By Living Room Realty, February 6, 2019
It’s a rarity that someone moseys into the office looking for a house with nearly enough urgency to jump into your car and tour at that exact moment. Lucky for me however, that’s exactly what happened several years ago when a wonderful women wandered in looking for guidance. I felt so badly for Lucie at our first encounter when she explained that she and her husband, Steve, had just moved to Portland to be closer to their children and found themselves talked into a home that was exactly what they were not looking for. They wanted solace and sitting on a highly traveled intersection adjacent to a popular bus stop was not what they’d had in mind.
Fortunately after some vigilant searching Lucie and Steve landed upon a true historic gem that had been neglected for years and was in quite a bad state. The large Four Square home was perfect for the highly enthusiastic pair of home restorers save for one small detail. Perched well above the surrounding homes with a most awe inspiring stature the steep yard made for limited ability to garden; one of Lucie’s greatest passions. I had concern about the degree of fix up that would be needed to get the property back into good working order. I misunderstood entirely the extent of my client’s skill. With their elbow grease and integrity toward preserving the original character of their unique new home they crafted a residence spectacular enough to be featured in Portland’s Historic Tour of Homes.
Fast forward to 2018 and Steve and Lucie were ready to jump into their next project, this time seeking a beat up beauty with a yard expansive enough to allow for their new grandbaby to romp and run. For many months of lightly browsing properties for sale only two warranted a visit and the second one was perfection. On .42 acres the crumbling Dutch Colonial was spacious enough inside and out to meet Lucie’s qualifying criteria. After several days spent on site during the purchase process (including a 12 person family picnic) their relationship with the home grew stronger yet and just one day after closing Steve had already begun his restoration conquest. As one might imagine I’m excitedly awaiting the day that their masterpiece is complete and their family is eagerly anticipating an incredible first summer in their new home sweet home.
