Oregon City, Oregon — an introduction, not a pitch

Starting with what I cannot do

Most of what goes wrong in a long-distance move goes wrong at the handoff: nobody owns the introduction, so you end up cold-calling names off a search results page. I would rather own it. I cannot be your Oregon agent, but I can be the person who found them and who you can call when you want a second read.

What I do once you call

What this page is not offering

I will not take a payment from you, and could not lawfully do so if I wanted to. A Florida sales associate may be compensated only through his registered broker, so any fee here is paid by the receiving brokerage to The Keyes Company out of a commission earned only if a transaction closes. There is no invoice at the end of this and no version of it in which you are billed for an introduction.

Florida to Oregon: what is genuinely different

• Licensing in this industry is granted state by state, not federally. A Florida licence carries no authority in Oregon, and a Oregon licence carries none in Florida — which is why an introduction, rather than representation, is the only honest offer on this page.
• Oregon levies a tax on income; Florida does not. It is a change worth modelling against the housing cost before you commit to a price range, and it is a question for your own tax adviser rather than for any real estate agent.
• Closings in Oregon generally run through a title or escrow company rather than requiring an attorney as a matter of course — structurally closer to what you are used to in Florida than not.
• Florida’s homestead exemption and its Save Our Homes assessment cap do not follow you. Oregon has its own property tax treatment, its own exemptions, and its own rules on how fast an assessment may rise. Confirm the specifics with the local taxing authority.

Selling here, buying there

If what you are leaving is a condominium or a house inside an association, the Florida side has a queue attached to it. Estoppel letters, association approval, and the building’s inspection and reserve documents where those apply — none of it moves at the speed of a buyer who wants to close in thirty days. Starting that paperwork while you are still deciding about Oregon City is the cheapest thing you can do for your own timeline.

What I would ask if I were you

• If my timeline slips by six weeks, what happens to the agreement I am about to sign with you, and what happens to any money already committed?
• What is the local practice on possession — do I get the keys at closing, or do sellers here commonly stay on for a period afterwards, and how is that documented?
• Have you worked with buyers who were selling in another state at the same time? Ask for the mechanics of how they handled it rather than for a reassurance that they have.
• How many transactions have you closed in Oregon City in the last twelve months, and how many were on the side of the table I am on?

Other cities in Oregon

• Tigard
• Corvallis
• Medford
• Beaverton
• Gresham
• Salem
• Redmond
• Grants Pass
• All of Oregon