Home / Areas we buy
Where we buy houses
Laurel Home Buyers buys houses for cash across the Portland, Oregon metro and Vancouver, Washington, closing in about seven to fourteen days. Coverage includes Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties in Oregon plus Clark County in Washington. Offers come within one business day of seeing the property.
Pick your city and you will get the part that actually matters for selling fast where you live: how old the houses are, what that means for whether yours can be financed, and which local rules apply.
Why does location change anything?
Age of the housing stock. A 1949 house in Cully and a 1996 house in Hillsboro have completely different problems. Older houses carry the issues that make lenders nervous, which shrinks your buyer pool and slows a traditional sale down.
Local rules. Portland has ordinances the suburbs do not. Vancouver is a different state with different landlord-tenant law and different closing costs.
Also coming soon: Troutdale, Tualatin, Aloha, Milwaukie, Oregon City, and Happy Valley.
Portland neighborhoods
The pattern across the metro
Here is something useful that nobody publishes: the oldest, smallest housing in this metro is in outer east and north Portland, not the inner bungalow belt everyone writes about.
| Area | Median year built | Avg single family size |
|---|---|---|
| Parkrose | 1945 | 1,619 sq ft |
| Cully | 1949 | mostly 1920s–1950s |
| St. Johns | 1954 | 1,387 sq ft |
| Parkrose Heights | 1954 | 1,507 sq ft |
| Lents | 1956 | 1,405 sq ft |
| Powellhurst-Gilbert | 1977 | 1,473 sq ft |
| Portland citywide | 1959 | 1,983 sq ft |
| Gresham | 1980 | see neighborhoods |
| Hillsboro | 1996 | 1,832 sq ft |
Notice how small those houses are. St. Johns averages 1,387 square feet against a Portland citywide average of 1,983. Small mid-century houses with seventy years of wear are exactly the ones that struggle to sell on the open market.
Not on the list? Ask anyway. If we cannot help we will say so fast instead of stringing you along. Tell us the address, see how the process works, or find your situation.
Housing figures from Homes.com neighborhood and city guides. Last verified: September 2026.