Portland Real Estate Blog

This is a top 100 real estate blog in the world according to Feedspot.com. In particular, this is a local real estate blog written by a top 1% real estate agent in the U.S., Stephen FitzMaurice, Realtor. Stephen regularly reports on the greater Portland metro area’s real estate market including annual housing forecasts and best time to sell or buy a home reports. He gives home selling and home buying professional advice. He also writes informative articles on Portland neighborhoods and suburbs as they relate to the real estate market. Finally, he writes to inform the general public about real estate agents, such as annual average real estate agent commission reports and more.

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Home Staging Sells Homes Faster and For More, 2023 Report

July 21, 2023

We are all familiar with the integral role the internet plays in real estate transactions today. When the first stop for many potential buyers is to browse online home listings, up-to-date information and current photos are essential to success in selling your home. High-quality online photos, and now professional 3D home tours, have become the expectation for potential buyers previewing homes from their computer or laptop, and they can make the difference between your home ultimately being sold or sitting on the market longer as buyers flock to homes with beautiful online photography. As a seller, you may wonder how you can achieve the best possible photos of your home that will lead to the ideal sales price. The answer:...

15 Things you Must-Know Before Leaving your Home Vacant

July 17, 2023

Leaving a vacant home is sometimes a necessary life choice, and not one that homeowners ever feel completely comfortable with. Licensed since 2003, I’ve sold a lot of homes that the sellers chose to sell vacant. Sometimes the sellers were still nearby and could check on the home. Other times, the seller lived out of state or even out of country. In fact, our research shows that vacant homes sell better than occupied properties. 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 prepare and potentially even spend some money to shore up...

Never Waive the Home Inspection Contingency

July 12, 2023

If you’re buying a home in an often competitive real estate market like Portland, Oregon’s and your offers keep getting beat out, you may be tempted to resort to desperate measures. Home buyers may be tempted to offer more than the asking price, agree to a quick closing, make their earnest money non-refundable, waive the appraisal contingency, agree to free rent back, and or waive the home inspection contingency. Here’s our guide on how to win a bidding war. The home inspection is just one of four main contingencies included in most Oregon real estate contracts. They exist to protect home buyers; any one of the contingencies can reveal information that affects the value of the home, causing the buyer...

Portland, Oregon Sewer Scope Home Test Guide

July 10, 2023

Having the sewer line scoped before you purchase a home in Portland, Oregon is a very good idea. Sewer lines can cost a few thousand, to tens of thousands of dollars to repair or replace, but a sewer scope typically costs just $100-$200 in the Portland area. Sometimes after a sewer scope, the city of Portland will even determine that the sewer line is illegal (we’ll get into this) and require its full replacement. In this article, we’ll go through some of the most frequent questions home owners and buyers ask our real estate agents about sewer scopes. Whether you’re buying or selling a brand new or hundred year old home in Portland, there is a reason to check the sewer...

How Long to Sell a Home in Portland, Oregon? 2023 Report

July 7, 2023

History of Time on Market in Portland Taking a look at the days on market in Portland, Oregon can tell the story of its real estate market as a whole. It is easy to see the trends, shifts, and market changes over the course of years. Typically days on market exceeding 60 days is a buyer’s market and time on market less than 60 days is considered a sellers market. Past Years Average Number of Days to Sell (go pending) in Portland, Oregon Past Years Average Number of Days to Sell (go pending) in Portland, Oregon 2022 29 ( hottest first half I’ve ever seen, slow second ) 2014 70 2021 27 ( fast all year ) 2013 83 2020...

Beaverton, Oregon Real Estate Market, 2023 Update

July 3, 2023

Every month we highlight a different suburb of Portland and provide an overview of real estate conditions in the area for those who are interested in buying or selling. To learn more about the housing market in a particular Portland suburb, check out our Portland Suburb Real Estate Market Reports. This month we turn our attention to the suburb of Beaverton, whose city center is roughly 8 miles west of downtown Portland and neighbors its western border. Known for being home to Nike’s corporate headquarters and a number of other large employers like IBM, Reser’s Fine Foods and Tektronix, Beaverton is a desirable place to live for many workers desiring a convenient commute. In addition to plentiful job prospects, the...

HOA Fees up 30% since 2020 in Portland, Oregon

June 30, 2023

This is our fourth year calculating average HOA fees in Portland, Oregon. Last year we were surprised to report that HOA fees had jumped a whopping 20% in the city over a short two year period. It is no longer uncommon to see monthly HOA fees top $1,000 a month. These fees are not trivial and are extremely important. In Oregon, the HOA is allowed to foreclose on your property to recover missing HOA payments. Why do HOA fees vary so widely? Bad planning. New construction homes and condos often start with really low HOA fees to attract buyers, along with the idea that no major maintenance will come up anytime soon. Then, if the HOA fails to increase their...

Step by Step Guide to Buying a Home in Portland

June 26, 2023

12 Steps to Buying a Home in Portland, Oregon We have written many other articles on the home-buying process in the Greater Portland metro area, but this article is a great place to start. Licensed since 2003, I watch the Portland real estate market like a hawk and write monthly reports on how it is currently affecting home buyers and sellers. In order to keep tabs on the local real estate market, we recommend you bookmark this page. I would also encourage you to sign up for our 2X month blog digest (you can sign up on this page, scroll down or look to the sidebar), and make sure to understand the best time of the year to buy a...

Top 10 Real Estate News Websites

June 23, 2023

It can be surprisingly difficult to find timely and accurate real estate news, especially if you’re looking for accurate local data specific to your property. Most of the major news sites (and we won’t name names) focus on the sensational, a celebrity’s home sale, a shocking statement about how the economy could impact the real estate market next. I’ve been licensed since 2003, and since then have kept my eye out for good local and national sources of real estate news. The task hasn’t been easy, but over the years I’ve found a number of reliable, or at least interesting sources. Today I’m going to share my top list with you. I’m going to break it down into national and...

Top 5 Portland Maps for Sustainability and Livability

June 19, 2023

Portland is a city that values sustainability. In fact, Portland emerged as the most sustainable city in the country in a recent list by ParkSleepFly, which ranked cities according to renewable energy use and air pollution, among other factors. It’s no secret that Portland has been on the forefront of urban movements to promote sustainability for decades. And Portland continues to set an example of caring for the environment while encouraging its citizens’ enjoyment of it. From biking to hiking, walking around your neighborhood to traveling out of town, Portland wants people to be outside enjoying the natural world and working to care for it at the same time. Unsurprisingly, there are several mapping tools that highlight the city’s sustainability...

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Stephen FitzMaurice

Team at eXp Realty