Here’s how you could win a three-night getaway and a $500 gift card just by leaving us an online review. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Do you pay attention to online reviews? If you’re like me, you love to hear what people have to say about services or products. That’s why this year our company is making an extra strong effort to get reviews from our customers and past clients. Looking back, we’ve sold 263 homes over the past two years, and we only have a handful of online reviews. That’s on us. We needed to be asking for those reviews, so we’re asking for them now.  “ We’re giving away a three-night stay in  Mt. Bachelor Village and a $500 gift card! ” We’ve also got some exciting news for those of you who help us out. We are giving away a fantastic three-night stay in Mt. Bachelor Village in central Oregon and a $500 gift card to one lucky person who gives us a review. For more details, take a look at our contest flyer here, and take a look at the condo you’ll be staying in if you win here. We really are working hard to have that online presence and find out what the experience was like for our customers. We look forward to getting your reviews! To find out how to leave a review on Zillow, click here. To leave a Yelp review, click here. To leave a Facebook review click here. To leave an Angie’s List review click here. To leave a Google review click here. Thank you and good luck! If you have any other questions about the contest, or any other real estate related questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out with a phone call or an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Here’s how you could win a three-night getaway and a $500 gift card just by leaving us an online review. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Do you pay attention to online reviews? If you’re like me, you love to hear what people have to say about services or products. That’s why this year our company is making an extra strong effort to get reviews from our customers and past clients. Looking back, we’ve sold 263 homes over the past two years, and we only have a handful of online reviews. That’s on us. We needed to be asking for those reviews, so we’re asking for them now.  “ We’re giving away a three-night stay in  Mt. Bachelor Village and a $500 gift card! ” We’ve also got some exciting news for those of you who help us out. We are giving away a fantastic three-night stay in Mt. Bachelor Village in central Oregon and a $500 gift card to one lucky person who gives us a review. For more details, take a look at our contest flyer here, and take a look at the condo you’ll be staying in if you win here. We really are working hard to have that online presence and find out what the experience was like for our customers. We look forward to getting your reviews! To find out how to leave a review on Zillow, click here.   To leave a Facebook review click here. To leave an Angie’s List review click here. To leave a Google review click here. Thank you and good luck! If you have any other questions about the contest, or any other real estate related questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out with a phone call or an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Here’s how you could win a three-night getaway and a $500 gift card just by leaving us an online review. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Do you pay attention to online reviews? If you’re like me, you love to hear what people have to say about services or products. That’s why this year our company is making an extra strong effort to get reviews from our customers and past clients. Looking back, we’ve sold 263 homes over the past two years, and we only have a handful of online reviews. That’s on us. We needed to be asking for those reviews, so we’re asking for them now.  “ We’re giving away a three-night stay in  Mt. Bachelor Village and a $500 gift card! ” We’ve also got some exciting news for those of you who help us out. We are giving away a fantastic three-night stay in Mt. Bachelor Village in central Oregon and a $500 gift card to one lucky person who gives us a review. For more details, take a look at our contest flyer here, and take a look at the condo you’ll be staying in if you win here. We really are working hard to have that online presence and find out what the experience was like for our customers. We look forward to getting your reviews! To find out how to leave a review on Zillow, click here. To leave a Yelp review, click here. To leave a Facebook review click here. To leave an Angie’s List review click here. To leave a Google review click here. Thank you and good luck! If you have any other questions about the contest, or any other real estate related questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out with a phone call or an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without your help! A very Merry Christmas from all of us at Green Group Real Estate. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Merry Christmas! We hope you and your family enjoy all that this amazing holiday has to offer. We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support throughout the years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without your help! It truly brings us joy to help you make your real estate dreams a reality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help you in any way we can. In the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas!

Interest rates can only go up from here, which means there will be a downward pressure on home prices in our market moving forward.  Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Today we’re answering a question from Andrew, who asks, “How are interest rates going to be impacted moving forward on the sale of homes?”   Andrew is referring to the fact that at the most recent meeting of the Federal Reserve, they chose not to raise interest rates. Coming out of that meeting, though, we found in the notes that they were pretty split on whether to raise them or not. This makes me confident that they will raise rates at their next meeting. “ Because interest rates are still low, now might be the time to make your move. ” More importantly, though, economists are saying that from here, interest rates aren’t going back down. They can only go up. When interest rates shift in the market, a 1% shift behaves like a 10% change in the price. A 1% shift in the interest rate reduces buyers’ buying power by 10%. Over time, that is going to have a downward effect on home prices. This means you should be prepared for a downward pressure on home prices moving forward.   That being said, because interest rates are still very low, if you’re considering refinancing, now might be a good time to do it. Also, if you’ve been considering moving in the next two years, you might be better off jumping the gun and doing it now.    If you have any questions or other real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email. We look forward to helping you!

Fall and winter are great seasons for home sellers. There are a few things you need to do in order to have a successful sale this time of year, and we have our top tips for you today. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale There is a myth out there claiming that homes don’t sell during the fall and winter, but they certainly do.   There is a bit of a slowdown in the market from spring and summer, but the buyers who are looking for homes this time of year tend to be highly motivated. You may get fewer showings during the winter, but homes still sell for really good prices.   Of course, selling during the fall and winter is a little different than selling in the spring or summer. That said, there are a few things you can do to help sell your home this time of year.   First of all, make sure that you have excellent curb appeal. When buyers drive past your home or look at photos online, it’s important that your property looks great. If you catch a dry day, make sure to mow the lawn and clean up leaves and debris. You can also decorate for fall by adding a few pumpkins and corn stalks. Remember, less is more; just select a few accent pieces that will look nice in the front yard. “ Remember, less is more! ”   The same holds true for holiday decorations—less is more. You can still decorate your house, but don’t bring out every decoration that you’ve ever owned. Go for a clean, minimalist look that will highlight the idea of house and home and really appeal to buyers.   Speaking of the hearth, make sure that your fireplace is in really good shape. Have a chimney sweep come over and clean everything up. If you have a glass cover that hasn’t been cleaned in awhile, oven cleaner may do the trick. Even if you don’t have a fire going, spend $5 on a bundle of logs and place them next to the fireplace to emphasize that sense of hearth and home.   Finally, use fall scents to your advantage. Everybody loves pumpkin spice this time of year. You could also throw some cinnamon sticks in a pot of warm water on the stove. Light some vanilla-scented candles. Again, don’t overdo it—less is more is the theme of the day!   If you have any other questions about preparing your home for the market this time of year, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!  

A viewer recently asked about foreclosed properties and what happens to them in Portland. I’ll explain what happens to these homes and why things are a bit different in Oregon. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale We wanted to answer a really good question we recently received from a viewer: what happens to foreclosed properties?   First, the bank needs to go into the home and clean it up to the point of being in marketable condition. Their goal is not necessarily to make the most money possible on the sale of a foreclosed home, but rather to lose the least amount of money possible.   The other issues that you’ll see with this—and the reason some homes sit abandoned for so long—is that the banks have to clarify the title. In Oregon, to do this you actually have to go through a judicial process.  “ In Oregon, the home actually has to go through a judicial process. ”   Since it has to go before a judge, there is a real backlog of these homes while the banks are working to make sure they have a clear title. This will help the bank ensure that when they sell the home, the new owner won’t have to deal with any clouds on the title. There is typically not a huge negative impact, but if prices do continue to go down in the near future, we could possibly start to see more foreclosures.   If you have any other questions that we can answer for you, give us a call or send us an email and we’ll talk soon.

Portland has once again led the nation in home price increases in the most recent Case-Shiller report, and I wanted to explain why you should take this news with a bit of caution. Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale We’re back with another economic report. Home prices are up yet again in Portland, but let’s take that news with just a bit of caution.   In the latest Case-Shiller S&P report, Portland is once again the fastest-growing city for home prices. Let’s go back and look at what happened to the fastest-growing cities in 2007 like Las Vegas and Bend, right here in Oregon.   This report shows that home prices went up 1.2% between June and July and had risen around the same rates for months leading up to that point. In August, though, we saw a slowdown in the rate of increase. The rate was about 0.4%, which is normally healthy, except for the fact that it happened in the summer when we usually want to see slightly bigger gains. “ Home prices aren’t rising as quickly as they have been. ” How does all of this affect you? Simply put, home prices are not going up as quickly as they once were. If you’re thinking about selling, it would be worth meeting with us to discuss whether now is the right time.   In fact, a report from the MLS recently showed that home prices from went down 2% from August to September. It’s important to keep an eye on this market in the coming months, and if you have any questions, give us a call. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have!

I wanted to share a few important things you should know about the housing cycle and how it affects you as a home buyer or seller.   Selling your home? Get a free Home Value Report   Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Housing market cycles are a little confusing to people, so I wanted to share a few important things you should know about the housing cycle and how it affects you as a buyer or seller. The first thing you should know is that housing market cycles are not necessarily connected to the overall economy. That can confuse some people because the last major market shift we all went through in 2007 and 2008 was connected to the larger economy. The issues in the banking world caused a ripple effect that directly impacted the housing market. That housing market downturn was connected to a larger economic downturn. The housing market cycle is always connected to supply, demand, and demographics. How many homes are available to sell? How many people want to buy them? Demographics drive how many people want to buy or sell homes because as you get into different stages of life, your housing needs will change. Your first home is different than the home you live in after you’ve had a few kids, and that home is different from the home you live in when your kids have moved out. Housing market cycles usually last seven to nine years. The last big market shift happened in 2007, which was nine years ago. Since we are in the ninth year of the market cycle, another shift might be on its way. “ The housing market is not directly tied to the economy. ” How does all of this affect you? If you own your home, now may be a good time to consider selling from a strategic standpoint. Don’t wait until after the downturn. No one knows for sure when it’s coming; you won’t know if there is a market shift until after the market has shifted. At Green Group Real Estate, we want to put you in a position to make the best decision possible. We can advise you on what’s coming up with this market shift, how it will affect your family, and how it will affect your wealth. Our goal is to create generational wealth for you and your family through real estate. If you are thinking about buying a home, this market shift is a great thing to take advantage of because interest rates are still at historic lows right now. The Fed has been talking about raising interest rates for the last two months, which could raise mortgage interest rates. Lock in a low rate now for a long-term loan. If you have any other questions about how the market shift will affect you, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Why is it so important to find an agent that knows how to execute win-win negotiations on your behalf? There is an old negotiating style that says one person wins and the other loses, and that this is the best way to get a deal. We've actually found that learning how to get a win-win for both the buyer and the seller creates the best transaction for everybody. The reality is that the market has been up for nine years since the last downturn and it's going to shift. We're starting to see some indicators of that; buyers are getting more nervous in transactions and sellers are having challenges related to selling their homes and finding a new one. “ Not every negotiation has to have a  winner and a loser. ” For that reason, understanding negotiation, how contracts are written, and how you need to be protected is critical. Our agents, for example, are constantly working and taking classes to improve their negotiation skills and making sure the contracts that they write are bulletproof. If you have questions about negotiation and how a great agent can negotiate for a win-win deal, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!