This has been a very busy spring! My buyer clients are keeping me very busy and I’m grateful. But as I’m out there showing houses and writing offers, there is a theme beginning to emerge. Competition is fierce! With inventory being low and with the larger than normal (or the past few years) amount of buyers hitting the pavement, well, almost every offer I have written has been in a multiple offer situation. What I tell my buyers is this, if you like this house than likely someone else will as well.

Being a home buyer in Portland right now is not for the faint of heart. You have to be able to act when you see what you want. Hesitating allows others to get their offers in and possibly accepted before you have made up your mind. At the same time, I prefer my buyers to see at the very least a handful of homes before they are put in that situation so that they know when they’ve found the right home. It doesn’t matter if I know that something is a good deal, my client is the one buying and they have to know and feel it. And sometimes people have to lose an opportunity to purchase before they really, “get it.” Then next time they aren’t as likely to hesitate.

If you’re thinking about buying, let me know. I have been in this business for over 6 years now and I have seen so much change in that time. Constantly working with buyers and dealing with all the financing complications, or foreclosures, or short sales or whatever else can come up has given me a great deal of knowledge and helped me to help my clients. I will guide you through this process with patience, experience, laughter and honesty.

by Betsy Ballantyne