Portland Real Estate Search Tools

It's important if you're wanting to search for Portland homes that you do it without wasting your time on bad listings and bad real estate practices by bad real estate agents. Believe me...if you've ever shopped for a new home before, it can be painful if you don't do it right! If you're not careful, you can burn through dozens of hours of searching with no real results.

Here are some of the important tips to take into account when you start your search for Portland real estate. The same principles apply to other parts of the country, of course, but for this article, we're addressing the Portland market specifically.

Choose a Portland agent that is web-savvy

If you're looking for a new Portland home, the last thing you want is a Portland real estate agent who doesn't know a keyboard from a kitchen. In this day and age, it's critical if you are wanting to get the latest listings that you have an agent who knows the web and can leverage it to help you find your dream home. He or she should respond promptly by email or text (within reason...even real estate agents have to have a life).

Choose an agent who knows Portland neighborhoods

This should go without saying, but make sure you choose an agent who is familiar with the neighborhoods you are considering moving to. It's rather difficult to find a home for someone when you don't know what neighborhoods might match their lifestyle. Usually, this is a function of how long the agent has either lived or practices real estate in the area. If they are a newbie, you can take a risk on them if they sound like a go-getter. But just be aware that it is a risk.

Choose an agent whose website ranks well on Google

While this is more important for listing agents than buyers' agents, if an agent has a well-ranked Portland real estate website, you can be assured they are committed to serving Portland real estate clients. It takes time, money, and effort to get a real estate website ranked well for competitive keywords, and if your agent's site ranks well, it is a measure of his or her commitment to the business of real estate.

Choose an agent that offers map search

Real estate map search tools are hands down one of the best tools for most home buyers to search for their next home. A map search on an agent's website allows you to pan and zoom neighborhoods to find properties that match your search criteria. You can usually zoom right down to the street level and even see thumbnails of the property before you click on it for more detail. This will save you hours of time over the course of your real estate search efforts.

Choose a Portland agent who offers email property alerts

This is probably one of the most important tools for your agent to have in his or her arsenal to help you search (and find) Portland real estate. The way it works is you create an account and sign up for automated alerts for new listings that come on the market matching your search criteria. You should be able to edit your searches and refine them so you don't get barraged with too many irrelevant emails each day. You should also be able to create multiple email alerts yourself without having to give them a call each time.

Finally, choose a friendly agent

The bottom line is that you'll need to get to know your agent and let them get to know you if you want to get the best results out of their services. If you are going to charge them with the responsibility of finding your dream home, you'll need to open up and entrust them with clear ideas of what your dreams are. This will mean creating a level of trust and friendship that isn't forced or too stuffy and business-like. You need to communicate easily and clearly, and the best way to do this is with an agent who is ultra-friendly.