Bonnie Roseman – 35 Years! How Time Flies!

Bonnie has always had a special appreciation for homes — especially the beautiful antique houses in her hometown of Berkeley, California. Long before real estate became her career, she naturally stepped into the role of home scout for family and friends. Whenever her family considered moving from one rental to another, Bonnie happily took on the task of exploring potential properties and reporting back.

As a young adult, visiting open houses became a favorite pastime. She enjoyed helping friends search for their first homes and once spent an entire year looking for the perfect duplex where she and her sister could each have their own space. By the end of that search, she had developed an impressive eye for homes and neighborhoods — skills that would later serve her well in her career.

In her twenties, Bonnie made a bold and exciting move. With a few personal belongings and her dog packed into her pickup truck, she left Berkeley and headed to Portland, Oregon, without knowing a single person here. It was a fresh start, a defining moment, and a brave step into the unknown.

After more than a decade working in the food industry, she decided it was time to follow her long-standing interest in housing and make it official by becoming a real estate agent. On February 23, 1991, Bonnie took her real estate exam and stepped into a career she could never have imagined would teach her so much.

Not long after settling into her new career, Bonnie also achieved an important personal goal — earning her degree from Linfield with a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Bonnie’s very first real estate transaction took place 35 years ago with someone she still proudly calls a friend. Recently, she had the chance to visit him in the very home she helped him purchase — a place he still happily lives in today. She fondly remembers walking through a property that wasn’t quite the right fit, listening carefully as he described the neighborhood he truly wanted, and then returning to the car to flip through the OMLS “book.” At the time, this massive telephone-book-style publication — printed every two weeks — was the primary way agents searched for homes, with black-and-white thumbnail photos and short descriptions packed onto each page.

The real estate world looked very different back then. Personal computers, smartphones, and e-signatures were still years away. Offers were printed on paper and signed with actual pens, and fax machines — complete with curling thermal paper — were simply part of the process. Radon testing, sewer scopes, and even home inspections were not yet common practice. Many homes were priced under $100,000, and searching for listings meant paging through the MLS book rather than browsing online.

A few years into her career, Bonnie got her first cell phone — a classic Motorola that could easily have doubled as a brick. It was sturdy, heavy, and far from sleek, but at the time it felt like cutting-edge technology.

Portland was originally served by OMLS, the Oregon Multiple Listing Service. Soon after Bonnie began her career, the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS) was launched, and the two briefly operated in competition before RMLS ultimately became the standard system used throughout the region today.

While the tools and technology have changed dramatically over the years, Bonnie’s purpose has remained the same. To her, buying or selling a home has never been “just a transaction.” Her business has always been built on service, trust, and genuine care, with her clients’ goals and well-being guiding every decision. Reflecting on more than three decades in real estate, Bonnie feels deeply grateful for the people she has had the privilege to serve. Thirty-five years later, she is still going strong — and still just as committed to helping people find their place to call home.