Archive for the ‘Tips When Buying a Home’ Category
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Check out the new neighborhood profile detailing the neighborhood of Garthwick in Southeast Portland, filled with lush greenery and luxury homes. The neighborhood is arranged around the Waverly Country Club near Sellwood, providing easy commuting access across the Sellwood Bridge. Garthwick is private and serene but within easy walking distance to the dining and shopping paradise of Sellwood. Combining the best of urban accessibility and comfortable, luxury country atmosphere, Garthwick is truly exceptional.
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Posted in Announcements, Investment Information, Listings, Market Report, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
If you’re thinking of taking advantage of low home prices and historically low interest rates and finding your perfect Portland home, be sure to check out this amazing listing filled with natural light, nestled in private woods with a private drive on Marquam hill off Terwilliger Parkway. You’re sure to fall in love with this stately family home and all of its amazing features, from the 17 foot high ceiling and walls of windows in the grand entry room, to the sweet white tile kitchen and lush backyard. This house is the deal of a century, truly a luxury house without the luxury price tag! In fact, the price was just reduced further, so hurry up and schedule a viewing before its gone. With unbelievably easy access to OHSU and downtown, this is the perfect home for commuters and anyone who desires a bit of the mountains in the heart of the city.
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Posted in Announcements, Investment Information, Listings, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Check out the new neighborhood profile detailing the neighborhood of Homestead on Marquam Hill in Southwest Portland, filled with lush greenery and luxury homes. The neighborhood is home to OHSU, the Portland Veteran Affairs Medical Center, and Terwilliger Plaza, providing easy commuting access and fun opportunities to ride the Portland aerial tram down the hillside to the dining and shopping paradise of Portland’s South Waterfront. Combining the best of urban accessibility and comfortable, luxury country atmosphere, Homestead is truly exceptional.
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Posted in Announcements, Downtown, Investment Information, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
In a report published in the Portland Business Journal yesterday, we learned that thirty-two percent of Portland homes for sale, listed since the beginning of this month, experienced at least one price reduction. That ranked Portland No. 16 on the website Trulia’s list of price reductions in America’s 50 largest cities.
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Tags: First time home buyer, for sale, home buying, Homes for sale, housing market, interest rates, Lending, Low Prices, mortgage, portland market, Portland Real Estate, portland real estate market, real estate, Short Sales
Posted in Bank Owned, Investment Information, Market Report, Mortgage Rates, Moving To Portland, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Short Sales, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Monday, August 9th, 2010
FHA is about to begin charging a higher percentage for mortgage insurance on case numbers created after September 7th 2010. The claim is that the amount of the loan will be less because the fees will be less, which is true. Problem is they are off-setting that savings to buyers by increasing the mortgage insurance rates; initially only by a slight amount but with the “authority” to just about double that increase at any point in the future. Even at the slight difference in percentage rate it easily negates the savings on the loan itself within just a few years and at the higher rate they could raise it to those savings would be negated withi
n 1-2 years.
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Posted in Mortgage Rates, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Check out the newest neighborhood profile detailing the Hillsdale District of Southwest Portland. Combining the best of urban accessibility and small town atmosphere, it’s a fantastic place to live. Walk your dog in one of the beautiful, lush parks, visit the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market for the best local produce, or step into the newly updated library as if it were your own private collection. If you’re looking for homes, apartments, or condos for sale around the Hillsdale District, check out this information page filled with historical facts, the best restaurants in Southwest Portland, and the top parks, shopping, and neighborhood resources. Relocating to a new area can be hard, but it’s a lot easier when you’ve got the best real estate agents in Portland on your side.
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Posted in Listings, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Trends in national real estate are showing that home buyers are increasingly interested in walkability, in many cases choosing smaller, more expensive, older houses with better access to amenities in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. In addition to good schools, low crime rates, and big yards, today’s home buyers are paying more and more attention to the proximity of stores, coffee shops, theaters, and parks. Traffic congestion and long commutes have become a fact of life for many Americans living in urban areas, increasing the attractiveness of a home situated in a place that would encourage them to use their walking shoes more than their engines.
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Posted in Investment Information, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Some of the most common requests we get from people who are visiting or considering relocating to Portland are pleas for restaurant suggestions in different areas of town. The McDonald Group is full of people who really love food, and Portland’s food scene in particular, but sometimes we bow to the experts. One of those local food experts is Liz Crain, the author of the Food Lover’s Guide to Portland, out this month and on sale at at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, IndieBound or from your favorite local bookstore (in Portland, Powell’s is offering a major discount this month – 30% off!).
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Posted in Moving To Portland, Portland Real Estate, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
In this age of high-end sustainable renovations, high-profile LEED certifications, and the seemingly never-ending marketing of the next popular Energy Star kitchen or home appliance, it sometimes feels like you need to spend a lot of money in order to cut back on energy use. However, like many things in life, small changes can add up to a big difference, and some of the most important adjustments you can make in your home are downright cheap.
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Posted in Home Improvement, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Whether you’re restoring a historic home for sale or you’ve just purchased a diamond in the rough that needs some polishing, Portland has some amazing resources for classic restoration hardware, fixtures, and furniture that are true to the spirit of Northwest style and sustainability. What better way to be green when you’re fixing up a classic home than to use salvaged antique materials? Here are some of The McDonald Group’s favorite spots for browsing through classic tiles, old neon signs, gorgeous sustainable lumber, rusted scrolled keys, and giant boxes of original tin ceiling plates. Remember to use gloves, those edges can be sharp!
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Posted in Archetecture, Green Homes, Home Improvement, Real Estate Tips, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
We’re pleased to introduce Peter Skei, the newest member of the McDonald Group Realtors. Peter brings years of experience as a buyer’s agent in Portland, Oregon, as well as an encyclopedic knowledge of Portland neighborhoods, resources, and special events. I recently sat down with Peter to talk about his love of Portland, his experience in the local Real Estate market, and his ideas about the future with the McDonald Group. Here’s Peter!
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Posted in Announcements, Moving To Portland, Portland Real Estate, Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
According to the most recent RMLS (Regional Multiple Listing Service) report, one in six homes bought in Portland were bank-owned homes. Buying at or near the bottom of the real estate cycle can be the best time to buy a home. It also may be the best time to sell if you are moving into a replacement home that suits your needs better than your existing home. Why buy now? Let me count the reasons. It is now a “buyers market” meaning the asking prices on property is at or near the bottom of their cycle and homes are not receiving multiple offers as they were during the “bubble” days. As you can see from the statistics on bank-owned homes above, there is a high percentage of bank owned real estate and short sale deals out there if you have the right agent to walk you through the maze. (more…)
Posted in Investment Information, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Short Sales, Tips When Buying a Home, Tips When Selling a Home | No Comments »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Clients of ours forwarded the linked articles below to us for consideration; I’m passing along to you. I do expect FHA will continue to tighten and I do think interest rates will go up. For those of you thinking you want to wait for home prices to reduce, keep in mind that an increased interest rate may eat up any sale price savings and that if you are borderline qualified you may not be eligible for a loan a month from now. If you are a first time home buyer I do not recommend writing on short sales unless they already have a pre-approved amount acceptable to what you would want to pay. Chances are slim you would close in time for the credit and they waste alot of valuable shopping time. Here’s those articles:
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Tags: article, FHA, interest rates
Posted in Tips When Buying a Home | No Comments »
Check out the new neighborhood profile detailing the neighborhood of Garthwick in Southeast Portland, filled with lush greenery and luxury homes. The neighborhood is arranged around the Waverly Country Club near Sellwood, providing easy commuting access across the Sellwood Bridge. Garthwick is private and serene but within easy walking distance to the dining and shopping paradise of Sellwood. Combining the best of urban accessibility and comfortable, luxury country atmosphere, Garthwick is truly exceptional.
