Hillsboro, Oregon Housing Market

How much can you negotiate in Hillsboro?

Only 50 out of every 100 homes for sale have found a buyer. The other 50 are still waiting. Your offer may be the only one on the table. About 1 in 3 sellers has already dropped their price. Each one has learned their first price was too high. Start below their new price, not their old one.

A typical Hillsboro home takes 42 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago. There are 272 homes for sale in Hillsboro. That is 7.4 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 319. Supply is steady against last year.

What to do about it

• Search Hillsboro homes listed 60+ days ago that have already cut their price.
• Offer below the reduced price.
• Keep your inspection and financing contingencies.
• Ask the seller to pay closing costs.
• You can lose a few offers here and still win.

Is now a good time to buy in Hillsboro?

Asking prices are 14.3% below their Apr 2023 peak. You are not buying at the top. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller. Hillsboro prices rose in only 67 of the last 108 months. This market goes up and down. Timing matters here. Growth will not rescue a bad price.

The discount is already here. It is not getting bigger. Buy now while sellers are still weak. Waiting for a lower price stopped working a year ago.

Who will rent from you in Hillsboro?

In Hillsboro, 43 out of every 100 households rent. That is nearly half. The renter share is growing. Five years ago it was 42 in 100. Hillsboro added about 1,200 renter households in five years. Renter households average 2.5 people. Two and three bedrooms fit the typical renter.

Households grew 5% in five years. The housing stock grew 3%. Demand is outrunning supply. Just 3.2% of homes sit empty. A well-priced rental fills fast here.

The median Hillsboro household earns $110,030 a year. Incomes here have grown 4.9% a year since 2019. Incomes are rising faster than home prices. Affordability is improving. A typical home costs 5.2 times the median income. That is the national middle. Neither cash flow nor appreciation is free here. A tenant on the median income can pay about $2,751 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast.

That is the market, not your address. Run an address through the app to see its rent estimate and cash flow.

What numbers should you underwrite a Hillsboro deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +1.9%/yr. Hillsboro grew 4.3% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Hillsboro grows about 1.9% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices fell 2.2% over the last year. That is a timing signal, not a trend.
• Months of carrying cost — 2. A typical home takes 42 days to sell. Budget that long when you exit or refinance.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 3. About 32% of homes on the Hillsboro market right now have already cut their asking price. Assume you are one of them when you sell. Do not underwrite an exit at your asking price.
• Comp on this, not median price — $296/sqft. The typical Hillsboro listing shrank from 2,377 to 1,876 sqft since Jul 2016. So median price hides real growth: 52% per sqft versus 25% on the median. Comp on median price and you will overpay for small homes.
• Competition when you exit — +1%. The number of homes for sale barely moved in a year. Today's comps are a fair guide to your exit.
• Price-to-income ratio — 5.2×. A typical home costs 5.2 times the median income. That is the national middle. Neither cash flow nor appreciation is free here. Incomes are rising faster than home prices. Affordability is improving.
• Tenant rent ceiling — $2,751/mo. 30% of the median household income of $110,030. Rents above this line shrink your tenant pool fast.

Is Hillsboro a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Yes, if you negotiate. Buyers have the upper hand in Hillsboro right now. 50 out of every 100 homes for sale have a buyer, 32% of sellers have cut their price, and a typical home takes 42 days to sell.

Are Hillsboro home prices going up or down?

Asking prices are 14.3% below their Apr 2023 peak. You are not buying at the top. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller.

What price growth should I assume for Hillsboro?

Assume +1.9% a year. Hillsboro grew 4.3% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Hillsboro grows about 1.9% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices fell 2.2% over the last year. That is a timing signal, not a trend.

How fast are homes selling in Hillsboro?

A typical Hillsboro home takes 42 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago.

Is Hillsboro a renters' market or an owners' market?

In Hillsboro, 43 out of every 100 households rent. That is nearly half. The renter share is growing. Five years ago it was 42 in 100. Just 3.2% of homes sit empty. A well-priced rental fills fast here.

What rent can Hillsboro tenants afford?

A tenant on the median income can pay about $2,751 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast. The median Hillsboro household earns $110,030 a year.