Thinking About Selling Your Home As A For Sale By Owner? The Fair Housing Act was designed to protect people looking for housing from discrimination. Could you be violating the law?

Most of us assume there’s no way we could violate Fair Housing laws because we don’t discriminate based on color, sex, or religion. But the Fair Housing Act is much more complicated than that, and subtle, unintentional words or actions can result in steep fines. Below are three ways you may be unwittingly violating the law.

Adopted in 1968, the Fair Housing Act prohibits discriminating against anyone in the sale or rental of a property based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, handicap, or national origin. Most people think they know what that means and believe that as long as they avoid using overtly discriminating phrases, they’re safe.

Are you in the market for a new house? Don’t get overwhelmed right out of the gate when starting your home search; peruse your options with confidence, knowing you are comparing apples to apples as much as possible.

House hunting can be exhausting, frustrating, and down right stressful if you don’t know what you’re looking for before you start. Instead of going directly to a house tour, prepare yourself with a list of things you must have, then only look at homes that meet all your criteria.

These 9 items top the list of things to consider whenever you tour a home:

Think you have to wait three to seven years after a foreclosure before you can get a new loan? You may be able to cut that in half.

Typically, you have to wait for years after a foreclosure to get the financing necessary to buy a new home, but you may be able to get a loan much sooner if you improve your credit score, budget and save. Throw extenuating circumstances into the mix, and your wait time could be even less.

Were you one of the millions of Americans that suffered a foreclosure in the last several years? If so, you are well aware that it leaves a black mark on your credit and prevents you from obtaining the financing to purchase another home for three to seven years, or longer depending on how you handle your money after the foreclosure.

Purchasing a foreclosed home in Oregon is a great opportunity for families and investors alike who are looking for a good deal. However, the process is far from a simple affair. To get you started off on the right foot, let’s connect with some trusted industry sources and cover the 10 things you absolutely need to know if you’re in the Oregon market for a foreclosed home.

Leaky roofs, liens, and a variety of other factors play into the sale and acquisition of foreclosed and abandoned homes. Avoiding the numerous pitfalls that plague and hinder other buyers, as well as minimizing your risk, starts with a smart and educated take on the process.

Stepping away from the standard new home market and venturing into the world of foreclosed homes isn’t for the faint of heart. While there’s no arguing this point, that doesn’t mean that you should completely avoid this type of home purchase. As long as you can put the following tips and tactics to good use during your search for the perfect foreclosure opportunity, you’ll be well on your way to tapping into the underappreciated potential of this portion of the real estate market.

Looking to purchase a condo in the Willamette Valley or Central Oregon? You will want to consider the pros and cons before signing on the dotted line.

Condos are very popular home choices for first time homebuyers, and for good reason! Purchasing a condo can give you all the convenience of living in an apartment while also receiving all of the benefits of being a property owner.

Many young professionals in their 20’s and 30’s choose to purchase a condo instead of a home because they simply don't want to deal with maintaining the exterior of a larger, stand-alone home. Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, and shoveling snow are some of the many responsibilities that come along with home ownership. Choosing a condo instead of a house eliminates these worries and guarantees that the exterior of the property investment you have made will be well cared for no matter what.

Many homes hold secrets locked inside, be it a structural issue or a previous unfortunate bug infestation. Know what you are getting into from the start so you don’t get disappointed later.

At first glance, most homes seem fine – but without taking the time to really get to the bottom of each home’s history you will never know for sure if it has suffered water damage or been the victim of shoddy repair work. Dig up all the dirt you can before buying, and you will end up with a purchase you are proud to own.

You enter the foyer and your heart starts beating faster. Your pulse quickens as you take in the wood parquet floors and elaborate crown moldings. Only three steps inside, and you have already fallen in love with the house. You have found your new home! If this was a movie, you would hear the music swell…but like people, houses can keep secrets. As a savvy home buyer, you need to take the time to read the seller’s disclosure, and sometimes even dig a little deeper, to make sure that you know everything about your prospective dream home.

You do not have to be in the real estate business long before you have heard countless stories about people making unfortunate, even startling discoveries while viewing a home.

Signing off on an Oregon mortgage should be an exciting and positive experience. After all, this document is essentially the key that unlocks your new home. However, failing to work out the best rate possible could put a damper on this otherwise memorable event. With this in mind, let’s listen in as some of the most renowned financial and realty experts offer up advice on how to maximize the value of your mortgage agreement.

Should I explore other options? What if I come back with a bigger down payment later? These and many other concerns can radically impact the size and scope of a home loan, so it’s well worth your time to brush up how to best navigate this process before sitting down with your bank’s lending officer.

Every house has a story to tell. What is the house you are looking at have to say about its upkeep (or lack thereof)?

Before you purchase a home anywhere in Oregon, you want to know that past owners have taken good care of it. That isn’t always easy to tell, especially if the current owner is working hard to put the property’s best foot forward. But, even when the owner has done his best to hide the ugly truth, there are ways to tell whether the home might be a ticking time bomb of repairs after the sale.

When you are shopping for your next home, you want to find one that has been well maintained over the years, one that isn’t hiding unseen problems. A good home inspection should be able to catch the major issues, but at that point, you’ve already invested earnest money and become emotionally attached. How can you spot a potentially problematic house earlier?

When preparing to sell your home, you want it to stand out from the rest. What out-of-date features could prevent your home from selling faster?

With real estate booming, you'll want to do everything that you can in order to woo potential buyers. This is no easy task, but a great starting point involves identifying those things that instantly date your home. By tackling the yesteryear characteristics of your home, you'll amp up your competitive edge and draw more interest.

As a real estate investor in Oregon, you have a choice: buy and hold a property or fix and flip it. The decision may not be as clear cut as you think.

When you decide to invest in Oregon real estate, you have to make the decision whether you want to renovate and resell a property (fix and flip) or want to become a landlord to offset your costs as you wait for the property to appreciate (buy and hold). Which decision is best for you depends on your goals, experience, and risk tolerance.

You have two options whenever you purchase a property as an Oregon real estate investment. You can renovate the property and try to resell it for a quick profit, or you can keep it for a longer period of time and convert it into a rental to offset the costs of ownership and maybe even create positive cash flow. Both options have upsides, but they also have drawbacks.