Sell a Home in the Portland, Oregon Metro

Top 1% Seller’s Agent

Planning on selling a 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 2,000 local sales under his belt and writes extensively about the Portland real estate market.

The Right Way to Sell

Our team charges 4% commission max. and we pay more online to market our Portland and SW Washington homes so they sell faster and for more. (In Salem and Bend areas we charge 4.25% max.) 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.

If you’re thinking of selling your home in the next twelve months, Stephen would love to tour your home. Call today to set an appointment.

Stephen FitzMaurice, Realtor
4% Max. to Sell a Home
Cancel Anytime Policy
Licensed Since 2003
503-714-1111

The Bigger the Home, the Less it Sells for Per Square Foot.

January 30, 2023

After selling homes in Portland, Oregon for twenty years, I’ve picked up on a lot of consistent patterns that helps me to price homes correctly and give my clients the best possible real estate advice. Whether it is the best time to sell or buy a home, knowing the factors that causes a home to sell for more or less, or the reasons why a home sells or doesn’t, I’ve enjoyed the process of learning and researching over the years. I can tell my clients exactly how much value is added to a home if they add an ADU, solar panels, or a swimming pool (all based on local statistics). Through my local research I can let them know how...

Do Solar Panels Increase the Value of a Home in Portland, Oregon? 2023 Report

January 16, 2023

There have been a number of national studies on the impact installing solar panels has on home value. But, as one might imagine, there is likely a strong regional effect. Installing solar panels in Arizona might be a lot more desirable and have a greater impact on their home values, than adding solar panels to a home in the cloudy Pacific Northwest. So it is important to have some local research done, so a homeowner knows what the home value impact will be where they live, in this case Portland, Oregon, which is also likely to reflect the impact of solar panels on home values within its greater region – the Pacific Northwest. (We conduct many other regular research reports...

3 Hacks to Help a Home Sell in a Slow(er) Real Estate Market

January 13, 2023

The Portland real estate market slowed down significantly in late 2022 and is still much slower than normal as we enter 2023. There will be a spring bump, as that is always the best time to sell a home in our metro area, but we expect prices to drop again in 2023 by July or August (most likely July). See our full forecast for the local 2023 real estate market here. The 4 Main Reasons a Home Sells (or Not) The are three foundational elements to a home sale. The market. The house. The price. The marketing. This is important to contemplate when a home is not selling. Is it just the market, and you need to wait for the...

For Sale By Owners Homes Sell for 25% Less, 2023 Report

December 19, 2022

The National Association of Realtors, NAR, puts out an annual in-depth research report on what actually causes homes to sell across the U.S., down to a percentage point. This annual report also includes information on for sale by owner homes, how many there were in the last year and how they performed versus Realtor listed homes. In 2022, a full 10% of homeowners sold their property FSBO, or for sale by owner. This was a pretty big increase from the 2021 report and most believe it is due to the ever increasing low inventory, a wildly strong sellers market, which led more homeowners to try FSBO than in previous years. Also, desperate homebuyers tried contacting more homeowners direct, that didn’t...

How to Get a Home to Sell in 2023

November 18, 2022

In order to increase your changes to sell a home in 2023, which is expected to be a tougher real estate market than usual, it is most important to know exactly how homes sell across the country. What causes a home to sell or not? We perform a ton of research locally to answer that question, and thankfully NAR, National Association of Realtors, puts out a huge report annually to assist in answering how homes sell nationally. Three Main Factors that Lead to a Home Sale According to the latest NAR fall 2022 report, the buyer found the home they ended up purchasing using these methods: % of the time Where the buyer found the home they purchased. 91% Found...

My Home is Not Selling, What Can I Do? 2023 Update

November 7, 2022

Three Reasons a Home Sells or Does Not The late 2022 Portland real estate market is struggling and slowing down. Buyer traffic continues to drop while inventory remains stubbornly high. Price drops are increasing and homeowner fear is on the rise. What can a home owner do to ensure their property is the one that sells? Three things determine whether or home sells or not. Price Condition Marketing We’ll start in reverse order. 3. Marketing a Home for Sale Property marketing can make a huge difference in your home sale. In order of importance for marketing: A. Presence / Reach of Marketing B. Presentation (initial impact) C. Depth (for interest buyers) A. Presence Of course, the home will not sell...

Top 5 Front Door Colors to Sell your Home in 2023

October 24, 2022

The exterior door of your home has multi-purpose functions: first and foremost, it keeps you and your family safe and secure and protects your home’s interior from the elements, and it also enhances your home’s aesthetic for curb appeal. Choosing an eye-catching color that revitalizes your home is an inexpensive way to give its facade a refresh, help it stand out from all the other homes on your block, adding value, and ultimately, make it more marketable. In this article, we’re looking at the top five exterior door color choices into 2023. The theme? Think post-pandemic, no-limits creativity. This doesn’t mean, though, that we’re likely to see a free-for-all. Basic color theory still applies. How to Apply Color Theory to...

Modern Bathroom Remodeling Ideas to Increase Home Value in 2023

October 10, 2022

If you’re thinking of selling your home and are wondering how to increase its value without breaking the bank, upgrades and remodels are a good place to start, especially in the bathroom. If that sounds expensive already, know this: there’s plenty you can do in this realm to see a return on your investment when it comes to sale price. Whether you choose to renovate (updating fixtures, for example) or take on a full-blown remodel (changing the functionality) of your bathroom, you’ll stand a better chance of attracting the attention of earnest buyers and getting more at closing. Upgrade Your Bathroom With Safety and Sanitation Features in 2023 The pandemic stirred up concerns over sanitation and safety. Example: touchless faucets,...

Get Your Home Ready to Sell, Printable Checklist 2023

October 3, 2022

Preparing to sell your home takes time and involves a lot of moving parts. There are plenty of factors influencing whether or not a home sells and how long it takes. Having a checklist can help. We’ve created the one below and divided interior and exterior tasks, with recommendations on what to complete just before photos are taken for listing on the MLS and on thousands of additional real estate websites. After taking a look at the checklist, keep reading for important home preparation advice. Interview 2-3 Real Estate Agents We’ve got a list of Realtor interview questions here, ready for you to ask sellers agents. Realtors have a thousand different approaches and strategies to sell their clients homes faster and...

Top 5 New Roof Types to Install in the Pacific Northwest

September 28, 2022

When your roof is doing its job, it’s easy to take it for granted. But if it gets damaged during a storm or degrades due to age, you’re faced with the expense of repairing or replacing it. It can be hard to where to begin. Should you go with the materials that were used before, or should you consider another type of roof? New roofs are common upgrades for those wanting to sell because it adds value to the home. A fresh roof with clean lines and gutters can dramatically increase curb appeal from something worn down or potentially scary looking to a homebuyer. Also, most lenders will require that the roof is not leaking and in reasonable shape before...