Market Dynamics as We Move Through Q1 of 2024

The real estate market continues to be a hot topic as we advance through the first quarter of 2024. With fluctuating rates and a tight inventory, the Rogue Valley real estate scene is far from static. At MOPG, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve, offering our expertise to navigate these changing tides. Whether you’re curious about the current market conditions or pondering what the future holds, we’re here for a chat over coffee. Don’t miss out on our comprehensive recap of the 2023 market conditions to stay informed.

If you missed our report on the recap of 2023 market conditions you can catch up here – Market Report.

Celebrations and New Beginnings

It’s been an eventful month at MOPG with celebrations and warm welcomes. We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of Liam Curtis, a handsome new member of the Lacer household, bringing joy and love to Ashley and Mike’s world. Additionally, we’ve expanded our team with the addition of Mike Lee, a broker with a passion for faith, family, and the great outdoors. Mike’s dedication and fresh perspective are invaluable as he represents some of the most stunning properties in the Rogue Valley. If you haven’t seen his introduction video, it’s worth a watch.

Featured Properties

Our portfolio continues to grow with some exceptional listings:

• Foothill North: A sprawling 302.22-acre farm with extensive water rights, listed at $2,499,000.
• 
• Foothill South: A prime 140-acre irrigated farm with potential for a dream home, listed at $1,099,000.
• 
• 2487 Scoville Rd: Over 13 acres with development potential in Grants Pass, listed at $699,000.
• 
• Lincoln St Apartments: A rare five-unit complex in McMinnville with strong income potential, listed at $649,000.
• 
• 2740 Jumpoff Joe Creek Road: A blend of farming and luxury with a recent $30K price reduction, now at $759,000.
• 
• Brownsboro Hwy: A gateway to Rogue Valley’s natural beauty, now at $75,000 after a significant price drop.
• 
• Waldo 92 River Ranch and Siskiyou 58: Both offering unique recreational opportunities and currently pending sale.
• 

A Team Effort

At MOPG, our team’s collective efforts aim to provide unparalleled service in the real estate market. From welcoming new life and new team members to showcasing our diverse property listings, we are committed to where traditional values meet marketing excellence. For more information on our properties or to join us in celebrating the vibrant Southern Oregon lifestyle in any season, 

visit our website at www.martinoutdoorproperties.com

Chris, Ashley, Alex, and the team look forward to connecting with you soon and exploring what the rest of 2024 has in store for us all.

What did you do before you became a real estate agent?

I held a few different jobs after high school while I attended Rogue Community College – I grew up as landlords’ kids so I was exposed to many things throughout my upbringing; I always wanted to hone my trade skills and put them to work but graduating high school in 2008 didn’t leave a lot of construction work for me to go try my hand at, so my first job was at a grocery store where I began at the bottom of the food chain and worked my way through some departments and for a brief period was the dairy manager, I then moved to a new job selling cell phones at a local retailer… that was my least favorite job and it was at this time that the owner of Blackbird Real Estate, Richard Bagdonas, told me I should entertain becoming a real estate broker, the rest as they say, is history.  

I was blessed to be saturated in real estate from a young age whether it be watching my parents interview potential tenants and manage those relationships, or learning how to fix plumbing, electrical and other systems that needed maintenance along the way. 

What are some of the challenges you faced when you first started out?

I started my real estate career in late 2013 when the market was continuing to recover from the downturn of 2008 and I began part-time.  I worked at a shipping company as a dispatcher and then for a gun parts manufacturer (that was fun!), each of these jobs allowed me to go to work between 4:30 – 5 AM so I could be off by noon and get to work making phone calls and showing properties to buyers.  

Like anyone starting out, my two main challenges were consistency in transactions and being considered young, however, through intentionally connecting with my personal network and constantly studying the real estate market I was able to establish myself as a knowledgeable broker and I began working with more and more people within my sphere to transition to referral clientele and moving further on to listing properties.

How did you become part of the team at Martin Outdoor Property Group?

I met Chris Martin when we both attended Rogue Community College in Grants Pass; he had become a broker a few years before myself and we crossed paths here and there, although never got to do a transaction together.  It all came to fruition in early 2020 when I had a question about a ranch listing I was acquiring in the Illinois Valley and I called Chris to pick his brain – he had made a significant name for himself in the farm and ranch space so he was a fantastic resource to learn from.  The conversation ended up being so natural that we decided to see if we could assist each other; I wanted to learn more and grow, and Chris’ team was in need of growth so he needed an experienced member passionate about land and rural living.  I had competed with Chris in the past over a beautiful listing in Merlin and Chris came out on top… I figured if you can’t beat em, join em!  Soon, I met the rest of the team and we all worked together so smoothly, it’s been an outstanding experience ever since!

What has the proudest moment of your career been so far?

I have had numerous achievements or milestones as I close in on a decade of being a licensed real estate broker.  I am most proud of acquiring my principal broker’s license early in my career and getting exposed to complicated transactions that truly helped hone my tool bag.  

Since joining Martin Outdoor Property Group my most notable achievements have been adapting to and learning the team’s marketing style and additionally using that to be able to bring some notable listings to the table; I also had terrific back-to-back years and achieved $10M in volume my first year with MOPG and LandLeader..

What are the advantages of working with you over one of your competitors?

The Rogue Valley provides a diverse and unique market when it comes to real estate sales, both in property type and in clientele; and we provide clients with a range of skills, expertise, and personality across the listing team.  Our target audience is the ranch, farm, rural residence, and waterfront market and we strive to provide a level of marketing both high in quality and wide in net casting, yet specific to this target audience.  We specialize in getting our listings in front of buyers most interested in purchasing rural property, whether that be a lifestyle type purchase that is a place to call home and enjoy the country life or it be an investment purchase of vineyard or productive ranching property – our exclusive partnership with LandLeader provides our clients with the tools to get their listings in front of the most likely candidates to purchase. 

What do you feel makes you more effective at getting things done when buying and selling property compared to other realtors?

We by no means know “everything” – we love when we learn something new and can sharpen our tool bag, however, one of the major things we bring to the table is a grounded understanding of how our unique listings operate and function as well as what their highest and best uses are so we can understand the utmost value proposition.  This knowledge also transfers to our representation of buyers and allows us to efficiently learn all we can about a subject property and educate our clients about both the positive and negative features of any particular property.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I have a fantastic family and I love getting to watch my two young boys grow and develop into young men.  My wife, Amy, and I enjoy keeping our kids busy with different sports and activities and finding out what they love to do – our youngest, Colton, has really come to like soccer after being introduced to it through Oregon Futbol Academy in Grants Pass, and our oldest, Corbin, has a love for all things science and also wants to give guitar a try as well!  

We enjoy camping, getting out to the local lakes, rivers, and seeing the Oregon Coast as well.  We purchased a travel trailer in 2021 and have enjoyed exposing our kids to all the beauty our vast area has to offer.  I personally find serenity in getting out on my property and leaving the phone behind; I enjoy doing projects outside including cutting firewood, creating firebreaks and doing preventative maintenance, planting new fruit trees, manicuring the driveway, and so much more…Honestly, it’s all just excuses to take out the chainsaw, blower, and excavator to have some fun!

Did you grow up in the area?

My family moved to the area in 2001 from a small town called Angwin which is just NE of St. Helena in the heart of the Napa Valley, CA. I spent most of my formative years in the Grants Pass area and I went to Fleming Middle and North Valley High School.  I have really enjoyed remaining in the area and watching the town and people I know in it grow.

What kinds of outdoor recreation do you participate in?

When it comes to recreation I am a hard person to nail down.  I enjoy a number of things including hiking, rafting, hunting, and swimming with the family at lakes and rivers alike.  I also really enjoy basketball, it has been my passion for as long as I can remember!  I have played in a couple different leagues including the infamous Lawnridge Park outdoor summer league and I have been assisting in organizing a new city wide indoor league for Grants Pass that we hope to grow this year.

How long have you worked for Martin Outdoor Property Group?
I transitioned out of the wine industry and joined the team at the Martin Outdoor Property Group in January 2022.

What do you do here?  
I’m a licensed real estate broker who specializes in helping buyers navigate real estate transactions from identifying their wishlist items, to closing on the property of their dreams plus everything in between.

What’s your favorite thing about your job? 
I love the days that don’t feel like work that are spent enjoying the beauty of southern Oregon with folks who share my appreciation for the area and the opportunities that lie within it. In addition, I’ve enjoyed working with wonderful people from diverse backgrounds and those lasting relationships make the work all that much more rewarding.

Something else you might find interesting about Shannon: 
I spent three years living and working on Maui after graduating from Southern Oregon University in 2016. Prior to that I grew up on a ranch in the heart of the Applegate Valley and spent my time raising beef cattle in 4H and working as a steward on the family ranch.

Do you have any animals? 
My husband and I have a high energy black lab that keeps us busy for the moment!

What do you do when you’re not working?
If I’m not working, I’m most likely coaching classes and working out at CrossFit the Den but I enjoy spending my free time with my family and friends, traveling, hunting, hiking, and getting outside however I can.

Previous
Next

People sometimes ask me what it is about hunting that I find such enjoyment in and it’s a fair question.  Hunting season is just a few weeks out of the year and for those few days or weeks that one gets to hunt, you get up early, go to bed late, and hike for miles in many types of terrain, in weather that’s either hot and dusty or wet and cold (rarely just comfortable) weather and often you come home tired, sore and empty-handed.   And yet for the last 22 years, I have thoroughly enjoyed each fall having only missed one season over that time period (my son was born in October of 2017).  

For me its definitely about the adventure, the challenge, the excitement leading up to the hunt, but the two most important things for me are the fellowship time with my brothers and enjoying the incredible natural beauty that brings me that much closer to our creator.  I also am beyond excited to be able to begin to share the outdoors with my son (5) and daughter (3).  Both of them, but especially my son, love the outdoors, taking short trips to the mountains, hiking, fishing and asking over and over to hear stories from my last trip.  

This year, four of us went on an archery elk hunt in the Eagle Caps in late september.  I was really excited for this hunt because in 2016, the last time I hunted the area, we had great interaction with a lot of elk but my physical conditioning failed me and I had to call it quits early.  Hiking in rugged county and high alpine slopes is not for the office dwelling real estate broker.  Fast forward to 2022 and I was physically ready but unfortunately, the hunting was very different this year.  

The elk population was really pressured hard by the wolves and despite Caleb Howard calling in a nice 5pt for me the first morning, which turned out to be our only close encounter all trip, the hunting was really hard.  Lefi and JC probably hiked 70 plus miles that week and Wes and I were over 50 miles each.  Despite the challenges with the hunt and the lack of success, the incredible beauty of the Caps and the great fellowship had this hunt go down as one of my favorites in the last few years.  God truly made the Caps some of the most ruggedly beautiful country in Oregon.    

My second trip this year was a mule deer hunt in the high desert of eastern Oregon.  This Rifle hunt had me pretty excited for the opportunity to find some mature bucks and possibly even have a chance to harvest one.  The week before we left though the weather forecast came out and it was for a solid week of 85 degree blue sky days.  If your not a hunter, you might think that sounds amazing but if you are, you know that those older mature deer might not even move during daylight hours with this kind of weather and it also means DUST!  Lots and lots of dust everywhere.  

After three days and glassing up over 100 deer, we had only seen 2 bucks and both were younger deer.  Well long story short, we knew the odds of the hunt improving dramatically were slim and I do like deer meat a lot so Dan and I both shot freezer trophies and not wall hangers.  Again a phenomenal trip dispites some of the disappointments in the hunt. The fellowship aspect of hunting for me is something that is hard to describe because it gives a group of people the chance to truly disconnect from the craziness of life for a few days or a week and recharge mentally.   

I still have a one more adventure back home in SW Oregon as my wife, her brother and his wife all have deer tags and I get to play guide here shortly when we see the weather improve in another week or so.