Reasons Why a Home Sells or Doesn’t

We provide regular researched reports on what causes homes to sell across the country and locally here in the PNW. What worked well in years past changes might not be effective today. We do everything we can, by the numbers, to sell our client’s homes faster and for more, and to more than justify our 4% total commission 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

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...

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...

Why You Should Always List your Home on Multiple MLS Systems.

June 10, 2022

The magician behind the curtain in the real estate industry has a name, and it is the MLS. There are hundreds of multiple listing services, MLS systems, spread throughout all fifty states. When you speak with a Realtor (or some other home selling company) you expect them to perform this magic, list your home for sale with photos, 3D, appropriate data, written description, and put it on thousands of real estate websites all at once. Then the Realtor or other company typically does this by inputting all the data, pictures, 3D, and more into one MLS system within your State that they have a paid membership to. Then the home’s information will go out to the many thousands of real...

How Homes are Sold Across the Country – 2022 Report

December 20, 2021

Selling a home can seem like a daunting task, whether you’ve done it many times or are doing it for the first time. There also seems to be more ways to sell a home than every before, so some research is in order. One must know how home buyers are finding, selecting, and purchasing homes for sale in order to know the best way to sell a home. What is the best way to market a home for sale in 2022 to get the biggest audience and best possible price? The National Association of Realtors (NAR) compiles an annual report that shares this and more, all based on careful, comprehensive nationwide research. Having this valuable information removes guesswork and will...

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...

What makes a Home Sell? – 2020 Update

January 10, 2020

There are more ways in 2020 to sell a home than ever before. We want to explain the science behind the methods, what exactly makes a home sell in the U.S. in the year 2020 (and beyond). Thankfully every year the National Association of Realtors does extensive research to determine just that, all the forces that cause a home to sell. The profile of home buyers and sellers report is so comprehensive that anything that doesn’t make the NAR list of what causes a home to sell, simply doesn’t make an impact on the real estate market at all. What causes a home to sell? We are going to answer this question in two parts. First, what did the home...

My Home is Not Selling. What can I do? – 2019 Update

September 6, 2019

Portland Real Estate Market, Then and Now For the greater Portland metro area home prices have been increasing across the board from 2012 to 2016. In 2017 things changed. High priced homes and some high-end luxury properties started to decrease in value, but most of the residential housing market still increased in value. In 2018, high-end and middle value condos decreased in price and a significant portion of the Portland luxury market decreased in price. In 2019, the majority of condos decreased in price, nearly all homes over 600,000 decreased in price, and only lower priced homes, say under 400,000 actually saw appreciation in the Portland real estate market in 2019. Portland Real Estate Market, The Future We just completed...

My Portland Home is Not Selling. What do I do?

July 3, 2018

Since 2012 and until 2017 the Portland real estate market has been booming. Most would say that in 2018 the Portland housing boom is over! The real estate market is cooling off fast, in many areas and housing types (but not all). Read this article to find out what is really happening in the real estate market and finally what you can do to sell your Portland home now. Portland Luxury Market is Cooling Fast Right now if you are trying to sell a Portland Luxury Home or a condo or townhome, you are in the hardest hit portion of the Portland real estate market. Luxury home inventory is up. There are 196 active homes for sale in Portland over...

What Makes a Home Sell? 2017 Portland Market Report

March 6, 2017

Most real estate agents talk a good game. Their marketing plan could include 100 different activities to try to help your home sell. But what actually makes a home sell? What actually works? There is a definitive answer to that question! NAR, National Association of Realtors puts out a report each year that analyzes exactly how all residential homes are sold across the country. As real estate agents, we do not have to market in the “blind”. But many still do. For those agents who pay attention to the available research, it can make all the difference in your home sale. I know that some homeowners look around at their hot neighborhoods and tell me, “anyone who puts a sign...