NE Union Avenue, circa 1937

Posted by Fred Stewart

NE Union Avenue (Martin Luther King Jr Blvd) and NE Columbia Boulevard looking south on Union Avenue, circa 1937.

City of Portland Archives, Oregon, A2005-001.738

Buying a House with 3% Down February 23, 2021
My favorite loan for people who need a minimal down payment is called HomePossible or HomeReady. It is a 30-year fixed rate conventional loan. HomePossible is backed by Freddie Mac and HomeReady is backed by Fannie Mae. These loans have the identical requirements and identical interest rate, so either one is awesome. Here’s why I […]
Credit Repair Tip: Is your settled account still showing negative on your credit report? February 20, 2021
This is a tip for people who negotiated a settlement on a collection. If you and the collector agreed on a settlement amount, and then you paid as per your agreement, then you have “paid as agreed.” Simple as that. Best case is that you got in writing from the collector that they would delete […]
“Does Illness Impact My Ability to Get a Mortgage?” February 17, 2021
This is a timely question. A person might be afraid to ask their lender, for fear they might jeopardize their ability to get approved for a home loan. So, I will answer here, publicly, for all. No, a loan officer may NOT inquire about your health. It is illegal to ask if you have an […]

Housing Trends: A Statewide Market Retrospective of Peak, Crash and Climb March 1, 2018
A Closer Look at the CoreLogic Special Report The housing market has gone through historical fluctuations over the past 12 years. The latest Special Report from CoreLogic chronicles the housing price index (HPI), beginning with the pre-crash peak years, through the market correction during the recession, up to December 2017. During this period, the U.S. econ […]
Mortgage Performance: PLRMBS Issuance Resurgence February 21, 2018
A Closer Look at the Private Label Lending Product While issuance volumes are nowhere near pre-crisis levels, the Private Label Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (PLRMBS) market has continued to provide access to funding for mortgage loans that don’t conform to the current tight credit markets. We observe a cycle starting in 2009 where a limited number […]
Housing Trends: U.S. Single-Family Rents Up 2.7 Percent Year Over Year in November February 20, 2018
Houston Rent Growth Remains Strong Due to Hurricane Harvey National rent growth decelerated in November 2017 compared with November 2016 High-end segment growth accelerated in November 2017 compared with November 2016 Of 20 select metros analyzed, only Honolulu and Miami experienced a decrease in single-family rents in November National single-family rent pr […]

2021 Oregon Legislator Contact Info With Elderly Population Data and ID of Health Care Committee Members. February 17, 2021
I have compiled an Excel workbook with three worksheets HERE, and embedded below. The first lists by chamber the member names, districts, party affiliation, senior (65+) population, and contact information. This worksheet also includes a column indicating if the member sits on a health care/COVID related committee of subcommittee in the House or Senate. [Pri […]
Oregon 2020 Actuals: Without Supplemental Unemployment Insurance the Average Rent Affordable for Those Who Got UI Was Only $426 a Month. February 1, 2021
I have extracted from DOL data Oregon unemployment program benefit data for all of 2020 for four main unemployment programs: RegularExtended BenefitsFederal Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Pandemic Unemployment Assistance In Oregon those 4 programs provided more than $3.2 billion in benefits over a total of more than 9 million weeks in 2020-the equivalent of […]
Oregon COVID FIRST Dose Vaccination Elderly Roll Out: "Eligibility" Is NOT Full Availability, Which Will Take 16 Weeks. January 25, 2021
Oregon governor Kate Brown's decision to give K-12 teachers and staff priority before the elderly for the COVID vaccines has been controversial to say the least. I'm 73 and directly impacted. Not incidentally, HUD data show that 41% of all Oregon HUD assisted rental households in 2020 had a head of household who was age 62 and above-so that's […]

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