All Forum Posts by: Tara Ballenger

You must be sponsored by a principal broker in Oregon, as well. The principal broker is the one who essentially activates your license by telling the state real estate agency that you are sponsored. If you cut ties with one principal broker, you are unlicensed until you sign on with another.

If your main goal is access to the MLS to work your own deals, you can find companies that just charge a transaction fee instead of take percentage of your commission. They are low-frills but may be what you are looking for.

Your hyperlink didn't work for me. It was a 404. 

I think it may depend on mitigation and how long it will take DEQ to rein things in, and also how fast the news spreads. This also isn't the first news of toxic air in Portland that I remember here. I did a quick google search and found this: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/0...

Portland has heavy industry and an active port, along with the environmental quality issues that come with that. It's possible to argue that people who buy in big cities are inherently more tolerant of environmental risks, just as they are for crime risks (all to a point). 

Tangentially, I'm actually kind of surprised that the scientific consensus that magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake is definitely coming for Portland and Seattle in the next 50 years hasn't slowed down development sales, even though many of the beautiful old houses in Portland aren't even eligible for earthquake insurance. And even though NW pdx and the Pearl will be the most devastated when this happens, it remains the highest priced real estate in town. People want what they want and disregard the rest, perhaps? Would love others' take on these two issues. 

I just passed my real estate exam here in beautiful Portland, Oregon, and I'm looking for a company to hang my license with. So far I've interviewed with KW and John L. Scott, and I was a little surprised that they charge you for a mentor - 15-25% of your commission. 

I suppose I was assuming mentorship was a more organic kind of thing. Is it not in real estate? Has anyone here paid for a mentor within their company when they were a newbie, and if so, did it help you? Were they helpful and available? 

 @Jerry Padilla

I definitely agree. In high priced markets, you have to consider not only appreciation, but possible savings over renting. I'm in Portland, and here, it's very common for adults to have roommates just to be able to pay rent (which can quickly exceed $1,000/month for a one bedroom apartment). If you can rent out rooms of a SFH you own, you're not only having other people pay a considerable chunk of your mortgage as the property appreciates, but you're often saving outright over just renting. Same goes for FHA owner occupied plexes (if you can get the numbers to work). Every market is different and the definition of success is relative.

That's great. I've never been to Newberg, but I've been to McMinnville and found it very charming. The Willamette Valley wine country is just gorgeous. 

I don't consider Newberg to be a suburb of Portland, but then again, I work in Portland and have a colleague who commutes about an hour into work from Newberg. So maybe it's the wave of the future? We really *are* turning into California :) 

Great job, Evan! 

Hi Evan,

Congrats! Can I ask what suburb of Portland it was? 

I'm looking for recommendations for a tax preparer in the Portland, OR, area, who is savvy with investment property. I was an owner-occupant of a duplex in 2015, but I converted it to a full rental and bought a new primary residence, and all of these details are just too much of a headache to try to feed through TurboTax. I'm also interested in the new safe harbor/de minimis rules. 

Any investors out there have a great CPA they can send my way?