By looking at what comparable homes have actually sold for — not listed for — combined with an honest assessment of your home’s condition, location, and the current demand in your specific price range. We will show you the data, give you our recommendation, and tell you if we think you are leaving money on the table or pricing yourself into a longer market time. Ultimately the decision is yours, but we will not tell you what you want to hear if it is not what the data supports. Overpriced homes sit; homes that sit get stigmatized. Buyers start wondering what is wrong. Pricing correctly from day one is almost always the faster and more profitable strategy.

A well-priced, well-presented home in most Portland market conditions sells in days to weeks. An overpriced home can sit for months and ultimately sell for less than it would have at the right price on day one. We will give you an honest timeline projection before you list, based on current conditions in your specific neighborhood and price range.

Almost never everything and almost never nothing. The improvements that consistently return their cost: fresh interior paint, clean or new carpet, landscaping cleanup, and thorough cleaning. The improvements that rarely return their cost: full kitchen remodels, primary bathroom renovations, and major structural projects. The calculation changes based on your home’s condition, your price point, and the current buyer pool in your area. We will walk you through specifically what makes sense for your home — not a generic list.

Market Ready is Lovejoy’s program to fund preparation work upfront, with the cost repaid from the sale proceeds at closing. We coordinate everything: licensed contractors, trades, staging, and project management. We front up to $10,000 directly; our contractor relationships allow us to manage projects well over $100,000 with payment deferred to closing. You do not pay out of pocket before the sale. Not every home needs it, and not every home qualifies — we will tell you directly which category yours is in. See before and after examples.

Professional flambient photography, Matterport 3D tours, and video for every listing — not as an upgrade, but as a baseline. The buyer who scrolls past a poorly lit photo might be the one who makes your best offer. We do not leave that to chance. Listings are published to RMLS (and WVMLS for applicable properties), Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and our own site. We also have an active buyer database and will contact buyers whose search criteria match your home directly.

A cash offer means no financing contingency, no appraisal, and typically a faster close with less uncertainty. The trade-off is that cash buyers expect a discount — they are paying for the certainty and speed, and they know it. For some sellers — an estate sale, a home that needs significant work, a seller who cannot handle showings — a cash offer makes sense even at a lower number. For most sellers in good condition homes, the open market will produce a better outcome. We will tell you honestly which category yours is in.

Since August 2024, sellers are no longer required to offer compensation to the buyer’s agent through the MLS. Compensation is negotiable. In practice, many sellers still choose to offer buyer agent compensation as a way to attract financed buyers and maximize the pool of potential purchasers. We will walk you through the current norms in your specific market and help you think through the trade-offs. Our fee is disclosed clearly in the listing agreement before you sign anything.

The answer depends on what the numbers actually support and what you are trying to accomplish. The key questions: Will the market support the cost of the remodel in the sale price? Will buyers in your price range pay for the renovation quality you are planning? Do you want to stay in the home and benefit from the renovation, or are you doing it purely for resale? We will walk through the realistic math before you commit to either path.

Sometimes holding makes sense — if your equity is modest, if rents cover your costs with cash to spare, and if you want to build long-term wealth through real estate. Sometimes the carrying costs, maintenance liability, and opportunity cost of trapped equity point clearly toward selling. There is one critical Oregon-specific factor: Oregon has very restrictive landlord/tenant laws around selling a property that has a tenant in place. Portland and some other cities add additional layers on top of state law. Tenant relocation fees may be required. The best advice is to consult a real estate attorney before making any decisions about tenancy when you are considering a sale.

We have navigated tenant-occupied sales many times. Lease terms, notice requirements, showing logistics, and buyer acceptance of tenancy — all of these are manageable, but they require planning. Oregon’s landlord/tenant laws are some of the most tenant-protective in the country. Portland adds additional rules including mandatory relocation assistance in some situations. Do not take any action regarding your tenancy before talking to us and potentially an attorney. A misstep here can delay or derail your sale.