Selling your house is a process that you may only have to go through a few times in your lifetime, and the commission fees can be expensive if you don’t know an experienced local Portland real estate agent who will do it for free. It’s not an easy task, but it doesn’t have to break the bank! We know what it takes to get your house ready for sale and how to market it effectively so you can maximize the return on your investment. From staging, pricing, and open houses to marketing strategies like social media campaigns and local newspaper ads, we’ll help you every step of the way.
So… you landed on this page about “How to sell your house by yourself in Portland OR” because of a few reasons I’m guessing…
- You have no or very little equity in your house so you can’t afford to pay a real estate agents commissions
- You have equity but want to try to save money selling the house yourself before you resort to hiring an agent
- You’re in foreclosure (or heading that way) and just need to sell fast without incurring thousands in agent commissions
- You can’t wait the months and months it sometimes takes to sell a house in the Portland area in this market so you want to try to sell it more quickly
No matter where you are located, selling your house yourself in the Portland real estate market is achievable. With a little bit of knowledge and effort, you can make it happen!
Since 2013, the housing market has undergone a remarkable recovery—making it an optimal moment to put your house up for sale. To ensure success, though, you’ve got to employ savvy marketing techniques and remain realistic about your aims when selling. That way you can capitalize on this profitable opportunity!
This article is your guide to successfully selling your Portland area house completely on your own.
How To Sell Your House By Yourself In Portland OR – Let’s Dive In
Know The Portland Real Estate Market Well
The first and most important step is doing a market research on your neighborhood in the Portland OR area. This step involves visiting various home marketing sites (Zillow, Eppraisal the Chase home value estimator, etc), calling a real estate agent or two to see what your home is worth, or reading about the various market pricing techniques. Proper homework on these issues will allow you to come up with a right price for your house and also helps you to avoid making certain selling mistakes.
If you don’t want to hassle with trying to come up with a home value yourself… give us a call at (503) 893-9107 and we’ll give you an honest fair valuation of what your house is worth on the retail market (if you’re going to wait the 3-6+ months to find the perfect retail buyer). And if you want to… we’ll make you a fair all-cash offer on your house to give you that option of selling quickly (we can close in as little as 7 days if you want to).
Asses the market
Investigate the current market in Portland. Researching houses similar to yours can be just as helpful as any other form of market research. Examine how many homes are for sale and what their average listing price is in your neighborhood. Are foreclosures prevalent? If so, that may result in a decrease of value for your property. Additionally, consider the condition of homes similar to yours and if they have any unique features that may increase their market value. Also look into current trends in the area when it comes to home values. Has there been a recent appreciation or depreciation? Knowing this information can significantly help you with pricing your home for sale. Lastly, be sure to keep an eye on local market news and developments that can affect the area’s real estate market. This will help you be mindful of any potential surprises or changes in the market that you should take into account when pricing your home. Doing research on the current real estate market in your area is critical for accurately pricing your home for sale.
Asses the house
As a seller, getting your house in optimal condition is essential to selling at an excellent price. Highlight any unique features it may have when you’re marketing the property. For instance, if you live in Portland, potential buyers might find a driveway parking more appealing than one with only garage space available. If you have a spacious backyard, be sure to showcase its potential as an outdoor living area. Additionally, consider adding cosmetic touches such as fresh paint or upgraded flooring. These small investments can add value to your home and make it more attractive to buyers. Finally, don’t forget the importance of staging your home with furniture and accessories that create the right atmosphere for buyers. Staging can help buyers envision themselves living in the space, which will increase your chances of a successful sale.
Also, does your house require repairs? Does it need to be repainted inside or out? How is the condition of the roof? Is the landscaping in good shape? Is the house outdated at all? (you know, those popcorn ceilings ;-). All of these things can make the house more attractive or less attractive depending on the buyer… which changes the price they’re willing to pay. So it’s important to assess the condition of the house before listing. Make sure all repairs have been made, if necessary, and that everything is in good working order. Cleaning up the yard and making any cosmetic improvements can also go a long way when trying to get the highest return on your investment. Once you’re sure that everything’s in order, you can set a competitive price and start marketing your home. With the proper preparation and research, you should be able to get maximum value for your house when it comes time to sell.
After all of this… come up with an asking price for your Portland home that is fair… isn’t so high it’ll take you 12 months to sell the house… but is attractive so you get a frenzy of buyers who are ready to buy it quickly. If you’re not sure how to price your home, don’t worry. A real estate agent or professional appraiser can help you set a competitive asking price and guide you through the selling process. With the right amount of research and preparation, you’ll be well on your way to getting the best possible return on your property in no time!
Use Photos or Videos
Buyers in Portland are enamored with media. Offering a walk-through video of the home will not only expand your reach, but also be viewed as more honest than still images alone. While videos may cost slightly more to produce than photos, don’t overlook this valuable tool – both can play an active role in generating interest from potential buyers! In addition to including a video tour of the property, consider providing detailed descriptions and specifications for potential buyers. Create an online “brochure” that outlines all of the features and amenities of the home, such as square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as any upgrades or renovations that have been done.
Great photos are essential! Capture every room in your home that highlights its best features. Make sure to snap a few shots from different angles of the exterior – people want to visualize what they’re seeing online before they decide whether or not they should come check it out in person. Quality images can be the difference between finding the perfect buyer quickly, and waiting for months on end trying to sell your property. Once you have the photos ready, it’s time to get your home listed. There are several online listing websites and real estate agents who can help with this process. Make sure you are familiar with the local real estate market, as well as its trends so that you can make an informed decision on how much to list your home for.
Get Your House “Listed” On The Local Portland MLS And Market It
Nowadays, it’s not difficult to come across real estate brokers who charge little or no fees for listing your house on the MLS in Portland. This way, all of the real estate agents become aware of your property as soon as possible. However, if you wish to have their assistance in finding a buyer, then be prepared to offer them buyers broker fee ranging from 2-3%. Additionally, these agents may also charge a transaction fee for helping you with the paperwork.
Not all services that real estate agents offer come at a cost. In addition to listing your property on MLS, they can be extremely helpful in determining the market value of your house by keeping an eye out on current listings and sold properties in the area. They can also suggest you necessary improvements to make the house more attractive for buyers. Furthermore, they can even help you with staging the home so it looks inviting and welcoming to prospective buyers.
Real estate agents can also provide invaluable advice on marketing strategies that will increase the visibility of your property among potential buyers. They can also assist you in negotiating a good deal and coordinate with other agents, lenders and appraisers to make sure the sale process remains smooth.
In the end, it’s important to research different real estate agents before you decide to hire one. Make sure that they have an impeccable track record of successful transactions in your area.
Place ads in the local newspaper, signs on the roads, and hold an open house.
All Of This Sound Like A Lot Of Work To Sell Your Portland House Fast Yourself?
It can be.
And in the end, many Portland house sellers think they’re saving money and time by marketing the house themselves… when in the end it costs them more money to go that route.
When you sell your own house here are some things you need to consider…
- If you’re not a good marketer or aren’t ready to spend a bunch of time marketing your house right… selling it yourself may not be your best bet
- If you don’t do a good job preparing the house and the marketing materials… and working with buyers to really build the value of your house in their minds… you may actually sell the house for 3-8% less than you may get for the same house an experienced person marketed the house for you
- Too many sellers never think about holding costs or opportunity costs… every month that your house doesn’t sell means another mortgage payment, tax payment, insurance, utilities, etc. If your mortgage payment is $1,500/mo… and $1,300 of that is interest… if it takes you 7 months to sell your house… that cost you an extra $9,100 (not to mention taxes and insurance you paid during that time). So, if you were able to sell that house more quickly… would it make sense for you to provide a buyer a discounted price today so you can close quickly and move on? Something to think about.
If you’d rather not put up the hassle of trying to sell your Portland house yourself… and would rather just sell it quickly for a fair price without paying any commissions or fees…
… here at PDX Home Buyers we actually buy local Portland OR houses.
We’d love to make you a fair, NO OBLIGATION and NO HASSLE cash offer on your house.
We can close quickly (in as little as 7 days if you wanted to)… which would save you thousands of dollars vs. trying to sell the house yourself and waiting for months.
Also, when we buy local Portland houses we do all repairs that are needed (we pay for it ourselves) so you don’t have to worry about that.
If you want to see what we can pay for your house, give us a call today at (503) 893-9107 or just fill out the quick simple form through the link below.