When you're talking about a good time to buy or trade up now is the perfect time to buy.
The two primary reason

1.) Interest Rates: with today's low interest rates it makes a huge difference. An example, if you bought a house for $300,000 at an interest rate of 5.5%, you would have to buy the same house for about $274,000 at 6.5% to get the same mortgage payment. That's right a 1% difference makes about a 9% difference!

2.) Down markets are the time to move up. Real Estate works in Micro economies, what happens in NY is not really relevant here, but with in the greater Portland area, highs and lows with generally move together. If the general home price drops about 10% that means a $32,500 difference on your home, and a $45,000 difference on your next home. That's $12,500 you save on your mortgage! If you have a good agent, you can increase that even more.

I have a property investment profile, it shows you what's on market, what's sold, what's pending, and what's new on market. This shows you trends, and average times on market, sales price to list price. It give you a strong indication of what your home will do when put on market. E-mail me, and I'll set you up with a PIP, no charge, no strings.

Jason H. Gomes
Prudential NW Properties
Greater Portland Area
Cell: 503.608.8785
Desk: 503.350.7378

Hello George, It is a good time to trade up with all the great deals on the market today. However, to sell your home you will need a solid and comprehensive marketing plan. Keep in mind it's a buyers market and as such your home must stand out and must be sale ready.

I offer free seller reports to assist them - access my website and feel free to order as many of the reports you would like.
How to Sell Your Own Home
27 Valuable Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar
9 Step System to Get Your Home Sold Fast
11 Things You Need To Know To Pass Your Home Inspection
What's my Home Worth Area Home Sales

Hope this helps!

George...

You are in a good area. If priced right that home will sell. I just sold a great home on Maverick Ct yesterday.... 3 days on the Market for $413K !! It is the BEST time I have ever seen to trade up. Your home may not be quite what you think but thats ok because we have such awesome deals around rigth now.

I am selling homes every day George and we are working harder than ever but are having success. There are also a number of ways to get this done and sometimes we have to go outside the box a bit.

I will help you anytime. Find out why over 200 families bought and or sold homes through my team last year.

We own and operate the #1 Rated ReMax Office on the Westside and I have 25 years working Cooper Mountain and Beaverton.

Call me anytime.

Regards;

Dirk T Knudsen
ReMax Hall of Fame
#1 Rated ReMax Team in Oregon
503-799-8383

George,

Some data specific to Sexton Mountain to help you:

In April, there were about 190 active listings with only 7 sold. Twenty sales per month is more typical, therefore we're talking about 9+ months of inventory. Even with a standout listing, priced at a good value, you will need to have some patience before getting your heart set on a potential new home.

Homes in Sexton Mountain are selling for about 95% of their original listed value. I'm telling clients to price their property at 5% below the peak value from July 2007 if they want their listing to get viewed. Not everyone will agree with that advice, but no one wants a 12-month listing either.

If you want a more detailed analysis of homes in Sexton Mountain in just the price ranges you mention, let me know. Good luck!

George, I suggest you start out by getting to know the market in that area and what the average home prices are and get your self pre-approved for amount you expecting to need to borrow. I've included a link to the average sales in the Sexton Mountain area and hope that helps you in your decision.

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com http://www.IFoundYourNewHome.com

George, perhaps a good idea is to look at what your home will sell for, and then we can work the numbers to see if it is going to be a good idea.

Can we connect so I can get you those numbers and we can analyze the situation? My e mail is SoldbyMatt@Comcast.net - or my mobile number is 503-860-0959. If we meet for a few minutes I can give you a wealth of information and you can decide for yourself if this is a good time... if it is I would love to help you accomplish the move up!

Hi George,
It's a great time to buy "up" but you need to be realistic. Asking what you think your property is worth and buying a "steal" will likely not work. You need to be realistic about your home's value to a prospective buyer and you will find that you'll get a super great deal on the higher end....regardless of location!