Many home sellers are not aware of the wood stove laws in Oregon. The law began in August 2010 and was put in place to protect citizens from uncontrolled wood smoke pollution. The Oregon Senate Bill 102 says no person may sell, offer to sell or advertise to sell a used, non-certified woodstove. Non-certified woodstoves (including fireplace inserts) are older models (mostly pre-1985) that have not been certified by the DEQ or the federal Environmental Protection Agency to meet cleaner-burning smoke emission standards. . Most DEQ woodstoves will have a certificate on the back to show if it is certified. Many times, you can look up your make or model online to see if it is approved.   There is also some that are antiques that are exempt of the law.  If you’re thinking of selling don’t remove your woodstove without talking to your agent first, especially if this is your only source of heat.  As a real estate licensee I can inspect or evaluate a wood stove but I can direct you to contractors who can.  Also, when you remove it you may need a certificate showing it was properly disposed of.

Have questions a great source is https://www.oregon.gov/deq/Residential/Pages/Woodstoves.aspx

My dog Lacey

You have read all the advice on moving with pets, and you have plans in place to make the transition as easy as possible for your dog and/or cat. We will call them Butch and Fluffy (Butch is the dog). The big moving day has arrived and Butch and/or Fluffy are freaking out. And since our pets are more important than life itself, we can’t have them going bonkers, can we? So, here are some good ideas for making your pet (and you) feel at home after a move.
First, make sure your new place has been thoroughly cleaned, especially if it belonged to another pet. Your animal DOES NOT want to smell anybody else in the new place. If this is impractical, put down puppy pads for both cats and dogs. Your house will look awful, but since you have not yet unpacked, it probably does anyway.
Prior to your move, do not wash animal beds or blankets. The funkier they smell, the better, in your pet’s opinion. By the way, moving the animal stuff is a great moving day task for kids.
Next, supervise. Dogs run and cats hide. A dog can easily get lost in a new, unfamiliar neighborhood. As soon as possible, preferably the day you move, take Butch out for a nice walk. Butch will take cues from you, so the more relaxed and pleasant you are, the more relaxed and pleasant Butch will be. (This is where tranquilizers come in – for both of you.)
For cats, it is a good idea to keep Fluffy in for a few days, and expect lots of hiding. Make sure you know all of the new house’s nooks and crannies and make sure they are safe for your pet to hide in – you do not want Fluffy getting stuck inside a wall or escaping from a crawl space. Make a nice bed (with water and maybe even a litterbox) inside one of the closets. If Fluffy wants to stay in there for several days, let her. If you have a multiple cat household, you may need to temporarily give up more than one closet. Hey, you are too tired to unpack anyway, right? Who and what is more important, Fluffy or your shoe collection?
It goes without saying that you will need to use the same food and water bowls for Butch and Fluffy. Put food and water down as soon as you get into the new place. Do not worry if they do not eat for a day but make sure they stay hydrated. Put them in about the same place that they were in your old place – kitchen to kitchen, laundry to laundry, etc.
Here is a favorite trick, although it has an ick factor. On moving day, take the sheets off the bed in the old house and then put the very same sheets back on the bed in the new house. Bring your pet to bed with you. Nothing will be as comforting for your pet as being safe and warm with their human and being surrounded by familiar smells.
Keep the same routine – same daily activities at the same time, same leisure activities, at the same time – and soon Fluffy and Butch will have their comfortable routines set, too. And they will be as happy in their new home as you are

Some people don’t think buying a home makes sense. They feel like renting is a smarter move.
On the other hand, some people think renting doesn’t make any sense.
For the most part, arguing it one way or another is about as useful as arguing politics or religion — whatever “side” you’re on, you have your point of view, feelings, and reasons.
But there are also people who are open to debate. If that’s you, read on. This will give you some food for thought and help you make up your own mind about whether it makes more sense to buy a home or rent one.
At least you have the option
Picture living back in Medieval times.

House buying

Only a few people are allowed to own land, and you’re not one of them. You can live on a lord’s land, but you’ll have to give him a certain percentage of whatever you grow or raise.
How do you feel about that? Are you OK with that? Is it fair? Probably not…
So, look at it this way: At least now you have the option of buying property. Whether or not you want to exercise that right is your choice.
And it is a choice. You can also decide that you’d rather not own the property you live in. You can certainly still rent from a landlord. (Although they probably won’t accept bushels of wheat, baskets of vegetables, or a goat as payment. You’ll need to somehow convert that to cash money.)
But owning property isn’t for everyone. It comes with responsibilities, risks, and limitations that not everyone is cut out for.
Both come with responsibilities, risks, and limitations
Many people who claim renting makes more sense feel that way because:
They feel like values are too high. (Unaffordable.)
They feel like it’s too risky. (The market could crash. Values could go down.)
They could lose their house (if they lost their job and fell behind on mortgage payments).
There’s a lot of cost to maintain a house.  They don’t think they can afford a home.  No money down.  There are many first time buyer programs for zero to little down https://www.rd.usda.gov/
It will “tie them down.” (They won’t be able to move to the coast of Costa Rica and surf for 7 months.)
All of those are valid and possibly true reasons for not buying a home.

But did you know there are tax benefits to owning a home? https://www.realtor.com/advice/finance/tax-benefits-of-owning-a-home/

Sorry I go off track a little!

However, renting also comes with responsibilities, risks, and limitations:
Rents aren’t necessarily more affordable than buying a house, and they can go up over time (and probably won’t go down). Conversely, the value of a home you own will most likely go up over time, even if it does go down.
There’s risk that a landlord could not renew a lease and force you to move.
While you aren’t usually entirely responsible for maintenance, you can be held responsible for things that break or get damaged. You may also be responsible for some upkeep and maintenance costs.
You don’t have much say in what gets done around the house or apartment. You’re at the mercy of a landlord doing something (or allowing you to do something to it).
A lease can tie you down as much, if not more, than owning a house that you can choose to sell or rent out if you want to move at some point.
Obviously, this isn’t a complete comparison list of risks, responsibilities, and limitations. There are certainly more we could get into. It’s just to make a point, which is…
Whether you buy or rent a home, you will have risks, responsibilities, and limitations placed upon you. The only true solution is to live for free in your childhood home forever and ever — and even that probably isn’t entirely “free” or without responsibilities and limitations.
You can’t live somewhere entirely for free, but…
…what you can do for free is figure out whether you should buy a place to call home, or rent one instead. The link below may help you decided.
http://fatcopdx.com/FATCO%20TOOLS/BuyNow.vs.Later/BuyNow.vs.Later.htm

I was surprised to find out children with lead poising may not ever show symptoms.  It is so easy for a child to get lead poising.  See this article  on Lead Base paint.  https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/healthy_homes/healthyhomes/lead.

If you are buying a home prior 1978 make sure you receive a copy of the lead base brochure. http://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/hd/hrs/cfcreserv/home_lbpaintbrochure.pdf