Archive for the ‘buying a home’ Category

The Latest Portland Housing Report

The year has started off on a very positive note. Sales activity in the Portland metro area continued to show improvement in closed and pending sales when comparing this January to the same month a year ago. Closed sales experienced a 18.3% increase, posting the highest numbers for January since 2007. Pending sales saw growth […]

Beat the Competition and Get that Portland Foreclosure!

While bank-owned homes are plentiful in Portland, they aren’t always easy for a buyer to get. Foreclosures sell at bargain prices — sometimes at 35 percent discounts when compared to nonforeclosures. These ultra-low prices are attracting investors and all-cash offers, which makes it difficult for other buyers’ bids to win out. Here’s how Portland buyers […]

Interest Rates Tick Downward..Again!

I feel like I’m blogging this same thing over and over. But I’m guessing you would want to know if rates are going down, even if it means I’m a broken record! Mortgage rates once again inched lower this past week, lowering the cost of borrowing and increasing housing affordability.    

Coming Up: East Portland Home Ownership Forum

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 15th! Rose Community Development is bringing their second East Portland Homeownership Forum to David Douglas High School from 6 – 8:30pm. They will be drawing more finalists for the $4,000 downpayment grant, sharing information for first-time homebuyers and more. This forum is free and open to the public! 503-788-8052 […]

Questions to Ask before Buying a Foreclosure in Portland!

You know that whole saying, “If it seems too good to be true than it probably is.”  Well that is definitely applicable to foreclosures, particularly ones that have been abandoned.  I often encounter new buyers who are excited about the prospect of buying a foreclosure because of the great price they may get.   And […]

Sewer Monsters and the Importance of Sewer Scopes!

Unless you already own a home you probably don’t often think about the sewer lines that carry the “waste” from where you live to the sewer lines in the street. Any time you buy a house you need to have those lines inspected. It’s not required but strongly recommended. Sometimes the repair is minor or […]

Portland Home Sales up in 2011!

The Portland Home Sales numbers are in and there were 19,682 Portland-area homes sold in 2011. That is a 4 percent increase compared with 2010, according to the Regional Multiple Listing Service. But the median price for the year fell 7.9 percent, to $221,000. The weight from distressed home sales continue to impact our Portland […]

Interest Rates Hit New Historic Lows….Again!

It was just about a month ago when Mortgage interest rates hit their lowest percentages ever. And now it’s happening again! Mortgage rates for mortgages fell this week, with the current average rate borrowers were quoted at 3.71 percent, down from 3.73 percent at this same time last week. And in Portland it’s even better! The […]

Portland Housing Stats from November 2011

Next week the numbers for December will be released but before we look at those I wanted to take a minute and look back at what was happening with the Portland area Housing Market in November. This also comes after many articles coming out these first few weeks in January saying that the Housing Market […]

Buying a Foreclosure in Portland? Things every Buyer should Know!

Are you looking to buy a home in Portland? Curious about buying a foreclosure in Portland? In a December survey, Trulia found that 49 percent of Americans were at least somewhat likely to consider buying a foreclosure, up from 45 percent in May 2010. But the number of US adults who believed there are disadvantages […]