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2021 Summer Tips

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Hey Friends, Today we are going to be talking about summer home maintenance tips for 2021! If you prefer to see the video, you can do that HERE

Today we have 5 tips to help you ensure you extend the life of your home, appliances and make ti though the summer in style!  

Tip 1: HVAC

Have your furnace and AC serviced. There is nothing worse than having your AC go out during a heat wave.  If you don’t think you need a technician to come out, make sure to replace all your filters so things are running efficiently.  

Summer AC
Tip 2: Windows and Doors

Check your window screens and weatherstripping around the house.  Even the smallest holes in the screens can allow mosquitos and other pests into your home while you are trying to get a some fresh air. Also check the seals around your windows and doors, if you do have the AC running we want to be sure we aren’t wasting precious cold air by allowing it to escape outside.  This will also help your energy bills go down, so its a win-win. 

window sealing
Tip 3: Power Wash

Power wash and reseal your deck or patio.  We want to make sure your deck and patio make it through the whole summer.  Power washing can remove any pollen, grime, or buildup that may have accumulated during the spring and winter months.  If you have a wooden deck resealing it will ensure that you get many more seasons out of your deck and it will look great. 

power washing
Tip 4: Dishwasher

This is an easy, but often overlooked one.  Clean your dishwasher. We don’t think of this often because it cleans our dishes, but it can get food buildup and soap scum which leads to a less than ideal clean. Run the dishwasher on the highest heat setting with a bowl of white vinegar in the top rack. Your dishes will have never sparkled so much. 

dishwasher
Tip 5: Gutters

And lastly, clean out your gutters.  They likely have some buildup from the spring and winter and need to be cleaned out.  This ensure that when those rare heavy summer rains do show up, everything is draining the way it is supposed to. 

gutters

Hopefully this gives you a couple quick things to do to spruce up your house, if you think we missed any really important tips, let us know in the comments!  Otherwise have a great weekend and enjoy your summer of 2021! 

Pro Tips:

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How to Buy a Home when you need to Sell

So you are ready to move? Whether it is downsizing, upsizing, or just getting into a different area, needing to sell first can feel like a huge obstacle. Luckily we have 11 awesome tips to help you buy before you sell so this transition is as smooth as possible!

You can download our full guide, or continue below to read the highlights!

Buy when you need to sellDownload

Tip 1:

Get a Bridge Loan

If downpayment and closing cost funds are keeping you out of your dream home, consider a short term loan. A bridge loan will give you cash to use towards your next purchase.  This allows you to purchase a home with no additional contingencies!  After you move, you use the funds from the sale of your current home to pay the loan back.

Tip 2:

Use a HELOC – Home Equity Line of Credit

This is one of the most common strategies that we are seeing.  Use the equity in your home to get a line of credit to pay for your new home.  This also allows you to purchase first with no additional contingencies.

Tip 3:

Buy New Construction

Builders commonly have additional inventory allowing you to plan out your move date in advance.  This allows you to line up the closing of your current home and the closing of your new home with some overlap to ensure you only move once.

Tip 4:

Custom Build a Home

Similar to buying new construction, this allows you to line up your closing dates and your moving dates. Most custom home builders have in-house financing that will allow you to sell your home and build simultaneously.

Tip 5:

Borrow from your 401K

This allows you to temporarily pull a “loan” from your 401k.  Having this loan allows you to have the cash on hand to make strong offers with no additional contingencies. There are some special circumstances so be sure to discuss this option with your financial planner and/or CPA.

Tip 6:

Seller Carried Financing

This isnt a very common option, but if the seller owns the home outright, they will sometimes carry a short term loan for you while you wait for your home to sell.  This option requires an attorney and usually has higher interest rates associated with it.

Tip 7:

Negotiate a Lease Back

With a strong sellers market, we can list your home and ask the new buyers to give us time in the home after it has sold.This can give us an additional 60 days to find and close on your new home.

Tip 8:

Use Sale Subject To

With a strong sellers market, most buyers just want to “win” a home.  We can ask to have a close date that is subject to you finding a replacement property.  Most people want to have some idea of how long that will take, so we often see in contract within 60 days.  This is a great option especially when paired with a rent back.

Tip 9:

Look in Less Desirable Areas or Price Ranges

If you don’t have a strong preference for a certain area we can focus on locations that are not as competitive.  This allows us to have more control in our offer terms and closing dates. Also, if you have some pricing flexibility, we can find price ranges that don’t have as much competition.

Tip 10:

Write a Contingent Offer

We can write an offer that is contingent upon the sale of your current home.  This allows us to find the home you want before putting your home up for sale.  Depending on market conditions, it can be difficult to have this extra contingency accepted.

Tip 11:

Rent for a Bit

If you want to sell at the peak of the market and have additional time to look for a home, this can be a great option.  Find a short term rental to move into to remove the timeline crunches of finding a new home.

Now that you know your options, are you ready to see what your home might be worth? Or are you ready to see what options are on the market? You can do both right here!

Home Value
Search For homes

Or, if you would rather chat with us before jumping right in, fill out the form below and we will get back to you right away!

The Open House

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Today we are taking you behind the scenes of everything we do to prep for an open house! We made this great video for you to enjoy! If you prefer to read about it, we have that included below for you!

The first and most important thing that we do to prepare for an open house is to research the current trends in the neighborhood. We are constantly watching overall trends, but we want to be able to answer neighborhood specific questions to prospective buyers as well. We pull together a list of comparable properties, every other open house in the neighborhood, and our buyer book and head off to the house.

The Big Set Up

All of our open houses are marketed on multiple websites and through facebook ads, but you never know who might be driving by, so we also place many signs around the neighborhood to make it easy to find us.

Once we are at the house we want everyone to feel like they are already home. We have both sweet and savory snacks available, white or rose wine, sparkling water, and plenty of napkins. We also want to turn all the lights on so the home shows the best it can no matter the weather. This also gives a chance to get even more familiar with the property. We look for the furnace, water heater, and any quirks that people may have questions about.

Open houses are one of the most fun things you can do as a realtor. You get to meet quite a few people and usually spend a couple hours inside a gorgeous house. If you are starting to think about getting into the market, we are happy to send you weekly open house lists. Just fill out the form below! You can also search for homes by clicking HERE

The Listing

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Today we are taking you behind the scenes of everything we do to prep and win a listing appointment! We made this great video for you to enjoy! If you prefer to read about it, we have that included below for you!

The first and most important thing that we do to prepare for an upcoming listing appointment is to research the current trends in the neighborhood. We are constantly watching overall trends, but pricing a home and creating a personalized market plan requires specific data about which homes have just sold, how long they were on the market, and many other factors. We pull together all the market data, put together a personalized marketing guide, print the contract and head over to the potential new listing!

The Interview

A listing appointment is when we are truly being interviewed. We put our best foot forward and show everything that we have to offer. Typically we are going to be competing against 2 or 3 other agents so it is critical that we set ourselves apart. One big thing we do is send our ‘7 tips for Selling your Home’ booklet to the potential client before we even meet them. You can download it HERE if you want to check it out.

Some other big differences you can expect to get from us are the scope of our marketing knowledge and the brand power we bring. We are well-versed in running social media ads so we can guarantee the listing will get many more views than any neighbor’s listing. We also have the power of the Sotheby’s brand behind us. That gives us access to all of their marketing partners. We get to see our listings on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Mansion Global and many, many more websites around the world. The home is also marketed directly to our global Sotheby’s network. It may just be the perfect fit for an investor or someone relocating here to Portland.

Marketing

In the video above, our listing proposal stood out and we won the listing over at least one other agent. It always feels good to win, but now that we have the contract signed, it is truly time to get to work. Here is quick list of everything we have to coordinate in the week before the listing goes on the market.

Professional photos are the most important step at this stage. NEVER hire an agent that tells you they can take the photos on their phone. They won’t look good and you only get 1 chance to make a first impression. We also do a stunning walkthrough video, 3D tour, and drone pictures. Your home will be the best looking one on the block when we are finished.

The home in our video went pending for full price after only 4 days on the market. If you need some guidance about what to do to sell your home, we would love to come and interview with you! If you want a quick snapshot of your home’s value, you can find that HERE. Or if you prefer to check in on your neighbors homes, you can search for everything on the market HERE. You can also fill out the form below and we will be in touch soon!

How to Tell if a Home has Good Resale Value

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Are you making a good investment? Let’s talk about buying a home with resale potential! If you aren’t into videos, jump ahead to read the transcript.

https://youtu.be/X_xG2mJtpdw
Resale Value

Last week we talked about why buying the nicest home in the neighborhood isn’t always a great idea, especially for resale value. You can find that post HERE if you missed it.  There are a lot of other things to think about when it comes to resale value as well!  Today I want to go through the top 3 other things that are important to consider. 

Most people aren’t exactly thinking about selling their house while they are looking at buying that house. It’s a little counter-intuitive and it’s certainly not as much fun to think about as decorating your new home!

I can’t wait to move into this house so we can sell it…”

It is, however, an important thing to consider because chances are good that, at some point, you are going to resell the house. We want to make sure that when we do that, you have access to as many buyers as possible. 

So, there are 3 things that most everyone is going to consider. Let’s jump right in! 

School Districts

Whether you personally are planning on having kids or not, school districts directly influence a homes value.  The better the school district, the higher value the homes will be.  This is just one of those things that gets tied together. Lots of people that buy homes do so because of a change in their family. You want to make sure that if you can buy in a good school district, you do.  That way, when we do sell down the road, everyone is so excited to have the opportunity to live in that great school district.  My favorite website for neighborhood and school ratings is niche.com

Location, Location, Location 

The second thing is of course something we talk about all the time.  Truly though, it is basically the only thing you can’t change about a home.  You can change everything all the way to tearing the house down, but you can’t change the area.  You really want to pay attention to where the home is.  Whether you want something super urban and walkable, or quiet and on a cul-de-sac, you want to really hone in on those areas. That is what the majority of people are going to want.  It is going to be much harder to sell a home sitting right on top of a freeway than it is to sell a home in the hills with a view. Everyone of course wants different things, but be mindful of whether what you want will also appeal to the masses.  

Flow and Floor Plan 

The last thing is the layout and feel of the home.  You might notice this the minute you walk in. Some houses just have weird floor plans. They will feel odd while we are touring them.  Some houses may have a very specific floor plan that is exactly perfect for your family, and if that is the case, go ahead and buy it. Just know it may be harder to sell down the road.  3 bedroom 2 bathroom homes are always going to be the most popular.  Also consider the actual structure of the home. A 1 level home is worth slightly more than a 2 level home of the same size.  Homes that follow the Feng Shui guidelines are going to be more desirable than homes that don’t.  These are all things that we know quite a bit about, so feel free to pick our brains while we are out looking at homes. 

Having a good realtor to help guide you through all of these steps is so important.  On average, people are going to sell their homes after 7-10 years and we don’t want you to come back to us after that time and then find out your home will be hard to sell.  That means that while we are looking at homes, we are going to point out things that may or may not be desirable. That way we can be certain that no matter how long you live in your home, you are making a good choice, a good investment, and that you’ll be able to sell your house again when you eventually want to do so!  

If you have any questions about this, or you want to talk about buying or selling in general, we would love to chat with you!  Fill out the form below or give us a call and we will talk to you soon.  Hope to hear from you! 

Why you don’t want the nicest home in the neighborhood

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Today, we’re talking all about buying the right house at the right price point in
the neighborhood that you love. 

https://youtu.be/-oNRttpv9-s

We all love looking at houses, that’s why we are all so hooked on HGTV.  My personal favorite show is Million Dollar Listing, I love looking at those LA modern mansions, they are basically what dreams are made of. 

If you’re anything like most of my buyers, you’ve likely had your eye on your ideal neighborhood for some time now. Maybe you’ve taken drives through it or walked down its streets. Maybe you’ve even toured a few open houses and are still waiting on your dream home…
But sometimes that dream house might not be the best investment. I’ll explain why.

Here’s the thing about houses…although they are places where we make our nests, they are also massive investments. Often the biggest investment you’ll ever make. So despite the warm fuzzies that come with the idea of THE HOME, you still want to look at it as an investment, which means resale value should always stay top of mind. So it’s important to consider the following: 

#1 Buyers Want Mid-Range Homes 

A lot of people want that big expensive house, but they know the mortgage that comes with it. So many people compromise with a lower-priced home in their ideal neighborhood. This means that there are more buyers looking for mid-range homes. And when demand goes up, so do the price. This is why mid-range homes often command a higher price per square foot than bigger homes in the same neighborhood. 

#2 Your Home Value is Determined By The Homes Around You 

If you have the least expensive home in the neighborhood, the other homes will actually drive your home value up. But the opposite is also true. If you have the most expensive house, the other homes will drive your home value down. This is another reason why mid-range homes tend to have a higher price per square foot than the fancier homes down the street. 

#3 Your Home Will Be Harder to Sell In Tough Times 

 If the market shifts, and it does about every 7 years, you may be stuck at the top of the market in your area. When times are tough, buyers will opt for a less expensive home in hopes of getting a better deal. 

This is where having a good agent is incredibly important.  it’s imperative that they understand the importance of resale value. and help you to understand resale while we are looking at homes.  We won’t run around pointing out the negatives of a home, but we will help you to understand the potential quirks of the home you just fell in love with. 

If you’re thinking of buying a home, I can show you what characteristics to look for, in order to help you get the maximum resale value if you sell down the road. You can start your search HERE
If you’re thinking of selling, I can help you determine the current value of your home by giving you a complimentary market analysis. You can get an instant one HERE

Paint Palette

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Color is such an important part of personalizing a home. But it’s also key in making your home a space others can see themselves moving into. We know you probably have lots of extra time on your hands, so here are our 4 tips to whip your home into shape!

*Not a fan of videos? Keep scrolling for the written version!*

Today we are going to be talking with you all about the power of paint and how it can make a huge impact in the home selling process for a very small investment.  We are all stuck in our homes for now, so if you have any plans for selling in the future, why not take this extra time to spruce things up?  Or, maybe you are just bored of your house colors in which case, this will provide a nice refresh!

We want our homes to feel like us, so often times we tailor them to suit our own tastes. Things like cozy furniture, bright and textured rugs, wall art and the right light fixtures can really reflect a style and personality. Sometimes we even go a little risky and do accent walls. Things like painting our children’s bedrooms to mimic night sky. or We will add a little DIY wallpaper. While these are all AMAZING ways to customize spaces, when it comes to preparing your home for resale, these colorful wall colors can really start to restrict your buyer pool. If you’ve never tried selling a home with bright orange walls, then you probably don’t even know the power a simple color change can make. We want to do everything we can to sell your home as quickly as possible. 

The good news is that a fresh coat of paint can change everything.  Here are our top 4 tips! 

Tip 1: Your Door

 First things first, let’s consider your front door. It’s a smaller project and might offer you a little more creativity. You have probably seen black, gray and white doors, but this is actually where we want to see a pop of color.  If you have a lighter palette of colors on your home, try a rich navy blue or vibrant red.  If you have a dark color palette, like a grey or navy, try a bright color like sunny yellow or a lively teal.  You want to wow people before they even get inside. 

Tip 2: Keep it Uniform

Secondly, When it comes to interior walls, the trend here is to keep everything flowing with a neutral color. The idea is to create a blank canvas to help people envision themselves living there. You also want to think of it like flooring… We want it to be uniform throughout the home. Choose a neutral that you love.  You don’t have to carry that color through the whole home, just make sure that every room is in the same color family. You can do slightly lighter versions of the color in the bedrooms and hallway, and slightly darker version in your dining room or family room.  Exceptions to this are your smaller, tighter spaces like bathrooms without natural light. Those will benefit from whiter brighter paint that helps bounce light around and make the room appear wider and taller.

Tip 3: Keep it Neutral

Now that we know the look we’re going for, let’s talk color. The biggest trends right now are any and all whites, soft grays, and taupe. These might not seem like exciting choices, but they are all incredible popular. And that’s probably because they are so versatile and suit a variety of house styles from modern to traditional. Here you can see the colors that Sherwin Williams sells the most of, notice a trend?  If you hate the idea of painting everything white and grey, go for a greyed out version of your favorite color. Blue-greys will still look neutral but offer a bit more color and personality. 

Tip 4: Know your finishes

Lastly, another thing about paint is that not all textures are created equal. Usually when you go to Home Depot, Lowes or your favorite local home improvement store, you will be able to select a finish. Keep in mind the location of the room that you’re painting. Since kitchen’s are such a busy part of a home, go with a satin or semi-gloss finish.  Bathrooms should be in a semi-gloss or gloss, and all the other rooms should be in an eggshell finish.  

We have seen it many times, beautiful homes go on the market with crazy colors. Prospective buyers just can’t see past them.  Having a realtor that understands the current trends is more important than ever.  We can’t currently come to you, but, if you need some help picking out colors, we are happy to do a video chat and give you some tips. Just reach out to us!

Moving to Portland: The Ultimate Guide

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Are you thinking of moving to Portland? We are excited to see you! Below you will find info on all of the basics in our ultimate Portland guide! We have provided links to more information so you can dig a little deeper into what we love about this fabulous city. Enjoy!

Portland Population: 664,605 (2020)

Portland, Oregon’s largest city, nestled between the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Sitting in the shadow of Mount Hood, it is known for its parks, bridges, and bicycle paths. Portland is also well known for its eco-friendliness, its microbreweries, and its coffeehouses. If you want info on the specific Demographics of the area Click Here

Portland Weather

Portland is known for its warm and dry summers and its cool and wet winters. While we are known for our rain, we actually do not even rank within the top ten for annual inches of rainfall. We do have a high average of 164 days with rain, but it tends to be light and misty, which is where the popular adage of, “You’ll never see a local with an umbrella,” comes from. Though the winters tend to be drizzly, the summers are stunning. Portland is in a coastal temperate climate which keeps the temperatures from getting too high in the summer with an average and very pleasant temperature of 81*.

Portland Based Companies

The Portland area is a melting pot of huge industries. We are often dubbed the “Silicon Forest” because of the number of tech industries in Portland and it’s suburbs. Here are the top 30 companies based in the Portland Metro area.

  1. Intel
  2. Nike
  3. Daimler Trucks North America
  4. Precision Castparts
  5. Boeing
  6. Columbia Sportswear
  7. Northwest Pipe Company
  8. Mentor Graphics
  9. Tektronix, Inc
  10. Xerox
  1. WaferTech, LLC
  2. Consolidated Metro, Inc.
  3. Greenbrier
  4. Blount International, Inc.
  5. A-dec
  6. Warn Industries, Inc.
  7. Qorvo
  8. ESCO Corp.
  9. Schnitzer Steel
  10. Adidas America
  1. SEH America Inc.
  2. Via Systems
  3. Erickson Air-Crane
  4. Lam Research Corp.
  5. Collins Cos.
  6. Reser’s Fine Food
  7. On Semiconductor
  8. Evraz Inc. NA
  9. IBM – Linus Technology Center
  10. Pacific Foods of Oregon

Jobs in Portland

Portland has a very strong job market and there are many places that you can go to search for jobs. Most of the major employers have portals directly on their sites to apply for jobs, or you can use a local resource like www.macslist.org, www.oregonlive.com/jobs, www.oregon.jobs, or www.jobdango.com. There are five major industries that dominate the job market and those are: high tech, athletics and apparel, manufacturing, healthcare, and food service.

Average Home Prices in Portland

Portland remains the most affordable city on the West coast to live. The average home price in 2021 for the Portland Metro is $597,000. That price is up 20% from 2020. So far the year has been a whirlwind. We are seeing the lowest inventory in Portland history, multiple offers, and super fast home sales. If you want to see the latest market stats, check out the real estate section of the blog here.

Portland Average Commute Times

As the city has continued to rapidly grow year over year congestion has become more of an issue. Depending on what area you decide to live and what area you decide to work, commute times can vary from 10 minutes to over an hour.

Living in Vancouver and working in Portland will require you to cross one of the two bridges that span the river. Both get congested during peak traffic hours and an hour commute should be expected into downtown. Similarly, Highway 26 gets backed up from the Western suburbs into downtown Portland. This highway tends to move more quickly, but commute times will be around 30-45 minutes into downtown at peak hours.

If you are going to live in Portland proper and be able to take interior roads, commute times usually linger around 20 minutes to most other parts of the city. We are happy to discuss specific traffic patterns if you have questions about what to expect. Just fill out the contact form in the side bar!

Best Restaurants in Portland

Portland has one of the best food scenes in the country. No matter the style of food you are in the mood for, there are multiple locations absolutely excelling in that style. We have multiple ‘Best of’ lists that you can check out here.

We also love to stay on top of the 38 Essential Restaurants by Eater. They are constantly updating the list and it’s one of the best ways to make sure you know all about the best of the best in the Portland food scene. You can also keep up with the newest and trendiest restaurants with the Eater Heatmap.

Portland Nightlife

Nightlife in Portland is just as fun and diverse as the restaurant scene. From private karaoke rooms, to large clubs for dancing, to dark dive bars, Portland has it all. Downtown Portland and the Pearl District are the best places to go for high end cocktails and mingling. While Southeast Portland is the best place to explore the many dive bars. We have featured a variety of different places in our ‘Hot Spot’ series. You can check those out here.

Outdoor Activities Near Portland

There are so many wonderful outdoor activities near Portland, that we consider it the best part of living in the Pacific Northwest! There is hiking and biking at multiple large parks right inside of the city. Or, if you want to get away, you can head into the Gorge for some of the best hikes in the country.

We are also situated at the foot of Mt. Hood which offers 3 great ski resorts in the winter, and some amazing camping in the summer. You can see some of our favorite camping spots here.

Portland also sits just North of some of the best Pinot grapes in the country. It’s hard to go wrong with any winery, but if you want to know about our favorites, just reach out! Lastly, we are only about 90 minutes from the Oregon Coast, which is a fantastic place for a weekend getaway for whale watching, surfing, or some salt water taffy. Bottom line, if you like the outdoors in any capacity, you will have endless amazing places to explore!

Highest Rated Schools in Portland

There are many great schools throughout the Portland Metro area. We like to use Niche.com to search school ratings, and you can jump straight to the Portland Metro by clicking here.

Portland Neighborhoods

the pearl district in northwest portland
NW Portland
dunthorpe neighborhood in southwest Portland
SW Portland
Ladd's Addition in Southeast Portland
SE Portland
Holly wood neighborhood in NE Portland
NE Portland
St. Johns Bridge in N Portland
N Portland

Portland Architecture

Portland is known for it’s cute houses. With much of Portland being built up in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s it’s hard to not fall in love with our houses. Here are some of the most popular styles that you can find as you are searching for homes.

Portland Oregon Bungalow Craftsman
Craftsman

Craftsman’s were typically built in 1910’s-1920’s and have lots of period details. Things like a front porch, built in’s around the fireplace, and an open floor plan are typical to find. It is common to have a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor, a basement, and a finished upstairs.

Portland Four square
Foursquare

These homes were typically built between the late 1800’s and the early 1930’s. They are called foursquares because they have 4 rooms on the main floor and four rooms on the second floor with a staircase in the middle. These homes will also have period details, though usually less ornate than the craftsman homes.

Portland ranch style home
Ranch/ Mid century

The ranch style home was typically built in the 1950’s and 60’s and feature 1 level living. Some of the ranch homes in Portland will feature a full basement to help expand the square footage of the home. Typically you have an open floor plan with living spaces and bedrooms on opposite sides of the house.

Portland Tudor style Home
Tudor

Tudor homes were built from the 1920’s to the 1940’s. They are easily recognizable due to the brick or stucco exterior and steep roof lines. They are almost always 2 stories with living spaces on the main level and bedrooms on the second floor. You can frequently find fireplaces and leaded windows to add to the charm of the home.

Portland modern townhome, modern condos
Modern Attached Home

These new construction beauties have been popping up all over the city and are quickly gaining popularity. You have very tall ceilings, open floor plans, and modern amenities. They also help with the housing shortage in the city.

Homes for Sale in Portland

No matter the area, price point, or style you are looking for we can help you find it somewhere in the Portland area. You can search all of the homes currently on the market by clicking the button below. Or if you prefer to get a curated list emailed to you as new things come on the market, just fill out the form below and we will get in touch with you!

Search For Homes

We hope that you do decide to move to Portland soon! It is, after all, the best city in the West! If you have any further needs or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We can’t wait to help you!