💡IDEA
Market data generally performs well for us, but it's best when accompanied by an explanation of its implications for someone looking to buy, sell, or invest.

Below is a Portland Market Snapshot (June 2025). If you’re in Portland, easy to copy and paste. If not, easy to swap the data with local information. Use CHAT GPT to help!

You’ll find the content for the Market Report section of a newsletter for July below. Some agents like to send this as a stand-alone email, which works great. Others like to include it in a longer form email—also great.

📌PRO TIP: Repurpose. A condensed version of this is great as a social media post. A quick video is an easy IG Reel to make.

Lots of conversation about market conditions right now. Let’s break it down.

We’re not in a ‘bad’ market—you’re seeing more homes available and less frenzied competition, BUT strangely, our team is still seeing multiple offers on certain homes. Believe it or not, we believe there is a win-win situation here: buyers have more choice, sellers are still benefiting from climbing home values. With the number of active listings increasing month-over-month, this could change at some point making it a smart choice to sell sooner rather than later.

The secret to success is no different now than any other market—strategy. Whether you’re buying or selling, knowing how to read this more balanced landscape is key.

Portland Metro Snapshot (June 2025)
Active listings: ~6,700 homes, up 13.7% from last month and 33.3% year-over-year
New listings are trending higher—though they dipped slightly after a busy spring
Homes are staying on the market longer: ~39 days on average (up ~19% YoY), with 69% selling within 30 days
Under/over asking sales: ~40% of homes sold above asking; 39% sold below; ~21% at asking price (SIDE-NOTE: I love this as a social media post)

National Snapshot (June 2025)
Active U.S. listings rose 28.9% YoY—second month over 1 million—and at a post-pandemic high
That’s about 1,082,520 homes sitting on the market, BUT still ~13% below pre-pandemic norms
Inventory has grown 20 straight months—home shoppers are slowly gaining leverage
Nationwide home values continue to grow—even if more slowly—remaining above last year’s record highs
In 41 of the 50 largest U.S. metros, prices are still up year-over-year

What this means for you—

Sellers: There’s more competition than last year, so price it right, stage it + present it strategically—well-priced homes are still moving and are still competitive. The Portland Metro Market is still considered to be “neutral to slightly seller-favored”—more choices for buyers, but motivated sellers remain.

Buyers: You’re not competing in a frenzy. More listings and time to decide mean better negotiation opportunity.

This is not a “perfect market”, but no market is!

💡IDEA: Let’s talk about one year post-NAR settlement and the change in how commissions are handled. Here’s a newsletter segment to use—

2024 Was Full of Predictions About Real Estate Commissions—Here’s How It’s Actually Playing Out

It’s been a year since the real estate industry changed how buyer agent commissions are structured. At the time, there was a lot of uncertainty—and plenty of headlines predicting major disruption.

Now that we have some distance (and data), we can look back with more clarity on what actually changed—and what didn’t.

In mid-2024, headlines made it sound like this industry shif would completely upend the way people buy and sell homes:

🚨 “Buyers will be left without representation!”
🚨 “Sellers won’t pay commissions anymore!”
🚨 “Everyone will have to pay their agents out of pocket!”

One year later, here’s what we now know:

Most of the above didn’t happen.
The market adjusted—and in many ways, improved.

What People Thought vs. What Actually Happened

Thought: Buyer agent commissions would disappear or drastically reduce.
Reality: The vast majority of sales still include buyer agent compensation. Average buyer agent commissions have barely changed. According to several sources, they’ve dipped only slightly—from 2.45% to 2.37%.

Thought: Buyers would be paying their agents directly, and many could not afford to purchase because of this.
Reality: This was a big concern in 2024, but it hasn’t played out that way. Buyers aren’t writing separate checks at closing. Instead, commission terms are part of the deal we negotiate. In fact, on our team, we’ve successfully negotiated buyer agent commissions in 100% of our transactions since the change took effect almost one year ago.

Thought: Sellers would stop offering compensation and lose buyer interest.
Reality: Most sellers still pay buyer agent commission—as part of a negotiated deal. While sellers no longer “offer” commission through the MLS, compensation for the buyer’s agent is still commonly negotiated as part of the purchase agreement. In most transactions, the seller agrees to cover this fee because it ultimately supports a smoother sale, attracts more buyers, and leads to stronger offers. In short, sellers are still paying commission at the closing table—just through direct negotiation rather than upfront marketing.

Thought: The process would become more complicated.
Reality: It’s actually become more transparent. Instead of compensation being assumed or prenegotiated between a seller and the agent on behalf of a buyer’s agent, it’s now clearly laid out in three contracts:

1. Listing Agreement – between the seller and listing agent.

2. Buyer Representation Agreement – signed before home tours can begin.

3. Purchase Agreement – where buyer agent compensation is formally written in.

It’s clearer for everyone—and has made the process more straightforward than many expected.

What This Means Moving Forward

Buyers still have access to experienced agents without surprise costs.
Sellers still have options—and are largely sticking with what works.
The process has become more transparent, not more difficult.

The market didn’t fall apart. It just evolved—and for most buyers and sellers, the changes have been far less dramatic than predicted. We like this! Still have questions about this— we’re always here to help!

Mid-month emails are prime real estate (pun intended) for connection without selling. The goal is to stay top-of-mind, build trust, and remind them you’re a real human, not just a transaction-chaser. Here are a few angles you can take this month—

💡Summer Bucket List Check-In
“What’s one thing you haven’t done yet this summer that you still want to?” (You share yours too.) The email could look like this—

Subject: A little mid-summer nudge (because I needed one too)

Hey there,

Anyone else feeling like summer’s flying by? Same.

I just made a list of 3 things I’m actually committed to doing before fall hits—and it reminded me that sometimes the smallest stuff (a lake day, a backyard movie night, a BBQ with no phones) is what makes the season feel full.

So here’s your mid-month nudge:
What’s one thing you still want to make happen this summer? Hit reply—I’d love to hear!

Here are my 3 WILL do before the end of August—
Spend the day on Lost Lake— love grabbing a small row boat and tooling around taking in the views!
Try to make cherry cider from our cherry harvest— not a super chill activity and goodness, pitting cherries is messy BUT it’s been a bucket list item for me since we bought our property in Hood River a few years back. This is the year!
Visit Crater Lake- did you know that this is the last summer until 2029 to visit? I’ve actually never been to Crater Lake. Super excited about this one. Do you have a favorite spot here that we should try not to miss?

Cheers to slow days, early nights, basking in the sun, and soaking it all in. One of the things I often tell clients moving to the area— when the weather is good in Oregon, it’s actually perfect!

—R

Here’s another idea that we love.

💡Local Love Note

Subject: A local gem I can't stop talking about

Hey there—

Just popping into your inbox to say—if you haven’t tried [insert your favorite local spot], go. I went last week and already want to go back. Amazing [coffee / tacos / vibe / park views] and zero stress.

I’m thinking about making this a regular little series—local places worth checking out. What do you think?

Hope your July’s treating you well.

—R