It would be difficult to name a more quintessentially Oregon suburb than Beaverton. Inspired by Oregon’s state mammal which also adorns our flag, the word “Beaverton” aptly describes the city next door to Portland, surrounded by nature and thriving with industry. Beaverton Oregon Basics Beaverton is a popular suburb because of its proximity to Portland, its stand-alone qualities as Oregon’s sixth-largest city, as well as great schools, many acres of parks and natural areas, and a strong economy. Beavertonians who commute to Portland travel an average of 7 miles, or 20 minutes by car. The area is also serviced by the MAX Blue Line (light rail), which carries over 55,000 people on an average weekday between downtown Portland and Beaverton,...
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Beaverton, Oregon: Portland’s Top Suburb 2021
October 26, 2020
It would be difficult to name a more quintessentially Oregon suburb than Beaverton. Inspired by Oregon’s state mammal which also adorns our flag, the word “Beaverton” aptly describes the city next door to Portland, surrounded by nature and thriving with industry. Beaverton Oregon Basics Beaverton is a popular suburb because of its proximity to Portland, its stand-alone qualities as Oregon’s sixth-largest city, as well as great schools, many acres of parks and natural areas, and a strong economy. Beavertonians who commute to Portland travel an average of 7 miles, or 20 minutes by car. The area is also serviced by the MAX Blue Line (light rail), which carries over 55,000 people on an average weekday between downtown Portland and Beaverton,...
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Delayed in escrow? You’re not alone. According to the National Association of Realtors’ most recent Confidence Index Survey, only 77% of homes close escrow on time. Another 19% are delayed but close eventually. In 4% of home sales, the contract is terminated and the home does not close. Escrow begins at the moment the seller accepts an offer on the home and the buyer deposits earnest money. It ends at the “closing”, when the final paperwork is signed and the sellers hands off the keys to the buyer. Generally, real estate agents and their clients try to avoid moving this date, but sometimes pushing it back is the only alternative to having the deal fall through. Why would escrow be...
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19% of Home Sales are Delayed in Escrow
October 23, 2020
Delayed in escrow? You’re not alone. According to the National Association of Realtors’ most recent Confidence Index Survey, only 77% of homes close escrow on time. Another 19% are delayed but close eventually. In 4% of home sales, the contract is terminated and the home does not close. Escrow begins at the moment the seller accepts an offer on the home and the buyer deposits earnest money. It ends at the “closing”, when the final paperwork is signed and the sellers hands off the keys to the buyer. Generally, real estate agents and their clients try to avoid moving this date, but sometimes pushing it back is the only alternative to having the deal fall through. Why would escrow be...
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Having the sewer line checked out before you purchase a home in Portland is a very good idea. Sewer lines can cost thousands of dollars to repair, but a scope costs just $100-$200 in the Portland area. In this article, we’ll go through some of the most frequent questions home owners and buyers ask our real estate agents about sewer scopes. What is a sewer scope? A sewer scope is a simple home test that checks the sewer lines for blockages, leaks and damage. It will also tell you what kind of material your sewer pipes are made of. Your sewer inspector will first locate the “clean out”, a capped pipe located on or near your property line which connects...
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Portland Sewer Scope Home Test Guide – 2021
October 19, 2020
Having the sewer line checked out before you purchase a home in Portland is a very good idea. Sewer lines can cost thousands of dollars to repair, but a scope costs just $100-$200 in the Portland area. In this article, we’ll go through some of the most frequent questions home owners and buyers ask our real estate agents about sewer scopes. What is a sewer scope? A sewer scope is a simple home test that checks the sewer lines for blockages, leaks and damage. It will also tell you what kind of material your sewer pipes are made of. Your sewer inspector will first locate the “clean out”, a capped pipe located on or near your property line which connects...
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Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, are a popular form of housing in Portland. They can be created in a variety of spaces, from a converted garage or basement to a new structure in the backyard. For some homeowners, they’re the secret to home affordability in the metro area, while for others, they create a vital space for a family member or aging in place. Whatever the case, the good news is that ADUs are now allowed in every city in Oregon. In this article, we’ll dive into the types of ADUs we typically see in and around the Portland metro area, how you can use them, and what the regulations are for the different cities and counties that make up...
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Portland ADU, Additional Dwelling Unit Guide 2021
October 16, 2020
Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, are a popular form of housing in Portland. They can be created in a variety of spaces, from a converted garage or basement to a new structure in the backyard. For some homeowners, they’re the secret to home affordability in the metro area, while for others, they create a vital space for a family member or aging in place. Whatever the case, the good news is that ADUs are now allowed in every city in Oregon. In this article, we’ll dive into the types of ADUs we typically see in and around the Portland metro area, how you can use them, and what the regulations are for the different cities and counties that make up...
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Fivestar Professional is a nationally recognized award given out for excellent customer service. The Fivestar real estate agent award is the largest and most widely published real estate award program in North America, covering more than 40 major real estate markets. Fivestar Professional surveys recent home buyers and home sellers each year across the country and gives out its awards to the top surveyed agents. I’ve won the Fivestar Professional customer service award every year since 2012. Less than 1% of Realtors have won the Fivestar Award for more than 5 years in a row. Fivestreet has increased its criteria over the years. In years past, Fivestar would give this customer service award out to over 7% of the best...
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Fivestar Professional Award Winner – 2021 to 2012
October 16, 2020
Fivestar Professional is a nationally recognized award given out for excellent customer service. The Fivestar real estate agent award is the largest and most widely published real estate award program in North America, covering more than 40 major real estate markets. Fivestar Professional surveys recent home buyers and home sellers each year across the country and gives out its awards to the top surveyed agents. I’ve won the Fivestar Professional customer service award every year since 2012. Less than 1% of Realtors have won the Fivestar Award for more than 5 years in a row. Fivestreet has increased its criteria over the years. In years past, Fivestar would give this customer service award out to over 7% of the best...
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Whether you’re new to Portland or have lived here for years, it can sometimes be difficult to get an accurate idea of how safe it is out there. News reports focus on attention-grabbing events, and periods of low or no crime never make the headlines. Is it possible for home buyers and sellers to cut through the media distortion? Yes, thanks to the digital age, most crime and policing data are easily accessible to the public, not just for the City of Portland but also for many of the communities that make up the Metro Area. Here’s a comprehensive list of resources provided by our real estate team. Portland, Oregon Crime Maps and Reports Official Crime Reports in Portland Maps...
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Official Portland Crime Maps and Reports
October 12, 2020
Whether you’re new to Portland or have lived here for years, it can sometimes be difficult to get an accurate idea of how safe it is out there. News reports focus on attention-grabbing events, and periods of low or no crime never make the headlines. Is it possible for home buyers and sellers to cut through the media distortion? Yes, thanks to the digital age, most crime and policing data are easily accessible to the public, not just for the City of Portland but also for many of the communities that make up the Metro Area. Here’s a comprehensive list of resources provided by our real estate team. Portland, Oregon Crime Maps and Reports Official Crime Reports in Portland Maps...
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The Portland real estate market has been widely considered a seller’s market, at least for the last six years or so, and that means that Portland homes on average sell fast! But how fast do the homes sell? How fast is fast? Typically home sales are considered fast, and the market is considered a seller’s market, if the average home sells in 60 days or less. As you can see from the below chart, homes have sold in less than 60 days on average in the Portland real estate market since 2014. (Portland, in this article, refers to the tri-county metro area of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties.) The chart below reflects the number of days it took to sell...
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How Fast do Portland Homes Sell?
October 9, 2020
The Portland real estate market has been widely considered a seller’s market, at least for the last six years or so, and that means that Portland homes on average sell fast! But how fast do the homes sell? How fast is fast? Typically home sales are considered fast, and the market is considered a seller’s market, if the average home sells in 60 days or less. As you can see from the below chart, homes have sold in less than 60 days on average in the Portland real estate market since 2014. (Portland, in this article, refers to the tri-county metro area of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties.) The chart below reflects the number of days it took to sell...
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Heating oil was once a popular way to heat homes and buildings in Portland, but most are now using electricity or natural gas. However, the legacy of heating oil remains in the form of underground tanks that were used to store the oil on site, especially in homes built prior to 1965. Some of these tanks are the source of toxic ground contamination, which can also emit fumes into the air. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, there are 27,308 permanently decommissioned Heating Oil Tanks, or HOTs, buried underground across the state. Tens of thousands more are still in operation (both above and below ground), heating homes today. Plus many thousands more are sitting abandoned underground (some leaking...
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HOT Homes: Must Know Heating Oil Tanks Facts
October 5, 2020
Heating oil was once a popular way to heat homes and buildings in Portland, but most are now using electricity or natural gas. However, the legacy of heating oil remains in the form of underground tanks that were used to store the oil on site, especially in homes built prior to 1965. Some of these tanks are the source of toxic ground contamination, which can also emit fumes into the air. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, there are 27,308 permanently decommissioned Heating Oil Tanks, or HOTs, buried underground across the state. Tens of thousands more are still in operation (both above and below ground), heating homes today. Plus many thousands more are sitting abandoned underground (some leaking...
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The pandemic has provided some with the perfect opportunity to rethink their home space. We combed all the best Portland home design blogs and Instagram accounts to bring you this trendsetting city’s seven biggest decor influences for 2020 and into 2021. 1. Lighting gets specific. “We have all been in that Zoom meeting where someone has terrible lighting and they look like that are giving an anonymous witness testimony or live in a yellow covered world,” says Portland designer Kevin Twitty. Let 2020 be the year you perfect your home’s lighting situation (start by learning the difference between watts, lumens and Kelvins). LED is the best, and they cost one-fifth of what they did seven years ago. LED bulbs can...
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Top Portland Home Design Trends of 2021
October 2, 2020
The pandemic has provided some with the perfect opportunity to rethink their home space. We combed all the best Portland home design blogs and Instagram accounts to bring you this trendsetting city’s seven biggest decor influences for 2020 and into 2021. 1. Lighting gets specific. “We have all been in that Zoom meeting where someone has terrible lighting and they look like that are giving an anonymous witness testimony or live in a yellow covered world,” says Portland designer Kevin Twitty. Let 2020 be the year you perfect your home’s lighting situation (start by learning the difference between watts, lumens and Kelvins). LED is the best, and they cost one-fifth of what they did seven years ago. LED bulbs can...
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What is Real Estate Commission? Real estate commission is typically a single percentage of the sales price of a sold property that is paid to the seller’s agent’s Realty company directly out of escrow proceeds at the time of a sale. This commission calculator formula is fairly straight forward most of the time, but there are notable exceptions. Please note, all real estate commission is negotiable in the U.S. and there is no set standard. Four Main Real Estate Commission Exceptions: 1. Who is Representing Who? Real estate agents that want to be sure not to overcharge their clients might have different rates depending on who represents who. For example, we charge a max. of 4.5% commission where we earn...
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Real Estate Commission Calculator
September 28, 2020
What is Real Estate Commission? Real estate commission is typically a single percentage of the sales price of a sold property that is paid to the seller’s agent’s Realty company directly out of escrow proceeds at the time of a sale. This commission calculator formula is fairly straight forward most of the time, but there are notable exceptions. Please note, all real estate commission is negotiable in the U.S. and there is no set standard. Four Main Real Estate Commission Exceptions: 1. Who is Representing Who? Real estate agents that want to be sure not to overcharge their clients might have different rates depending on who represents who. For example, we charge a max. of 4.5% commission where we earn...
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