Find the Perfect Home in Portland
Portland, Oregon, is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. as of 2014. The city is also one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest area. With over 2 million people living in the Portland Metropolitan Area (which includes Portland itself and the surrounding suburbs) and more moving to the area on a regular basis, there’s a lot of Portland real estate being bought and sold. Finding that perfect home isn’t necessarily going to be easy, but it can be done. Here are a few tips that can help you find your dream house.
Make a List of Must-Haves and Wants. No house is going to be perfect. Portland has some gorgeous homes, but even the ones that check off all of your must-have boxes are going to have a few things you don’t like. That’s why it’s important to make a list of those things your new home absolutely must have and those that you really want. You can give this list to a Realtor in Portland to give them an idea of which homes might be a good fit for you. Just keep your must-have list reasonable—if you want a large home with a fireplace, large backyard, three car garage, and a mortgage under $500 a month and is located in the expensive Raleigh Hills neighborhood, you’re probably not going to find a house.
Make a List of Don’t-Wants. This is something most Portland real estate agents don’t consider, but it can actually be very helpful. Make a reasonable list of things that would simply make you reject a house without even seeing it. Maybe you don’t want to live downtown or in the Maplewood neighborhood for whatever reason. If you’ve got bad knees, a two-story home might be out of the question. This and your Must-Have list will help you cut out homes that you don’t even need to waste time seeing. After using your Must-Have and Don’t-Wants to cut the list, you can use your Want list to narrow down the field even more.
Find a Great Realtor in Portland
There are a lot of different real estate agents in Portland, but some will be able to help you more than others. A good Realtor will be able to connect you with local real estate sites (like Portlandmaps.com) and may know of properties about to hit the market before they do. They will be able to recommend fantastic mortgage lenders, the right home inspectors, a good home warranty company, and more. You can see my home search program here or contact me with your questions.
Avoid First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes. First-time homebuyers make a number of mistakes, and you certainly don’t want to do that. For most people, buying a house is something they’ll only do a few times in their lives, so the idea of practicing to get good at it doesn’t really apply. Even those who have bought several homes may still make basic mistakes. Reading articles on buying Portland real estate such as those on this blog can help. Like with anything, you need to do some research and ask questions before you sign your mortgage papers.
Plan for the Future. After getting married, many young couples set out to buy a house. That’s great! They can start earning equity and start mapping out their lives together. Many look at their mortgage timetable and figure they’ll be mortgage-free before retirement. And then they decide to start a family. Suddenly, that perfect home is much too crowded, and in less than five years, it’s back on the market. If you don’t like the idea of a starter home, make sure you plan for the future. No one can take into account everything, of course, but if you’re planning on starting or expanding your family within the next five or even ten years, take that into consideration and buy a larger home now if you can.
