By John Laney | Realtor, Newberg, Oregon | John Knows Newberg
If you own a home on or near South River Street in Newberg, you’re facing a question I hear more and more: “Should I sell now, or wait until the construction is over?”
It’s a fair question. The City of Newberg is moving toward a complete reconstruction of South River Street — new roadway, new utilities, new sidewalks, and years of work to get there. I covered the full project in detail in my earlier article, What the South River Street Construction Project Means for Newberg Homeowners and Buyers, so if you want the background on the design options, the timeline, and the community debate, start there.
This article is for one group specifically: sellers. If you’re thinking about listing a home near the River Street corridor — or anywhere near a construction zone in Newberg — here’s what I want you to know.
Where the Project Stands Right Now
Quick update, because things have moved since the spring. On April 20, 2026, the Newberg City Council voted unanimously to create a seven-member River Street Ad-Hoc Committee — made up largely of River Street residents — to guide community input before any final design vote. The committee has been meeting regularly at the Newberg Public Safety Building, and its recommendations will go back to the full council for a final design decision.
That matters for sellers because of what it signals: no shovels are in the ground yet, and the final design isn’t locked in. The Mayor and several councilors have said publicly they favor keeping the project within the existing street footprint rather than pushing out to the full right-of-way — which would soften the property impacts residents have been worried about (trees, front yards, driveways).
Translation for sellers: you are currently in the pre-construction window. And that window is often the most strategic time to make a decision.
Does Construction Hurt Home Values? The Honest Answer
Here’s what the research and my own experience selling homes in Newberg tell me:
During active construction, homes immediately adjacent to a major roadwork zone typically see slower showings and more buyer hesitation. Noise, dust, torn-up streets, and detours are real friction. Some buyers will simply drive past a construction zone and cross the home off their list before they ever walk inside.
After completion, the equation flips. A brand-new street with new sidewalks, modern utilities, better drainage, and improved walkability is a genuine amenity. Infrastructure investment of this scale — funded through the Newberg Urban Renewal Agency — is the kind of thing that lifts a neighborhood’s long-term trajectory, especially with the potential riverfront district and the former WestRock mill site redevelopment sitting at the south end of the corridor.
So the value question isn’t really “does construction hurt?” It’s “where are we in the cycle, and how do I position my sale around it?”
The Three Windows for Selling Near River Street
Window 1: Before construction starts (where we are now). The street looks the way it always has, buyers can see the neighborhood at its normal rhythm, and you can market the coming improvements as a future upside rather than a present nuisance. For many sellers on or near River Street, this is the cleanest window — but it won’t stay open forever.
Window 2: During construction. Selling mid-project is absolutely doable — I’ve helped sellers do it — but it takes a sharper strategy: pricing that acknowledges the temporary friction, scheduling showings around work hours, and marketing that leans hard on what the street will look like when the work is done. Buyers who can see past orange cones often negotiate harder, so your listing agent needs to hold the line on value.
Window 3: After completion. New street, new sidewalks, replanted trees, and a corridor connected to the ODOT bypass multi-use path. This window likely commands the strongest pricing — but it may be years away, and it comes with carrying costs, market uncertainty, and whatever life circumstances made you consider selling in the first place. Waiting has a price too.
There’s no universal right answer. The right window depends on your equity, your timeline, your property’s exact position relative to the work, and what you’re moving toward. That’s a conversation, not a formula — and it’s exactly the conversation I have with Newberg sellers every week.
What You Have to Disclose (And What You Should Disclose)
Oregon sellers complete a Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement, and while a city road project isn’t a defect in your home, my advice is simple: be upfront about what’s publicly known. The River Street project has been covered in the Newberg Graphic, discussed at open houses, and debated at city council. Buyers’ agents know about it. Buyers will find it.
Trying to gloss over a well-publicized construction project doesn’t protect your sale — it erodes trust and invites renegotiation later. The smarter play is to get ahead of it: present the project accurately, frame the completed improvements as the upside they genuinely are, and back it up with the city’s own project documents. I prepare a project summary for my sellers’ listings near the corridor so buyers hear the story the right way, from us, first. (And as always — I’m a realtor, not a lawyer, so for specific disclosure questions, loop in your attorney.)
How I Market Homes Near a Construction Zone
Selling near roadwork isn’t about hiding the construction — it’s about controlling the narrative. A few things I do differently for these listings:
Sell the after, not the during. The city’s design renderings show what River Street becomes: a rebuilt roadway, new sidewalks, a possible multi-use path connecting to the bypass trail. Buyers respond to a vision backed by a funded city commitment.
Time the market entry. Listing photos taken before staging equipment and detour signs arrive are worth real money. If construction is imminent, we move first.
Target the right buyers. Investors, in particular, understand construction cycles. They know pre-improvement pricing near funded infrastructure is an opportunity, not a red flag. As an active investor myself — and host of Newberg’s only real estate investor meetup — I can put a listing in front of buyers who see the corridor the way the city does: as the front door to Newberg’s future riverfront district. If you’re an investor who wants in on that conversation, join us at the Newberg Investor Meetup on Eventbrite.
Price with evidence, not fear. Homes near construction zones get lowballed when sellers look anxious. A well-documented pricing strategy — comps, project timeline, post-completion upside — keeps the negotiation anchored where it should be.
My Take, as Someone Who Watches This Every Day
I’ve followed the River Street project from the first open house through the ad-hoc committee’s formation, and I’ve walked that corridor more times than I can count. Here’s my honest read: the short-term disruption is real, and sellers should plan around it — but the long-term story for the south end of Newberg is one of the more compelling in the city. A rebuilt River Street, the bypass path connection, and 100+ acres of former mill site waiting for its next chapter add up to a corridor the market will re-rate over time.
If you’re a seller near River Street, you don’t need to guess your way through this. You need someone who knows the project, knows the buyers, and knows Newberg.
Thinking About Selling Near River Street?
Whether construction is your reason to sell or your reason to hesitate, let’s look at your specific property, your equity, and your timing together. No pressure, no obligation — just a clear-eyed local read on your options.
Let’s talk. Call or text me directly: 📞 503-217-4229
Connect with John Laney | John Knows Newberg
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John Laney is a licensed Oregon REALTOR® with Epique Realty / Assurance Team Real Estate, specializing in seller representation, investor properties, and commercial real estate in Newberg and the Chehalem Valley.