full Portland report.