What Can You Expect from the Portland Market?


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Portland's market is still going strong as we wrap up the summer season. Today, we take a quick look at what current conditions mean for you and the future of our market.

Right now, it's still very common to see multiple offers on any given properties. In fact, some buyers are even willing to waive appraisals and look for ways to leverage themselves against the buyers they are competing with. It's very competitive these days, and it can be difficult to get into a home unless you get creative.

When multiple offers are as common as they are now, I like to look at the S&P/Case-Schiller Home Price Indices. This is a national report that we get every month and the one we got at the end of July showed that, nationally, single-family homes were at a 4-5% appreciation rate. That's a much better rate than we saw in 2013. Over the next two years, we're expecting home prices to slow a bit, as they've been rising rapidly over the last few years.


 Portland has seen an appreciation level of about 7.4% over the last year or so. Because home prices keep rising, many people in our area have asked if this is a bubble. Frankly, I don't think so; there's a difference between the makeup of the buyer today and the buyer leading up to the crash. Back then, you didn't need much of a down payment or any at all, and generally people weren't as qualified. Today, the buyers are highly qualified and ready to go!

If you have any questions about where our market is heading, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me and email. I would love to hear from you!

Why Should You Consider Investing in Portland?


Selling your Portland home? Check out our free home value report
Buying a Portland home? Search all homes for sale

While commodities and stocks can be volatile and dangerous investments, real estate is a relatively safe one. It’s actually quite easy to get involved in investment real estate here in Portland, and it can have huge benefits if done correctly.

Why would someone want to invest in Portland? There is a company out there called Protech Valuation Services, which goes around measuring the best and worst markets to invest in. Believe it or not, Portland is #1 on their list.

In addition to this, Money Magazine recently discussed how rent has been steadily increasing at a much higher rate than mortgage rates. Rent increased by 8.6% last year, and is currently growing at twice the rate of property values. Portland is an expensive market to rent in, but can be lucrative if you are a landlord.

It takes about a 20% down payment to invest in a property today. Now you can have a property that you can rent out to give you positive cash flow, where someone is paying your principle down for you. On top of that, the home will appreciate in value and the tax benefits are substantial.

Another thing that comes into play is the 1031 exchange, where you can take your equity to invest in even more properties. Hopefully this has been of some help to you. If you want to dive deeper, give us a call or send us an email and we’d be happy to talk to you soon!