Portland Oregon Real Estate Market Update - July 2022

Well, it certainly feels like everything has led up to this.

We have talked about a shift for a while but now its looking pretty real. While no one is claiming that we have shifted into a buyers market by any means we have seen some fairly dramatic changes in the market in the last few weeks.

Mainly demand from buyers hitting pause.

With higher interest rates, and economic uncertainty many buyers have been hesitant to make moves. Creating a pretty significant slowdown in motivation and interest.

BUT if you are thinking of selling your home and are freaking out reading this, or if you ARE an active buyer and wondering if you should be pausing too, here is what I will say.

Part of the reason we are seeing a slow down is that we are actually getting back to some semblance of normalcy in the market.

Pre-pandemic before everyone had nothing better to do than scroll Zillow and put all their extra funds towards a downpayment instead of going out to eat, we had seasonality in the market.

So with people getting back to their active lives, now that the warm weather has arrived, many folks are focused on summer vacations instead of house hunting.

Which is NORMAL.

So with that being said while we are seeing the market changing some, is it sign that we will see a market crash as we head into a possible recession? That's highly unlikely.

In my opinion, while rates saw a sharp increase, it won't take long for most buyers (those who can still afford to buy) to get used to it. Rates were artificially lowered during the pandemic, so rates of 5.5-6.0 are not that abnormal.

In my over five years in real estate, at multiple points that range of rates was seen as normal or even competitive. It really all comes down to perspective and relativity.

My prediction is that come September both buyers and sellers will get there heads in the game again and we will see the market get back to its regular pace.

Meaning more listings to the market and buyers with greater focus and motivation.

Looking for more? Watch the video above.

Want to discuss your home buying or selling options? You can contact us HERE.