Buying a Home in Portland

Welcome Portland Home Buyer!

If you are thinking of buying a home in Portland, we are here for you. The below home buying articles are written by experienced, top Portland buyer’s agents who know the real estate market.

Top 1% Portland Buyer’s Agent

Kami Price, Principal Broker is our lead buyer’s agent and a top 1% buyer’s agent in the Portland metro area. Kami has been licensed since 2004 and has helped hundreds of local home buyers find their next property. She has a long list of awards and additional education certificates. You can put your trust in her to navigate your next home purchase with incredible skill. Her office phone: 503-773-0000.

Portland Buyer’s Home Search

We’ve looked far and wide to find the best Portland home search program out there. We recommend you give this one a shot! Our search program is updated every few minutes, you can filter by schools, view type, HOA, lot size, garage and much more (just hit the “more” button). You can get instant alerts, save multiple different search criteria, and more.

Rent vs Buy, Portland Real Estate Market – 2019

January 11, 2019

According to Zillow research, rents fell nationwide this year for the first time in six years. Portland led the way with the biggest decline over last year: 2.7% What does this mean for renters who are considering purchasing a home in 2019? To find out, let’s put that number in context. Just three years ago, home ownership statewide was the lowest it had been in decades. As a result of increased demand, rents skyrocketed in Portland by 7.2%. It’s hard to believe in that so short a time, we’ve actually reversed course to see a decline in average rent by nearly three percent. First of all, the free market did its work: As rents climbed, homeownership became more attractive. More...

For Sale By Owner – Home Buyer Guide

October 19, 2018

Here it is – your ultimate Portland home buyer’s guide to buying a home listed For Sale By Owner, FSBO, whether or not you already know the owner, and whether or not you plan on using a buyer’s agent yourself. What is For Sale By Owner? Any home that is listed for sale by the owner themselves, without real estate agent representation, is known as a “For Sale By Owner” listing, or FSBO. Some home buyers also refer to this as a “private seller” transaction. In this situation, the seller is taking on all of the duties of selling a home. Why would they put themselves through this? About 70% of the time, according to the National Association of Realtor’s...

Portland Smart Homes: Who has access?

October 15, 2018

A recent home buyer was puzzled. She kept setting her thermostat to 70 degrees, but it would promptly readjust itself to 80. There was nothing wrong with either the device or the furnace — it turned out that the previous owner still had the app to control her thermostat installed on his phone. Meanwhile, he was wondering why his new home wouldn’t warm up! Smart Home Tech Problems The new era of smart homes creates potential scenarios between sellers and buyers that are slightly less humorous. From disappointed buyers who don’t get all the devices that the home was shown with, to sellers inadvertently giving access to personal information, the new technology comes with all kinds of opportunities for accidental...

First Time Homebuyer Education in Portland

September 28, 2018

The fall 2018 Portland real estate market is experiencing increased inventory, less pending sales (less buyers), dropping prices, and increased DOM or days on market, according to the most recent RMLS report. If some of those real estate terms have you scratching your head, you’re not alone. A recent survey by NeighborWorks America found that 70% of Americans think the home buying process is overly complicated. Although 87% percent of home buyers use a real estate agent or broker, according to the National Association of Realtors, the agent’s primary job is to facilitate the sale, and they are discouraged from serving as financial or life counselors (we can advise in certain areas, see the last section of this blog post). 5 essential...

Top 3 Sites for Portland Crime Data and Safest Areas

July 23, 2018

When purchasing real estate in a Portland, personal safety is likely to be relevant to any home buyer’s decision. Unfortunately, doing a Google search often comes up with headlines and news stories about recent robberies, fires, and other tragic events, which don’t give an accurate representation of how safe life is – or isn’t – in that neighborhood. So how is a home buyer to determine whether a neighborhood is safe? As your Portland real estate and home buying experts, we recommend going to statistical data versus anecdotes and news stories. Getting an overall data based picture of how many crimes have occurred in a specific time period will be much more helpful in your home buying decision. Then again,...

Down Payment, Mortgage Assistance for Home Buyers – Portland 2018

July 12, 2018

Homeownership is the first step toward building financial security for most families. Unfortunately, according to a NeighborWorks Housing Survey, 70% of homebuyers are unaware that there are programs available to help them afford it. Not all of these programs are restricted to low-income or first-time home buyers in Portland! Why spend more than you have to? Read on to see what you may qualify for. Down Payment Assistance in Portland The National Association of Realtors reports that, for first-time homebuyers, the “most difficult step in the home buying process was saving for a down payment.” These programs are great because they help buyers get over that hurdle. Down Payment Assistance Grant from the National Homebuyers Fund What is it? Up to...

Top 5 Portland Home Buying Worries

June 15, 2018

For all of the excitement of buying a home in Portland — especially if it’s your first one — it can truly be a stressful experience. In fact, a recent survey of buyers found that home-buying was the second most stressful event of their lives, after a divorce! Some people just don’t like talking about money, others would rather not have the argument with their spouse about how many bedrooms they really need. But for most home buyers, the most stressful things about home buying are pretty consistent. They’re like landmines — hopefully, once you know where they are, you can watch out for them and have a low-stress Portland home buying experience! What if I don’t get approved? Financing...

Personal Letters and Home Sales in Portland

June 11, 2018

In a tight inventory market (Portland real estate market is loosening up and cooling down, but many areas still have tight inventory) buyers often try the personal-appeal strategy: Writing a letter to sellers to go along with their home offer. The idea is to make an emotional case for their offer to be selected, even if it’s not, say an all-cash offer for 10% over the asking price. Do they work? There’s no hard data I’m aware of, and often times sellers will not disclose whether or not they even read the letter. Still, when they’ve found their dream home, most buyers want to do anything they can to be the winning bidder. Here are our real estate agent tips...

Urban Farmers’ Guide to Home Buying in Portland

June 8, 2018

Look to buy a Portland home and raise animals and plant crops? You’re not alone! Imagine walking out your back door to gather eggs and fresh spinach for breakfast before heading to downtown Portland and the office. Portland has long been a hub for local food and growing your own, thanks to our temperate, moist climate and great Willamette Valley alluvial soils. There’s a great support system for new and experienced gardeners, too: free workshops, edible landscaping consultants, stores that sell chicken feed — even “tool libraries” where you can borrow instead of buying the tools you need short-term. If this spring has you itching to get your hands dirty, maybe it’s time to look for a Portland home with...

Top 5 Deals to Avoid When You Buy a Home in Portland

April 13, 2018

While some may say the art of the deal has gone by the wayside, one place where negotiation thrives is in the Portland real estate market. From the initial offer to deciding which items of furniture are left behind, there are plenty of deals to be made within the home-buying transaction. When you buy a Portland home, you or your Portland real estate agent will be negotiating not just on the price of the home itself, but on the costs of services that come along with buying that home. Cutting some corners can amount to smart savings, while others will cost you more money in the long run. Here are my six deals not to make when you’re buying a...