OR · #27 by population

Buying a home in Oregon

Costs and rules that are specific to Oregon. Main city: Portland.

In short

Oregon has no real estate transfer tax, does not require an attorney at closing and requires a seller disclosure form. It allows both court and out-of-court foreclosure and is not a community property state.

Calculate for Oregon

If you buy

Oregon state transfer tax

Oregon has no real estate transfer tax. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$497,500
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Oregon median value of owner-occupied homes, $497,500 (Census ACS 2024). Rule: No tax is calculated on the price. Recording fees do not rise with the price. Who pays: No transfer tax to assign. Who pays the recording fees is a term of the purchase agreement. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Oregon transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Oregon state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Oregon in short

Is there a real estate transfer tax in Oregon?

Oregon has no state transfer tax. Article IX, Section 15 of the Oregon Constitution bars the state, cities and counties from taxing the transfer of real property or measuring a tax by its price, except taxes in effect on December 31, 2009.

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What closing costs does Oregon law set?

Oregon has no official typical closing-cost total. It has no transfer tax (Constitution Art. IX, section 15) and Multnomah County charges $86 to record the first page of a deed and $5 for each additional page.

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How is property tax calculated in Oregon?

Oregon taxes a home's assessed value, not its market value, and under Measure 50 assessed value can rise at most 3% a year and does not reset when you buy. In Multnomah County code area 001 (Portland) the 2025-26 rate was $26.9199 per $1,000 of assessed value.

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What is the deadline to appeal a property tax assessment in Oregon?

In Oregon, file a petition with the county property value appeals board after the tax statement is mailed (by October 25) and by December 31 of that year. The board hears petitions from February and must finish by April 15.

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Do you need a real estate attorney to close in Oregon?

None of the Oregon statutes read requires a buyer or seller to hire an attorney to close.

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What must a home seller disclose in Oregon?

An Oregon seller of a one-to-four-unit home, condo or similar residence must complete, sign and deliver the statutory disclosure form to every buyer who makes a written offer (ORS 105.465). The buyer then has five business days from delivery to revoke the offer.

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How does foreclosure work in Oregon?

Oregon lenders can foreclose a trust deed without going to court, by advertisement and sale, and must serve a notice of sale at least 120 days before the auction.

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What first-time home buyer programs does Oregon offer?

In Oregon, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) runs Flex Lending: two mortgage products, FirstHome and NextStep, with down payment assistance of 4% or 5% of the loan amount. The City of Portland adds a Down Payment Assistance Loan of up to $80,000 to $100,000.

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Which natural hazards affect home insurance in Oregon?

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management gives about a 37% chance of a 7.1+ Cascadia megathrust earthquake in the next 50 years, and the Oregon FAIR Plan requires two turn-downs from standard insurers with a $600,000 dwelling limit.

Full Oregon guide

How much tax when you sell a home in Oregon?

The federal rule is the same in Oregon as in every state: if you owned and lived in the home as your main home for at least 2 of the last 5 years, the first $250,000 of gain is excluded, $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly (Section 121, IRS Publication 523). Bought $400,000, sold $750,000: a single owner has $100,000 of taxable gain, $15,000 of federal tax at the 15% long-term rate; a couple filing jointly owes nothing. Oregon income tax on the gain is not computed here.

Capital gains on a home sale

Oregon guides

Portland

Buying a home in Portland, Oregon

Professionals in Oregon

Other key facts

  • Rent increases: Capped at 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower: 9.5% for 2026 and 10% for 2027. Details

All states · Federal guides