Most people, when they want to buy a house, contact a real estate agent or broker. That is why it is true that the best way to sell your Portland real estate is to list your property with a qualified agent. Make sure that the agent you select will list your home in the local MLS and will make sure your property appears on the Internet. Since most buyers start their search online, you want to make sure that your Portland real estate is available to those who search the Internet.Most experienced real estate agents and brokers already have Websites that showcase their local MLS data so your Portland real estate can show up online as soon as it is listed. On the other hand, if you are selling on your own it will take time or a considerable advertising budget to get your individual Portland ... 08/06/2008

For most people, the chance to trade nondeductible rent payments for mostly deductible mortgage payments is a powerful inducement to trade a rental home into a home of your own. This is by far the single most important reason why people decide to buy their first Portland home.However, whether you are considering your first Portland real estate investment or planning to move up, the number crunching necessary to figure out how much house you can afford depends on two calculations: one for actual monthly outlays, the other for the true, after tax costs.In the early years of your Portland real estate mortgage, nearly all of every monthly payment is interest. This means you are only paying off a tiny bit of the loan principal, but it is good news in terms of tax savings.The monthly payment ... 08/06/2008

Buying a piece of Portland real estate is a science but buying your Portland home is an art. The science part involves getting the legal and financial parts down while the art is finding the Portland property with which you will be happy.You know what you like; or do you? It's a good idea to start by clarifying your needs, your financial ability, your preferences and your dislikes. Start with the general, such as your price range and approximate location, and then narrow your requirements by delineating the specifics such as neighborhood, age and type of home, and kind of ownership such as traditional, condominium or co-op. The total universe of possibilities within the universe of Portland real estate is quite diverse but narrowing your search ahead of time will help keep things in per... 08/06/2008

The Exclusive Right to SellThe most common type of listing agreement used between sellers and the real estate broker is known as "The Exclusive Right to Sell" Agreement. In this agreement the agent agrees to include the home in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The details of a Portland real estate listed in the MLS are available to all agents and brokers and with the advent of the Internet, MLS listings are shown on the World Wide Web. Your agent may also agree to run ads in the local paper, promote your home aggressively with major search engines and online directories, hold Open House and more. The agent feels comfortable spending the kind of money and time it takes to market a home properly knowing that a commission will be due when the home sells. This is true no matter who actua... 08/06/2008

Portland real estate Insurance costs can vary by hundreds of dollars depending on the insurance company from which you buy your policy. There are different types of policies that differ in the amount of coverage they provide. The most popular type is called HO-3. This kind of policy offers Area property protection and liability insurance. Portland real estate or property protection means that you will be reimbursed for losses or damages to the house and its contents. Liability Insurance protects you against personal liability, medical payments for injuries to others and damage to other people's property. There are policies with more extensive coverage and are usually called "deluxe" or "executive" policies. If you do major remodeling to your home, make sure you upgrade your coverage. If... 08/06/2008

Portland Real Estate Loans have become part of a worldwide mortgage market and mortgage lending is impersonal and competitive. When you shop for the best loan don't pay too much attention to who is originating the loan. Instead focus on interest rate, points, processing costs and whether you want a fixed rate or an adjustable rate loan. The reason for this is that more than likely, your Portland real estate loan will be sold to one of the organizations made up of what is known as The Secondary Market. Savings institutions, mortgage companies and commercial banks may charge loan origination fees and they also may get fees for continuing to service the loan. They sell the loans they originate to Secondary Market institutions so that they have the money to loan to others.Fixed or Adjustabl... 08/06/2008

From cottages to castles some Portland homes have so much curb appeal that passersby can't help but stop and admire them. When visiting property with great curb appeal, prospective buyers often experience "Love at First Sight" and this disposes them to love the entire home before they even walk through the front door. Curb appeal is the result of a perfect blend of architectural style, landscaping, up-keep and color choices. Money alone does not guarantee outstanding curb appeal. I've seen very expensive Area homes with costly landscaping that fail to appeal and I've seen very modest priced Area homes with outstanding curb appeal. In part, the landscaping aspect of curb appeal is a matter of personal taste. Some people love homes shaded by full-grown trees with a riot of plant life unde... 08/06/2008

You've probably heard about the three major determinants of Portland real estate values are: 1) location, 2) location and 3) location. This is not only true about real estate in Portland; it is true about real estate in general. . If you cannot afford what you want where you want it, give up something inside the house rather than settling on a lesser location. The fact is that much of the value of Portland real estate and real estate in general rests in its surrounding economic and social environment, which means it's neighborhood. In addition to being located in the right neighborhood, the Portland real estate that you buy must not clash with its surroundings. To picture what we mean here, visualize the most expensive home you can imagine and then place it in the middle of a run down n... 08/06/2008

A frequent question from prospective homebuyers relates to building home equity. Portland real estate buyers like to estimate how much a home may increase in value based upon past appreciation. One of the many advantages of home ownership is that appreciation is based on the home's market value rather than on the actual dollar amount invested or the down payment so that a $100,000.00 home that appreciates 5% is now worth $105,000.00. This is one way of building your Portland real estate home equity but there is more you can do.TIME & MONEYWith a typical 30-year loan, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest payments with only small amounts going to the principle in the early years. Only half the principle is repaid in the first 23 years of the loan. You can build equity in your... 08/06/2008

Whether you are a first time buyer or someone who is moving up to a more expensive home it's a good idea to start by cleaning up your credit report. Let's say you apply for a loan to purchase a Portland condo, town home, single-family home or any type of Portland real estate. The lender will check out your monthly income and outgo to determine if you can afford to repay the loan. Therefore, it is to your advantage to pay off as many high-interest consumer loans as possible. If you are planning on buying a car, a boat or other major purchase, put it off until after you have bought your selected Portland real estate. Lenders look for certain patterns they consider red flags. These are: late payments, overextension, liens, garnishments and, of course, bankruptcy. Remember, debts reduce the... 08/06/2008

Bands from the Pacific Northwest are credited with having had much to do with the proliferation of what were termed "garage bands" back in the 1960's. Bands such as Seattle's Fabulous Wailers and the Sonics, were among the best known in the genre. One of the first really big garage bands, that ended up being much more than a garage band, was Paul Revere and the Raiders. They had a huge number of hits in the 1960's. Some of those songs are classics. I heard from a man who told me how much he enjoyed that group because, as a kid, he could play their music in his band. That might have been much of the appeal -- loud and accessible music that teen bands could duplicate. Paul Revere, the leader of the band not the guy of the midnight ride, was born in Nebraska but raised in Idaho. He was int... 08/04/2008

Now that Spring has moved into Summer, The Big Trees Leaves are out to provide plenty Shade and Beauty for all.    The Once Bare gentle giants are at thier best when full of Leaves. When I say Leaves I mean Leaves. These Leaves are the size of Dinner Plates. The Beautiful gardens of Portlander's bring many surprises. I do love living in fabulous Portland Oregon. Perhaps you will too. For more photo's and interesting articles stop by Rose_City_Blog . 08/03/2008

Portland Oregon: 5 Things To Do in September 2008    By Wayne B. Pruner www.YourHomeInPortlandOregon.com Wayne's Portland Oregon area Real Estate blog www.activerain.com/waynepruner Art in the Pearl 2008 - Art In The PearlThe twelfth annual Art In The Pearl Fine Arts and Crafts Festival will be held Labor Day weekend in the beautiful and historic North Park Blocks of Portland, Oregon. Considered one of the nation's premier art festivals, Art In The Pearl features the jury-selected work of 125 artists from across the USA and Canada. The creativty is amazing!  8/30/08 and 9/1/08 Oregon State Fair - Oregon State FairThe Oregon State Fair is a 144-year-old statewide tradition. The State Fair brings together the best of Oregon, including agricultural exhibits, animals, food, wine and beer co... 07/30/2008

The Academy Theater in Portland, Oregon, is a great little theater located at 7818 SE Stark Street and it takes you back in time to the late 40's and early 50's. They have completely remodeled it back to that time and it is absolutely beautiful.Now to give you a little history, I first went to this theater by accident because I promised my daughter if she read the book, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", I would take her to see it in the theater. But, the problem was when she finished it, it was already out of the major theaters and the Academy Theater was the only place showing it.Now, when we got there, I was presently surprised at its charm, and the prices were even a bigger surprise and joy to my pocket book. You see, for adults the tickets were only $3 and for children under 1... 07/30/2008

Compared to last month we have a mixed bag in the Real Estate Market.  We had a very nominal increase in closed sales over the month and an increase of new listings as well.  Pending sales, however dropped around 6% for the month.  Less offers are being written or accepted.  Buyers think that homes are priced too high and are looking for that bargain.  Meanwhile, interest rates are creeping up towards 7% for a 30-year fixed.  Therefore, they are now not able to afford the prices, whereas before they just didn't want to pay them.  Sellers are still in the same situation that they have been for months.  They are competing against a lot of inventory and have to be competitive in pricing and the condition of their home.  Add to this the fact that there is only so low that they can go on pri... 07/24/2008

 As a  busy Real Estate professional working in Portland Oregon I am constantly bombarded with sales pitches and offers for free sales seminars. Most of these free classes are nothing more that a platform for the speaker to pitch his wares. This week however I attended an event put on by Ticor Title of Oregon. The premise of the talk was using the Internet to enhance your business. The speaker was entertaining and had prepared an extensive slide show presentation. The hall was quite large yet was only filled with as many as 1/3 the amount of people that it could seat. Hence the speaker made the decision to move through the material quickly dropping several slides from the presentation. Most of the slides were screen shots from a myriad of web sites that he had downloaded and thought tha... 07/20/2008

So you decide to buy a rundown house in a great neighborhood, you are a Realtor who is actually running an office of 40 agents and you are representing yourself in the transaction, running the office and supervising the project of the complete remodel. What could possibly go wrong? I have often said to clients and good friends that selling real estate is not rocket science, that anyone with some common sense and the ability to think on their feet can do this but what I often forget to mention in those conversations is that buying and selling a home is very emotional and when one is emotional they tend to make decisions out of want instead of need. For example I love to cycle and this year I decided to get back into doing triathlons, I have a great road bike but I wanted a tri bike so I ... 07/16/2008

This 1912 Craftsman style home has a beautifully updated kitchen & bathrooms while much of the original charm remains.  2000 sq ft on the main & upper floors plus a finished basement of 943 sq ft makes for great spaces for living and entertaining. Gorgeous hardwood floors and moldings throughout.  4 Bedrooms & 3-1/2 bathrooms This charming home is close to both Laurelhurst and Mt. Tabor parks, two of Portland's best neighborhoods.  Enjoy close proximity to public transportation, shops & restaurants. 07/12/2008

David Cassese   of   Turn Key Inspections & Apex Appraisal Group is a 203k planner, appraiser, inspector and a Certified Mold Inspector, Certified Mold Remediator, and/or Certified Mold Contractor for safe and effective Mold Investigation; Mold Inspection; Mold Testing for Toxic Black Mold, Mold Mildew, Mold Spores, Mold Damage, Dry Rot, and Mold Problems; Mold Remediation; Mold Removal; Mold Abatement; Killing Mold; Mold Prevention; and Mold Control and Maintenance.   Doing phase 1-2-3 reports for commercial loans sold to fannie mae, these are done in 1-3 days 07/10/2008

This is one of the nicest bungalows we've staged ~ the seller did a great job updating this vintage Craftsman while maintaining its original charm. The home is three floors and 2,850 sq ft, 4 bedrooms & 3 baths.  We staged it with the target buyer in mind ~ a young family who wants to live in this desirable neighborhood close to one of Portland's nicest parks.  Here are a few Before & Afters:   Before you put your home ~ or your listing ~ on the market, make sure that it's staged by a professional home stager!  You can find them right here on Active Rain.  An experienced stager can ensure that your property is staged to appeal to its target buyer and will work within your budget. For those interested in the paint colors:  Living Room is Asian Jute;  Dining Room is Danish Pine -- both co... 06/30/2008