By Living Room Realty, April 13, 2021
Congratulations and cheers to my newest favorite family, the Brewsters! Our real estate journey has spanned nearly a year and truly come full circle. At this point, it feels like we’re family – I am wholeheartedly offering to shift my role from realtor to quirky, fun auntie figure!
Chris, Holly, and their kids Lucy and Simon were referred to me by a fellow agent in Austin, TX. The Brewsters had visited Portland and the surrounding PNW for years. They knew wanted to make the move to align with Lucy entering high school and Simon entering middle school.
We began working together last summer. The Brewsters traveled to Oregon and we toured several homes on the east side. This trip was purely for research, as bike-ability was a top priority. We drove around SE/NE Portland and saw around 10 homes. One of the homes was a newly listed foreclosure in Laurelhurst. Great bones, but had seen better days. I remember Holly remarking that if they were in the market currently, they’d make an offer on this one!
In October, the home was still on the market, receiving teensy tiny price reductions on a nearly weekly basis. Holly and Chris had me go back to video the house, scheming about how they could make it work, but the timing was still off. In January, we kicked off their official search, knowing we’d want to start looking early in this low-inventory market to hit their close-date goal of June.
I virtually toured several homes for the Brewsters, and we wrote a handful of offers. We were offered backup position three weekends in a row – 2nd place never felt so agonizing! And still, the Laurelhurst home lingered. When it received a larger than usual price drop, we finally threw our hat in the ring, only to be beat out last minute by another offer. Sheesh.
But…sometimes it all works out. The first buyer terminated, and we finally got an acceptance! The entire family flew up for a long weekend of inspections and contractor visits. Chris and Holly included Lucy and Simon in the decision making at every step of the way. (As a former teacher, I am in awe of their parenting techniques). Entering negations, we were armed with a mountain of bids and inspections that enabled us to negotiate a massive price reduction.
We closed earlier this week, and the Brewsters flew up Friday. They spent the first night in their home in sleeping bags and on sleeping pads. Phase 2 begins now: making this historical beauty shine once again!
