We’ve written about the benefits of Real Estate Technology and how it shows up in the world of real estate today. From virtual staging to photography and 3D tours and more, improved home search technology is here to stay. Of course, another facet of this growing and ever-evolving industry is home search websites. With over 95% of people using online search tools for their home search journeys (and 41% making this their first step), according to the National Association of REALTORS®, it’s clear to see how integral home search websites have become in the real estate industry. With this in […]

Portland, Oregon Radon rates change. A perennial hot topic in Portland is the influx of Californians, but it’s the Montana and Idaho migrants that we should be worried about, according to health officials. Actually, they’re not talking about people, but rocks. “In the Portland metropolitan area, a lot of the rocks and soil underneath the Willamette Valley were carried down from parts of Idaho and Montana,” said an Oregon Health Authority official quoted by OPB. These long-ago geological travelers carry radon, a radioactive gas that is drawn into homes and buildings, leading to cancer and other health issues.  As real […]

Did you notice how quiet life got at the beginning of the 2020? As we all sequestered indoors, traffic decreased—even disappeared in some areas, the din of human voices didn’t mix and mingle with the airwaves, and even mass transit met a lull for a short time. But life goes on, and humans find ways to maintain and continue. When the world re-opened noise levels went back up to normal. Whether you’ve stayed put since then, whether you made a move, or whether you’re thinking about making a move now, knowing where to find peace and quiet is important for […]

Each month we like to focus on one of Portland’s many unique and desirable suburbs and provide a snapshot of its housing market to inform your real estate decisions. If you’d like to dig deeper, check out our Portland Suburb Real Estate Market Reports to learn more about the other suburbs we have covered. And for more insight into our local housing market, our 2024 Portland real estate forecast provides a valuable overview of the Portland metro area. In this article we’ll spotlight the suburb of West Linn, located approximately 15 miles south of Portland in Clackamas County. West Linn […]

Coming Soon Homes are the New (but Different) Pocket Listings Pocket listings are virtually extinct. The National Association of Realtors, NAR, has effectively banned the million-plus Realtors nationwide from using the tactic. NAR instituted a new policy called the “MLS clear cooperation policy,” which requires any Realtor to enter their “Pocket Listing” into the MLS within one business day of publicly advertising it (unless the seller signs a refusal of service). Entering a listing into the MLS means it is syndicated to all the other MLS members (mostly Realtors) and typically broadcast to thousands of public websites like Zillow, Realtor.com, […]

Updated 11/2023. There are a lot of Realtors in the U.S. and in the greater Portland, Oregon real estate market where my team is headquartered. Over time, the big story in Realtor numbers was a drop that lingered for years after the real estate crash that started in 2008, then a sharp increase in the number of Realtors every year since 2013 to today (about ten years of significant increases). After 2020, Realtor counts had their biggest ever increases in 2021 and 2022, while the market was red hot. Now as the real estate market is cooling down and prices […]

The Portland housing market is continuing to cool down with the winter season and prices are at their lowest point for the year. Buyer traffic is steadily dropping while detached home inventory remains high, negatively impacting the number of sales. These cooler market conditions will work to the advantage of motivated homebuyers before inventory drops further in December. Let’s take a closer look at the numbers and statistics that are shaping current market conditions. Portland Home Buyer Traffic Continues to Drop Buyer traffic has continued to decrease throughout the fall season following the regular pattern of our local real estate […]

Whether you’ve sold a home or not, you’re probably aware of the practice of home staging. The process of transforming a home into an interior design showcase has become a common practice in the real estate world. We know staging works, but considering staging costs and the potential return on your investment, is it really worth doing? To help answer this question, we explored Portland’s professional staging services to see the going rates in 2023. We also looked to national experts in the real estate world to learn more. Read on to see what we discovered and decide if home […]

Pocket Listings in Portland, Oregon and throughout the U.S. have been a hot topic for many years. While some real estate agents have argued for pocket listings in the Portland real estate market, most argue against them or want sufficient regulations to protect home sellers and buyers. Pocket listings are usually defined as homes for sale that are not listed publicly in a multiple listing service (MLS) system, but privately with a local Realty company that may also promote that listing within their own house or possibly to other select Realty companies or limited networks of potential home buyers. What […]

The home-buying process can feel like a wild ride. And most of that ride can be pretty fun – you’re looking at houses online, touring them in person, and imagining yourself in your new home. What’s not as fun, though? The closing process, with its twists and turns and complicated terms. Closing on a home, especially for first-time buyers, can become a labyrinth of obscure words and processes. That’s what we’re here for! We believe the role of the real estate agent during this time encompasses many things, and one big one is to guide you through the closing. Whenever […]