30 Events in 30 Days: The Source Weekly and W+M REALTOR Joslyn Bryant

West + Main REALTOR Joslyn Brant was recently interviewed by the The Source Weekly about her quest to attend 30 Central Oregon events in just 30 days. Joslyn is a sincere real estate professional who is passionate about the community and dedicated to her craft.

Enjoy the highlights below and check out the story (and more events) on The Source Weekly!


Originally posted by Source Weekly on November 30, 2022

This past month, Bend local Joslyn Bryant challenged herself to go to a different event every single day. She set out a number of rules: one event every day for 30 days, the event must be open to the public, the event must be on some sort of public calendar and no skipping allowed.

Bryant is a real estate agent with West and Main Homes. As a single 20-something, she felt like she was missing out on the Central Oregon event scene and wanted to find a way to explore it.

"The goal is to meet new people and experience everything that Bend has to offer," Bryant said. "Me doing this is proof that there is something for everyone, because I'm doing something every single day."

 
 

Halfway through her challenge, Bryant has attended events from the Source Weekly calendar, Facebook events and others. She said she's surprised she hasn't had a hard time finding events. From comedy shows to game meetups to concerts, she's had ample events to choose from. Whether she brings a few friends or goes by herself, she always tries to meet someone new and start a conversation.

"Most of my events have been from the Source calendar," Bryant said. "You guys have the craziest ones. I'll be searching in other places and be like, ugh there is nothing good. Then I will go to yours and be like, oh, here's a cool one."

The way Bryant can stay motivated and on top of this intimidating challenge is to plan out her week in advance. Scrolling and flipping through calendars on Sundays and writing down events has proved to be her best method. The hard days are when nothing is planned yet and she gets settled at home after work before finding something to attend.

There are some events that Bryant would go back to and others that she has appreciated as a single experience. Comedy Open Mic at Silver Moon Brewing is one that she said she would go to over and over and over.

"It's an open mic, so they are trying out new stuff," Bryant said. "It's hilarious. Especially if I'm sitting next to a Scrooge and they're not laughing, that makes me laugh even more. Definitely one of my favorite events I've been to."

Attending a cribbage tournament was something Bryant had never imagined herself doing until this challenge came along. Cribbage tournaments take place every Monday from 5-8pm at the Deschutes Junction. Attendees pay between $2-$18, play nine rotating games and can take home a little bit of prize money.

"I knew not everything on the list or calendar was going to be for me," Bryant said. "But I knew I was going to grow from it."

A surprisingly hilarious event that stood out was the one-woman show, "Bitchcraft: How Bitch Became Bitch Starring Bitch." Screaming about capitalism and the patriarchy, making jokes that had people on the floor laughing and starring in her own autobiographical musical, "Bitch" — an entertainer notorious for her eccentric performances — put on a show Bryant said she will never forget.

 
 

One of the weekly events she attends is one of her own. Wanting to swing dance but not finding enough people who knew how, Bryant set out to change that. After talking to the owners of the Cross-Eyed Cricket country bar about instructing a weekly class, the bar added free swing dancing lessons to the schedule on Thursdays from 7-9pm.

"It's something that I love to do, and I wanted other people to do it," Bryant said. "Nobody else would organize it and teach. So, I said, OK, I'll do it and just raised my hand."

Upcoming events that Bryant has planned are the Bend Christmas Parade, Downtown Bend Tree Lighting, Mountain View's "Midsummer Jersey" play and high school sports games.

Anybody who is single with a little bit of extra cash can absolutely do 30 days, according to Bryant. Couples can opt for a week-long challenge and commit to it or do a month with two to three events per week. Families can even get in on the event challenge by committing to two events per week for a month.

"Everybody can do it in any capacity that they want," Bryant said. "30 days every day is a bit much."

If people in Central Oregon want to challenge themselves to this event, check out the Source Weekly calendar in print or online to find a kick-off event.


The housing market downturn is different this time

 
 

Low delinquency rates and healthy household net worth point to faster recovery: Stratmor

Many lenders are not getting a sense of déjà vu with the current mortgage industry downturn, according to mortgage advisory firm Stratmor Group.

“This one feels different,” a recent Stratmor report states, citing executives in the mortgage industry. 

This time around, the fast mortgage rate increase, the large origination volume decrease and margin compression could cause an “unprecedented amount of excess capacity, and many lenders will need to sell or simply won’t survive,” Jim Cameron, Stratmor’s senior partner of Stratmor, said. 

Of the top five monthly mortgage rate increases to occur since 1984, three took place during the first 10 months of 2022 — one in September (89 bps), April (81 bps) and October (79 bps). 

Meanwhile, forecast volume for 2022 is expected to drop by $2.18 trillion — the largest dollar volume drop in history. At 49%, this year’s forecasted decline would be the largest percentage decline in year over year volume since 1990, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association

In addition, more lenders are chasing fewer loans, and the speed and severity of this downturn has created revenue and margin compression on “steroids,” the report states. With 35-plus years of mortgage rates on a declining trend, rates bottomed out in 2020, limiting “the possibility of a major refinance boom bailing out the industry.” 

While 2021 was a record year for production volume at $4.4 trillion, the largest decrease in revenue occurred in 2021 in both retail, which dropped 68.8 bps, and wholesale, which declined 137 bps, followed by the first half of 2022, according to the MBA and Stratmor Peer Group Roundtables (PGR) program. 

That’s not to say there is no hope. Demographics, low delinquencies and healthier-than-normal household net worth are some of the factors that Stratmor believes will lead the downturn to be shorter than usual.

A large cohort of 28- to 38-year-olds in prime homebuying age will drive purchase business in the next three to five years, Cameron said, and historically low delinquency rates will mean more borrowers will be eligible for new purchase or refinance loans. 

Household net worth has also been on a rising trend since 2009. In addition, household financial obligation ratio, which is at 14.27, and debt service ratio, which is at 9.58, are much lower than historical averages, and are lower than when the U.S. economy entered the Great Recession of 2007 and 2008. 

“This is good news for lenders — as we emerge from this mortgage market downturn, borrowers and prospective borrowers will be in a better position to qualify for mortgages and to make their payments once they close their loans. While the recession risk looms large, at least households are in much better shape with respect to net worth, delinquencies and the ability to meet financial obligations,” the report notes. 

Non-bank lenders, particularly independent mortgage bankers (IMBs), are more likely to react quickly to shed staff during a downturn as compared with banks, the report adds. 

Warehouse lenders require non-banks to maintain compliance with profitability, capital and liquidity covenants. Non-banks also typically don’t have lines of business other than loan servicing to subsidize mortgage, which means that cutting costs and shedding capacity is a matter of survival — especially for those without a servicing portfolio. 

Since non-banks accounted for 63% of the entire market in 2021, up from 24% in 2010, and are “more likely to consolidate, this would argue for a shorter duration downturn,” the report states. 

“This may be the most painful downturn in mortgage banking history in terms of the severity of the downturn and the speed with which it occurred,” Cameron said.

But some bright spots in demographics, low delinquencies and healthier than normal household net worth “may help hasten us toward the day when we can return to “normal” with revenue rationalizing, capacity adjusted and a return to profits that are reasonable based on the risks of the business,” Cameron said.

Read more here.

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As Featured in West + Main Home Magazine: No construction necessary!

 

New furniture, artwork and a bold rug bring new life to this Oklahoma family's living area.

We updated our living room by adding more color, texture, and vintage finds,” said West + Main agent and homeowner Angela Cheatwood. “Once we were done, our space had more color and personality. It’s much more us!
— Angela Cheatwood

"On a recent trip to Jackson, WY I walked past a store called Mountain Dandy every day," said Angela.  "I loved the mix of new and vintage, the gallery walls, and the cozy textures. I knew it was time to revamp our living space."

"As soon as we moved into our home, we knew our couch wasn’t right for the space so I started there," explained Angela. "After weeks of searching we found the right furniture and moved on to the rug. I wanted something to add color and character while also tying in our green kitchen. It was a difficult search, but I’m glad I was patient! Our rug really makes the room."

To add even more color, I used photos from our family trips and frames and artwork I already had around the house,” said Angela. “Not only did it really change the space, but now all of our wonderful memories are on display. We added the mantle for more warmth and the storage cabinet because of our 3 children. The finishing piece is a one-of-a-kind, vintage store poster from Lawton,Oklahoma. I really tried to use what we had already and find budget items for our extras.
— Angela Cheatwood

"Since we had to buy new furniture the majority of our budget went there. We did shop around online and found a great couch on sale!" said Angela. “Our kids LOVED the revamp. They were really excited to have a movie night and were big fans of all the color we added! My favorite part about our project is that our home feels more like us! It has personality now. I love getting home after a long day and enjoying time with our family and friends in this space.”

Materials + Source:

Furniture: West Elm

Rug: Randi’s Rugs

Pillows: Target, World Market, H&M home

Ski Blanket: Made Jackson

Storage cabinet and Mantle: Home Depot

Labor Cost Or DIY: We added the mantle and revamped our entry cabinet. $200


If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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How does living near a grocery store affect home values?

 
 

Just as homebuyers might consider the school system and local amenities in a town they’re thinking about moving to, it might be time to add add ‘proximity to the nearest grocery store’ as something that can increase their home’s value over time, a new report indicates.

ATTOM’s latest 2022 Grocery Store Wars Analysis shows grocery stores might increase a home’s value based on home-price appreciation and home equity, or also as an investor looking for the best home-flipping returns and home-seller ROI.

The study looked at current average home values, 5-year home price appreciation for YTD 2022 vs. YTD 2017, current average home equity, home seller profits, and home flipping rates in U.S. zip codes with at least one Whole Foods store, one Trader Joe’s store and one ALDI store.

Key highlights:

  • Trader Joe’s wins out when it comes to average home value for nearby homes, with $987,923. Whole Foods follows up with $891,416, and then ALDI with $321,116.

  • Not only does Trader Joe’s lead the pack for home values, but it also takes the lead in home equity with homeowners earning an average of 50% ($520,842) equity, compared to Whole Foods at 45% ($433,311) and ALDI at 38% ($132,643).

  • ALDI won at 5-year home price appreciation with 58%, while Trader Joe’s saw 49% and Whole Foods saw 45%.

  • Properties near an ALDI are ripe for investors, with an average gross flipping ROI of 54%, compared to Whole Foods with 28% and Trader Joe’s with 25%.

  • ALDI again wins at average home seller ROI with 61%, while Trader Joe’s sits at 58%, and 51% for Whole Foods.

Major takeaway:

“Smart homebuyers might want to consider where they’ll do their grocery shopping when they’re shopping for a new home.” said Rick Sharga, executive vice president of market intelligence at ATTOM. “It turns out that being located near grocery stores isn’t only a matter of convenience for homeowners but can have a significant impact on equity and home values as well. And that impact can vary pretty widely depending on which grocery store is in the neighborhood.”

Get the full report on RISMedia.

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5 Trending Kitchen Looks To Inspire Your Next Home Design Project

 
 

The holiday season brings with it a finer appreciation for the kitchen. It’s a place where loved ones gather, cocktails are mixed, and good meals are made (and hopefully not burned).

But the seasonal spotlight on this space can also draw attention to its flaws—and inspire you to improve your kitchen’s form and function.

For this week’s trending Instagram decor, we thought it would be fun to feast our eyes on impeccably designed kitchens and bookmark the ones that are particularly noteworthy. Here are five such looks we encourage you to emulate to make your kitchen the most beloved—if not most used—room in your home.

1. Light gray cabinetry

One of our favorite kitchen design choices trending right now is ethereal light gray cabinetry, similar to these cabinets from @chelseahargraveinteriors.

“Light gray cabinets are the perfect alternative to white and pair well with wood flooring or other wood accents,” says designer Susan Serra. “A soft gray shade in cabinetry is compatible with an endless array of accent colors for the kitchen.”

2. Branchy bouquets

Simple it may be, a branchy bouquet like this one from @melvanddesign adds just the right amount of natural romance to an otherwise bare space.

“A wonderful way to add texture, a dramatic branch bouquet is an element that evokes the beauty of nature in a simplistic form,” says Serra. “This is a popular design accent since it costs nothing to do a little foraging in the woods and spot an interesting branch to display. It’s easy to change the look to a different type of branch or even a collection of branches.”

3. Antique island

In the spirit of blending old with new, this antique island seen on the account @home_decor_daily answers the call perfectly.

“We are seeing a trend toward antiques again,” says designer Jennifer Davis, of Davis Interiors. “I think people are getting tired of the white Instagram kitchen they have seen 1,000 times. Antique pieces allow for originality, and they also have a broken-in look, which feels warm and inviting.”’

4. Hearth oven

Another way to embrace nostalgia in the kitchen is to install some old-fashioned flare in an unused corner. We can’t get over how charming this hearth oven looks in an otherwise modern kitchen featured by @amystormandco.

“Hearth ovens are in demand for their beauty and functionality,” says Serra. “It adds a strong architectural design element to the kitchen, and cooking pizza, baked goods, and other specialty foods in a hearth oven will keep things interesting.”

5. Industrial-style bar stools

Speaking of architectural design, these industrial-style bar stools shared by @carriedelanyinteriors (and designed by @nicolegreendesignhouse) are giving us all the nostalgic old-world vibes that we crave this time of year.

“Mixing hard and soft in design is very popular right now,” says Davis. “Industrial stools give an edge to an otherwise classic kitchen, and the mix of elements and styles gives life to your design.”

Keep reading.

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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