Tag: portland home buying

Navigating Home Inspections in Portland: Your Ultimate Guide

Posted on by Will Sing

Buying a home is a monumental step in anyone’s life. I’m here to guide you through one of the most vital phases of this journey – the home inspections. I’m happy to share the essential details about home inspections. Let’s get started!

The Importance of the Inspection Period

During my time helping countless clients find their dream homes, I’ve always stressed the significance of the inspection period. This critical phase, lasting about 7-10 business days, is your opportunity to familiarize yourself with your prospective home. It’s the perfect time to ask questions and seek clarifications, ensuring you make a decision grounded in facts and understanding.

General Home Inspection: Your Home’s Health Report

Consider the general home inspection as a detailed health report for your home. This procedure, typically costing between $400 and $600, offers a deep dive into the accessible areas of the home, helping you spot potential issues and grasp the overall condition of the house. This inspection will help highlight things to focus on next and if we need to bring additional professionals to assess the situation.

Sewer Scope Inspection: Building a Leak-Free Future

From my experience, opting for a sewer scope inspection, which costs around ~$160, has been a wise choice for many home buyers. This step involves a check of the drainage system, helping you avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.

Radon Inspection: Creating a Safe Haven

A radon inspection, priced at $160, plays a pivotal role in ensuring your home’s safety. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that when accumulated at higher levels can become carcinogenic. We test this to make sure that we can provide a safe environment for the long term. This can be mitigated by installing a ventilation system!

Oil Tank Locate: Essential for Older Homes

If you’re eyeing a home built between 1900 to 1960’s, an oil tank locate inspection, costing about $130, is non-negotiable. This inspection protects you from potential environmental hazards.

Well and Septic Inspections: Guaranteeing Water Safety

For homes independent of the public water and sewage system, well and septic inspections, ranging from $250 to $600, are indispensable. They guarantee the safety of your water and waste disposal systems.

Watch the Detailed Inspection Guide

Ready to take the next step in your home-buying journey?

Feel free to reach out to me for personalized guidance and expertise. Whether you have questions or are ready to find your dream home in Portland, I am here to assist you every step of the way.

📞 Call Now – 503-303-0822

📧 Email Me – hello@agentlivinginpdx.com

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Let’s embark on this exciting journey together. Your dream home in Portland is just an inspection away!

Seller Credit vs Price Reduction – Which is right for you?

Posted on by Marissa Sainz

I get a lot of questions when a buyer or seller is negotiating a price reduction vs a credit. These two options look very similar for a seller, but can be very different for a buyer.  Let’s use the example of a $500,000 house for sale.

A price reduction is the seller lowering the price they will accept on their home for a buyer. For example they will accept $490,000 instead of $500,000.  For the seller this reduction takes away from the net proceeds they will receive at closing.

For a buyer this reduction will reduce their monthly mortgage payment.  The amount will vary depending on interest rate.  Buyers that are sensitive to their monthly mortgage payment may choose this route.

A seller credit is the seller offering to pay for a portion of a buyer’s closing costs.  For example they accept the full sale price of $500,000 and will contribute $10,000 towards the buyer’s closing costs.  For the seller this reduction takes away from the net proceeds they will receive at closing.

For a buyer this credit will reduce the amount of cash they have to bring in at closing.  If a buyer’s down payment is $50,000 and their lender/title/pre-paid closing costs are $10,000 they will only need to bring in $50,000 instead of $60,000 at closing. Buyers that would like to keep cash on hand after closing (most of the time for repairs or updates) may choose this route.

Have more questions? Reach out at marissa@livingroomre.com

Last Tango in Mt Tabor

Posted on by Living Room Realty

I first met Galen through his partner, Kyra, who I’ve known for years through my old college roommates and Oregon Country Fair friends. He contacted me to say he was ready to buy a home and asked if I could help him. Naturally, I said yes because he’s a great guy and I like helping people purchase homes.

After about a month of searching and some stressful pressure to move quickly on the homes he liked, we finally found this fantastic Mt Tabor home. This house has one of the best entertaining kitchens I’ve ever seen. It is open concept AND has double French doors that open onto the large deck and back yard. I have major kitchen envy. 🙂

Now, the market being what it is, we naturally had to compete to get the home. Luckily, Galen wrote a heartfelt letter about how he loves to dance and entertain, and along with our stellar terms that sealed the deal.

I can’t wait to come fete your new home with you at some point, Galen!

If you or anyone you know is looking to buy or sell a home in the Portland area, please contact Amanda Haworth at 503-453-7698 or amanda@livingroomre.com.