What to expect when selling a home in Portland: a step-by-step guide

If you’ve thought about selling your home in Portland, chances are you’ve probably also felt a bit overwhelmed by everything involved. Pricing, staging, the timing of it all — it’s a lot to consider. 

Don’t stress! The process doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, we might even have some fun when it’s all said and done. 

In this blog, we’ll break down everything involved in selling your home in Portland. By the end, you’ll step into the process with confidence, knowing exactly what to expect at each step.

When is the best time for selling a home in Portland?

The most new listings in Portland hit the market in June. That means March and April are ideal times to sell your home as buyer activity has started picking up, but inventory is still relatively low. Plus, the weather has started improving, and yards and houses are finally looking cute again. 

That said, there is no perfect time to sell your home. But the best time? Whenever you’re ready! And no matter what month or season that is, there is plenty we can do to make your house shine.

How long do houses usually stay on the market?

There are tons of factors that dictate how quickly a home will sell in Portland. However, as of September 2024, the average time on market was 29 days. 

Some of the factors influencing that time include:

• Seasonality: We already mentioned how selling a home in spring or early summer may lead to quicker sell times. 

• Market conditions: Interest and employment rates can affect how confident potential buyers are in making such a big investment. 

• Inventory levels: Sometimes, there are simply fewer homes on the market, leading to higher demand and quicker sell times. 

• Pricing strategies: Competitively priced homes tend to attract more interest and sell more quickly. We’ll talk more about that in a bit.

Steps for selling your home in Portland

Okay, ready to sell? Let's get into the process, step-by-step. 

Step 1: Figure out your priorities.

First things first: We have to figure out your main goal for the selling process. This will affect our entire strategy (and timeline), so it’s important to have a solid plan.

Ask yourself:  

Are you trying to sell for as much money as possible?

Do you want to do as little prep work as possible?

Do you want to sell ASAP and move on?

Unfortunately, you usually can’t have it all. And your specific goals will determine our approach moving forward. 

For example, if your goal is to make as much money as possible, we might have to spend more time staging your home and conducting minor repairs.

Step 2: Settle on the right price.

We need to hit the listing price on the nose. Pricing too high scares people away for obvious reasons. The longer your house lingers on the market, the more price reductions (and hassle) we’ll have to deal with. 

But pricing a home too low has its own issues. We want potential buyers to feel confident from the moment they’re introduced to your home. Pricing it too low may make people nervous there is some sort of hidden problem. 

Pricing too low can also scare people away because they may think there will be too much competition for the home. No one wants to have their heart broken in a bidding war! 

So, it’s a delicate balance. We definitely don’t want people to think they’re overpaying, but we don’t want them to think they’re getting a home from the bargain bin either. 

How do we get the pricing right?

Your real estate agent (hello 👋) will do a comparative market analysis (CMA). We’ll gather data on recently sold properties, evaluate active listings, analyze market conditions, and look at a bunch of other numbers to determine a price that everyone can feel good about.

We’ll also look at unique features of your home that affect its value. 

Features buyers love:

• Natural light

• Tall ceilings

• Tucked-in location (not on a busy street)

• Wood floors

• A dedicated dining room

• Vintage charm ✨

• Forced air (heating and cooling)

Features buyers do not love: 

• Dark/no windows

• Devoid of character—GREY

• Lots of street noise

• No backyard space

• Short upstairs ceilings

• Weird layouts

• Oil tank fuel sources

Don’t panic if your house has one or more of these less-desirable features. There is something to love about EVERY house, and that’s where we’ll focus our efforts.

Step 3: Prep your home for sale.

Okay, we’ve set a price, and now it’s time to get your house market-ready. Here’s what that entails:

Boosting curb appeal

First impressions are everything! When a potential buyer pulls up to your home, that first glance sets the tone for the rest of the experience. 

A freshly mowed lawn, a clean walkway—maybe even a pop of color from an outdoor flower pot. These simple touches make your home stand out and signal to buyers that it has been well cared for.

Decluttering

We need to make the home feel clean and inviting the second a potential buyer walks through the door. That means minimizing personal items and clearing away excess so people can see the full potential of the home without any distractions.

We need to pay close attention to the furniture, as well. Too much can make the room feel small. The goal here is to strategically place the furniture to make the room feel like it’s the perfect size.  

Minor repairs

There are a bunch of quick fixes we can do to make your house feel move-in-ready. These are little things, but they could end up making a huge difference:

• Touch up the paint on any walls or ceilings that have scuffs or chips 

• Address minor plumbing issues like leaky faucets or running toilets. 

• Fix damaged light fixtures, update outdated lighting, and replace any burned out bulbs.  

• Tighten door handles and lube up any squeaky hinges. 

• Repair any cabinet doors or drawers that stick or don’t totally close. 

A minor repair is pretty much anything you can do yourself in an afternoon. We’ll touch on what to do if your house needs more serious repairs a bit farther down.

Staging

Staging your home is so critical. In fact, about 83% of real estate agents agree that a properly staged home sells faster than an unstaged one. 

What does it mean to stage a home?

Staging is sort of like giving your home a little makeover. We’re not trying to hide anything — we’re just trying to highlight what makes it great. 

For example, if you’ve got big windows, we want to make sure they are unobstructed and let in all that natural light. If you’ve got a cozy fireplace, we want to arrange the furniture to make it the focal point. 

Or let’s say you’ve got a big kitchen island. In that case, we want to make sure there are some stools (and maybe a coffee cup or two) so people can envision themselves starting their day there. 

We’ll want to personalize this part of the process as well. What’s your favorite part of the house? What makes it special? People love stories!

Step 4: Dial in your marketing. 

We talked about a potential buyer’s first impression of your home is how they view it from the curb, but really, their first impression starts way sooner. 

Maybe they discovered your listing while they were walking their dog around the block or something. But more often than not, they discovered your house online—probably on social media or a real estate platform. 

That’s why I put such a huge emphasis on photography.  

Here are some stats for you:

• Listings with high-quality images get 61% more views than those without. 

• Homes with professional photos sell 32% faster than those without. 

• Properties with professional photos sell for up to $11,200 more than those without.

All that to say, we need to get you a great photographer! (Don’t worry, I’ve got a few in mind.)

Photography is what draws people in from the jump. But to keep them around, you need to tell a story with creative captions and descriptions. 

The key is to make people feel like they’re getting more than four walls and a roof — this home has a history and a story ready for its next chapter.

Step 5: Get ready for offers (and negotiations).

Hey, you got an offer!

But what now?

Review the offer. 

There’s a lot more to the offer than just the price. We’ll need to understand the terms, conditions, and the proposed timeline. 

Consider your options. 

You don’t have to say yes or no right away. You have options! If the offer aligns with your goals, we can go ahead and accept. If it’s not quite right, we’ll talk about what it’ll take to get there. 

Prepare for negotiation. 

Offers often involve a bit of back-and-forth. If we counter, the buyer might respond with their own changes. We’ll work through all of this until we reach a deal that feels good for both sides. 

Make a decision! 

Once we’ve reviewed all the details and worked through any negotiations, it’s time to pick an offer! Congrats… but there’s still work to be done.

Step 6: Schedule a home inspection and (possibly) repairs. 

We’re on our last lap now! Assuming we don’t need to do any major repairs, this part of the process should be a pretty low lift for you. 

That said, here’s what you can expect:

• The inspection: A licensed inspector will need to evaluate the major systems and structures of the house—the roof, plumbing, electrical systems, and so forth. 

• The report: The inspector’s report will list all the issues, big and small, with any relevant details.

• Repair requests: Based on the report, the buyer might request certain repairs or ask for a price reduction to cover the cost. At that point, we can either make the repairs, offer credit so the buyer can handle it themselves, or meet in the middle. 

• Negotiating repairs: Some repairs are worth handling to keep the sale on track—especially if they’re likely to come again with another buyer. But we don’t have to agree to everything. 

Don’t stress too much about the inspection. The goal here is just to give the buyer peace of mind, and any issues that come up can usually be worked out once we all chat through them.

Step 7: Complete the appraisal process. 

The appraisal ensures the home’s value matches the loan amount the buyer requested. Basically, it protects the lender by confirming the property is worth the investment they’re making. 

This phase is pretty quick and won’t hold up the sale for long. The appraisal itself usually takes about 30-45 minutes, and the final report is usually ready within a week. 

Most of the time, the appraisal goes smoothly with no surprises. But if the appraisal comes in lower than expected, we might need to revisit the sale price or explore other options with the buyer.

Step 8: Prepare to close. 

As we approach the finish line, we’re just making sure everything is in order so you can walk into your signing appointment with confidence. The title company will prepare all the key documents for the sale (like the deed and the settlement statement). All we have to do is double-check to make sure everything looks right. 

The buyer may also do a final walkthrough, usually a day or two before closing, just to make sure the home is in the condition we agreed on. This is a quick check for the buyer’s peace of mind. 

Finally, we’ll review the closing costs, which typically cover fees, taxes, and agent commissions. These costs usually come out of the sale proceeds, so you won’t need to worry about out-of-pocket expenses at this point.

Step 9: Close the deal!

Now, we’re at the signing appointment. Time to seal the deal!

This is where you’ll officially sign the house over to your buyer. Once that’s done, we’ll distribute the funds from the sale: The lender gets paid (if you have a mortgage), agent commissions are handled, and any repairs done during the transaction get paid out of escrow. Then, the remaining balance goes to you.  

After that’s all settled, the title company will record the new deed in the buyer's name. Then the big moment finally arrives… you hand over the keys, and the home is officially sold!

Key takeaway: Selling a home in Portland doesn’t have to be overwhelming. 

Selling your home is a huge accomplishment! And with some solid prep, a few thoughtful decisions, and a little teamwork, you’ll be handing those keys feeling good about the deal and excited for what comes next. You’ve got this!