Simplify Your Home Search

Posted on: October 29, 2007

The Portland real estate market is diverse, in style, cost, and location, making it quite overwhelming for some to find the perfect home. With the help of the right Realtor® however, this process can be rather enjoyable and painless.

Photograph by Sarah Harmon of Hood Photography

The first step is loan qualification and finding out exactly how much you can afford to pay for a home. This alone will rule out many houses on the market and give you a more specific range of homes to search through.

Location is also important. Narrow the city down to an area or areas that will best suit your lifestyle based on proximity to your job, your family, and other interests.

What size home do you need? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? What size yard do you need? Answering these questions early on will save you time and energy by focusing your search on what you need.

Once you’ve answered these questions it’s time to start looking for homes. The majority of people begin their search on the internet. There are a number of websites that cater to the Portland market and help you search through listings using a number of parameters. Some people search the classified ads and newspapers, others drive around looking for yard signs. These are all fine methods if you have the time and energy to put into it. The easiest and most effective way to search for a home is to contact your Realtor®.

Realtors® have access to a database of every home for sale in the area called the RMLS, or regional multiple listing service. This database allows the Realtor® to search through all the homes for sale and come up with a list that matches your criteria. Allowing the Realtor® to do the work saves you time, energy, and gives you the peace of mind knowing that you’ll only be seeing homes that match your wants and needs. Happy hunting!

Written by Eric Heft, Realtor® for PortlandRealEstate.com.