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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mortgage debt relief

Mortgage Debt Relief Act Extended!

January 7, 2013

The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 has been extended by Congress until January 1st, 2014. Here at RealEstateAgentPDX.com, we’ve been following the developments with significant interest (two previous articles: What is the Short Sale Tax? and Short Sale Tax Exemption Could End Soon). This is excellent news for anyone who needs to short sale their Portland home, is in foreclosure now, or anyone who has been forgiven money by their lender on their home. The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 was set to expire January 1st, 2013. If it had not been extended it would have required Portland homeowners who had any of their home mortgage written off by a lender after January 1st, 2013 to pay taxes...

portland real estate market

Portland Real Estate Market Heading Up

January 2, 2013

The Portland real estate market is likely on an upswing, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors and others who presented at the 2012 Realtors Conference and Expo. This is welcome news to nearly everyone involved in the real estate industry. As long as lenders are able to continue to lend, real estate market trends are almost all positive in the next few years, according to Yun. From inflation, to interest rates, to reconstruction, construction, fewer foreclosures on the market and pent-up demand for new homes, Yun touches on several areas that all point toward a positive next several years in real estate market trends. Because of these trends, rises in home sales are forecast...

top portland neighborhoods

Top Portland Neighborhoods for 2013 (part 1)

December 26, 2012

With 95 neighborhoods, the city of Portland has a place for everyone – seniors, families, first-time home buyers, and anyone looking for the convenience of urban life with the safety and familiarity of a good neighborhood. In 2012, we saw the Portland real estate market begin to pick up again, making 2013 the perfect year to invest in a home. Foreclosed properties and short sales continue to come on the market, and the savvy buyer might just find a screaming deal this year. Where are the great properties? All over the Portland, area, really. Young professionals continue to flood into the Pearl district and are starting to move into new developments in the south Waterfront and in North Portland. Southeast...

woodstove in portland

Heat up your Portland home value with a fireplace or stove

December 12, 2012

In the damp, dark winters that characterize the Portland, Oregon area, there’s nothing quite like a cheery flame to warm your toes. Traditional open fireplaces are attractive but inefficient, and there are many other options for units that put out heat without creating drafts and wide temperature fluctuations. Rustic wood-burning stoves, pellet stoves or modern glass-enclosed gas or electric fireplaces add a comfortable ambiance to your home that can’t be rivaled. They also serve as a living-area centerpiece, an attractive place for the family to gather year-round. If you’re thinking of selling your Portland home down the road, adding a heat-efficient fireplace or stove could pay off in helping potential buyers fall in love with your home. So what are...

portland listing agent

What Sellers Look for in a Portland Listing Agent

December 4, 2012

Selling a house is no small endeavor. And, as one might expect, it’s not something most of us would want to leave to someone we don’t trust. This is one of the main reasons we ask for referrals from our friends, family, neighbors and coworkers when selling a house. Did you know that getting a referral is the number one method used to find a Real Estate Agent? Well it is. According to the National Association of REALTORS® Yearly Publication, fully thirty-nine percent of people selling a house in 2011 found their listing agent by getting a referral from a friend, neighbor or relative. Involving a trusted friend’s referral can bring peace of mind and perhaps promotes more honesty, but...

real estate inventory

Taking Inventory of the Portland Real Estate Market

December 3, 2012

The real estate industry keeps track of how it’s doing in funny ways. Mortgages are always going above or below water, but they never seem to get soggy. The real estate blogs are constantly searching for the mysterious “bottom of the market” (it must be down here somewhere!) Then there are the economic factors we like to pay attention to, the bulls and bears and consumer confidence indexes. Inventory is one of those head-scratchers in the real estate biz. To give an estimate of how the market is doing, it measures something that would never actually happen: Every homeowner decides they never want to move again and no new homes come on the market. In that case, how long would...

natural disasters portland

Portland Natural Disasters: Is your Home at Risk?

November 17, 2012

Whether you currently own a home in Portland or are thinking of buying one, you may be thinking about how a natural disaster might affect where you live. The good news is, Portland, Oregon is not in the path of tropical storms, hurricanes, or tornadoes, and we consider a foot of snow to be a major winter event. But that doesn’t mean we’re immune to disaster – especially mudslides, earthquakes and flooding. In a temperate region that normally doesn’t deal with a lot of extreme weather, even strong winds and some ice can leave many residents without access to the basics. What can the Portland home owner or home buyer do to be prepared? The most important thing is to...

portland foreclosure rate

The Foreclosure Rate is Falling in Portland and Across the Country

October 31, 2012

Foreclosure rates in the majority of US cities have hit a 5-year low, according to several sources. This is good news for just about everyone, current homeowners, sellers, and buyers alike. Fewer reported foreclosures can indicate that the economy is rebounding. When the foreclosure rate is down, it can suggest that less people are losing their jobs, getting behind on their payments and being foreclosed on. This can have stabilizing effect on the market, as it helps to fuel optimism and speculation about what the future may hold and can encourage more people to make a move either toward buying or selling as their income becomes more reliable. Also, lower foreclosure rates in many cases across the country are indicative...

portland haunted house

Boo! Is your Portland home a haunted house?

October 30, 2012

Halloween’s almost here, but Portland home buyers aren’t looking for a house that’s haunted. Too often, homes listed for sale are overlooked because of relatively minor issues, issues that the seller can easily fixed before the buyer’s agent comes knocking. So save the scares for the professionals, and read on to de-spookify your home and get it sold before next Halloween! Outside areas Haunted house: Gnarled trees, bats, spiders in every window Your house: Clean and maintained. Like it or not, buyers are swayed by first impressions. Here in Portland, the temperate, rainy climate can lead to an overabundance of vegetation, but that’s not a bad thing as long as you keep it maintained. As a general rule, plants and...

Short Sale Tax Exemption

Short Sale Tax Exemption Could End Soon

October 17, 2012

Short Sale Tax Exemption / Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 is set to expire on December 31st, 2012. If you’re wondering what I’m talking about and have had any portion of the mortgage on your principal residence forgiven by a lender or plan to in the coming year, you should read this article. For more information on Short Sale Tax, visit our article: “What is the Short Sale Tax?” For the last 5 years, the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 has allowed borrowers who fall into this category to fill out a form come tax time that keeps this forgiven loan amount from being taxed as income. Without this Act, these borrowers could have faced a potentially huge...