Portland metro area

Portland, OR

Oregon bans new transfer taxes and does not reassess a home on sale, so buying costs and the inherited tax bill are unusually favorable. Portland already allows up to four homes on most residential lots and lets middle housing be split onto separate lots.

💡 Upside tip

Look up the lot on PortlandMaps: under the Residential Infill Project most residential lots can hold up to 4 homes (6 if half are affordable), and SB 458 lets each unit sit on its own lot for separate sale. Also compare the current assessed value with market value, since the buyer inherits that assessment.

Offers & competition

Offers use Oregon Realtors sale agreement forms, with an inspection period that commonly defaults to 10 business days. The research behind this guide has no Portland-specific data on offer deadlines or waiver rates.

Closing & who pays

Escrow and title companies close sales; no attorney is required. The seller customarily pays the owner's title policy, and escrow fees are split 50/50.

Transfer taxes

Oregon's Measure 79 constitutionally bans new real estate transfer taxes, so most Portland-area sales pay none. The only exception is Washington County, at $1 per $1,000, customarily split 50/50.

Seller disclosures

The seller delivers the statutory Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS), and the buyer may revoke within 5 business days of delivery. If the seller never delivers it, that right lasts until closing.

What you can build

Oregon's HB 2001 requires duplexes through fourplexes, townhouses and cottage clusters in residential zones, and Portland's Residential Infill Project allows up to 4 units on most lots (6 if half are affordable), extended to R10 and R20 zones by RIP2. SB 458 lets middle housing be divided so each unit sits on its own lot.

Permits & records

Zoning, permit history, assessor data and hazards are all on PortlandMaps.com, and permits are issued by Portland Permitting & Development (consolidated in 2024). No official 2026 median review time was found, so check the city's permit portal for current timelines.

Property tax

Under Measure 50, a home's maximum assessed value grows at most 3% a year, and the tax is based on the lower of that value and market value. There is no reassessment on sale, so the buyer inherits the existing assessment, and older close-in homes often carry low assessed-to-market ratios.

Rent rules

Oregon caps annual increases at 7% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is lower; the 2026 cap is 9.5%, with one increase per 12 months. Buildings with a certificate of occupancy less than 15 years old are exempt, and Portland requires relocation assistance for no-cause terminations and large increases.

Key risks

The main hazards are a Cascadia earthquake, landslides in the West Hills, liquefaction around the Critical Energy Infrastructure hub, and flooding near the Columbia Slough; PortlandMaps shows the hazard layers for each parcel.

⚠ Still verifying

The 2027 Oregon rent cap (due by September 30, 2026) was not retrieved. Portland code changes from 2025 and 2026 state housing bills were not researched. Contract defaults, closing-cost customs, Measure 50 mechanics, Portland relocation rules and the hazard list come from background knowledge and need confirming.

Official sources

Updated: 2026-10 · Summaries of public rules as of the date shown. Not legal or tax advice. Always confirm with the official source.