PORTLAND OREGON 
REAL ESTATE

Celia Lyon
Principal Broker

503-260-6231

CeliaLyon@aol.com

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Portland Real Estate Search / Buyer – Seller Tips


Portland Real Estate or Homeowner’s Insurance


While it is necessary to have Portland Real Estate or Homeowner’s Insurance, there are ways to reduce your premium costs.

One: Raise your deductible. Deductibles are the amount you must pay towards a loss before your insurance company starts to pay. You can save costs on your overall policy by increasing the amount of your deductible. For example, according to a Federal Government paper on lowering Portland insurance costs, you can save up to 12% on your rate if you go with a $500.00 deductible rather than a $250.00 deductible.

Portland Homeownsers Insurance


Bundle your Portland insurance policies. Some companies that sell homeowners, auto and liability coverage will take 5 to 15% off your premium if you buy two or more policies from them.

Reduce Your Risk. Find out from your insurance company what steps you can take to make your Portland more resistant to natural disasters. If you live in an older home, look into modernizing your heating, plumbing and electrical systems to reduce the risk of fire and water damage.


Bitten by the Portland Home Improvement Bug?


Money isn’t everything however so that if the most important consideration for remaining in your Portland home happens to be the school where your children attend or the proximity to your work or to a particularly attractive recreational opportunity then remodeling may be the best option. On the other hand, if the idea of having your Portland house torn up for weeks at a time makes your blood run cold, it really doesn’t matter how much money you might make turning a fixer-upper into a model home. You will be far better off selling the home you have and moving to a home that better fits your needs.

Buying Portland Below Market


On most real estate Websites you can enter the parameters you want for your Portland. Include the price, size, features and location and the technology will notify you automatically the moment a property that meets your needs comes on the market. Now if what you are looking for is a particular type of property for a price that is significantly under market, you’d better be prepared to act quickly because you aren’t the only one who’s looking for a bargain.

Often times, when a home comes on the market priced under the market there are extenuating circumstances. Maybe the house needs maintenance. Maybe the yard needs work. If you are prepared with a certain amount of knowledge about the costs of roofing, painting, landscaping and other types of deferred maintenance, you will be in a position to evaluate whether or not the Portland is priced well enough that it truly is a bargain and not a fixer-upper nightmare.


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.


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.