Blog Stories Downsizing to the Two-Door on Tudor

Downsizing to the Two-Door on Tudor

By Alyssa Starelli, September 5, 2018

You’d think downsizing would be simple, wouldn’t you? It is, and it isn’t.

Ideally, a downsizer wants to cut square footage and maintenance while retaining quality and livability, and adding convenience and proximity.  The ease in down-sizing is that the buyer has very clear parameters. The difficulty is sticking to those parameters when there are so many great houses out there!!

In this case, my buyers found a house that is still considered large but is considerably smaller than their previous 5 bed, 3 bath, 3333 sq ft home on .40 acres.  They now have a 4 bed, 2 bath 2250sqft on .25 acres, and it’ll still need a gardener. BUT it’s location cuts commute time down, they’ve trimmed a bed and a bath and 1000 sq feet plus a quarter acre OFF their maintenance list and they still have a delightful entertainer’s garden!

Congrats L & L! On to big adventures and less housework!!

Alyssa Starelli

Broker | OR

She/Her

A Portland native, Alyssa started her real estate career in the chaotic market of 2005, and quickly realized she reveled in matching particular clients with their perfect home, no matter how unusual. She then began specializing in mid-century properties - both Modern and Modest. More recently, she has included what she calls "Period-Perfect" homes to her repertoire. Her goal in this is to seek out those hard-to-find, unremodeled original homes of all eras. When I started in real estate, I realized there was a market for ranch homes, from Mid-Century Modern to the more modest Daylight Ranch, but few REALTORS® willing to service it. I started highlighting these 'Picks of the Week' on my website, introducing enthusiasts to the full gamut of midcentury houses of Portland. In 2006, I founded the Mid-Century Modern League in order to educate the public about the importance of preserving these gems. Today I continue to focus on Mid-Mod, but have added vintage, mostly unremodeled houses of earlier eras, which I call 'Period-Perfect', because they have interest to clients and are under-serviced too. Frankly, I enjoy seeking out any unusual or original elements a client might be interested in, it's a challenge to rise to." As Founder of the Mid-century Modern League, Alyssa is considered an authority in the local mid-century architecture scene, and is especially proud to include the Editors of Atomic Ranch Magazine in her past-client list. Often quoted in news and radio, she has been able to bring additional interest to her business, listings, and client's homes - many of which have been featured in magazines such as Atomic Ranch, Oregon Home, The Oregonian and also included on several local home tours. With a background in marketing, and an eye for the unique, Alyssa really enjoys buying and selling properties whose interesting features may be overlooked by other realtors, even (or especially) if those features aren't mentioned in the listing. As a hobby, Alyssa has issued herself a challenge to walk every residential street of Portland proper and document the best architecture specimens of each neighborhood. There are about 3500 square miles of Portland, and it's a big feat. By the time she finishes, she will have seen every house in Portland with her own eyes! You can follow her walks on her blog Portland-by-Foot. http://portlandbyfoot.blogspot.com/ When off duty, you can find Alyssa at estate sales, honky tonks, her friend's cattle ranch, or seeking out ghost towns, roadtripping to the Oregon high-desert. A music fanatic and semi-retired booker/manager, Alyssa is heavily immersed in the western swing, old-school country, and rockabilly music scene, and you'll often find her out at shows, dancing, maybe even sharing her favorites on the radio. Alyssa Starelli alyssa@livingroomre.com 503-888-1362 www.aly-star.com
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  • T: 503-888-1362
  • F: 503-961-8224
  • alyssa@livingroomre.com

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