Tips from Teresa

September 2026

East Clackamas County Real Estate • Oregon Medicare & Insurance • Home • Health • Happiness

From My Kitchen Table to Yours

Well, September sure has been a busy one around here.

Fall has officially arrived in Oregon. The mornings are getting cooler, the leaves are starting to change, and before we know it, the rain will settle in and winter will be knocking on the door.

Around Estacada, Sandy, Boring, Damascus and the Mt. Hood Corridor, folks are starting to think about getting their homes ready for winter, looking ahead at their insurance for next year, and figuring out what needs to be taken care of before the year gets away from us.

That pretty much sums up my September too.

As both an Oregon Real Estate Broker and a licensed Health & Life Insurance Broker in Oregon, Montana and Wyoming, I spend my days talking with people about a little bit of everything.

One conversation might be about selling a home in East Clackamas County. The next might be about Medicare. Then somebody calls because they’re thinking about moving, retiring, buying a little acreage, changing health insurance, or just trying to figure out what on earth their next step should be.

And you know what?

That’s real life.

It doesn’t come neatly divided into a real estate box and an insurance box.

That’s one of the reasons I created Tips from Teresa.

I wanted a place where we could talk about the things that actually affect our everyday lives.

Home. Health. Insurance. Real estate. Our communities. And all the little things in between.

No pressure. No fancy talk. No confusing mumbo-jumbo.

Just useful information and a friendly place to get your questions answered.

Around the Home & East Clackamas County Real Estate

I’ve spent a whole lot of time on the road this month throughout Estacada, Sandy, Boring, Damascus and the Mt. Hood Corridor.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This is such a special part of Oregon.

Whether you’re looking at homes for sale in Estacada, Oregon, thinking about selling a home in Sandy or Damascus, looking for rural property or acreage near Mt. Hood, or just wondering what your home might be worth in today’s market, real estate out here is a little different.

We’re talking about wells, septic systems, acreage, shops, barns, trees, views, privacy, country roads and properties that don’t always fit neatly into a little box.

That’s part of what I love about working in East Clackamas County real estate.

And since fall is here, this is also a good time to grab a cup of coffee and take a walk around the outside of your house. Which just happens to be the best part of my day. Hope (my trusted Rottweiler companion that I couldn’t imagine being without) and I really enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee and taking a morning walk. She sniffs the fence line and I watch the bunnies and quail doing their own special morning routine. Of course it helps that I always bring them snacks.

Take a look at your roof and gutters. Check around your windows and exterior doors for little gaps that need caulking. Look at the decks, stairs and walkways. And don’t forget about drainage. Once the Oregon rain really gets going, water has a funny way of showing us every little problem we forgot about all summer. And I won’t even mention the mud! 

A little fall home maintenance in Oregon now can save you a whole lot of money and aggravation later. Thank goodness I have connections in the construction and landscaping world.

I also spent quite a bit of time this month at 34430 SE Coupland Road in Estacada. That property reminded me of something I’ve believed for a very long time. *Buying a home isn’t always about the number of bedrooms, bathrooms or square feet. It’s about how a place makes you feel. You just know, your gut will say to you, yep this is it! “HOME” *I can actually breathe here. *That’s something you won’t find on a listing sheet. For people looking for country homes, acreage, rural property or homes for sale in Estacada and East Clackamas County, sometimes that feeling is exactly what they’re searching for.

Let’s Talk Medicare & Health Insurance

September is also the month when I start telling everybody, Don’t wait until the last minute to look at your Medicare. PLEASE OPEN THE MAIL! You may think you don’t need do and that you are all set but I am telling you that some of those letter’s are doom letter’s. Warnings about coverage changes (usually they are removing something you currently have or your premiums are going way up!

Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, and this is the time when people with Medicare should review their coverage and make certain changes for the coming year.

If you’ve been trying to understand Medicare Advantage plans in Oregon, Medicare Supplement insurance, Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, or the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, you’re certainly not alone.

Medicare has its own language, and sometimes I think they made the alphabet soup extra thick just to keep us on our toes. Here’s the most important thing I want you to remember: **Just because your Medicare plan worked well for you this year doesn’t automatically mean it will be the right plan for you next year. **Plans can change. Prescription drug coverage can change. Doctor and hospital networks can change. Costs can change too. Before Medicare Open Enrollment begins, pull together your list of prescriptions, your doctors, your favorite pharmacy and your current insurance information.

Then we can sit down and go through it together. That’s what I’m here for. And Medicare isn’t the only insurance I work with. I also help individuals, families and small businesses with individual health insurance, life insurance, dental, vision, hearing, short and long-term disability, supplemental insurance and other health and life insurance needs.

You don’t have to understand every insurance term before you call me. That’s part of my job.

What’s Happening with Tips from Teresa?

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most this month has been watching Tips from Teresa start to become exactly what I hoped it would be. Not just another real estate blog. Not just another insurance blog. Something a little more personal. Because our homes affect our finances. Our health can change where and how we live. Retirement can change both. Our families grow and change. Sometimes we need a bigger house. Sometimes we decide it’s finally time for something smaller. Sometimes we’re looking for a few acres and some elbow room. And sometimes we just want to know where the good stuff is happening around town this weekend. So that’s what you’ll find here.

We’ll talk about Oregon real estate and East Clackamas County housing, home selling, buying, getting a house ready for the market, Medicare and health insurance, local businesses, community events, home maintenance, country living and life around the Mt. Hood Corridor.

And every now and then, I’ll probably share something just because it made me laugh or made my day a little better. Because I think we could all use a little more of that.

Home. Health. Happiness. And a little bit of life in between.

Looking Ahead to October

October is shaping up to be another busy month.

Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027 begins October 15, so we’ll be talking about what Medicare beneficiaries should be looking at before making any decisions for next year.

We’ll also keep an eye on the East Clackamas County real estate market, talk about getting our homes buttoned up for Oregon’s rainy season, and keep sharing what’s happening around Estacada, Sandy, Boring, Damascus and Bigfoot country along the Mt. Hood Corridor.

And of course, I’ll keep sharing my weekly Tips from Teresa at TeresaSchwab.com.

So whether you’re looking for an Oregon Real Estate Broker, thinking about selling your home in East Clackamas County, searching for country property or acreage near Mt. Hood, trying to make sense of Medicare insurance in Oregon, or you just like keeping up with what’s happening around our neck of the woods, pull up a chair.

You’re always welcome at my table.

A Little About Me

I’m Teresa Schwab, an Oregon Real Estate Broker and a licensed Health & Life Insurance Broker.

In real estate, I work with homeowners, buyers and sellers throughout Estacada, Sandy, Boring, Damascus, East Clackamas County and the Mt. Hood Corridor, helping people buy, sell and prepare their homes for the next chapter.

On the insurance side, I help individuals, families and small businesses navigate Medicare, health insurance, life insurance, dental, vision, hearing, disability and supplemental insurance.

Different conversations. Same Teresa.

I’m here to answer questions, explain your options and help you figure out what makes sense for you.

From My Kitchen Table To Yours, With Gratitude.
To Your Health, Home & Happiness.

Teresa Schwab, Realtor® & Insurance Broker
971-710-8668
TeresaSchwab.com