Portland Real Estate Podcast with Andy Green

Here’s how you could win a three-night getaway and a $500 gift card just by leaving us an online review.Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleDo you pay attention to online reviews? If you’re like me, you love to hear what people have to say about services or products. That’s why this year our company is making an extra strong effort to get reviews from our customers and past clients. Looking back, we’ve sold 263 homes over the past two years, and we only have a handful of online reviews. That’s on us. We needed to be asking for those reviews, so we’re asking for them now. “We’re giving away a three-night stay in Mt. Bachelor Village and a $500 gift card! ” We’ve also got some exciting news for those of you who help us out. We are giving away a fantastic three-night stay in Mt. Bachelor Village in central Oregon and a $500 gift card to one lucky person who gives us a review. For more details, take a look at our contest flyer here, and take a look at the condo you’ll be staying in if you win here. We really are working hard to have that online presence and find out what the experience was like for our customers. We look forward to getting your reviews! To find out how to leave a review on Zillow, click here.  To leave a Facebook review click here. To leave an Angie’s List review click here. To leave a Google review click here.Thank you and good luck!If you have any other questions about the contest, or any other real estate related questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out with a phone call or an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

A viewer recently asked about foreclosed properties and what happens to them in Portland. I’ll explain what happens to these homes and why things are a bit different in Oregon.Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleWe wanted to answer a really good question we recently received from a viewer: what happens to foreclosed properties?  First, the bank needs to go into the home and clean it up to the point of being in marketable condition. Their goal is not necessarily to make the most money possible on the sale of a foreclosed home, but rather to lose the least amount of money possible. The other issues that you’ll see with this—and the reason some homes sit abandoned for so long—is that the banks have to clarify the title. In Oregon, to do this you actually have to go through a judicial process. “In Oregon, the home actually has to go through a judicial process. ”  Since it has to go before a judge, there is a real backlog of these homes while the banks are working to make sure they have a clear title. This will help the bank ensure that when they sell the home, the new owner won’t have to deal with any clouds on the title.There is typically not a huge negative impact, but if prices do continue to go down in the near future, we could possibly start to see more foreclosures. If you have any other questions that we can answer for you, give us a call or send us an email and we’ll talk soon.

Fall and winter are great seasons for home sellers. There are a few things you need to do in order to have a successful sale this time of year, and we have our top tips for you today.Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleThere is a myth out there claiming that homes don’t sell during the fall and winter, but they certainly do.  There is a bit of a slowdown in the market from spring and summer, but the buyers who are looking for homes this time of year tend to be highly motivated. You may get fewer showings during the winter, but homes still sell for really good prices.  Of course, selling during the fall and winter is a little different than selling in the spring or summer. That said, there are a few things you can do to help sell your home this time of year.  First of all, make sure that you have excellent curb appeal. When buyers drive past your home or look at photos online, it’s important that your property looks great. If you catch a dry day, make sure to mow the lawn and clean up leaves and debris. You can also decorate for fall by adding a few pumpkins and corn stalks. Remember, less is more; just select a few accent pieces that will look nice in the front yard. “Remember, less is more! ”  The same holds true for holiday decorations—less is more. You can still decorate your house, but don’t bring out every decoration that you’ve ever owned. Go for a clean, minimalist look that will highlight the idea of house and home and really appeal to buyers.  Speaking of the hearth, make sure that your fireplace is in really good shape. Have a chimney sweep come over and clean everything up. If you have a glass cover that hasn’t been cleaned in awhile, oven cleaner may do the trick. Even if you don’t have a fire going, spend $5 on a bundle of logs and place them next to the fireplace to emphasize that sense of hearth and home.  Finally, use fall scents to your advantage. Everybody loves pumpkin spice this time of year. You could also throw some cinnamon sticks in a pot of warm water on the stove. Light some vanilla-scented candles. Again, don’t overdo it—less is more is the theme of the day! If you have any other questions about preparing your home for the market this time of year, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you! 

Interest rates can only go up from here, which means there will be a downward pressure on home prices in our market moving forward. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleToday we’re answering a question from Andrew, who asks, “How are interest rates going to be impacted moving forward on the sale of homes?” Andrew is referring to the fact that at the most recent meeting of the Federal Reserve, they chose not to raise interest rates. Coming out of that meeting, though, we found in the notes that they were pretty split on whether to raise them or not. This makes me confident that they will raise rates at their next meeting.“Because interest rates are still low, now might be the time to make your move. ” More importantly, though, economists are saying that from here, interest rates aren’t going back down. They can only go up. When interest rates shift in the market, a 1% shift behaves like a 10% change in the price. A 1% shift in the interest rate reduces buyers’ buying power by 10%. Over time, that is going to have a downward effect on home prices. This means you should be prepared for a downward pressure on home prices moving forward.  That being said, because interest rates are still very low, if you’re considering refinancing, now might be a good time to do it. Also, if you’ve been considering moving in the next two years, you might be better off jumping the gun and doing it now.   If you have any questions or other real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email. We look forward to helping you!

We wouldn’t be where we are today without your help! A very Merry Christmas from all of us at Green Group Real Estate.Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleMerry Christmas! We hope you and your family enjoy all that this amazing holiday has to offer.We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support throughout the years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without your help!It truly brings us joy to help you make your real estate dreams a reality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help you in any way we can.In the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas!

Portland has once again led the nation in home price increases in the most recent Case-Shiller report, and I wanted to explain why you should take this news with a bit of caution.Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleWe’re back with another economic report. Home prices are up yet again in Portland, but let’s take that news with just a bit of caution. In the latest Case-Shiller S&P report, Portland is once again the fastest-growing city for home prices. Let’s go back and look at what happened to the fastest-growing cities in 2007 like Las Vegas and Bend, right here in Oregon.  This report shows that home prices went up 1.2% between June and July and had risen around the same rates for months leading up to that point. In August, though, we saw a slowdown in the rate of increase. The rate was about 0.4%, which is normally healthy, except for the fact that it happened in the summer when we usually want to see slightly bigger gains.“Home prices aren’t rising as quickly as they have been. ” How does all of this affect you? Simply put, home prices are not going up as quickly as they once were. If you’re thinking about selling, it would be worth meeting with us to discuss whether now is the right time. In fact, a report from the MLS recently showed that home prices from went down 2% from August to September. It’s important to keep an eye on this market in the coming months, and if you have any questions, give us a call. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have!

I wanted to share a few important things you should know about the housing cycle and how it affects you as a home buyer or seller.  Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleHousing market cycles are a little confusing to people, so I wanted to share a few important things you should know about the housing cycle and how it affects you as a buyer or seller. The first thing you should know is that housing market cycles are not necessarily connected to the overall economy. That can confuse some people because the last major market shift we all went through in 2007 and 2008 was connected to the larger economy. The issues in the banking world caused a ripple effect that directly impacted the housing market. That housing market downturn was connected to a larger economic downturn.The housing market cycle is always connected to supply, demand, and demographics. How many homes are available to sell? How many people want to buy them? Demographics drive how many people want to buy or sell homes because as you get into different stages of life, your housing needs will change. Your first home is different than the home you live in after you’ve had a few kids, and that home is different from the home you live in when your kids have moved out. Housing market cycles usually last seven to nine years. The last big market shift happened in 2007, which was nine years ago. Since we are in the ninth year of the market cycle, another shift might be on its way. “The housing market is not directly tied to the economy. ” How does all of this affect you? If you own your home, now may be a good time to consider selling from a strategic standpoint. Don’t wait until after the downturn. No one knows for sure when it’s coming; you won’t know if there is a market shift until after the market has shifted. At Green Group Real Estate, we want to put you in a position to make the best decision possible. We can advise you on what’s coming up with this market shift, how it will affect your family, and how it will affect your wealth. Our goal is to create generational wealth for you and your family through real estate. If you are thinking about buying a home, this market shift is a great thing to take advantage of because interest rates are still at historic lows right now. The Fed has been talking about raising interest rates for the last two months, which could raise mortgage interest rates. Lock in a low rate now for a long-term loan.If you have any other questions about how the market shift will affect you, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Why is it so important to find an agent that knows how to execute win-win negotiations on your behalf?There is an old negotiating style that says one person wins and the other loses, and that this is the best way to get a deal. We've actually found that learning how to get a win-win for both the buyer and the seller creates the best transaction for everybody. The reality is that the market has been up for nine years since the last downturn and it's going to shift. We're starting to see some indicators of that; buyers are getting more nervous in transactions and sellers are having challenges related to selling their homes and finding a new one. “Not every negotiation has to have a winner and a loser. ” For that reason, understanding negotiation, how contracts are written, and how you need to be protected is critical. Our agents, for example, are constantly working and taking classes to improve their negotiation skills and making sure the contracts that they write are bulletproof. If you have questions about negotiation and how a great agent can negotiate for a win-win deal, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!

Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleWith National Goal Day coming up on May 21st, I thought it would be a good time to talk about goal setting and how to set goals that you can accomplish.If you have not set any goals, I suggest you time-block and make room to set some goals. If you aren’t setting goals, then you’re probably not accomplishing a ton. However, in order to accomplish your goals, you have to set them correctly. Goals should be attainable and quantifiable. A bad goal to set is “to be successful”. There is no way to quantify success in that regard. I use the GPS system, which stands for goals, priorities, and strategies. This GPS system is also called the 1-3-5 system. You set one goal, you have three priorities in order to accomplish that goal, and you have five strategies to take care of those three priorities. The GPS system increases your probability of accomplishing your goals. I know this is true from personal experience, and I think it’s because you have so much accountability built in with the system. It’s not just one large, unattainable goal. You have priorities and strategies to accomplish those goals, and those bite-size pieces make it easier to accomplish a larger task.If you have any questions or concerns about this, please don’t hesitate to contact me for assistance!

Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleWe are in a strong seller’s market and multiple offer situations are fairly common. As a buyer, how can you make your offer stand out in a multiple offer situation? There are a few strategies you can use: 1. Be a cash buyer. If you can pull this off, good for you. Your offer will be put towards the top of the list, especially if you use some of the following tips as well.  2. Add an escalation clause. That means you are willing to increase your price up to a certain amount depending on what the other offers look like. For example, let’s say you offer $310,000 on a $300,000 property. You’re above asking price, which is good, and you are comfortable upping the price to $320,000. That puts you in a great position to be successful. 3. Waive the inspection. There is some risk with this strategy. However, if you walk in with your eyes wide open and you are comfortable with the condition of the home, this is a great way to set your offer apart. Just be aware that even new homes can have issues. Again, we are in a strong seller’s market, so buyers are not in the strongest position right now. 4. Put down a larger down payment. Again, not everyone can pull this off. If you can beg or borrow - don’t steal - some extra money to add to your down payment, you will put the seller’s mind at ease. Consider adding a note that you will pay this amount even if the home doesn’t appraise. A larger down payment gives you the ability to do so.Since there are so many multiple offers, home prices are going up. Last week, my team and I sold a home for $50,000 over asking price. I’ve even heard of a property selling for $100,000 over asking price! Many homes that sell for prices that high have trouble appraising, so assuring the buyer that you will pay the difference if the home doesn’t appraise gives the seller peace of mind. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Selling your home? Get a free Home Value ReportBuying a home? Search all homes for saleThe Portland market is awfully competitive right now, so working with a real estate professional is highly recommended. To help you out, we want to discuss what you need to know before hiring an agent!There are thousands of agents in the Portland area, so it's crucial you know how to identify a great agent. When the market gets tough, most agents leave the industry, so it's important to find an agent who is experienced enough to help you through any situation. Most agents don't do much to market your home; they simply put your home in the MLS, place a sign in your yard, and pray that another agent comes along to sell the home. We are not a reactive real estate company, we are proactive. We price watch, looking at the market daily to see if we need to make any adjustments necessary to get the seller an offer in a very reasonable time frame. Our goal is to always sell within 30 days!We prospect with two full-time sales prospectors whose sole job is to find buyers for our sellers' homes. They are constantly on the phones, door-knocking in neighborhoods, and jumping on any and all leads within five minutes. We are proactive about getting homes sold, and the results are there to prove it! If you want a better idea of what we can do to help you accomplish your real estate goals, reach out to us via phone or email with any of your questions or to set up a free consultation. We would love to hear from you! 

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Selling your home? Get a free Home Value ReportBuying a home? Search all homes for saleAs you're beginning your Portland home search, I have one very important thing for you to look for in a home. What I'm talking about is the macro area, or the location. What is the city that you could see yourself living in? Different places offer different lifestyles, so choose a city that will suit your needs. Are you looking for more parks? Do you want better transportation? Or would you prefer more walkable cities? Once you have narrowed down the city that you want to live in, start searching the different neighborhoods within the city. After that you can really start digging in and looking around for the best homes within those neighborhoods. If you can't find a suitable home within the neighborhoods that you like, I suggest that you be patient. A home will pop up sooner or later. You don't want to make a quick decision on such a large purchase. If you need assistance buying a home in Portland, please don't hesitate to contact me. I would be more than happy to help you find a good home in a great neighborhood!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }  Selling your home? Get a free Home Value ReportBuying a home? Search all homes for saleToday, I want to cover a topic I'm passionate about outside of real estate: getting healthy. I'll explain what you need to do in order to eat healthy and how to find a local gym that's right for you!If you're like me, you probably make a new work out plan every week. You try one, but can't stick to it, or you're always running out of time to get started in the first place. The best place to start is finding a local gym that meets your needs. Find one and get a coach who will hold you accountable! When you have a coach who holds you accountable to accomplishing your goals, you greatly increase the probability that you'll make progress. Since I got a coach, I feel so much better. I've been good about going to the gym and I'm eating better too. Also, when I'm not in the gym, I'm keeping more active than I would have if I never hired a coach. Another thing I did was get a Fitbit, which helps me stay motivated and holds me accountable. I know this is a bit off topic, but I'm not just here to help you with real estate; I want you help you live well. Everyone struggles with getting healthy, but it's just a matter of finding someone or something to push you. Trust me, it gets easier the more you do it and you'll feel a lot better after!If you have any questions about this topic, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, I'm always available to chat. Give me a call or shoot me an email at any time - I look forward to hearing from you!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Selling your home? Get a free Home Value ReportBuying a home? Search all homes for sale A lot of you may not know this, but I started my career in real estate in new construction sales 6 ½ years ago. I've worked with one of the largest builders in the state of Idaho and my family has been building and developing for the past 30 years. Today I’m going to talk to you about the four biggest mistakes to avoid when buying a new construction home. Here they are: 1.  Not hiring a real estate agentWhen you go into a new construction project, what they don’t tell you is that the sales agent on site is typically an employee of the home builder. So if something were to go wrong in the transaction, the reality is they are going to protect the builder. That’s when you want somebody on your side (an agent) representing your best interests. 2. Not doing your researchWhen you don’t do background research on the builder you are working with, you open yourself up to a lot of things that can go wrong. This is a big investment, so you want to do your due diligence making sure you hire the right person. 3. Not reading the fine printBuilders’ contracts are the most complicated contracts in the real estate industry. Builders spend a lot of money on these contracts so that they protect their best interests, so you want to be able to know exactly what the contract entails. 4. Not having a professional inspection doneBuyers we work with think that because a home is new with a warranty, an inspection is unnecessary. That’s an optimistic way of viewing things, but you still want to make sure you have an inspection done because little things come up all the time and whether they are intentional or not, you want to make sure you are buying a fully functional home.If you have any questions for us about buying new construction, please give us a call. Like I said, I have a lot of experience dealing with these types of transactions, and would be glad to lend you a hand.

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report  Buying a home? Search all homes for sale If you’re a buyer in our market, it’s likely that you will face some bidding wars on your path to the perfect home. If you want to win a bidding war, you’ve got to make yourself as desirable as possible as a seller. Today, we are going to give you 4 tips on how to do just that. Here they are:1.  Get a pre-approvalWhen you come to the table with an offer and a pre-approval, you are definitely going to be more appealing in the seller’s eyes. Not only do you want to have a pre-approval, you also want to have your offer underwritten as well, which greatly strengthens your position in a bidding war.2.  Have a 20% down payment if possibleIf you can put 20% down on a home, your offer will be much stronger than those putting down 5%, or offering no down payment at all. This will show the strength of your offer, as well as eliminate private mortgage insurance. 3. Have all your paperwork in orderYou want to have a nice, clean contract that a listing agent can quickly go through. This will definitely play in your favor.4.  Forget about lowball offersIn a seller’s market like ours, lowball offers just won’t work. Homes that are positioned well are receiving multiple fair offers, so they won’t even waste their time listening to a low ball one. A bonus tip for you is to eliminate contingencies when you go into a bidding war. Waiving the inspection and appraisal is not ideal, but it could help you out if you really want the home. If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Can’t wait to hear from you!

 Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report  Buying a home? Search all homes for saleIf you're thinking about selling your home, here are some things to consider. We've seen a slight shift in the market since 2015. Now is a great time for Portland sellers. Here's why.We only have one month of inventory on the market. There are few homes on the market now. As a seller, that puts you in a great position to sell quickly and for top dollar. It's a matter of supply and demand. Your home will be in high demand, and you will have little to no competition. Pricing has gone up significantly over the past year. Since we've just come through one of the worst economic downturns ever, many sellers are stuck in the mindset that their home is not worth very much. That is simply not true. We've seen a real rise in home values over the past five years or so. If you've been on the fence about selling, your home is probably worth a lot more right now than you think it is! The spring selling market is just about to start. Seasonality does have an effect on when you should put your home on the market. We did sell a lot of homes in November and December, but inventory right now is even lower than it was then. That's because most people wait to list their home in the spring. In the next 90 days, we will experience a surge in inventory. Beat the rush and list now, while you still have the competitive advantage! If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you take advantage of this hot market!

 Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report  Buying a home? Search all homes for saleToday, we’ll discuss what’s happening in the Portland real estate market. We did see our seasonal slowdown this winter, but so far in 2016, the amount of market activity is staggering. Right now, we have a 1.2 month supply of inventory. That means if no other homes came on the market, it would take just over a month to sell all the homes that are currently listed. Buyers are having a hard time finding homes, but the low inventory puts sellers in a great position, especially if they are priced between $300,000 and $350,000. Homes in that price range are selling extremely fast.  Looking at the latest numbers for December, it’s clear that Portland had the best December in the real estate market since 1992. There were a ton of closings, and that inventory level of 1.2 months is the lowest we’ve seen since 1999. The total number of days on market did increase to about 56 days, but homes are still selling incredibly fast. In fact, November 2015 had 2 months of inventory, which dropped to just over 1 month of inventory in December. Also, prices have risen significantly over the past 12 months. From 2014 to 2015, the average sales price rose 6.5% from $333,000 to $354,000. The median sales price rose by 7.9% from $285,500 to $308,000. We expect that prices will continue to increase in the near future. Ultimately, if you’ve been waiting to put your home on the market, now is the time to list your property! If you have any questions about today’s video, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for saleThe Portland market is one of the hottest in the country, and many people have been wondering what they can do to get top dollar for their home this spring. If you’re thinking of selling, you’re in luck. Today we are going to be talking about all the ways you can prepare your home to sell in the spring. Here’s what you need to do to make sure you get top dollar when it comes time to list your home.  1. Get a professional cleaningYou can save a bit of money by giving your home a deep clean yourself, but we highly recommend spending the few hundred dollars for professional cleaners to make sure your home really shines and stands out to buyers.2. Paint for touch-upsAdding a fresh coat of paint or just touching up some areas where you have nicks or scratches is also a great idea.3. Spruce up your landscapingYou want your home to have an absolutely fabulous first impression. The best way to do this is by making sure it has great curb appeal, which includes spruced up landscaping and a clean front porch with plenty of flowers.4. An inspectionGetting a professional inspection done before you list your home is a really smart idea. Yes it will cost you $300 to $400 up front, but it will also give your home leverage in the market because there aren’t any surprises left and you can be sure the home is in good shape.Those are the four things that come top of mind when thinking about what you can start doing right now to get your home ready for the spring market. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to hear from you!