Real Estate – That 1 Realtor Guy

What $500 Actually Fixes Before Listing… and What It Doesn’t

There’s this weird thing that happens when people decide to sell their house. Suddenly, every little thing they’ve ignored for the last seven years becomes an emergency. That chipped baseboard? WE HAVE TO FIX IT. The slightly dated bathroom light? NO BUYER WILL EVER LOVE US. That one cabinet door that has been crooked since Obama was president? CALL A CONTRACTOR. WE’RE...

Waiting for the Housing Market to Crash?

Every few months I hear some version of the same thing: "I'm waiting for the market to crash." Usually it's said with incredible confidence, like this person has a Bloomberg terminal in their basement and Jerome Powell personally texts them before making monetary policy decisions. I get it. Nobody wants to buy a house and find out six months later that they bought at the absolute worst possible...

Price Reductions: What They Actually Signal to Buyers

If you're selling a home in the Portland area right now, there's a decent chance you're going to have a conversation with your Realtor about reducing the price at some point. That's not me being negative. That's just the reality of selling in a market where buyers have choices, homes aren't flying off the shelves in 48 hours, and slapping a ridiculous number on the listing because your neighbor's house...

Thinking About Moving to Portland? Here’s Your Guide!

One of the first things people notice when they move to Portland is that locals love talking about "the eastside" and "the westside." It almost feels like choosing between the Giants and the A's back in the day. Once people settle on one side of the river, they tend to stay there. The truth is, neither side is better. They're just different, and that's one of the things that makes Portland such a great...

Fireworks & Financing: Why Buyers Should Make Their Move Before the Spark Dies Out

Every Fourth of July we gather around with friends and family, fire up the grill, argue about who forgot the buns, and pretend the neighbor who spent two grand on fireworks isn't trying to start a small brush fire. It's one of my favorite holidays! This year also marks an incredible milestone. America turns 250 years old. That's 250 years of resilience, innovation, opportunity, and proving that if...

Living room with beige sofa, wooden coffee table, green armchair, and large window overlooking trees

What Makes a House Feel Expensive… Even When It Isn’t

If you've ever walked into a house and immediately thought, "Damn...this place feels fancy," there's a good chance it wasn't because the owners spent a million dollars remodeling it. I've been in enough homes throughout the Portland metro area to tell you that price and luxury don't always go hand in hand. I've shown million-dollar homes that somehow felt cold, outdated, and about as exciting as a...

Father’s Day Edition: Home Projects Dad Swore He Would Finish

There are two universal truths about being a homeowner. First, something is always broken. Second, Dad has a project that's been "almost done" since 2019. Maybe it's the baseboards in the guest room. Maybe it's the garage shelves. Maybe it's that bathroom fan that currently sounds like a Boeing 747 preparing for takeoff. Every family has one. With Father's Day here, I thought we'd take a moment to...

Top 3 Neighborhoods on Portland’s West Side

When people think about Portland real estate, neighborhoods like Alberta, Sellwood, and Laurelhurst usually get most of the attention. But if you're looking on Portland's west side, there are three neighborhoods that consistently stand out for very different reasons. Whether you want to walk to coffee shops and restaurants, live steps from downtown, or wake up surrounded by trees with million-dollar...

Why Portland Families Move When School is Out

If you’ve noticed more moving trucks rolling through your neighborhood lately, you’re not imagining it. Summer moving season is officially here. Every year around this time, Portland’s real estate market starts buzzing in a different way. More listings hit the market, more buyers start touring homes. More families start packing boxes while pretending they’re “totally organized” even though...

Aerial view of a Portland neighborhood with highways, parks, buildings, and Mount Hood in distance

Top 3 Neighborhoods in Beaverton, Oregon

If you’re thinking about buying a home in Beaverton, one of the first questions usually goes something like this: “Cool… but where in Beaverton should we actually live?” And honestly… fair question. Beaverton isn’t one neighborhood. It’s a bunch of different pockets, each with its own personality. Some feel tucked away and quiet. Some are built around parks and trails. Some let you...