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PORTLAND
OREGON
REAL ESTATE
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Facts About Portland Homes / Buy and Sell WiselyPortland Home Improvement
Homeowners hear a lot about improvements that might add value to houses. But less attention is paid to what to avoid. Steer clear of renovations that will cost you money at resale time.
If an Portland home becomes conspicuously larger -- and more expensive -- than those around it will risk becoming hard to sell. Additions tend not to return their entire investment. The 2005 "Cost vs. Value Report" found that homeowners were able to recoup only 83% of the cost of a family-room addition and 82% of a midrange master suite.
Portland Real Estate Cycles
During a slow economic time, fewer people are buying homes in the Portland market. Even so, some homeowners find themselves in a situation where they must sell. Families grow beyond the capacity of the home, employees get relocated, and some may even find themselves unable to make their mortgage payment - perhaps because of a layoff in the family.
During sellers' markets, Portland real estate sells quickly and sellers have a lot of pricing power. As a result, prices rise more rapidly than at other times. During buyers' markets, Portland real estate may sit on the market for a while before selling, so sellers become more flexible and may even drop their prices.
Portland Real Estate Cycles
One problem with attempting to time your purchase to the business cycle is that even experts have problems accurately predicting the future economy. Even when they can, the Portland market does not necessarily move in tandem with the stock market or the economy as a whole. Portland is a unique situation.
When the economy is doing well, interest rates are generally higher. The result is that fewer people can afford houses, and Portland is no exception. When the economy slows down, interest rates fall, the "affordability index" moves up and more people can afford houses. The Portland market will take the lead.
Choosing Your Portland Neighborhood
The fact is that much of the value of Portland and real estate in general rests in its surrounding economic and social environment, which means it’s neighborhood. In addition to being located in the right neighborhood, the Portland that you buy must not clash with its surroundings. To picture what we mean here, visualize the most expensive home you can imagine and then place it in the middle of a run down neighborhood. Not so desirable is it?
To sum up, the Portland that you buy gets its value from a combination of the home’s location and its size, style, age and amenities. You can change the home’s size, style and amenities but you are stuck with the location.
What Makes Portland Sell?
People often ask me when is the best time to sell my Portland? I usually reply that if you want to get the best price for your home, it is wise to give yourself as much time as possible to sell it. However peak selling seasons vary in different areas of the country, and Portland is no exception, and weather has a lot to do with an area’s peak season. For example, late spring and early fall are the prime listing seasons in many areas because houses tend to show better in those months than they do in the heat of summer. Having said that, houses sell in every season in areas where there is a demand. By demand, I mean a significant number of prospective buyers moving to the area for a variety of reasons.
When Portland Does Not Sell
Let’s say a home is in excellent condition but simply messy. The cat box needs changing, the dog dish is a mess, the dishes haven’t been put into the dishwasher and the beds are not made. Should these conditions affect the price of the Portland? No, but they do. Take two identical houses next door to each other and priced the same. The sparkling clean house will sell much faster than the messy house and the messy house will more than likely sell for a lower figure. This is true of Portland as well as real estate nationwide.
When a home does not sell, the owners tend to think that the REALTOR didn’t do a good enough job of promoting the property. There is a difference among agents and brokers and some will promote a property more than others. However, the main and most important method of promoting Portland for sale is listing it in the local MLS.
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