Portland-Area Condos at $400,000 and Below: Price and Cost Questions

Condos provide most of the lower-price choices in this received MLS sample: 682 of 1,028 condos with a single asking price are listed at $300,000 or below. That is 66.3% of the priced condo group. Their median asking price is $275,000.

Scope: supplied MLS sample, September 22, 2026. Search filters, the complete result count, and the export cutoff are unconfirmed. These are sample findings, not a census of Portland-area homes. Asking prices and listing status are historical observations from this file.

What the condo numbers include

There are 1,032 active records classified CONDO. Three are auction entries and one supplies a price range. We exclude those four from single-price calculations and retain them in the total count. The remaining 1,028 numeric asking prices range from $99,000 to $400,000.

There are 185 priced condos at or below $200,000, another 497 over $200,000 through $300,000, and 346 over $300,000 through $400,000. These nonoverlapping bands make the distribution more useful than the median alone.

Area counts describe this file's choices

West Portland, MLS area 148, contributes 303 single-price condos; Beaverton/Aloha contributes 136; Southeast Portland contributes 113; and Northeast Portland contributes 109. These counts are observations in the file, not rankings of the complete condo market.

Area medians are withheld when the priced count is below ten. Even larger area samples mix buildings, unit sizes, parking arrangements, condition, association finances, and amenities. The file does not contain those details, so a median difference cannot establish a location premium.

The price comparison still needs a monthly-cost column

A $275,000 asking price is not a monthly housing budget. The CFPB explains that condominium or HOA dues are usually paid separately from the mortgage-servicer payment. Ask for the actual dues, what they cover, and any assessments shown in the association's current documents.

For two finalist properties, record the lender's proposed payment, taxes, unit insurance quote, association dues, utilities not included in dues, and a property-specific allowance for repairs and maintenance. Compare the same categories and avoid counting a service twice if it is already included in dues.

Also request the association budget, reserve materials, insurance information, meeting records, assessment notices, and the documents allocating maintenance responsibilities. These requests are a buyer's research checklist; this study has not reviewed any individual building or determined whether it qualifies for a loan.

Questions buyers ask

Are condos cheaper than detached houses? The sample's condo median asking price is lower than its detached median, but the groups have different characteristics and costs. This is not an equivalent-property comparison.

Does a high HOA fee make a condo a poor purchase? The fee alone cannot answer that. Review the services included, the association's obligations and finances, and your complete cost picture.

Can the CSV identify an assessment risk? No. There are no association financial or assessment fields in this export.

Compare complete condo files

Use the data to decide where to investigate, then compare current properties using the same document and cost checklist. Contact Own It Northwest to build a current condo shortlist, or explore the broader housing-choice study.

Source and method

This is an analysis of the MLS export supplied to Own It Northwest on September 22, 2026. The file contains exactly 2,000 records: 1,732 marked ACT and 268 marked SLD. Original search settings, the complete matching-result count, and the data cutoff are unconfirmed. Results describe this supplied sample, not all Portland-area inventory. The sold records are excluded from these six active-listing studies.

Price calculations exclude auctions and range prices. Property codes are preserved; MLS area labels are broader reporting areas. Read the complete methodology, supporting report, and aggregate CSV.

• RMLS Market Action, January 2024, area report (page 10): Area code-to-label crosswalk only. Not current market statistics or exact municipal boundaries.
• CFPB: Condo and HOA fees: HOA dues usually paid separately from mortgage-servicer payment.
• CFPB: Costs of taking out a mortgage: Separate borrowing costs, property taxes, insurance, and other ownership costs.

Suggested citation: Own It Northwest, “Portland-Area Condos at $400,000 and Below: Price and Cost Questions,” September 22, 2026 supplied MLS sample, https://ownitnorthwest.net/blog/portland-condos-400k-2026-09.