By Natalie Strom, June 24, 2020
Victoria is a sensational lady: during our days of driving around exploring neighborhoods together, she wove many tales for me: a house in Sellwood, life in a tiny NY city apartment, living right off Division before it was Division, and more. Her energy, enthusiasm, and emotion for spaces and places is palpable. Finding the right garden was always the biggest part of it all. Anything else could be sacrificed, but there must be dirt and places for things to grow.
After another afternoon of relatively depressing house hunting (as sometimes it can take a LOT of vision to turn a neglected property into something livable), I asked her if there was anything else that came up this week that struck her. “Well, there was this one other house,” she said. Pictures looked a tad strange – what was that converted garage all about anyway? And, I don’t know if you’d want to live at a lower elevation adjacent to a terraced wall I said. Let’s check it out anyway to see for ourselves.
When we approached the front door, we were both gasping for air. THIS garden. This house. It was California bungalow meets rural, stylish, authentic mid-century vibe on a private lot, and it was all within her reach? We were stunned. That terraced wall we saw in the pictures? Well, imagine a very sturdy terrace, planted in an oasis of color, light, sun, with a view of it all right outside of the kitchen window in a wealth of living diversity to behold: snapdragons, roses, penstemon, lilac, herbs, ceanothus…oh my! Bees and hummingbirds were teeming in their occupation of pollination duties right before our eyes.
A nail-biter offer process with some very stiff competition led to a winning bid that ended up lower (much lower) than other competing bids, but with our communication, team-work and gusto, the sellers remarkably decided to go with us. In an incredibly short 22 day closing window, a true testament of cooperation, a ready-to-go house, terrific lender, and great vibes all around landed Victoria in this dream garden spot.
To say I care about my clients is an understatement. Real estate is about connection, intention, and finding real friendships. I’m so grateful I got to meet this awesome lady and I wish her so much happiness in this new chapter, especially while there’s still so much Portland summer to enjoy that garden.
CONGRATULATIONS!!
~Natalie Strom
Natalie Strom
Broker | Earth Advantage | ADU Specialist | OR
She/Her
“A Zillion Stars”
Natalie Strom is a great communicator and loyal advocate.
With superior service and expert advice, Natalie delivers unwavering kindness for every client. With skill, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the industry, Natalie navigates and negotiates real estate transactions professionally from start to finish. An upbeat, yet calm demeanor helps people who work with her feel prioritized and understood. Natalie is versatile and experienced in handling residential real estate of all kinds, whether its buying or selling single family homes, investment property, or condos.
As a former marine biologist, Natalie worked on major marine oil spills, most famously the catastrophic BP spill, the Deepwater Horizon in 2010. This background underlies Natalie’s interest in our everyday human impact on the natural world, particularly in increasing energy efficiency standards for homes. Natalie has experience in building her own highly energy efficient detached ADU and has been an Earth Advantage Broker since 2018.
Natalie’s passionate about nature-based adventure travel, community, and making new friends. She enjoys time with her two teenaged boys, husband, and goldendoodle and has enjoyed SE Portland as her home base since 2000.
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- T: 503-453-6014
- nataliestrom@livingroomre.com
