By Living Room Realty, March 13, 2023
Congratulations to Steve and Annika (and baby!) on the purchase of their first home in Rose City Park!
Timing is everything, and Annika and Steve had a very real deadline. Not only was Baby coming in May, but their lease was also up. Month-to-month was not an option.
I met Annika when we ran cross country together at Vassar College many, many moons ago. Even though she lived on 4 different continents in the years after we graduated, we stayed in touch. After several years, she ended up in Corvallis of all places, so we got to see each other more than most of my college friends.
Annika and Steve finally moved to Portland during the pandemic, and knew at some point they’d want to buy a house, but baby and landlord sped up that timeline. We hit the ground running in January, as it seems many other buyers did. Annika and Steve experienced that quintessential, first-offer-against-14-other-offers Portland buying experience.
It was a bumpy road, and we came in 2nd place on a few other homes. We won’t say we were panicked – yet – but on edge, yes. Then, we got the call that the first position buyer terminated on their favorite home so far (Steve gave it a 9.8/10). We couldn’t believe it.
The negotiation process through the transaction was not an *easy* one, per se, but ultimately we found a win-win solution that worked for everyone, thanks to the collaboration and mutual respect of the realtor on the other side.
After a 2 week rentback period, we finally had key day. Annika obliged me with posing for the obligatory cheesy but adorable photo shoot (hold that bump, girl!) but I think those smiles are genuine.
CONGRATULATIONS to Annika and Steve! I am honored to have guided you through this process, along with the incredible Ricky Guadarrama at Homeward Mortgage. We can’t wait to meet baby!
