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.

Portland Condo Ownership: FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

April 2, 2018

Who lives in Portland condos? Everyone! Families and pet owners, community-minded people and folks that want privacy. Really, most of the stereotypes you hear about condo living are untrue — there are condo communities that will be a good match for just about anyone, but it’s a good idea to take a close look at the Homeowners’ Association rules before you buy. Nationally, there are two distinct demographics who are especially excited about condos right now. One is millennials — twenty and thirty somethings just out of college or starting their careers. For them, condos are an affordable option in Portland, and they know they won’t have to spend extra time or money on maintenance because it’s all covered (usually)...

4 Essential Portland Real Estate Maps

March 16, 2018

Maps are timeless. They were one of our first ways to organize information about places, and today — when it seems like information is unlimited — they’re even more important. If you’re buying a home in Portland, you’re probably on Google Maps or another general mapping website on a regular basis, learning where the neighborhoods are and how you might travel from one part of the city to another. But there are a whole lot of other maps out there, each with its own special reason for being — to shop for real estate in Portland, to understand who lives here, or just for the pure beauty of the form. These three maps take the information you need and present...

Real Estate FAQ: Earnest Money, Escrow, and more

March 2, 2018

Buying or selling a home is different than a car or your old baseball card collection. After an offer is accepted, the home goes into escrow to protect the interests of both the buyer and the seller, as well as the earnest money put down by the buyer. Here are the most common questions a Portland real estate agent gets about the earnest money and escrow process. Q: What is the difference between an earnest money payment and a down payment? A: Good question! Basically, an earnest money, also known as a deposit, is the amount of money put down on a home when a purchase agreement is first mutually agreed to. A down payment, on the other hand, is...

Five Ways to Celebrate Black History in Portland

February 12, 2018

Many people buy a home or real estate in Portland because they want to invest in a city that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. Although Portland has certainly earned its reputation as being a culturally vibrant city, Oregon’s history of racism influences our present. While Portland may feel welcoming to some, there are populations that have historically been excluded and exploited, and today struggle to maintain their place in this growing, changing city. All Portland residents can become part of the solution by learning about our history of racial struggle and becoming familiar with how African-Americans and immigrants are shaping Portland’s future. Because February is Black History Month, let’s look at five ways you can commemorate and celebrate Black culture...

Applying for a Mortgage? – Read our 8 Tips

February 5, 2018

Applying for a mortgage? Despite increasing prices in the Portland real estate market for the last few years, the city remains a popular place to buy a home. The Portland real estate market is still appreciating and is expected to continue to do so for some time (just not the extreme appreciation we’ve seen in the last few years). Some Portland buyers will pay in cash for their homes in 2018 — but the large majority will use traditional financing. Here’s our latest Portland real estate agent guide to smart mortgage borrowing. Don’t overestimate your earnings. It was big economic news last week: Companies are seeing more competition for workers and the cost of replacing workers is up, meaning wages...

Buying a Portland home in 2018? Five things to do before the New Year

November 6, 2017

As real estate agents, we know full well that buying a Portland home can be stressful. Fortunately, there’s an easy remedy to nip most of that stress in the bud: Preparation. Many home buyers decide they are ready to quit renting, or sell their current home and move into something that works better for them, and then they’re off to the races. Stress is the result, so let’s look at some ways to slow the process down, break it up into stages, and ultimately get the right home for the right price. 1. Know your reasons. This one’s easy, right? Nobody buys a home without a good reason. Well, you would be surprised at how many people get into the...

How Big Should Your Next Portland Home Be?

October 2, 2017

Portland’s housing market is anything but cookie-cutter. From one-bedroom cottages to huge luxury homes, we have it all. Home buyers entering the market this fall may be wondering what size home they need to live comfortably in Portland. Buying a home is a process of deciding and compromising on a lot of lifestyle elements. As a Portland real estate agent, I notice that a lot of buyers come in with a square footage number on the tip of their tongue, only to find that as they start to look at homes, other factors become more important. Let’s take a look at why. 1. In Portland, neighborhood often determines home size. According to the Census Bureau’s “Characteristics Of New Housing” annual report, the...

Five Things to Know about Home Appraisals in Portland

September 8, 2017

You’ve made a successful offer on a Portland home. You’re already picking out new curtains but your real estate agent says – hold up. Let’s get through the appraisal, because that’s the #2 way real estate deals get sidelined in this city. (The first is a bad home inspection.) Really? Oh yes, what sounds like a formality is so much more than that. Here’s what you need to remember, and what you and your Realtor in Portland can do to prevent the appraisal ruining your plans. 1. The appraiser isn’t working for you. Unlike your buyers’ agent, the home inspector, and your lending officer, the home appraiser isn’t working on your behalf. Their job is to ensure that the value...

What is Portland’s Best County?

September 4, 2017

Portland is unique for a lot of reasons, one is that it’s the only city in Oregon to include three counties within its borders. The three Portland city proper counties are: Washington County (West Portland); Multnomah County (East Portland, including parts of West and SW Portland), and Clackamas County. Along SE Flavel and north of SE Johnson Creek Blvd (a tiny section of SE PDX) you can actually live in Portland city proper and in Clackamas county! Of course, these counties extend well beyond the Portland metro region, to encompass suburbs and rural areas beyond. The good news is, if you like county fairs and you live in Portland, there are plenty to choose from within a stone’s throw of...

The 5 Cheapest Homes Sold in Portland, 2017

August 25, 2017

For fun, here are the top 5 cheapest homes sales as recorded by RMLS in Portland, so far in 2017. You have to see number one. 5 Lowest Home Sale Prices in Portland Number 5, Mr. Moldy 4565 NE 85th Ave sold for $130,000. This home featured extensive mold and rot, two bedrooms and one bathroom. Number 4, Mr. Tiny 5231 SE 108th Ave sold for the low price of $130,000. This home featured one full bedroom and one bathroom. Number 3, Mr. Shorty 5335 SW Taylors Ferry Rd. sold for the low price of $125,000. This home featured access to a very busy street, dark wood panels, stained carpet, and low ceiling height. Number 2, Mr. Frankenstien 2109 SE...