Guide to Buying a Home in Oregon

Posted on May 15, 2011 by staff

Buying a home is one of the most important financial decisions you will ever make, and one that requires careful consideration and an understanding of the lengthy home buying process. By educating yourself and choosing qualified professionals to assist you, purchasing your new Oregon home can be a satisfying and financially rewarding experience.

Attend a home buyer training course: Often offered for free or little charge by your state or city government, and by local real estate professionals, these workshops cover topics including financial preparation, mortgages, finding the right home, closing the loan, insurance requirements and protecting your investment once the purchase has been made.

Determine what you can afford: An honest look at your finances will help you determine what size monthly payments you can comfortably afford. Utilize the tools you received in your training course or an online calculator to create a realistic monthly budget that will help you map out a plan for covering the various expenses of owning a home.

Find a qualified buyer’s agent: Hiring an agent in the early stages of the process will give you peace of mind and ensure you have a knowledgeable advocate on your side when negotiating long term contracts with sellers and loan officers.

Shop for a mortgage: Choosing a preferred lender and obtaining pre-approval for a loan is important. In the first meeting you will learn what size loan you qualify for, the maximum purchase price you can afford, the total cost of the loan including insurance and the amount of cash you need to close the loan. Pre-qualification also gives sellers confidence that you will be able to obtain financing if they accept your offer.

Shop for a home: Work with your buyer’s agent to determine which community and type of home is best suited to your needs. Your agent will give you tips for finding the best value for your money and will lead you through the process of making an offer and scheduling a home inspection once your offer has been accepted.

Close the loan: Closing typically takes place 30-60 days after your offer has been accepted. At the settlement, all legal documents are signed, you receive the title and keys to your new home and the seller receives the purchase money.

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Guide To Portland Condos

Posted on May 6, 2011 by staff

Portland Oregon offers a variety of attractive condo living options. The choices include downtown and South Waterfront Highrises, as well as low and mid-rise buildings just outside of downtown and adjacent to the Metro commuter light rail lines.

The cities highrise condos enjoy many beautiful vistas of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens as well as the many bridges that span the Willamette & Columbia rivers. The tallest building in the City is the Wells Fargo Center built in 1972(1), but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a residential building with a view. Currently, the tallest all-residential building is the John Ross Tower built in 2007, which is part of the newly developed South Waterfront project and located just south of Downtown.

If you are looking for the more urban experience, then the neighborhoods you will want to check out are Downtown Portland and the Pearl District. These areas enjoy high walk-ability with lots of restaurants, cafes, and art galleries to tour. There are also a number of farmers markets to explore and the beautiful Tom McCall waterfront park to enjoy.

On the other hand, if you would prefer a more low-key atmosphere and more historic buildings then you will want to check out the condo options in Northwest Portland. This area also enjoys a vibrant commercial district on  Northwest 23rd avenue, with food carts, cafes, book shops and restaurants that open onto the sidewalks when the sun is shining.

If you are looking for a Condo in Portland, then we would appreciate the opportunity to be your guide and earn your business.

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Guide to Vancouver Washingon

Posted on April 28, 2011 by staff

Historic Vancouver, Washington is located along the north shore of the majestic Columbia River at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge and enjoys unparalleled views of the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Range. With its small town charm, abundant recreational amenities and diversity of industry, Vancouver is an excellent choice for those looking to explore some of the best of the Northwest.

Once the capital of the Washington Territory, Vancouver is a city with its roots firmly planted in history. The Hudson’s Bay Company was founded here in the mid-1800s as a fur trading outpost, and the company is still in operations as a general merchandise retailer with headquarters located within city limits. The Fort Vancouver Barracks is another historic tourist destination, and was once the home of General Ulysses S. Grant. Today the Fort operates as an educational museum and hosts thousands of visitors each year.

As the Northwest economy transitioned from agriculture to technology, Vancouver has consistently kept ahead of the curve by providing a home base for large international companies including Nautilus, Inc, Hewlett-Packard and Alcoa, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of aluminum. Many independent businesses also get their start in this thriving metropolis, largely due to favorable tax conditions and close proximity to Oregon, which doesn’t have sales tax.

Vancouver’s recent efforts to revitalize its arts and cultural offerings have resulted in an abundance of locally owned galleries, excellent hometown theater companies and outdoor festivals. Thousands of visitors flock to the city each year to witness the renowned Fourth of July Vancouver fireworks display, the annual Wine & Jazz and Ho’ike Hawaiian festivals, and other local cultural events.

If you are interested in relocating or moving to Vancouver Washington, try exploring our web guide to Vancouver Washington Real Estate.

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Guide to Oregon Condos

Posted on April 25, 2011 by staff

A convenient and affordable alternative to traditional single family housing, condominiums offer a range of unique benefits to homeowners. Many condo communities offer amenities such as secure parking, commons rooms and swimming pools, the cost of which is shared among members of your condo complex and included in the board fees you and your neighbors agree to pay.  As a condo owner, you retain exclusive rights to the space within your unit and share responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of the home’s exterior and landscape with members of your association of co-owners. It’s important to review the condo association’s by-laws, as this type of contract still requires homeowners to abide by rules agreed upon by their community.

Because ownership of everything outside of your living space is shared, many people find condos a practical, low cost alternative to more traditional forms of home buying. With tax incentives and shared costs of upkeep for condo purchasers, it’s often possible to buy a home of your own more quickly than you might expect. Down payments can be as little as 5% percent of the sale price, and interest on your mortgage can often be deducted from your taxes depending on the lender and type of mortgage you choose. Condo sale prices are typically lower than those for detached dwellings in the same area, and lower utility and maintenance costs mean greater savings and can help you build equity faster.

Townhomes are another option for buyers who want the convenience and security of a shared community but prefer a single story structure. Townhomes can be found with two common forms of ownership, one is the traditional condo ownership where the owner owns the exclusive rights to their unit, and the other is a freehold townhome where the owner owns the land and has shared walls that may be subject to deed restrictions. In either case, getting professional guidance about the specifics of your property is advised.

If you are interested in buying a condo, then we encourage you to browse our guide to Portland Condos.

 

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Guide to Bend Oregon

Posted on April 25, 2011 by staff

An outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, Bend is located in Central Oregon’s high desert at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Close proximity to the Deschutes River, Mt. Bachelor and the Three Sisters Wilderness area gives visitors and residents of this energetic, growing city enjoy an astounding array of year-round recreational opportunities to choose from.

The Mount Bachelor Ski Resort is a vacation destination for snowbirds from all over the US. Over 1600 acres of groomed slopes, 10 alpine lifts and more than 50 miles of cross country trails bring tourists flocking to the area each winter to enjoy these and other popular winter sports including snowtubing, and sled dog rides. Hike, bike or strike up a game of disc golf in the summer months at the resort’s Alpine Disc Golf course. With its magnificent red rock spires, Smith Rock State Park is just to the north of Bend and is the region’s rock climbing mecca of rock climbing. The Deschutes, Metolius and Crooked rivers are famed for the white water rapids and stocks of steelhead and trout, and the more than 2 million acres of surrounding area include lush natural forests, lava fields and miles of ice and lava tubes for exploring.

When it’s time to come in from the outdoors, Bend beacons with something for everyone from shoppers and culture hounds to those looking for family-friendly fare. The city’s variety of boutique stores, fine arts and craft galleries, award winning brewery-pubs and upscale dining establishments complement it’s bevy of chic night spots, local theaters, cinemas and all-ages music venues. Festivals and special events include the Bend Winterfest each February, May’s Balloons over Bend and the JELD-WEN Tradition Golf Tournament in August.

From its roots as a logging outpost in the early 1900s to its current heyday as one of the most livable cities on the west coast, Bend is truly one of the gems of the Northwest.

If you are interested in moving or relocating to Bend, Oregon, check out our guide to Bend Real Estate.

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