Tag: pab-insights

During 2024 and 2025, detached homes accounted for 92.16% of all residential sales occurring within Troutdale city limits. As a result, most discussions about housing affordability in Troutdale are effectively discussions about the detached-home market.

During the two-year study period, 235 detached homes sold on the open market. Of those, 50 (21.28%) were classified as affordable under the Portland Appraisal Blog Affordability Index (PABAI). The majority of the affordable homes (43 of the 50) sold in 2025.

Metric	Value
Total Detached Sales	235
Affordable Detached Sales	50
% Affordable	21.28%
Min Required Income (All Detached Sales)	$95,373
Median Required Income (All Detached Sales)	$131,883
Max Required Income (All Detached Sales)	$242,349

How “affordable” is defined: PABAI calculates the income needed to buy each home using its actual reported price, taxes, HOA dues, and insurance, financed at the Freddie Mac 30-year rate in effect at the time of sale. A home counts as affordable if that required income is at or below the HUD median family income for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA in effect at the time.

The qualifying-income figures above describe the entire detached-home market, not just affordable homes. During the study period, the most expensive detached home that still qualified as affordable required approximately $123,916 of household income. That figure closely aligned with the applicable HUD MSA family income used during much of the period.

The following table is cumulative. For example, a household earning $115,000 could theoretically access all affordable detached homes requiring $115,000 or less in qualifying income. Likewise, a household earning $124,000 could access the entire inventory of detached homes meeting the affordability standard.

Household Income	# Affordable	Avg Price	Avg Total SF	Avg Acres	Avg Year
$100,000	4	$359,375	1,495	0.175	1956
$115,000	28	$410,250	1,425	0.162	1981
$124,000	50	$428,457	1,462	0.164	1984

One of the most interesting findings is that higher household income primarily expanded buyer choice rather than dramatically changing the type of home available. The number of attainable homes increased substantially as income increased, but the physical characteristics of those homes remained surprisingly similar.

Home size, lot size, and age varied less than many buyers might expect. Across all three tiers, the typical affordable detached home remained roughly 1,400 to 1,500 square feet on approximately 0.16 to 0.18 acres.

The more meaningful differences appeared in inventory count and property condition. The lowest-income tier included several fixer and distressed-sale opportunities, while the highest-income tier opened access to a much larger selection of well-maintained and updated homes. The affordable inventory was dominated by traditional suburban housing styles, particularly one-story ranch homes and split-level designs. Among the ten highest-priced affordable detached homes sold during the study period, only one was reported in below-average condition, with the remainder described as being in good, updated, or remodeled condition.

For Troutdale’s relatively uniform detached-home market, additional household income often translated into more options and better-condition homes rather than dramatically larger ones. Households near the $124,000 income tier not only gained access to the full affordable detached-home inventory, but also enjoyed a broader selection of turnkey homes requiring little or no immediate repair work.

About PAB Insights

PAB Insights is a Portland Appraisal Blog (PAB) series providing concise, data-driven answers to individual housing-market questions using transaction-level research, local market knowledge, and proprietary models, such as the Portland Appraisal Blog Affordability Index (PABAI).

Sources & Further Reading

All data presented in this PAB Insight is sourced directly from RMLS and has been subjected to our rigorous cleaning and validation process to ensure reliability for detached single-family residential analysis in the six-county Portland Region. The trends, comparisons, and commentary are the result of original appraisal expertise and independent analysis—not aggregated from secondary sources or news summaries.

• RMLS Data Challenges: Portland Appraisal Blog
• The Portland Region – Six-County Market Area Overview: Portland Appraisal Blog
• Portland Affordability Index – PABAI: A Realistic Housing Qualification Metric for the Portland Region: Portland Appraisal Blog
• HUD Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA: Median Family Income
• City of Troutdale Housing Market Snapshot – 2025: Portland Appraisal Blog

Coda

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About the Author — Abdur Abdul‑Malik, SRA, ASA

Abdur Abdul‑Malik is the founder, author, and publisher of the Portland Appraisal Blog, where he produces original regional and neighborhood‑level housing analytics for the Portland Region. He is a certified residential appraiser serving Oregon and Washington, drawing on RMLS transaction data, public records, and custom segmentation models he has built.

He developed the Portland Appraisal Blog Affordability Index (PABAI), a payment‑based affordability metric built from actual RMLS sales. PABAI incorporates weekly updates based on the prevailing 30‑year fixed mortgage rate, providing a locally grounded measure of housing affordability across the region.

Learn more → PABAI explainer • mortgage rate series • full author bio