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Portland Real Estate News
Fixed Rate Loans in Portland
Advantages: As indicated earlier, predictability is the biggest incentive for choosing a fixed-rate loan for your Portland real estate mortgage.
Disadvantages: Fixed rate loans usually come with higher interest than the start up interest rate on a fixed loan. Down payments for your Portland on conventional, fixed-rate loans are usually higher than the down payment required for an ARM.
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.
Before You Buy Your Portland Home
Whether you are a first time buyer or someone who is moving up to a more expensive home it’s a good idea to start by cleaning up your credit report. Let’s say you apply for a loan to purchase an Portland condo, town home, single-family home or any type of Portland. The lender will check out your monthly income and outgo to determine if you can afford to repay the loan. Therefore, it is to your advantage to pay off as many high-interest consumer loans as possible. If you are planning on buying a car, a boat or other major purchase, put it off until after you have bought your selected Portland real estate. Lenders look for certain patterns they consider red flags. These are: late payments, overextension, liens, garnishments and, of course, bankruptcy. Remember, debts reduce the amount of cash you can spend on the Portland you want to buy, so clear the decks as much as possible before applying for a loan
Buying a Portland Fixer-Upper
This, of course, depends on the condition of the Portland home and the estimated cost of the repairs you must make. Portland real estate in a good neighborhood that is priced about 25% lower than others that are in good shape may be a good deal if it simply needs cosmetic or minor structural repairs. If the house is a gut job, that is the entire inside will be torn out and rebuilt the 25% rule may work and may not so estimate your costs as closely as possible.
Shopping by neighborhood makes good sense when considering the purchase of a fixer upper. As a buyer, the more you know about the Portland homes in a particular area the better able you are when it comes time to judge whether or not a home your are considering meets the financial parameters you are looking for.
Buying Portland Below Market
Isn’t that everyone’s dream? I hear it from prospective buyers almost every day and many of them want to find the perfect Portland home priced considerably under market. Is it possible? The answer may surprise you but often it is possible. You just need a sophisticated buying strategy.
Now the idea that you can simply decide one day to go house hunting and find just the Portland real estate you want priced way under market is pushing your luck. But if you take advantage of some of today’s Internet technology, do your homework and bide your time, you might find just what you are looking for. First let’s look at the technology.
The Benefits of Selling Portland
As you know, you are allowed to sell your Portland principal residence once every two years and exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) of the gain of the sale on your Federal income tax. Please note: This is not a once in a lifetime tax savings and you don’t have to be any certain age or buy a more expensive property. If you meet the two-year residence test you can sell your principal residence every two years if you are so inclined and the market cooperates. But this tax saving does not affect rental property unless you convert the rental to your personal residence, live in it for two years and then sell it.
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