Home Buying – Page 3 – That 1 Realtor Guy

Stop Overthinking and Buy the Damn House

Guess what? Mortgage rates finally blinked. We’re sitting right around 6.27% on a 30-year fixed, which is the lowest we’ve seen in a year. That’s not a headline you want to sleep on. Because here’s the thing: when rates drop, your money stretches further. Same monthly payment, more house. Or same house, for less money. That’s just math, and the kind of math that doesn’t make you want to...

Home Staging or Deception? The Art of Making a Dump Look Decent

Online house-hunting is a gift from the real estate gods. You can filter out half the nonsense; price, beds, neighborhoods, and school zones without burning a gallon of gas or pretending you “love the bones” of a house that smells like old soup. But let’s be real: photos lie, staging lies, and your phone screen will whisper sweet nothings until you walk through the front door and say, “What the...

Building Wealth Through Real Estate: Why Your First Home Should Be a Duplex

If you’ve been watching the housing market like it’s some rigged casino where only the whales win, here’s a reality check: you don’t have to be rich to invest in real estate. In fact, as a first-time buyer, you might have a cheat code hiding in plain sight: a duplex. Why a Duplex is a Power Move When you buy a multi-family property (like a duplex, triplex, or four-plex), banks don’t just...

Back to School in Portland

The last scraps of summer are hanging on in Oregon, and you can already feel the pumpkin-spice-everything takeover creeping in. Lattes, candles, air fresheners, pretty soon even your goddamn dog’s shampoo will smell like pumpkin spice. But before we all surrender to the seasonal onslaught, I’m still soaking up the warm evenings and pretending this weather will last through Thanksgiving. On my end,...

How to House Hunt Without Melting: Portland Edition

Summer finally decided to show up in Portland — and she's a sweaty one. Mid-90s this week, which might not seem like much to someone in Phoenix, but for us pale Pacific Northwesterners who run on cold brew and cloudy skies, it’s basically hellfire. If you're house hunting right now, bless your brave little heart. Here’s how to survive July showings without melting into a puddle of...

Is It a Good Time to Buy or Sell? Well…Define “Good”

Because Apparently “Stable” Is No Longer a Thing Let’s not sugarcoat it — the world’s a goddamn circus right now.We’ve got bombs dropping overseas, immigration protests filling the streets, and the Fed once again looking at everyone like Bill Lumbergh from Office Space like, “Yeah… we’re gonna go ahead and do absolutely nothing.” Meanwhile, you’re out here wondering if now...

Sunshine, Showings, and Stubborn Sellers

I love this time of year, the days are long, I can finally see blue skies beyond the clouds, the grill gets a workout, and the beers are cold. It's also when the Portland real estate market finally shakes off its rainy season hangover and gets moving. Historically, summer is one of the busiest seasons for Portland home buyers and sellers — and 2025 is shaping up to be no different… except when it...

Open House Etiquette: Don’t Be That Person

Open houses are a bit like first dates. You want to look around, ask the right questions, and maybe imagine a future together. You don’t want to steal food, destroy the bathroom, or make everyone in the room question their life choices. Here’s your unofficial guide on how not to act at an open house. Yes, these are based on real things people have done. No, I’m not okay. 1. The Fridge...

House Hunting in Portland: Reality Check Edition

If you’ve been dreaming of a perfectly staged, open-concept Craftsman with a view, a soaking tub, and a chef’s kitchen — all for under budget and move-in ready — we need to talk! Portland’s spring market is starting to heat up again, and while that’s a great sign of a healthy real estate market, it also means something buyers haven’t missed: competition. Multiple offer scenarios are...

Home Inspections: Find Out What’s Going to Break (Right After You Buy)

The home inspection: the magical event where hopes and dreams meet cold, hard reality. It’s like unwrapping a beautifully wrapped gift only to find out it’s filled with broken promises and maybe a family of raccoons in the attic. Spoiler alert: If you’re expecting a “perfect” house, you might as well expect to find unicorns in the backyard too. But hey, I’m not here to crush dreams… just...