1. Make your wish list. Lake Oswego has certain amenities that other towns do not, so in addition to best school, best neighborhood, you also want to ask yourself how important it is to have access to the lake. Do you want to live in a house that has lake easement rights? Do you want to be able to use the Lake Grove Swim Park? Do you want a view of the lake or do you want to be able to hop right in from your backyard? Other things to consider are community pools, quick freeway access, walkability. Make a list of which of these assets are at the top of your list.
2. Check and strengthen your credit. Your credit score will determine whether you qualify for a mortgage and affect the interest rate that lenders are willing to offer you. So get a free credit report from any of the three credit bureaus and make sure there are no surprises. In the meantime, keep paying your bills on time, keep your credit card balances low, your current credit card accounts open and don’t open any new credit accounts to make big purchases like a new car.
3. Meet with a lender. Before you get too far into your home-buying journey, you should definitely meet with a lender to determine the price range you can afford. This can save you time (and heartache) by going into the search with the information you need. By getting pre-approved, you can also strengthen your offer and expedite the home-buying journey. It pays to shop around and if you need some referrals, give me a call at 503.939.9801.
4. Talk with/meet with a hyper-local Realtor like myself or my daughter, Riley. I’ve lived and worked as a Realtor in Lake Oswego for over 30 years and my daughter grew up here so between us both we have firsthand knowledge of the schools, the lake life, the community and most importantly, the housing market. Show us your priority list and we can start focusing your search on particular neighborhoods and homes in Lake Oswego that meet the criteria you’re looking for.
5. Subscribe to my blog. With over 656 blogs posted in 12 years on topics ranging from Lake Oswego housing market updates to a guide to coffee shops in town, this is a one-stop-shop for finding out everything you wanted to know but didn’t know who to ask about Lake Oswego. And if you have a question that isn’t answered here, give me a call at 503.939.9801 and I’d be happy to help.

Moving to Lake Oswego could be a great 2024 New Year’s resolution and we are here to help you make that happen! Reach out to us and we’ll put our experience, enthusiasm and market expertise to work for you. And watch next week’s blog – we are offering a free virtual homebuying seminar and you’ll learn all the details.

Kevin Costello   503.939.9801  kevin.costello@cascadehassonsir.com

Riley Costello     971.322.6205 riley.costello@cascadehassonsir.com

Our Website:    costellorealestategroup.com