This is a series of blog posts about real estate in Salem Oregon written by Melina Tomson of Tomson Burnham, a small boutique real estate brokerage in Salem Oregon.  The blog has articles about local real estate market conditions from Salem, Keizer, Independence, Monmouth, Dallas, Stayton, Aumsville and Silverton.

The blog covers topics from market conditions to happenings inside the real estate industry that might impact consumers to new technologies that are housing-related.  Community information for home buyers looking to relocate to Salem is also housed in our blog as we discuss our local favorites.

Historic homes in the heart of the city

There are old home buyers and new home buyers.  For old home buyers, the Court-Chemeketa Historic District here in Salem Oregon has some gorgeous homes. Located just off the downtown area, Court-Chemeketa is conviently located to coffee shops, grocery store, bistros, and has that “walkability factor” which many people desire. View Court-Chemeketa Historic District in…

Cool off with a gush of water

If you are looking to relocate to Salem Oregon from another state you need to know there is never a lack of things to do here.  Unless of course, you don’t like being outdoors.. When I relocated here about 20 years ago now, one of the first places we visited was Silver Falls State Park. …

School Daze

You are trying to relocate from another state and you are trying to figure out…where are the good schools?  Probably the most common request I get from buyers looking to relocate to Salem Oregon area is: I want to be in a good school district.  With summer coming up, I know many parents are looking…

A recovery on the way?

Thesa Chambers, a central Oregon real estate agent , posted this great link about “Which states will be early risers?” on her Central Oregon Buzz blog. I thought it was a neat little projection about the state economies recovery from the recession. Moody’s Economy did a projection for when each state is expected to see…

The iron grip

Wow…all I can say is wow… There are some folks in the real estate industry that have been trying to change the way real estate is done, bought and sold.  These companies are often called “discounters” because they don’t want to charge people that elusive 5-7% real estate commission.  I have an alternative business model…

The ebay of the MLS?

Brian Brady wrote an interesting post on Bloodhound Blog yesterday about the real estate industry.  I think it is worth bringing to your attention AND I would like to hear what you all think of it. Brian wrote: Prominently display the terms and dates of the rejected offers, verified by participating market professionals, in the…

Should I stay or should I go?

Sometimes you get presented with an opportunity just too good to pass up.  Me…I get presented with those “great opportunities” pretty much daily. Take today, for example… First,  I, formally known as Melina Tomson but now known as “email bearer,” won a cool $2.5M in a lotto I never entered.  I was always taught that…

Down Payment Assistance-sort of…

You may remember I wrote a post about how you could use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment for a Salem Oregon home with a “new plan” that was announced, only to retract it 24 hours later. So…in order to make things “easy”…cough, cough… for first-time homebuyers the government had an announcement about…