By Janelle Freeman, March 31, 2023
I had the pleasure of meeting Jon in early Autumn of 2022 at a wee condo in SW Portland while hosting an open house. It was a lovely condo: very modern, floor to ceiling windows, two levels, 700 square feet. The downside being the many pet restrictions, and a high HOA. The $360,000 price tag looked good; however it didn’t quite work for Jon. Fast forward about six months later, and they were ready to begin in earnest as first-time homebuyers. Off to a coffee date we went where I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin, talked shop, made a plan, and we began. After talking to a lender and exploring neighborhoods around the city, they were seeing just how much home they could buy.
And then…we found THE one.
With Jon and Kevin, it was discovering that by doing their research, planning ahead, and getting all of their dogs in a row, (only because they have four of them, it couldn’t be ducks, and I couldn’t resist.), they landed this gem of a house. Instead of a 700sqft condo with the teeniest patio, they closed on their first, nearly 2,000sqft two-story house in the Montavilla neighborhood, 1940’s floor to ceiling windows included! It also has an enormous and private backyard for all their doggos.
This happened it seemed in a blink of an eye. (Another reason why it’s SO, SO important to prepare). When I got the call that they were ready to go, we immediately began to plan our house tour. It was so much fun! Only one day of touring several houses before we found THE house. Newly price reduced and it was within their reach. Of course, they weren’t the only ones who loved this house, and we competed with multiple offers. That’s often how it goes with price reductions, or corrections as we say. They drum up buyers to act. And act and win we did!
Prepare, my friends, prepare! The preparation for owning your first home takes time, patience, and sometimes a strong constitution. With every client I meet, I advise them to do the research, while I help guide them along the way. Get your advocates together, whomever that may be, whether it’s your bandmate, therapist, barista, pal, family, your people! Talk about it. Get excited about it! You’re about to take the plunge into homeownership, on to the adventure of building equity. Then find your cheerleaders/master negotiators – your LENDER and your AGENT. Once all of that is in order, the house hunting begins in earnest, and life changes completely. It’s an exciting ride first-timers!
Janelle Freeman, Realtor (@janelleisrealestate) • Instagram photos and videos
Janelle Freeman
Broker | Oregon
She/Her
Having family roots that go back to the 1860’s in Portland, Janelle has a deep appreciation and love for the Rose City and the Pacific Northwest. Beginning with a small grocery store in St. Johns in the early 1900’s, her family began planting roots of homeownership and business acumen for the generations to follow. It’s no wonder Janelle has a passion for houses, community, and people while continuing to build her business.
The journey that brought her into the realm of real estate went down paths of tending gardens, managing teams in the luxury fashion world, and studying horticulture at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA where she met her beau of now 20 years. All her life experiences have helped hone the skills it takes to do real estate right: Care, attention, detail, and patience are key elements in this industry. A passion for architecture, knowledge of the city and surrounding areas, while keeping a keen eye on market trends are another. Like her ancestors, she’s building her business with the community in mind, and homeownership being her favorite passion.
When not sleuthing for homes, or negotiating on behalf of her clients, you can find her in the woods in and around the city, at a pub or café within walking distance from her home or nestled inside eating her hubby’s incredible cooking and snuggling their two cats.
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- T: 971-322-4396
- janellefreeman@livingroomre.com
