Portland Real Estate Blog

This is a top 100 real estate blog in the world according to Feedspot.com. In particular this is a Portland real estate blog written by a top 1% Portland real estate agent, Stephen FitzMaurice, Realtor. Stephen regularly reports on the Portland real estate market, including short sale and foreclosure news. He gives home selling and home buying tips. He also writes informative articles on Portland neighborhoods. Finally, he writes to inform the general public about real estate agents and the industry.

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Best Time to Sell a House in Portland – 2020 Update

January 24, 2020

In 2020, the Portland real estate market is split. Some parts of the Portland real estate market are cooling and are firmly considered a buyer’s market, while other segments of the Portland real estate market are still hot and considered a seller’s market. See our full 2020 Portland real estate market forecast here. In general, Portland condos downtown are in the buyer’s market category (your best buy in Portland right now) and many luxury homes in the Portland market (not all areas, but most) are in the buyer’s market category. But anything close to the city under 450K in price is most likely firmly in a seller’s market. All of the above will continue for the entire 2020 year, but...

10 Things to Know Before Buying a Condo in Portland

January 20, 2020

Half of the condos in Portland are downtown. A recent real estate search found that nearly half of the condos currently on the market in Portland are located in the downtown area, including the Peal District, Nob Hill, Goose Hollow and South Waterfront neighborhoods. Portland condos are green. For those wishing to do without a personal vehicle, buying a condo may be the best way to do it. From a downtown Portland condo, shops, restaurants and offices are steps away. Portland’s mass transit system — including light rail, streetcar and bus — will get you anywhere you need to go in the metro area. And many Portland condo highrises are built to the highest green standard available: LEED Platinum. Most condos are...

Portland Home Energy Score Update: 2020

January 17, 2020

When the calendar turned over to the new year, Portland’s Home Energy Score program celebrated its second birthday. What’s new in the world of Home Energy Scores since they were implemented? To start with, Portland is seeing increased participation in the program, with nearly 13,000 homes scored. The average score, at 4.7/10, continues to be a little bit lower than expected. Also, the City of Portland is cracking down on home sellers (dishing out $ fines) who don’t comply with the rules. 2020 Home Energy Scores in Portland If you’re considering selling a home in Portland and have already talked to a real estate agent, you might already be aware that you need a Home Energy Score before the listing...

Is Portland Safe? – 2020 Update

January 13, 2020

Is Portland safe, is a legitimate question as Portland, Oregon has been in the news often as of late with many hours of newsreels focused on Antifa and Proud boys or Portland’s growing homeless population. I promise this will not be another polictically opinionated piece in response to that question, but a relaying of the facts. I’m a local real estate agent in Portland, licensed here since 2003, and so livability and quality of life, as you might imagine, is one of the most important things to my present and future clients. The question of whether Portland is safe or parts of Portland are safe, is an important one to my real estate profession. Portland Safety Ratings and Crime Map...

What makes a Home Sell? – 2020 Update

January 10, 2020

There are more ways in 2020 to sell a home than ever before. We discussed the four major ways to sell a home in this detailed real estate podcast: Now we want to build on that and 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....

portland neighborhood best elementary school

Top 3 Portland Neighborhoods for Highly Rated Elementary Schools: 2020 Update

January 6, 2020

Research shows that home values near top-performing schools are valued higher, (whether that is a good or bad thing is not being discussed here, rather reporting that it is a reality) and 50% of buyers say they’ll pay more for a home if it’s near a desirable school. The Portland area is home to hundreds of schools, but not all perform equally. We’ve sorted through the highest rated public elementary schools in the city and matched them with their Portland neighborhood. 1. Southwest Hills The schools: Ainsworth Elementary has a long history in Portland, going back to 1914. The three-story brick building is local landmark, and the school has a robust music and art program as well as a Spanish Immersion...

15 Things you Must-Know Before Leaving your Home Vacant

January 3, 2020

Leaving a vacant home is sometimes a necessary life choice, and not one that homeowners ever feel completely comfortable with. That said, if your situation calls for a home to be vacant for few weeks or even months, there are steps you can take to make it a lot less risky. For the saavy Portland homeowner willing to spend some time and money shoring up a vacant house, the reward is peace of mind. Top Three Risks for Vacant Homes Everyone has their own nightmare scenario for their vacant home, but the most common problems are these: Deferred maintenance. Weeds crop up in the yard. Cobwebs collect in the eaves. Hinges and locks grow creaky from disuse, and the inside...

Top 5 Portland Real Estate Market News Stories – 2019 Recap

December 20, 2019

Like previous years, 2019 was one in which technology dramatically shifted the age-old practice of buying and selling real estate. On one hand, the increased access to real estate market data that we now enjoy allows both buyers and sellers to make better decisions. On the other hand, technology has also clouded the real estate market by inserting iBuyers and corporate investors into what has primarily been a person-to-person exchange. In addition to these stories, we’ve covered important news on affordability and housing here in Portland, including local changes to the way new housing is developed. All in all, we published over 100 articles here on the real estate blog in 2019! Now we’re asking what we can learn from...

Portland Oil Tank Decommissioning: 2020 Update Home Hazards

December 16, 2019

If your Portland home has a heating oil tank, even a decommissioned one, you may need to get a new site assessment and/or certification letter from the DEQ before your home sells. This will come as a surprise to many Portland home owners who paid to have their oil tanks decommissioned in the past. No, there hasn’t been a rule change. Decommissioning is still voluntary, and the DEQ hasn’t called for mass recertifications — this is purely based on home buyers’ preferences. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in concern about soil contamination from old oil tanks, even those that had been previously decommissioned, and buyers are testing during their inspection period. If soil contamination is...

Top Real Estate Agent Review Sites: 2020 Update

December 13, 2019

For a long time, unverified online reviews were the bane of the real estate agent’s existence! Now it’s almost 2020, and we can finally celebrate the fact that actual customers are voicing their opinions online, creating a merit-based system in which the best real estate agents win. However, the saavy real estate agent chooser should know where to look, because fake reviews are still out there (and we’ve been hit ourselves with some bogus spam reviews from people who simply don’t exist. So where’s the best place to find verified reviews of real estate agents from people who actually worked with them? We’re glad you asked! If you’re simply looking for reviews on the Stephen FitzMaurice Team, you can find...

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Stephen FitzMaurice

Real Estate Team