Information for Buyers

First-Time Homebuyers, Information for Buyers

3 Powerful Reasons to Buy a Home Now

Whether you are a first-time buyer or looking to move up to the home of your dreams, now is a great time to purchase a home. Here are three major reasons to buy today. 1. Affordability Many people focus solely on price when talking about home affordability. Since home prices have appreciated throughout the past […]
Information for Buyers, Information for Investors, Information for Sellers

Experts Predict a Strong Housing Market for the Rest of 2019

We’re in the back half of the year, and with a decline in interest rates as well as home price and wage appreciation, many are wondering what the predictions are for the remainder of 2019. Here’s what some of the experts have to say: Ralph McLaughlin, Deputy Chief Economist for CoreLogic “We see the cooldown […]
Information for Buyers, Information for Investors, Information for Sellers

Why All the Chicken Littles Should Calm Down

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released their 2019 Q2 Homeownership Report. Some began to see the sky falling, believing the report showed Americans may be stepping back from their belief in homeownership. The national homeownership rate (Americans who owned vs. rented their primary residence) increased significantly during the housing boom, reaching its peak of 69.2% […]
Information for Buyers, Information for Investors, Information for Sellers, Uncategorized

Should I Refinance My Home?

With the recent lower interest rates, many homeowners are wondering if they should refinance. To decide if refinancing is the best option for your family, start by asking yourself these questions: Why do you want to refinance? There are many reasons to refinance, but here are three of the most common ones: Lower your interest […]

First-Time Homebuyers 3 Powerful Reasons to Buy a Home Now Whether you are a first-time buyer or looking to move up to the home of your dreams, now is a great time to purchase a home. Here are three major reasons to buy today. 1. Affordability Many people focus solely on price when talking about home affordability. Since home prices have appreciated throughout the past […]

Information for Buyers Experts Predict a Strong Housing Market for the Rest of 2019 We’re in the back half of the year, and with a decline in interest rates as well as home price and wage appreciation, many are wondering what the predictions are for the remainder of 2019. Here’s what some of the experts have to say: Ralph McLaughlin, Deputy Chief Economist for CoreLogic “We see the cooldown […]

Information for Buyers Why All the Chicken Littles Should Calm Down The U.S. Census Bureau recently released their 2019 Q2 Homeownership Report. Some began to see the sky falling, believing the report showed Americans may be stepping back from their belief in homeownership. The national homeownership rate (Americans who owned vs. rented their primary residence) increased significantly during the housing boom, reaching its peak of 69.2% […]

Information for Buyers Should I Refinance My Home? With the recent lower interest rates, many homeowners are wondering if they should refinance. To decide if refinancing is the best option for your family, start by asking yourself these questions: Why do you want to refinance? There are many reasons to refinance, but here are three of the most common ones: Lower your interest […]

Information for Buyers Get Your Mod On! Everyone loves a mid-century modern home. One could even say it is one of the more desirable architectural styles in Portland. Just the word “Rummer” makes well-to-do Portland folks start to quiver with excitement. Sleek lines, abundant light, non-traditional materials – gosh, just writing about it makes me a little hot under the collar. […]

First-Time Homebuyers Is Your First Home Now Within Your Grasp? Some Highlights: According to the US Census Bureau, “millennials” are defined as 18-36-year-olds. According to NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the median age of all first-time home buyers is 32. More and more “old millennials” (25-36) are realizing that homeownership is within their grasp now!

Information for Buyers What to Consider When Choosing Your Home To Retire In As more and more baby boomers enter retirement age, the question of whether they should sell their homes and move has become a hot topic. In today’s housing market climate, with low available inventory in the starter and trade-up home categories, it makes sense to evaluate your home’s ability to adapt to your needs […]

Information for Buyers Location Location Location! Location is the driving force for value in real estate. I always tell the joke that I failed the final exam in Realtor School because I answered “Location Location.” Feel free to groan. The same sticks and bricks of a house can be worth a million dollars in one location and be worth pennies in […]

Information for Buyers What is happening at Grant High School? Grant High School has become THE school district on the east side. I have many buyers that will only look in this school district. I can’t say I can blame them. The school is closing in on a 300,000 square foot renovation and expansion that will completely modernize the school upon completion this fall. So […]

Information for Buyers Let me introduce you to Brooklyn! Fuggetaboutit! Brooklyn is a great close-in Portland neighborhood and is often overlooked by buyers. I am speaking anecdotally here, but it is not uncommon for me to meet with a new buyer and they will insist we only look in Eastmoreland, or only look in Laurelhurst, or Ladd’s Addition, or Irvington. Rarely has any buyer […]

Information for Buyers Feeling the Pinch in Milwaukie Are you a buyer looking for a home in Milwaukie/Oak Grove for under $400,000? Are you feeling frustrated that homes are selling above the asking price with multiple offers? Well, you are not alone! The Milwaukie/Oak Grove market for starter homes is currently very much skewed in favor of sellers and buyers are having the […]

Information for Buyers The Power of Leverage Most real estate transactions are leveraged. In other words, the purchaser is using a combination of their own cash with the balance coming from a bank in the form of a mortgage. It is often overlooked how important leverage is and why it is such a critical tool to build wealth. Your dream home may […]

Information for Buyers September 2018 RMLS Market Action The latest Market Action report from RMLS not only showed a continuing pattern of inventory expanding, but an acceleration of it. At 3.1 months, inventory in Portland-Metro went over the 3-month mark for the first time since 2015. This was a 34 percent jump from the previous month. Some of this inventory expansion is seasonal […]

Information for Buyers Ambush Market Data Pop Quiz, September Edition With all the great feedback from our previous “Ambush Market Data Pop Quiz!” video, we decided to make another one! Lots of great data and an e-scooter zipping along a peaceful Irvington streetscape. If you ever have questions about current market trends and how they relate to your home, please give us a call!

Information for Buyers Doing Real Estate Right One of the main reasons Carmel and I decided to join Windermere Realty Trust was that they make sure Realtors cross their T’s and dot their lower-case J’s. A Realtor being thorough is crucial during a transaction because it became apparent to us several years ago, as hordes of new agents flooded into the market, that […]

Information for Buyers When is the Best Time to Buy? The best time to buy is usually a year before you actually purchase something. The reason is that the greatest strategy to build real wealth in real estate is to buy and hold for a long period of time. It is almost a sure bet and below is a chart that I think really illustrates […]

Information for Buyers Ambush Market Data Pop Quiz! Ambush Market Data Pop Quiz! Where Tyler put Carmel’s market knowledge to the test!