Sell a Home in Portland

Top 1% Seller’s Agent

Planning on selling your Portland home in the next year or so? You’ve come to the right place. Stephen FitzMaurice, Principal Broker is a top 1% sellers agent in Portland with over 1,000 local sales under his belt and writes extensively about the Portland real estate market.

The Right Way to Sell

We charge 4.5% commission max. and pay more online to market our Portland area homes so they sell faster and for more. We have a reasonable commission fee, while still providing more marketing and services than our competitors. We back it all up with a cancel anytime policy for no charge. Read all about our top home selling service here.

title insurance costs

What is Title Insurance and Who Pays for It?

October 25, 2021

Buying or selling a home means anticipating costs, some of which are closing costs. In Oregon, most of the amount needed at closing is for title insurance. This type of insurance isn’t required by law in Oregon, however, lenders require it to ensure a smooth transition from seller to buyer and to protect their own financial interests. But the need for title insurance doesn’t end there. So, what is title insurance, and why is it important? What is Title Insurance, and Why do You Need It? Holding “title” on a home is different from having a deed to a home. The deed is the tangible piece of paper that names the owner, whereas “title” refers to the legal right to ownership,...

Whose Fence is it Anyway? How to Resolve Fence Problems with Your Neighbor

October 11, 2021

Living in a city often means living in tight spaces. Portland is no different, especially with the possibility of an increase in additions and new construction, thanks to the city’s new Residential Infill Project (RIP). Homeowners install fences on their properties for a variety of reasons: to keep pets and children safe, to serve as a tidy perimeter for landscaping, and to maintain privacy. It’s been said that good fences make good neighbors, but fences can also cause antagonism when disputes between neighbors arise over property boundaries. Here, we’ll sort through Oregon fence laws and local codes and restrictions and offer some useful tips for resolving fence conflicts peacefully. What Causes Fence and Boundary Conflicts Between Neighbors? Previous negotiation—Your neighbor...

How Soon Can You Sell Your Portland Home After Buying It?

October 1, 2021

Buying a home is a big investment, one of the biggest in life for most people. According to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report, the typical homeowner will stay in their home for 15 years before putting it on the market. This allows substantial equity growth and avoids financial loss through capital gains tax, mortgage prepayment penalties, and more. However, with the impact of COVID19 (just after that report was written) many homeowners are selling sooner rather than later. Also, many unavoidable life circumstances can suddenly force an unseen move, so it is good to know the implications if you need to sell a home soon after buying it. The 5-Year Rule of Thumb In Real Estate Consensus in...

Top 5 Front Door Colors to Sell your Home 2022

September 20, 2021

First impressions matter, so if you want to hook potential buyers with the ultimate curb appeal, consider refreshing your home’s front door color. It’s a small investment that can reap quicker sales and put thousands more in your pocket at closing, according to a recent study by Zillow. Our top 5 front door choices for 2022 combines the Zillow study, recent colors of the year awards, and research into popular exterior colors. Keeping in mind factors like trends, style of home, and geographical location will go a long way in helping you choose the perfect color. Which of our following top five front door color picks will make people want to step inside your home and take a look around?...

pro real estate photography

Professional Photography and 3D Tours Sell Homes Faster and for More

September 10, 2021

It might feel like a no-brainer to state that professional photos and 3D home tours help homes on the real estate market sell faster and for more. But that might surprise you is just how much more and just how much faster. I’ve been selling homes, licensed since 2003, and my team has completed over 2,000 home sales. Not only will I bring national studies to the table in this article, but I can speak from significant personal experience on the subject. Not all professional photography and not all 3D home tours are the same. I also hope to help bring some useful distinction to both. You might be surprised to learn there are 4 different categories of professional real...

Should the Seller Pay for Closing Costs? 2021 Update

August 16, 2021

Closing costs constitute some of the most opaque parts of the home buying process. As you’re looking to sell, you might find yourself wondering exactly what it is that you owe to the buyer. What do closing costs entail, and who pays for them? We’re here to demystify this process. What Constitutes Closing Costs? When you’re closing on a home from the buyer’s side, you’re likely looking at some serious up front charges, and not just the down payment. Buyers also pay for the inspection and appraisal, and put down earnest money (typically 1% of the sales price in our area). That’s some serious cash! On the seller’s side, expect to pay half of the escrow and owner’s title insurance....

checklist before selling a home

Checklist to Get your Home Ready for the Real Estate Market

August 9, 2021

Preparing your home for the real estate market is an involved process and a checklist can help. Licensed since 2003, I’ve overseen more than 2,000 home sales and believe this checklist will help you get ready. Keep reading after this home checklist for important home preparation advice. Our home preparations checklist is divided between exterior and interior tasks and tasks we recommend are completed right before the photographer arrives, to ensure the home puts its best foot forward before displaying on thousands of real estate websites. Home Preparations Checklist ✔ Done EXTERIOR Do this rightbefore photos. Yard mowed X All plants cut away from siding, roof X Windows Washed X Gutters cleaned X Powerwash siding, driveway, sidewalk X Fresh layer...

how to sell a home now

Home not selling? 3 Steps to Get it Sold Fast.

August 6, 2021

Unless you have avoided the news for the last eight months, it is clear that the real estate market is hot for sellers around the country. However, this can only make things feel even more frustrating if you’re one of the few homes that are not selling. Not so fun fact, did you know that in Portland of the 1067 detached Portland homes currently for sale a full 387 have been on the Portland market active for more than 30 days? That means 36% off all homes for sale in Portland right now have been sitting active, fingers crossed for an offer, for more than 30 days. Of those 387 homes that have been sitting on the market for more...

how many days to sell a home

How Many Days to Sell a Home in 2021?

July 19, 2021

In case you haven’t already heard, 2021 is a great year to sell a home in the Portland real estate market! But just in case you’ve been living under a real estate rock, here’s a quick catch up. Inventory has been hovering at a notorious low, because homes are selling faster than new listings come up. Now, typically the real estate market starts slowing by late summer and continues to cool off into the fall and winter months. So what we’re looking at below (RMLS report), covering through the end of June 2021, should represent the fastest time of year to sell a home: As you can see, the ratio of active listings to sold properties dipped below 1 to...

zillow home description missing

What I Love About This Home – Zillow Section Removed

June 9, 2021

My real estate team in Oregon and Washington sells a lot of homes, a few hundred each year. We do everything we can to give our client’s homes an edge online. For us that means two things, first, we pay extra to top real estate portals (like Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, etc.) for higher positioning. Second, we check all the boxes and do whatever is necessary to fill out the listing so it looks fantastic and carries with it all of the important home details. That’s why we were shocked when the Zillow editable description section, “What I Love About This Home,” suddenly disappeared on all our client’s listings. MLS descriptions are limited. Zillow’s “What I Love About This Home” was...