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Unveiling Real Estate Trends in Portland: June 2023

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The real estate market in Portland is dynamic. It’s influenced by various factors, including supply and demand, economic indicators, and shifting buyer preferences. We will dissect key statistics to offer insights into the current state of the Portland real estate market. Our analysis will encompass crucial areas, including new listings, inventory levels, closed sales, time properties spend on the market, and average and median sale prices. We will examine these data points to reveal emerging trends and provide expert predictions for the Portland real estate market. As a reminder, statistics always come out one month behind, so the current market is slightly different.

New Listings:

In May 2023, the Portland real estate market witnessed 3,240 new listings—a 15.9% decrease compared to May 2022. However, a resounding 22.1% surge was observed compared to the preceding month, April 2023. These statistics signify an upward fluctuation in the availability of homes for sale in the Portland area, indicative of both changing market conditions and shifting buyer behavior. Buyers are starting to get used to the high interest rates and are entering the market again.

Inventory in Months:

The inventory in months—an essential metric gauging housing supply relative to the current sales pace—presents a compelling narrative in the Portland real estate market. Throughout 2023, the Portland market has experienced wide fluctuations in inventory levels. In January, the Portland market had a robust 2.7 months of inventory, only to decrease to 1.6 months by March. With another rise in interest rates an upward trajectory returned, with inventory stabilizing at 1.9 months for both April and May. This signals that while the number of houses being listed has remained fairly steady through the year the changes in interest rates are directly affecting how many buyers are entering the market.

Closed Sales:

Closed sales, representing successfully concluded transactions, offer a tangible indicator of market performance in the Portland real estate market. May 2023 witnessed 2,008 closed sales in Portland, registering a 31.1% decline relative to May 2022. Yet, an astounding recovery of 17.6% was experienced when juxtaposed with April 2023. This again indicates that buyer demand is tied directly to interest rates and even the seasonal spring push can’t cause us to rebound back to 2021 and 2022 numbers.

Time on Market:

The inventory level in the Portland real estate market underscores a prevailing seller’s market, where demand outstrips supply, leading to intensified competition among buyers. However, the total market time is much higher than what is expected for a sellers market. The average days a home took to sell still decreased substantially this past month to an average of just 40 days in Portland. When compared to what we are seeing on the ground day to day, this number seems high. Many homes that are priced well and presented well are selling in a week or less. So while we know demand is there, as a seller having a real estate professional is more important than ever.

market time, portland real estate May 2023
Year-to-Date Summary:

When comparing the first five months of 2023 with the same period in 2022, a slowdown in market activity emerges. New listings registered a notable decline of 23.5%. This also caused pending sales and closed sales to drop by 29.0% and 34.0%, respectively. When we consider these numbers next to the end of year numbers from 2022 we see a different story. May of 2022 was when the market notably shifted towards the downward trend. This continued into the summer before leveling out in the fall. Since the fall of 2022 we have seen a slow but steady climb in pricing, inventory and buyer demand which all point to a recovering real estate market.

Average and Median Sale Prices:

Analyzing the average and median sale prices in the Portland real estate market offers invaluable insights into the market’s overall price trajectory. Through May 2023, the average sale price in Portland decreased by 4.5%, from $615,600 to $588,200. Similarly, the median sale price had a comparable decrease of 4.4%, dropping from $549,000 to $525,000. If we compare these numbers to last month as opposed to last May we actually see an increase of 2.1% for the average and 3.8% for the median. This again points to a recovering and growing real estate market.

Average sales Price May 2023
Conclusion:

Through an analysis of the real estate statistics, we have witnessed undeniable fluctuations in new listings, pending and closed sales, inventory levels, and average and median sale prices in the Portland real estate market. While market activity has slowed compared to the previous year, month-over-month data reflects a resilient rebound. If you are thinking of selling, personal timing matters more than anything. With home prices climbing you don’t have to have a fear of missing the top. If you are on the fence about buying, the longer you wait, the more expensive things will continue to get. Interest rates do play a huge part into what the monthly payment will be, but we don’t expect them to suddenly drop. Hopefully this information is helpful as you consider whether now is the right time to jump into the real estate market or not. If you are thinking of buying and want to know what you might qualify for, We have all our favorite lenders listed HERE. And if you are ready to start looking at homes, you can do that HERE. Wondering what your home is worth? FInd out HERE

March Market Update

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The real estate market in Portland is showing no signs of slowing down. As we head into spring we fully expect to see the same trends continue. If you are on the fence about buying, I’d jump off now even though it is competitive. Interest rates will keep climbing as we continue through the year and that will only lessen your buying power as home prices also continue to climb.

Breakdown

The average sales price jumped up to $542,000 from $514,000 in just a month. That also gives us a 14% increase from last year. Portland has been seeing a 10-14% increase in sales price since way back in 2018. Even if you are buying at these higher prices, you are still going to be gaining equity over the next couple years.

As we see the weather change we are also seeing more homes come onto the market. This is good news for buyers, but things are still very competitive out there. Homes are selling for an average of 8.5% over list price, in some neighborhoods this is close to 12%. Make sure you are taking to your realtor about specifics so you can be making informed decisions whether you are writing offers or planning on listing your home.

As we mentioned above, if you are waiting for the bubble to pop or the other shoe to drop, you may be waiting for a long time. The market is healthy and climbing and most economists agree this will continue for at least another year. Once inventory finally starts to stabilize we will see a slow down and plateau, but it shouldn’t cause prices to drop. If you have specific questions feel free to reach out and we would love to chat with you! Lastly, if you need some tips to get your offer accepted, head over to THIS POST to read all the things we are doing to win for our buyers.

December Market Update

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The market stats for December 2020 were recently released. It is time to dig into them and see what they mean. Almost every stat dropped last month, in some areas that is good news, in some it is bad news. The only number that rose last month is the number of sold listings. This lines up with what we know about the Portland market. There are tons of buyers out looking for homes.

December market update
Stat Breakdown

The average sale price dipped a bit, this almost always happens at the end of the year, a lot of people take a break for the holidays, so with less offers driving prices up, we saw the number drop down a bit. The days a home sits on the market are still continuing to drop along with the inventory levels. If we remove the outliers, the average days on market is actually just 7 days. So houses are flying off the market. In general we will see them listed mid week, open all weekend, and pending by early the next week. Because of this, Inventory has dropped all the way down to .8 months. As a reminder, this means if we don’t list any new homes, everything on the market will be sold before the end of the month. It’s lower than it has ever been, so if you have any thoughts of selling, now is the time!

For the whole Portland metro, homes are selling at an average of 6.7% over asking price. For a $500,000 house, that is $30,000 over asking price. As a buyer it is more important than ever that you pay close attention to your budget. If you only want to spend $500,000 we need to be shopping in the $450,000 range.

It is tough out there right now for buyers, but with a savvy agent, and a little luck, people are finding homes that are a great fit. We are helping our clients get into homes that they love right now, so if you want help with your home search, fill out the form below and we can’t wait to talk with you! If you want to see our other market updates, you can head HERE.

October Market Update

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October 2020 has been one of the busiest months to date for the real estate industry. Typically we see things start to slow down, less listings, less pendings, and less buyers out in the market. The numbers show that this year, that is not the case.

October 2020 Market Stats

Compared to last year we have 14% more homes on the market and 21% more closings. So while we are seeing new homes come onto the market in higher than average numbers, we are still not able to keep up with the demand. As a seller this means that if you are priced appropriately, your home will sell very quickly. As a buyer this means that we will likely be competing with other buyers and will need to be aggressive.

This low demand is causing home prices to continue to climb as well. We are up to an average price of $516,000 for the Portland Metro which is 1.2% increase from last month and a 12% increase from last year. We expect this trend to continue through this year and into the spring of next year. So if you are on the fence about buying, I would recommend getting into the market soon!

Both inventory and time on market remained the same as last month. 38 days seems like a high number when you compare it to what we are seeing in most neighborhoods. Many homes are going pending in 2-4 days. When we look further into the data we can see that both condo sales and luxury homes, which take longer to sell, are skewing that number up.

Want to see what is available across all of the Portland Metro? You can do so HERE! If you would prefer a specific search in an area of your choice, fill out the form below and we will get that set up for you!

How to Compete in this Market

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The best words to hear after you have been out house hunting are, “Your offer has been accepted!” You did the hard work of finding your dream home, putting together a thoughtful offer, and waited patiently for what seemed like days to get the news back. Unfortunately, in our current market of high demand and low inventory, it’s becoming more and more rare to hear those fantastic words. Luckily, we have tools in place to help you get your offer accepted and to stand out against the competition, even if that competition is paying all cash.

Portland bungalow

It seems like every offer is competing these days. In the close-in neighborhoods with ‘Pinterest perfect’ homes, you could be competing with 12 or more other people. We know it is tough out there, but before you get discouraged, know that we have quite a few tricks up our sleeves to help make your offer stand out. Here are our top 4 recommendations to help get you that accepted offer phone call.

#1 Make a stronger offer

There is no way to know exactly what the competition is offering, but we can still make our strongest possible offer up front. In most cases, money talks, so offer over the list price and don’t ask for any concessions. Going in with a strong offer up front shows you are serious and that you don’t want to play any games. We can also write in an escalation clause. That allows you to set a cap and offer a set amount over the next best offer.

#2 Write a love letter

I know, its cheesy. But for most people, a home is a sentimental place. They want to know the home is going to someone that will love it just as much as they did. Tell them earnestly why you love the home and how you imagine yourself living there. A sweet case of serendipity may just win over their hearts.

#3 Waive or shorten some contingencies

The contract is written to strongly favor the buyers in the transaction. There are multiple opportunities that allow you back out of buying the house but there are none for the sellers. You can sway the contract a bit more in their favor by shortening or removing some of the contingencies. You can remove the contingency for the seller property disclosures, shorten the inspection period, and waive the right to re-negotiate price based on the appraisal. Discuss each of these options in detail with your agent. There are varying levels of risk with each contingency, so it’s important to know all the options before removing them.

#4 – Pay their closing costs

This isn’t something we see very often which means it could really sway your offer to be more favorable. Sellers have to pay title and escrow fees just like buyers do. We can offer to cover those costs to help bring the sellers net proceeds up just a bit. You could also offer to pay the commission which typically come out of the seller proceeds, but that is a much larger monetary commitment.

#5 – Surprise them

Do you have a special talent? A huge wine collection? Access to lots and lots of pizza? You can offer anything that you would like to get the sellers to accept your offer. I have had clients offer to brew the seller any type of beer that they would like (only in Portland right?). I have had clients offer free pizza for a year, a weekend get away at a beach cabin, the sky is truly the limit! The trick here is that you cannot attach any monetary value to it. We are giving it to them in exchange for the home, but it needs to be as a gift.

Even after doing all of these things, we may still have been beat out by a higher offer but it is important not to give up. The right home is out there, and when it is meant to be, it will be. Though it’s not on this list, having a great real estate agent on your side is crucial. Having positive working relationships with other brokers in the city has gotten our offers chosen over other (higher!) offers on many occasions. IF you want to get to know either or both of us a little better head over to our about us pages. You can read about Jessica here and Tekela here. Also, you can read our quick guide and meet our favorite lenders here. Lastly, if you want to look at the homes available on the market, you can find those here!

February 2020 Market Stats

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Real estate by the numbers is out for the past month! The quick and dirty version of the February market is that inventory is still low keeping us in a seller’s market. Homes are appreciating by 5-7% over last year but dropped slightly compared to last month. And we are seeing many new listings as we get ready for the busy spring market. Read on below if you want details about your side of the river and the general market health.

Portland Metro February Market Numbers
Portland Metro

Looking at the numbers now just confirms what we were talking to our clients about last month. We saw more houses coming onto the market as seller’s were trying to get ahead of the spring rush. This push of listings also gave us more pending homes and therefore more sold homes. There are a lot of buyers out in the market and even though the inventory is climbing up, we are still seeing multiple offers on most close-in locations.

Many of us, myself included, expected to see more of a plateau in terms of appreciation, after the huge price jumps in 2017 and 2018. 2019 did see quite a bit of slowing, but so far this year the average sales price is up 5% over last year across the metro area. 4-6% appreciation is considered a steady and healthy market, so we should expect to see these numbers hold for at least a year or 2.

Selling

If you are considering selling your home now is an excellent time to get into the market. May-July are historically our busiest months for new listings, so if you want to take advantage of the huge buyer pool ahead of your competition, April could be the perfect month to list your home. Timing is always a personal choice, but you will likely net more money listing in the spring than early summer. If you want an individual valuation, reach out to us and we can discuss details. You can also get an instant home value by clicking here.

Buying

If you are thinking about buying, these numbers may seem a bit intimidating to you, but know there will be many more homes coming on the market very soon. With interest rates being historically low, even if you do end up competing on a home, chances are you are still getting a great deal. You also never know when the perfect home is going to come on the market, so if you are thinking of looking, it doesn’t hurt to start now to see what is out there. You can search all the homes in the area HERE.

East Portland

Overall the Eastside performed better than rest of the city in February. NE Portland saw the biggest jump in average home price, 2.5% since the beginning of the year, this is primarily due to some luxury listings closing. SE Portland continues to have the most new listings and the most closings because of its sheer size, at 247 closings, it had almost as many as NE and N Portland combined. North Portland is still one of the most affordable places to buy a home, with an average sales price of $407K you can still find cute homes in the 300K range.

East Portland February Market Numbers

West Portland

The Westside did vary a bit compared to the rest of the city, this is the only area that we saw the average days on market go up. The days on market are always quite a bit longer on this side of the river due to the condo sales. The condo market slowed substantially last year and this skews all the other numbers towards the negative. West Portland has a significantly higher average home price which also has a smaller buyer pool and therefore takes longer to sell.

West Portland February Market Numbers

We hope this helps to breakdown the February market in the Portland area. If you have any specific questions about your neighborhood please send us a message! You can fill out the form below or reach out to us on Facebook. We are always happy to discuss how this specifically affects you and your home value.

December Market Stats

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We finished out 2019 with a bang. Despite all the talk about an impending recession, the real estate market was barely affected. If you look back at the data historically, very few recessions do affect the housing market. This is good news for the Portland Metro! Here is a look at the December Market Stats.

Portland Metro December 2019 market stats

If we look back at the whole year, we only appreciated by 1.5%. This is a small number when we are used to seeing 10-15% appreciation, but as long as things are continuing to climb, we are in a good place. 2020 is expected to mimic 2019 very closely so while things may seem like they have halted, homes are still gaining value.

In December home sales took a little longer than they had the rest of the year. This happens every year with the holidays and seasonal slowing, but so far January has seemed to be much busier.

December also saw more listings come onto the market and more homes go pending. We did have less homes actually sell in December, but again, this is likely due to the holidays.

We also broke down the numbers for each of the quadrants if you want a closer look at your neighborhood numbers. Se Portland is still leading the way with the most closings every month. West Portland continues to be the most expensive area to buy a home, and N Portland is the most affordable.

If you have been on the fence about buying, now is a really good time to get into the market. You can get ahead of the bidding wars and spring selling frenzy while still taking advantage of the low interest rates.

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October Market Stats

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It’s time that we look back on the Portland real estate market and analyze how healthy our market is. Enjoy the market stats!

If you want just a quick and dirty analysis; houses are still selling, they are still gaining value, and the market is still balancing from many years of incredible appreciation. If you want to get a little deeper, keep reading!

Portland Metro Market Stats October 2019

We saw a small uptick in home sales in the month of October. That was very likely due to the interest rate dropping back down. This caused a flurry of buyers to jump into the market and we saw both pending and closed sales jump up from October of last year. We also had quite a few more closings than September which is a sign that the market is holding steady.

New listings, and therefore overall inventory, dropped this past month. We expect this to happen every fall as sellers prefer to sell in the warmer months. Surprisingly, we also saw the total days on market increase. Typically with low inventory we would also see the days on market lower. When we have buyers competing for the same house, things tend to sell faster. I think in this case, buyers are being more cautious about the homes they are buying, so if it isn’t priced perfectly, they move on.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, home prices are up 1.2% from last year. While this isn’t the type of gain that we are used to, it’s important to note that the number is still climbing. We expect this trend to continue through the holidays and into next year.

With talk of a looming recession, it’s important to watch these market stats closely. Whether you are thinking of buying or selling, you don’t want to miss your ideal window.

Do you have specific questions about your home or area? Feel free to reach out to us at Team@ThatPortlandLife.com!

Want to know what your home is worth right now? Click Here