Meet one of our agents, John Reis!!

Professional

With over 10 years of local real estate experience in Marion and Polk counties and throughout the Willamette Valley, I have a track record of results and several satisfied customers whom I now call my friends. I consistently adhere to the highest ethical standards and we have selected Windermere Pacific West Properties as my affiliate because the support team, Principal Brokers and Brokers all share the same commitment to my clients. Please visit my website at www.johnreis.withwre.com to see my current listings!

Community

For the past several years we have been actively raising money with the Cystic-Fibrosis Foundation in their ongoing quest to find a cure to this debilitating and often fatal disease. Each year we help our local Salem Chapter raise thousands of dollars through our participation in the "Walk for a Cure" and "Showdown" Texas Hold'em Tournament. If you have questions about Cystic-Fibrosis, or want to get involved or participate in any of our events, please give us a call. John is active at Salem Alliance Church, where he participates in a bi-annual Financial Peace University.  

Family

My wife and I veterans of the US Coast Guard from which John Retired in 1996. We have been married since 1990 and are the very proud parents of Victoria, Toni, Tabitha, Justin, and John. We make our home in West Salem.

Fun

If it's not fun, then it's not worth it! We enjoy what we do and we do all we can to make if fun, even though buying or selling a home can be trying for our clients and us and the team of experts involved in the entire process, we stress the importance of keeping everything in prospective. Close a deal with a smile and have your clients call you back with a smile on their face. That's fun and that's worth it! In addition to work we take pleasure in spending time with our family and friends. We like the lakes and rivers the ocean and the mountains and streams. Oregon and the Willamette Valley is a fun place to live and work!

Most Recent Milestone

With the help of a sales team at Windermere PWP, Inc lead by John Reis, Gerry Stewart (pictured on the far left with his wife Chris Stewart on the far right), and Jan Day; the residential units at 295 Church St. have recently as of 12/20/2011 been 100% sold or under contract. John is actively looking for his next residential project.

You may contact John with any questions at 503-580-7811 or his email at yoursalemrealtor@comcast.net  Also through our office at 503-391-1350

Important tips for staging your home!

We all know that it's easier to picture yourself living in a home when you have somehting to visualize in it. But staging doesn't always help this vision to grab wings a fly through our imagination. But there are some quick easy steps that are out there, for easy DIY staging!

As I was looking around I stumbled upon this website: stagingdiva.com, and wow does she have some great tips! Here is what she had to say:

1. Consider the curb appeal. Landscaping is nice, but not in everyone's budget. At minimum, lawns should be freshly mowed, leaves raked, or snow shoveled. Consider a hanging or potted plant for the entrance. Sweep the porch, deck and all walk ways and ensure garbage and recycling are tucked neatly away from the front of the house. Scrub your front door, porch, outside railings and steps. This is cheaper than repainting and makes a world of difference. Once the outside entrance is clean, decide if the paint really needs a touch up. 2. Get rid of clutter! Pick one closet or area at a time so the task isn't as daunting. Look at every item with a very critical eye and ask yourself why you're keeping it. Remember that how you live in your home and how you sell your house are two entirely different things. You're going for a "show home" look like the one Debra Gould created here! Forget about hanging onto items for a garage sale. Pick your favorite charity and donate it. You paid for these things long ago, why not just give them away to others who REALLY need them? You'll probably have to edit the same closets a number of times to really whittle them down to the "essentials". If rooms and closets still look cramped, rent a storage locker. A Staging Diva Graduate Home Stager can recommend a location for you. Removing clutter is an important starting point. A home staging professional will also know how to draw attention to the room's best features and create a focal point, as seen here in a home office staged by Debra Gould for her home staging company Six Elements Inc. 3. Turn excess inventory into cash. If you have a collection of items for projects you never got around to, return them. This also applies to the two-year supply of light bulbs, canned goods or paper products sitting in your basement. Without a receipt you won't get cash, but you will have a store credit that you can use once you move. Less clutter and less stuff to pack, move and unpack again! 4. Watch where the eye goes. There are speedy and low cost solutions to many of the little problems that together make a home seem shabbier than it needs to. Walk along each corridor and into every room and check where your eye is drawn (better yet, ask a critical friend or family member). If the eye is drawn to the chipped white paint on the door frame, take some "white out" and fill it in. If it's those old nail holes in the wall, see if you can hang a picture to cover them. Glue any peeling wallpaper. If it's really horrible and you can't afford the time or money to fix it properly, hang pictures and strategically place baskets. You won't cover the problem entirely (which would be wrong anyway), but you will draw your audience's attention away from the problem and onto something more visually pleasing to focus on. 5. Find a fix-it person. Ensure cupboards open and shut and that no taps are dripping. Look in all rooms for things you never got around to fixing and decide which ones might be distracting to potential buyers. No, it's not OK for door handles to fall off, even if you have learned to ignore it! A Staging Diva Professional identifies which problems should be fixed and can recommend someone to do the work.

6. Clean, clean and clean again. Most mortals can't live in a spotless environment all the time. This can be one of the more stressful aspects of having your home on the market— but it's worth the effort to sell your home for top dollar. You can hire a professional service to come in and deep clean everything; then take 20-30 minutes each day to maintain it. Don't neglect hallways. They lead potential buyers through your home and should be bright and clutter free. Remember you're trying to maximize the feeling of space in your home! Project by Six Elements. Appliances should sparkle even if you're not including them with the house. After all, you might throw them in later as a negotiating tool. Counter tops, taps, sinks and bathtubs should be shiny and free of water spots. If you have a pedestal sink, don't forget the dust that collects on top of the plumbing where it attaches to the wall. If the whole sink is spotless and the taps aren't dripping, it will look new! Dust shelves and vacuum or "Swiffer" the floors. Naturally, all beds should be made. At a recent open house for a home listed over $500,000 (and over 60 days on the market), they hadn't even bothered with these two simple steps! It made you wonder what bigger things had been neglected. Remember clean windows let in more light and look newer. Hire a service if you have to— it's worth the investment. Staging Diva Professionals know who to call to get your home in sparkling shape. It's all part of the home staging process. If all this attention to detail seems over the top, remember that a very clean home leaves the impression that the house is well cared for. This helps put buyers at ease— especially a first time buyer who may be worried about the responsibilities of owning a house. 7. Let in some air. Open some windows for at least 10 minutes. There is nothing worse than walking into a stuffy house or one that smells of smoke and pet odors. 8. Let in some light. It might be mood lighting to you, but if you're trying to sell your home, keep it bright! Dimly lit rooms tend to look small and dingy— especially during the day. If you have a particularly dark room, consider investing in a floor lamp that will bounce light off the ceiling. If your walls are so dark that they're sucking up all the light, consider repainting. You can even buy a small can of a lighter shade of your wall color, mix it with glaze and rub it onto the wall. It will reflect light and give the room a more open feeling. This approach saves much of the preparation and clean up involved in repainting. 9. Don't forget fresh flowers. You don't need to spend a fortune to have fresh flowers throughout your home. Even a daisy in a bud vase brightens a bathroom counter. Ask your florist which blooms last a week. You can also use potted flowering plants that are in season for a low-cost solution. Don't use plastic or obviously fake flowers, especially in an expensive home! 10. Carefully consider music. Soft background music can help create a soothing environment and camouflage neighbor and traffic noise. But make sure the volume is very low. Blaring TVs are definitely a no-no, but you'd be surprised how many people leave them on for showings!

Here is a link to her website: http://www.stagingdiva.com/freehomestagingtips.html
Tons of great stuff on there!

Meet the Owner, Pam McColly!

NATIVE OREGONIAN

I have lived in the Salem area all my married life. My childhood was spent in the Silverton area, just 20 miles to the East of Salem. I can comfortably say I know the Willamette Valley very well. I love Real Estate, all the challenges, the education found in knowing the community, helping people find that right home to live and raise their family. Windermere is all about family, working together to make everyones life better.

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

I started my real estate career in 1990 after having owned my own protective clothing business for 15 years. Opening the first startup office in Oregon on July 21, 1997 we have grown steadily. We have full time agents who are well trained and have education available to them either in office or out of the office at no less than semi-weekly. We have a full time receptionist, transaction coordinator, and bookkeeper and our office is open 7 days a week. We also have 3 full time Principal Brokers to assist our brokers.

BENEFITS TO Agents & Clients

Windermere has so many great programs to offer our clients. We specialize in residential, small acreage, manufactured homes, and commercial. We also have the expertise to handle everything from first time home buyers, to investers, HUD homes, short sales and the ever elusive cash buyer. We love real estate and can`t imagine doing anything else. If you love your job, the rest is easy.

DEDICATED TO THE COMMUNITY

As a company we are involved in on-going programs to help the low income and homeless in the Salem area. The Windermere Foundation was set up to help those in need in our community. We set one day aside every June 18th to donate our time for the day to help a cause. We also serve dinners once a month at a local school, donate back packs to first graders, car seats to first time mothers, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners during the holidays and sponse one or more family with gifts for the holidays. A portion of each agents check goes towards these great causes.

Living in a winter wonderland- remember those fix-ups

The cold weather is coming and while looking through some important things to remember for homes in the winter, there was the neat list of things to check on. Read, check it out, do a walk through of your home, because it is always best to catch these fix-ups early, before to much damage is caused and your in a big money hole!

Here is the site:  http://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/Appliances-And-Fixtures/Winter-Home-Repair-Projects.aspx#ixzz1fyraK0Sw

CHECK THESE MONTHLY

Refrigerator: Vacuum the vents; clean coils are more energy efficient. Check the drain pan for excess water.

Furnace and fans: Check and clean or replace the furnace filter; a dirty filter impedes the flow and quality of air. Exhaust fans in the kitchen and bath tend to collect dirt. (Hint: Be sure to turn off the power before cleaning.)

Drains: Why resort to toxic drain chemicals? You need only pour one cup of baking soda in and around each sink drain, then follow with 1/2 cup of white vinegar. A half hour later, chase the mixture with a cup or two of boiling water.

Sinks and tubs: Check kitchen and bath grout and caulking. Discoloration could be hiding damage. When the waterproof seal is broken, structural damage and harmful molds can find a home in the wall.

CHECK THESE SEASONALLY
Plumbing: Water creates costly damage. While you're inspecting plumbing fixtures, also check appliances that have water connections (dishwashers, ice-making refrigerators)..

Clothes dryer: Collected lint in the hose and exhaust area obstructs hot-air flow. Besides creating a fire hazard, lint blocks the hot-air exit, which slows the drying process and wastes energy.

Doors, drawers, hinges: A few drops of oil can improve the longevity of hinges and drawer guides. Avoid products such as WD-40, which is high in toxic chemicals. Vegetable oil works, but it can become rancid. Try mineral oil instead; although it's a petroleum byproduct, it's nontoxic.

Walls, baseboards, corners: Regularly touch-up trim paints to keep your home looking clean and bright, using up older paint you have on hand. For new projects, low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint emits far fewer air-polluting chemicals.

Who and What is Windermere Pacific West Properties, Inc?

Windermere Pacific West Properties, Inc. is you. Agents who have lived in this local community for years. Who shop hear, live here, eat here, and do life in this local community and have a passion for real estate.

Windermere’s community of real estate professionals is the company’s greatest asset. Our community includes experts in all areas of real estate.

While residential real estate is the mainstay of its business, Windermere also has offices and associates who specialize in new construction, commercial real estate, relocation and property management. To further facilitate the home buying process, Windermere has affiliated resources in certain regions to provide mortgage, title and escrow services.

Come in, call us (503)391-1350, and get your questions answered! This blog is available for you to come on to and get to know us, see what interests us, and hopefully see yourselves in us!