Second Edition Resale: Tips on how to donate

Every day Second Edition Resale benefits from the love of this community as you share your surplus household goods with us. By selling them, we turn those items into cash for both the Cedar Mill and Bethany Community Libraries. Since we are very small, we have to curate our shop diligently, always adhering to our goals of “Quality, Condition, Value.” What and how you donate can really help us better reach those goals. Here are a few tips to remember, as you work to fulfill that New Year’s decluttering resolution! For our full list of donation do’s and don’ts please visit the library website. Here are some of the guidelines:

Condition of items:

Please make sure all clothing and textiles are clean and in great condition: no rips, tears, stains, pet hair, mold, or mildew. We have no way to launder or do repairs.

Please make sure all electrical items are clean, complete and in good working order. We have no ability to do any kind of repairs.

Please make sure all housewares donations are clean, and free from chips, cracks, and damage.

Please make sure all shoes are in great condition and completely clean.

Dropping off items:

Please pack all your donations carefully in bags and boxes that you can leave with us. Items dumped loose into the donation bins can get damaged, wrinkled, dirty and separated from their mates (shoes, glassware, salt shakers, etc.).

What we don’t accept:

Please remember the items we are unable to take: any baby equipment, any sports helmets or cleated shoes, furniture, building or automotive supplies, etc. Discarding these items with us takes our time and resources we can ill-afford.

When to donate:

Please make sure that you only donate when we are set up to accept donations: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10-4 each day, when the donation bin is out on the sidewalk. No donations are accepted on Sundays or Mondays. “Just dropping off” items at any other time is very hard on our volunteers as we try to keep donation flow manageable and consistent.

Please make sure you are really ready to make that donation. We are unable to find and return second-thought items when we handle literally thousands of items a day.

Please understand that we do a lot with very limited resources: we have very little space, limited staff and volunteer time and a huge donation volume. Please do not ask for exceptions to the guidelines above “just this once”. We are required by library rules to treat everyone the same, so the exception made for you must be the exception for everyone, and we do not begin to have the resources for that. We have set up our donation structure to optimize your convenience while managing our ability to process the donations properly.

Thank you all so much for your help in making Second Edition such a success for everyone: donors, shoppers, volunteers and staff, the libraries, and the community. We feel your love every day, and if you can help by following the guidelines, we will feel it even more!

CMBA January meeting

Tuesday, January 9, noon, The Ackerly at Timberland, 11795 NW Cedar Falls Drive

Please join us for the Cedar Mill Business Association’s monthly networking meeting! Lunch will be provided. Learn more on the Cedar Mill Business Association website. 

CHKP Parent Information Night

Wednesday, January 24, 7-9 pm, virtual, free. Reserve your spot through this sign up form.

Attend our virtual Cedar Hills Kindergarten & Preschool Parent Information Night to learn about joining our co-op preschool and kindergarten. Meet our incredible teachers and talk with CHKP parents about what makes our school so special. Bring your questions—we have answers!

All new families interested in enrolling their child for the 2024-2025 school year are strongly encouraged to attend. Registration will be available for all attendees immediately following the meeting.

Orangetheory Fitness January Promotion & Transformation Challenge

January 1-31, an exclusive promotional offer for new members, and starting January 22, an eight week transformation challenge program. 11800 Cedar Fall Drive, Suite 108.

The promotion offers new members a first month of unlimited membership for just $24. And we are thrilled to announce the return of The Transformation Challenge. The Challenge is an eight-week journey, committing to three workouts per week and choosing personalized fitness goals including fat loss, muscle gain, with a variety of additional mental and physical options. The studio’s body composition technology will track participants’ progress and reveal the inspiring transformation at the conclusion of the eight-week program. For more information, please call 503-427-1915.

Anthology construction updates

Tuesday and Wednesday, January 30 and 31, 11-5, 910 NW 185th Ave.

Come celebrate the new year, enjoy light refreshments, and get construction updates about our opening in April 2024. As Anthology of Beaverton progresses and nears completion, now is the time to take advantage of Charter Club savings and be first in line to select a spectacular apartment.

Wildwood Cedar Mill Trivia

Mondays, January 8 and 22, 7 pm, 12545 NW Cornell Rd.

Join us for Trivia fun with Brooke and Andrew. Follow our Instagram (@wildwoodtap_cedarmill) to get hints on what categories will be ahead of time! Check in any time after 6 pm.

Sunset Credit Union offers effective ways to build your credit score

Pay your accounts on time

Paying accounts late only hurts your score—and paying late regularly can send your credit score plummeting in a hurry.

Review your credit reports and scores

It’s important to make a habit of checking your credit reports and scores to ensure nothing is on there that shouldn’t be on there. Keep an eye out for inaccuracies and signs of identity theft and fraud. Also, check to see if you have any unpaid balances or accounts that have gone into collections.

Pay down revolving credit balances

One move that can improve your credit score is to pay more than your minimum payment each month on revolving credit accounts, such as credit cards.

Maintain a low credit utilization ratio

Along the same lines as paying down your revolving credit debt, you can also build your credit score by keeping your credit utilization rate at or below 30% of your credit limit.

Raise your credit limit

Raising your credit limit improves your credit utilization ratio as well. Ask for an increase on your current credit cards or open a new card. Just be aware that when you apply for a new card, the issuer or lender will have to pull your credit report.

Keep old accounts open

Keeping the accounts open will help maintain the age of your credit history. While closed accounts can remain on your credit reports for up to 10 years, they don’t carry as much weight as positive open accounts when it comes to your credit score. That’s because lenders are more interested in how you’re handling current lines of credit than they are in your past activities.

Sunset Credit Union is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Washington County. To learn more, stop by the office at 1100 NW Murray Blvd, visit the Sunset Credit Union website or call 503-643-1335.

Maximize Your Home’s Equity: Strategies for Homeowners

Thursday, January 18, 6-7 pm, Wildwood Taphouse, 12545 NW Cornell Rd Suite 101, free

A lot of education goes to first time homebuyers, but what about first time home sellers? And home sellers in general? We know there are many homeowners who have significant equity in their home but may be unsure about how to take advantage of it or what their options may be. This workshop gives real examples of homeowners using their equity to help pay down debts and/or buying their next home even in a rising interest rate environment. Whether you’re just starting to contemplate a home sale and purchase or have a vague interest in understanding your options, this class equips you with valuable information to begin your exploration.

Please join us for pizza, drinks, and a casual chat. Register to reserve a spot. All attendees will receive a one-year home warranty and a $500 closing cost credit when they work with us.

Hosted by: Megan Jumago-Simpson (503-389-3177), Oregon Principal Broker & Washington Managing Broker, Sonder Northwest, Keller Williams Realty Professionals, and Bethany Brady (512-508-9538), Loan Officer, Academy Mortgage, NMLS#117973

Cedar Mill real estate market: 2024 predictions

By Jan Dempsey, Realtor, Windermere Realty Group.

Homebuyers and sellers proceeded with caution in Portland’s real estate market this year. With mortgage interest rates averaging close to 7% over the past year, many sellers decided not to put their homes on the market for fear of losing the lower rates on their current mortgage. Interest rates had a chilling effect on buyers, too, who opted to wait until borrowing costs drop.

The current housing market is a far cry from a year or two ago. Homes are staying on the market longer and there are more active listings. According to the real estate listing service RMLS, the Portland market also saw its highest inventory in nearly five years—if sales continued at the current pace, it would take 3.5 months to sell all available homes. The last time inventory was above three months was in January 2019. But despite the slight increase in availability, home prices have stayed roughly the same—the median sale price is about $533,000, just a 3% dip from last year. And new listings are overall lower than the past two years.

Portland-area real estate agents said much of the challenge for sellers is accepting that activity has slowed considerably in a very short period of time. This is not 2022 where you’ll get 15 offers and don’t have to do repairs. Sometimes it’s hard to get sellers over the hump and realize it’s a different market. It’s also important for sellers to have their homes market-ready and priced correctly from the jump. When you have inventory where the buyer can compare your home to 15 other homes in the immediate area, you don’t have the ability to say, ‘I’ll fix that later, let’s just get it on the market’. You have to be show ready Day 1.

For a Seller, selling his home meant adjusting his expectations in more ways than one. The Seller listed his four-bedroom Forest Park home last October, looking to downsize. He accepted an offer on the home within a couple of weeks, but the buyer’s financing fell through. Financing problems derailed three more offers before he finally sold the home this month. The Seller said in addition to reducing the price of the home—he eventually dropped it from over $1.15 million to $999,000—he briefly took the home off the market to make some improvements. Most buyers, he said, didn’t want to purchase a home that wasn’t fully updated. “I would have thought we were better off selling a blank slate,” he said, noting that he hesitated to replace carpet or lighting fixtures in case the buyer wanted something different. “But nobody wanted to take anything on,” the Seller said.

Buyers that are in negotiation are now including closing costs and extensive repairs—something that wouldn’t have happened a few years ago. Higher interest rates have made buyers more wary. They want the house move-in ready. They are paying so much per month that they need to feel like the home is solid. Some sellers are getting creative to attract buyers. They’re offering a “2-1 rate buydown,” where sellers pay a fee to bring down the buyer’s interest rates by two points the first year and one point the second year. By the third year, the buyer will pay the full interest rate.

We are just beginning to see a dip in interest rates for 2024, which is predicted to turn the market once again in the seller’s favor. As the rates drop in the new year, we’ll see those buyers who have been on the sidelines flooding the market again.

If you have real estate questions, it would be my pleasure to answer them. I have 39 years of real estate experience. I would love to learn your plans to help guide you through this complicated process. Don’t hesitate to call me at 503-706-6358, or email jdempsey@windermere.com.

Home Buyer Seminar

Saturday, February 17, 9:30-11:30 am, Symposium Coffee, 12345 SW Main St, Tigard, free. RSVP by calling/texting Marie Conser at 503-459-2726

The housing market keeps moving and, with interest rates trending downward, the activity is already picking up! If you have thoughts of buying a home in 2024, whether it is your first home or not, please join my seminar. We will discuss the current market conditions, financing options, offer terms that win, and the overall home buying process. I will be joined by local Sr Mortgage Advisor Tim McBratney, PacRes Mortgage (NMLS 133935) and local Insurance Agent, Dave Snyder, American Family Insurance. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Marie Conser, Oregon Principal Broker, John L. Scott Real Estate.