PORTLAND OREGON 
REAL ESTATE

Celia Lyon
Principal Broker

503-260-6231

CeliaLyon@aol.com

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Buying and Selling Portland Homes


Negotiating the Sale of Your Portland Home.


Some say that the “Devil is in the Details” and these last two steps are full of details as buyers make offers contingent upon certain conditions being met by the seller and sellers make counter offers in the process of closing your Portland home. Once there is agreement, however, many details still remain in order to finalize the sale.

Shopping for Your Portland Real Estate Loan


Portland Real Estate Loans have become part of a worldwide mortgage market and mortgage lending is impersonal and competitive. When you shop for the best loan don’t pay too much attention to who is originating the loan. Instead focus on interest rate, points, processing costs and whether you want a fixed rate or an adjustable rate loan. The reason for this is that more than likely, your Portland real estate loan will be sold to one of the organizations made up of what is known as The Secondary Market.

Portland FAIR MARKET VALUE


Setting the right price is an important first step in getting a home sold. Sellers often wonder if they should spend $200 to $400 for a professional appraisal of their Portland real estate before placing it on the market.

WAYS TO DETERMINE VALUE IN Portland


A professional appraiser's opinion of a property's market value is based on the recent sales of similar Portland real estate. Different appraisers could come up with different numbers. Even if all of them agreed on a value, there is no guarantee that you would receive that amount for your property. An alternative to a professional appraisal is to ask a professional Realtor for a written market analysis of your property. This analysis will include information about recent home sales in your neighborhood, as well as how those homes compare to yours.

Portland Housing Patterns


Portland Housing patterns tend to be homogenous, meaning homes worth $100,00 are located in $100,000 neighborhoods. It is important for properties to be within the general pricing patterns of their neighborhoods because over-valued homes, even if they are exceptional, are sometimes difficult to sell at full market price. Remember, lenders want to compare your home to nearby homes. If your Portland real estate is located in a neighborhood of $100,000 homes but you have added another $100,000 in improvements, you may have over- improved your property in that lenders will be reluctant to lend the higher amount.

Many sellers think that the price of their home is determined solely by what they are willing to accept and what the buyer is willing to pay. However, the lender’s appraisal in Portland is one more variable and it can complicate the sale of your home. In these cases, it helps to have a knowledgeable REALTOR working on your side.


Buying Portland Real Estate...Will it Pay?


With a typical 30-year loan, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest payments with only small amounts going to the principle in the early years. Only half the principle is repaid in the first 23 years of the loan. You can build equity in your Portland faster by choosing a 15-year loan instead of a 30-year loan.

As a Portland real estate owner you have the right to pay more towards the principle loan amount each month. Let’s say your monthly payment is $700.00 a month and $100.00 a month is being applied to the principle. If you choose to pay $900.00 instead of $700.00, the $200.00 overage will be applied entirely to the principle. Thus, instead of gaining $1,200.00 a year in home equity, you gain $3,600.00. Investing in Portland can be a very good idea.


When Portland Does Not Sell


The number one, main reason why a home remains on the market is PRICE. There can be other problems as well such as the home’s condition or location and even overall market conditions but the major reason for the NO SALE sign is the Portland is over priced. In fact, proper pricing will often overcome most all obstacles.

Some people prefer to buy Portland that needs some work if the price is right. Investors look at the property, evaluate the cost of brining it up to speed and make an offer if they feel they can make a quick profit. These kinds of investors are looking to fix and flip. Others with limited budgets may see the fixer-upper as a way to get started with Portland ownership. They may spend years working on improving the home, making improvements as they can afford it. So, a home’s poor condition will not prevent a sale if the price reflects the situation.