By Living Room Realty, July 22, 2018
Arturo and Lindsey contacted me after a negative experience as first time home buyers. They had felt rushed into purchasing a house that had obvious flaws even to their untrained eyes. Their previous agent disregarded important flaws, like very tilted floors, and praised a flagrant sloppy remodel. Fortunately, they followed their intuition and decided to back out of the deal and the agent before it was too late.
When they came to me asking for help, they were looking for someone who would educate them, point at the strengths and weaknesses of the property under consideration, voice potential issues and be patient until they would find the right home. They realized that I had plenty to offer in those fields and, soon enough, started to visit homes in their preferred neighborhoods of SW Portland, mainly Hayhurst, Maplewood and Multnomah Village.
Our relentless 3 month search took us to many properties that were not quite right; nevertheless, we used the time productively. During our visits we would talk about the home’s internal systems, what to look for as potential issues, the importance of the condition of surrounding homes, cost of remodeling, investment value, schools, etc. It was all part of the process to learn about what kind of home they really needed.
Finally, one day Arturo and Lindsey called me to let me know that they had found the right home during an open house visit, one of the few I did not accompany them. We went to the house together the following day and, sure enough, the house was quite perfect for them. A midcentury home with open layout on a third of an acre lot with fruit trees and a lovely path to the grounds of Hayhurst Elementary School and Pendleton Park. The structure was sound and had been well taken care of. The inspections uncovered a few minor issues that were readily addressed by a very cooperative seller and listing agent.
My sweet friends have now accomplished their dream of owning their very first home, a wonderful one! It took patience and effort, but taking the time to learn about home buying paid off and helped them to make the right purchase. I am convinced that not rushing it the first time was the secret to their success.
