Use Technology to Help Your Portland Home Purchase

The Portland real estate market right now is competitive! Everyone is moving fast, so some good tech tips can go a long ways.

Here are my top seven real estate agent tech tips to help you find that next Portland home.

1. Stalk an excellent buyer’s agent. No, really! Finding a buyers’ agent who will truly work for you is the single most important thing you can do as a home buyer in this market. Hint: If you’re on the Yelp app, close it down. Zillow and Realtor.com both have verified agent reviews (check out our blog post on real estate agent reviews here). Don’t stop there, though — go to that Realtor’s web site and read about what makes them different from others. Our Portland buyers team has a custom home search website where you can “heart” your favorites. If you do so, it notifies the buyer’s agent right away so we can keep track of what you’re interested in. You can talk back and forth with your buyers agent on the same mobile friendly site.

2. Click the virtual tour and video links. I know that sometimes you’ll get cheesy photo slides with terrible music! But, many real estate agents, like our team, have moved on to creating cutting edge 3D home modeling, drone videos, video walk throughs, and more. Where do you find these informative feature on a home listing online? Typically you need to click the virtual tour or video tour link, and almost every real estate website has those.

3. Distract yourself. In a study reported on by Psychology Today, people who had a difficult decision to make were split into three groups: One had no time to think about it, the second had distraction-free time to mull over the options, and the third was distracted with an addictive game. The third group ended up making the best decision! With all of the entertaining content on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Pintrest/you-name-it, some home buyers may feel a bit guilty indulging in this kind of distraction. Turns out it might be the best thing you can do — for a few minutes a day, anyway.

4. Bug your buyer’s agent. Maybe while you’re on Facebook, you see a cute dog video from your cousin and wonder, did that home we looked at this morning have a fenced-in backyard? You should be able to shoot off a quick text, email or message to your buyer’s agent and get an answer. Most real estate agents these days check their messages across platforms and respond within a few hours. Just remember real estate etiquette and ask your buyer’s agent, not the selling agent for the home.

5. Sign documents with your phone. Your smartphone is a personal computer in your pocket — use it! Some documents can be signed with mobile apps or websites, which can make the home buying process go much more quickly and securely. Even if you prefer old-fashioned paper, there are apps to help you take measurements (will your armoire fit in the walk-in closet?) and calculate mortgage payments. And, of course, there’s the camera, useful for taking selfies with your real estate agent, and remembering key details about the home!

6. Don’t forget to check Portlandmaps.com for historical and current (even outstanding) permits on the home you’re interested in. Plus you can check all sorts of additional neighborhood information on the site like crime levels, schools, and transportation.

7. Get advice online, but make sure it’s the right kind. Social media is great for getting certain types of help with buying a home. If you already have Facebook friends in the Portland area, ask them for tips on which neighborhoods to check out, what the schools are like, etc. When it comes to more real estate specific questions, though, you’re better off asking your Portland buyer’s agent. Examples include, “What is the seller required to disclose about a home?” and “Should I wait to list my current home until I’ve had an offer accepted on my new home?”

Do you have more questions about how to make the most of technology in your home search? Got a cute dog picture to share? Contact our Portland real estate agent team anytime.