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.

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...

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4 Reasons Not to Sell a Home Online to an iBuyer

May 31, 2021

If you’ve ever checked out your home on major websites like Redfin or Zillow, chances are you’ve seen a tantalizing number. These sites give you a ballpark of what your home may be worth. And they aren’t alone. For the past few years, iBuyers – online portals that offer cash up front for your home – have been on the rise. And based on their marketing, they want you to get those dollar signs flashing in your eyes. In order to get a snapshot of what iBuyers are advertising, all you need is to perform a basic search. Our first three results – all paid ads – came up as follows: Sell Your House Fast for Cash We Buy Houses...

how to sell your home for more

Price your Home Lower and Sell it for More

May 28, 2021

Home Sales in Hot Sellers Markets turn into Blind Bidding Wars In most parts of the country in a hot sellers market, real estate agents list their clients’ homes in advance of the weekend, then collect offers over the weekend, and then the home seller picks the best offer on that Monday or early part of the next week. The handling process of these collected offers over a short period of time (typically 2-5 days) is typically called “a blind bidding war.” You can see how the National Association of Realtor defines this a bidding war here. This means that each buyers agent doesn’t know what any of the other offers’ terms are. They are dropping an offer (a bid)...

questions to ask interviewing realtor

What Interview Questions to Ask a Realtor Before you Sell a Home?

May 21, 2021

About to interview a Realtor to sell your home? Whether you were recommended to this real estate agent by a friend or you found the Realtor online, the next best step is to interview the agent at your home. Yes, you could interview the Realtor online or on the phone, but we recommend the first step (as long as everyone is comfortable) is to schedule an appointment at the home you are considering selling. This will help you gauge the Realtor’s reaction to your property and help you know if the agent is a good fit for your home sale. 1. What are the Exact Terms of your Cancellation Policy? Okay, I know that sounds like a strange place to...

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Portland Home Staging Works 2021

May 19, 2021

For years now, the importance of quality online photos has increased, as the internet becomes more and more a main jumping off point for potential buyers. But last year, many predicted that importance to shoot up even further. And yes, that did pan out to an extent. Since the pandemic made folks more selective about viewing homes in person, it’s logical that having attractive photos in your online listing becomes crucial to getting boots in the door. And what helps create attractive photos? Professional staging. Conventional wisdom, plus some statistics, show that staging a home increases chances of a favorable sale. Now that we’ve been through a pandemic year, will staging remain more important than it was before? Will what...

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10 Landscaping Tips to Increase Home Value in 2021

May 17, 2021

Landscaping: it’s an art form, one that can be hard to wrap your head around. That’s because, like all art forms, landscaping adds value to which it’s hard to assign a strict dollar amount. We’re talking about atmosphere, comfort, and that ineffable something that makes a space feel welcoming. But, also like all art forms, we can discuss its value because history shows that people will pay for that ineffable something! In 2020, the National Association of Realtors reported that homes with high curb appeal sold on average for 7% more than comparable homes with low curb appeal. Effective landscaping frames the home and gives the impression of a well-kept property. So just like choosing the right paint color or...

3d rendering of a metal paint can on a wooden desk with a new clean brush leaning on its side. Art supplies. DIY and renovation. Building and decorating.

Top 3 Exterior Paint Colors to Increase Home Value in 2021

May 14, 2021

A fresh coat of paint can work wonders – especially when you’re selling your home. We hear the word curb appeal casually thrown around quite a bit, but the term is rooted in reality. Prospective buyers are more likely to tour a home that looks more inviting from the outside. And the buck doesn’t stop there. Last year a joint study from the University of Alabama and the University of Texas at Arlington found that homes with curb appeal sell at an average of 7% higher than comparable (but less visually appealing) homes. If it’s been more than five years since your last paint job, we recommend you get a fresh coat before listing. But to speak of paint begs...

who gets the house in oregon divorce

Who Gets the House in an Oregon Divorce?

May 5, 2021

Divorce often brings out the worst in people, and aside from fighting over children, one of the biggest disputes in a divorce is often the award of the marital home. It’s often the most significant asset a couple has, and– especially if there are children in the marriage– the marital home may have substantial practical and emotional significance. The answer to the question of who ultimately will be awarded the house in a given divorce is long, complicated, and will depend on many factors. But with this article, we’ll try to break it down a bit. Who Gets To Live In The House During A Divorce? Unless there is a specific court order otherwise, both spouses can remain in the...

portland sellers overprice homes

Why Sellers Overprice Their Homes (and Why They Shouldn’t)

May 3, 2021

Deciding on a list price is hands down one of the most crucial steps of selling a home. And the final decision rests with the owner, who must agree to a number after working with a real estate agent. It’s all too tempting for a seller list high, hoping to get the most they can out of the transaction. Unfortunately, that’s not always the best strategy, even in Portland’s hot seller’s market. Yet the fact remains that many sellers continue to list their homes over or at the high end of the market value. In 2019, the Journal of Housing Economics reported that the average homeowner overvalues their home by 8%. And Americans aren’t alone. For example, a 2020 JHE...