Cider and Art!

As we prepare for our annual art show, we have lined up some local sponsors who will be helping us put together this great event! One of these sponsors is our favorite taproom, Reverend Nat's Hard Cider. In case you don't know of these guys, they are making a pretty big splash in Portland these days. 

Rev Nat West started experimenting with hard cider in his basement more than 10 years ago. He used a 20 ton house jack in the garage and some old timbers to make a juice press. He says of his early days, "As a die-hard craft beer revolutionary, I experimented with beer yeasts, wild fermentation, Belgian ale spices, aromatic west coast hops and local fruit juices. My search for superior ingredients to make unusual ciders was all-consuming. As an historian of cider-making (I have the largest cider book library in Portland), I recreated forgotten cider styles and practiced juicing and fermenting techniques long out of fashion. Permeating all these experiments was a desire to make ciders that no one else wake

As Reverend Nat's grew into a blossoming business, Nat moved into an abandoned warehouse in inner NE Portland near the Rose Quarter and has continued to expand ever since. Rev Nat's is now sold in 5 states and has a taproom right down the street from our office- 1 block North of Broadway between MLK and N Williams. We are happy to announce that Rev Nat's will be hosting a table of cider at our annual art show this year! They will have a representative from their taproom to talk about the great flavors and ingredients used to make this amazing creation.

http://reverendnatshardcider.com/

The Millennial Game

Recently, our office has had a lot of conversations about "millennials" and the challenges or questions they are presenting in today's market so we thought it would be a good topic to discuss in this week's blog.

 So first things first. Who are "they"? "Millennials" (also referred to as Gen Y) are the group of people born in the 1980's- early 1990's who now number almost 79 million! They have surpassed "Baby Boomers" in size and are well noted for their love of technology, independent thinking, and delay in settling down.

So why are they making such a big impact on the real estate market? Although it is hard to characterize millions of people with 1 or 2 similar traits, it has been noted that this generation is a different kind of buyer than those of Gen X and Baby Boomers. A recent article in the Oregon Real Estate News Journal noted, "...millennials are less likely to be homeowners than previous generations and that the pace of household formations and rate at which they head their own household have also fallen. It (a 2014 Council of Economic Advisors' report) also noted the increase of young people living with parents. The consequence for the housing market is obvious- less demand for housing units and all that fill them. However, the reasons cited for these changes are not all bad".

So, we see and feel the effects of this change but there are perhaps bigger socioeconomic reasons driving this change and we, as a community of realtors, need to focus on the solution not the problem. Perhaps this means more rentals, condos, buyer assistance programs, etc. Perhaps this means new and innovative forms of marketing via social media and networking as opposed to "old school" mailers. Regardless of what this ideological shift in home ownership may bring, we look toward the future with open minds and a reminder that we are in an industry that is constantly changing so the only that is constant, is change.