By Scott Shoji, September 12, 2019
I had helped Ivan and Heather sell their Piedmont home back in November and they had been living with relatives ever since. When I received their call about being ready to begin their home search, it was the start of Spring and things were beginning to trickle in on the market.
They were far out on the West side and wanted back over on the East side of the River. Open to anywhere from St. Johns all the way down to SW Portland, but their ideal home was located close in NE or SE Portland. A home that they could enjoy with their young daughter and ideally have family members stay with them from time to time. They stressed that a multi-generational house was ideal, one with a kitchen where they could share their love of cooking with their daughter, and a place for Ivan to work from, as he worked from home a few days out of the week.
Ivan is a Commercial Banker and his knowledge of how interest rates affect buying power was key to getting the home they wanted. As our search progressed from Early Spring to Late Spring, then from Early Summer into late Summer, we felt like we had exhausted everything on the market. Their price point started in the low $400k range, but due to lowering interest rates, they were able to keep increasing their price point and as they did, new types of homes started opening up. More importantly, homes that were in their target areas. Most Buyer’s aren’t sure how fluctuations in interest rates can affect the monthly payments, but Ivan did, and he was keenly aware of how a shift of a 1/4 percentage down, increased what they could purchase.
Enter this lovely 2014 built Renaissance Home located in the Woodstock neighborhood. It was at the absolute top of my client’s price point, but it stood out amongst the turn of the century homes and tall skinny builds littered through the city that we had toured. We needed a few rounds of negotiation to get the property at a point where it worked for my clients, but with an extremely professional Listing Team from Home Team Realty, we were able to get the parties into an agreement and a month later, Ivan and Heather became homeowners once more.
Congrats to Ivan, Heather and Olivia on their new home. I hope it brings many happy memories in the years to come!
Scott Shoji
Broker | OR
He/Him
Hello! My name is Scott Shoji and I am a licensed Oregon Real Estate Broker.
I began my journey into Real Estate in 2005 specializing in new development mixed-use buildings & condos in Portland’s urban core. I was part of the sales teams for the Eliot Tower and The Westerly while at Debbie Thomas Real Estate, gaining first-hand knowledge of how a high-rise building is constructed from the ground up. Seeing all phases of the design, build, and sales process for condominium development helped frame my knowledge of the condo market. I am very familiar with most condo buildings in Portland and have published extensive market research on them for years.
Before joining Living Room Realty, I worked with a top producing team that eventually became a boutique brokerage based out of the South Waterfront. This opportunity allowed me to expand my knowledge of not only the residential buildings in the area, but the ethos and vision of the community.
I unequivocally loved being a condo owner and living in the heart of Downtown Portland where I took advantage of walking to farmers’ markets, concerts, festivals and food carts. Now living in a single-family home in the west-side suburbs of Portland, I enjoy watching my daughter ride her bike and my wife attempt to weed our garden. I feel like I can truly speak to the different experiences that each can offer and relate to buyers and sellers no matter what lifestyle they choose.
I am a California transplant, having trekked North to earn degrees in English Literature & Business at the University of Oregon. (Go Ducks!) I have lived in Oregon on and off since 1996 and permanently made Portland my home in 2005. It is the love of this city that has welcomed me into its quirky arms that fuels my desire to help others find the same.
Why Portland?
The seasons! Leaves changing colors, the crisp winter air, lush green forests that convince you of another adventure. A thriving food scene where every other corner celebrates an up-and-coming chef, barista, or brewer. There is something so very accessible about Portland that charms and endears me. It feels intimate and easily accessed for a “big“ city. Where walking and cycling are embraced as popular modes of transportation and you are a short drive from the ocean, mountains, rivers and forests.
What are you doing in your free time?
You can usually find me artfully dodging or skillfully kicking rubber balls in my adult Dodgeball and Kickball leagues. I try and keep youthful at heart and these leagues help with that. Otherwise, I can be found tackling my untamable garden, improving my photography skills, or hiking the Pacific Northwest with my wife, Chelsea, and daughter, Elora and son, Auryn.
Favorite Place Traveled To?
This is probably a tie between Mürren, Switzerland, a picturesque mountain town deep in the Swiss Alps where I proposed to my wife, or Cambodia, where I experienced one of the most vibrant cultures traveling with my brother and sister.
What can always be found close to you?
A cup of black coffee and my computer.
Why Real Estate?
I have always loved the feeling of home. It is both a sense of place and a feeling of comfort. I find immense enjoyment in being able to help people find their home, whether that is handing over the keys to that very first home purchase, or helping someone take the next steps in life by selling the place that memories were made in. Not many careers can give that sense of satisfaction at the end of the day.
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- T: 503-927-3900
- s.shoji@livingroomre.com
