The Oregon Home-Buying Process: Your Step-by-Step Checklist

Oregon sellers of one-to-four-unit residential property must deliver a completed Seller Property Disclosure Statement to you before you submit an offer. Read every section — roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing, water, sewer/septic, environmental hazards — and write down questions about anything marked 'unknown' or any defect you want investigated during inspection.

Cost: $0

If the property is a condo under Oregon's Condominium Act (ORS Chapter 100) or sits inside a planned community under ORS Chapter 94, ask the listing side for the resale certificate, [[CC&Rs]], bylaws, rules, budget, and reserve information. Look for monthly dues, special assessments, pending litigation, and rules that affect rentals or pets.

Cost: varies

Have your broker pull recent sold comparables for similar homes within roughly the past 90 days. Look at price per square foot, days on market, and how much sellers cut from list — that data tells you whether to offer at, above, or below asking.

Cost: $0

Oregon does not have a single state-mandated purchase form, but most brokers use the Oregon Residential Real Estate Sale Agreement published by Oregon REALTORS. Work with your broker to fill in price, earnest money, financing terms, closing date, inspection and appraisal contingencies, and any seller concessions you are requesting.

Cost: $0

Because RMLS and other NAR-affiliated Oregon MLSs no longer advertise buyer broker compensation in the listing, you may need to ask the seller to pay some or all of your broker's fee through a written concession in the offer. Coordinate the amount with your broker so the concession matches what your buyer representation agreement says you owe.

Cost: varies

Earnest money shows the seller you are serious. The amount is negotiated in the offer (often 1-3% of price) and your funds will be deposited into a real estate trust account at a principal broker's brokerage or at the escrow/title company once the offer is accepted.

Cost: varies

Your broker sends the signed offer, pre-approval letter, and proof of funds to the listing side. Expect a yes, no, or counteroffer; counteroffers usually adjust price, closing date, repairs, or what the seller will pay toward your costs. Keep responding promptly until you reach a fully signed agreement.

Cost: $0

Send your earnest money to the broker's trust account or the escrow/title company by the deadline in the contract — usually within a few business days of acceptance. Oregon trust account rules require deposit by the next business day after receipt, so missing this deadline can put your contract at risk. Confirm wire instructions by phone with the escrow officer to avoid wire fraud.

Cost: varies

Oregon is a title-and-escrow state, not an attorney state, so a licensed title company normally acts as the neutral escrow holder. They will collect funds, order title work, prepare the deed for recording, and disburse money at closing.

Cost: $0

If your broker and the listing broker share the same principal broker, you may be in a 'disclosed limited agency' (Oregon's term for dual agency) and must give written informed consent before the broker can act in that role. Make sure you understand that, in disclosed limited agency, your broker cannot share your top dollar with the other side or advocate for your position the way a single-side broker would.

Cost: $0

Write down every contingency deadline in the contract: inspection period end, financing contingency end, appraisal deadline, closing date, and any HOA/condo document review windows. Set reminders 3 days before each one so you can act before the deadline expires.

Cost: $0

Send the signed purchase agreement to your lender right away and respond fast to every document request — updated bank statements, gift letters, explanations for deposits. Any new debt or credit pull between now and closing can blow up the loan, so do not buy a car or open store credit.

Cost: $0

Schedule a general home inspection within the contract's inspection period. Attend if you can — you will learn more in 2 hours with the inspector than from reading the report later. A typical Oregon single-family inspection runs about 2-4 hours.

Cost: $400-700 typical

Oregon does not require a standalone radon disclosure, but the Oregon Health Authority has identified parts of Eastern Oregon and the Willamette Valley as elevated-risk areas. If your home is in or near those zones, pay for a short-term radon test during the inspection period; results above 4 pCi/L mean you should ask the seller to mitigate or credit you for mitigation.

Cost: $100-200 typical

A sewer scope sends a camera down the main line and is highly recommended in older Oregon neighborhoods with cast-iron, clay, or Orangeburg pipes. If the property is on a private well or septic system, order separate well water quality and septic inspections — these are not covered by a general home inspection.

Cost: $150-500 typical

Federal law (Title X) requires sellers of homes built before 1978 to give you the EPA pamphlet 'Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home,' disclose known lead hazards, and offer you a 10-day window to test for lead-based paint. If the home is pre-1978 and you have any concerns, use that window to bring in a certified lead inspector.

Cost: varies

Group findings into safety/structural issues, expensive systems near end of life, and cosmetic items. Cosmetic stuff usually is not worth fighting over; major defects or anything the seller did not disclose on the Seller Property Disclosure Statement are the strongest items to negotiate.

Cost: $0

Send the seller a written repair request or addendum asking for repairs, a closing credit, or a price reduction before the inspection contingency expires. A credit is often cleaner than seller-completed repairs because you control the contractor and the quality of work.

Cost: $0

Before the inspection contingency ends, either remove the contingency in writing, sign an amendment with the agreed repairs/credits, or terminate the contract and request your earnest money back. Doing nothing usually means the contingency expires and you lose this exit.

Cost: $0

Your lender orders an independent appraisal to make sure the home is worth at least the loan amount. You pay for it as part of closing costs, but the appraiser is hired by the lender — you do not get to choose them.

Cost: $500-800 typical

If the appraisal comes in at or above the purchase price, you can move on. If it comes in low, you typically have three options: ask the seller to drop the price, bring extra cash to cover the gap, or terminate under your appraisal contingency if you have one and the deadline has not passed.

Cost: $0

Decide with your loan officer when to lock — locking too early can expire before closing, locking too late risks rate increases. Locks typically run 30-60 days; make sure your lock covers your closing date with a few days of buffer.

Cost: $0

Underwriters often come back asking for updated pay stubs, letters of explanation for deposits, or proof you paid off a debt. Treat these as urgent — every day of delay puts your closing date at risk.

Cost: $0

The title company sends a preliminary title report showing the legal owner, any liens, easements, and restrictions on the property. Read it with your broker and flag anything unexpected like utility easements that affect where you can build a fence or unpaid liens that must be cleared before closing.

Cost: $0

Do not buy a car, change jobs, move money around large amounts, or open new credit. Lenders usually pull credit again right before closing, and any change can re-trigger underwriting or kill the loan.

Cost: $0

Get quotes from 2-3 insurers and bind a policy effective on your closing date. The lender requires proof of coverage before they will fund the loan; in some Oregon areas you may also need a separate wildfire endorsement or flood policy.

Cost: $800-2,000/year typical

Federal law requires you to receive the Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before closing. Compare it line-by-line to your most recent Loan Estimate — your interest rate, loan term, monthly payment, cash to close, and prepaid items should match within tight tolerances. Flag any surprise fees to your lender immediately.

Cost: $0

If the seller is a non-U.S. person, federal FIRPTA rules require you (as the buyer) to withhold a percentage of the gross sales price — generally 15%, or 10% if the price is $1,000,000 or less and you intend to use the property as your primary residence — and remit it to the IRS using Form 8288. The escrow officer normally handles the mechanics, but you are the legally responsible party, so confirm it is being done.

Cost: varies

Oregon has no statewide real estate transfer tax, so most closing statements will not show one. The exception is Washington County, which charges a local real estate transfer tax; if the property is in Washington County, confirm with your escrow officer who is paying it and that it appears correctly on the Closing Disclosure.

Cost: varies

Walk through the property within 24-48 hours of closing to confirm any agreed repairs are done, the seller has not damaged the property, and any included items (appliances, fixtures) are still there. If something is wrong, do not sign at closing until it is resolved or there is a credit in escrow.

Cost: $0

Wire your down payment plus closing costs to the escrow company using instructions confirmed by phone with the escrow officer. Wire fraud is the single biggest closing-day risk — never trust wire instructions sent only by email and always call a known number to verify.

Cost: varies

At your scheduled appointment, the escrow officer at the licensed Oregon title company walks you through the deed of trust, promissory note, Closing Disclosure, and several state and federal disclosures. Bring a government-issued photo ID and ask for plain-English explanations of anything that is not clear.

Cost: $0

After you sign, the lender wires the loan funds to escrow and the escrow officer records the deed and deed of trust with the county recorder. In Oregon, closing is normally treated as complete when the documents are recorded, which is when you legally own the home.

Cost: $0

Once recording is confirmed, your broker or the listing side gives you the keys, garage remotes, and any codes. Re-key or replace the exterior locks within the first week — you have no idea how many copies of the old keys are floating around.

Cost: $100-300 typical

Store your signed Closing Disclosure, deed, deed of trust, promissory note, title insurance policy, and the Seller Property Disclosure Statement in a safe place — digital and paper. You will need these for taxes, future refinances, and when you eventually sell.

Cost: $0

Transfer electric, gas, water, internet, and trash into your name effective the day of closing. Update your address with USPS, your employer, the DMV, and your bank so nothing important gets sent to the old place.

Cost: varies