By Alyssa Isenstein Krueger, March 5, 2021
My buyers Alexandra and Ray are first time home buyers and just scored on a great ranch house in Fo-Wo section of Woodstock- between Foster and Woodstock. They were fantastic to work with because they knew what they wanted and they were prepared to jump head first into this nutball of our early 2021 market where there is 1 house for every 20 buyers. After walking into what would become their house, the first thing they said was- we could be friends with this seller. The seller had quite the display of rocks, gems and minerals and before we got very far into the house, my buyers were ooohhhing and ahhhhing over the sellers collection- admiring and even naming some of the rocks. Once we got past the rocks we explored the house, a mid-century 900 sf with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom on an oversized lot graced by a front yard tree with a trunk the size of a truck. I could tel as we walked around that this was “the one” for them. They are also woodworkers and one of their strong wants was a home that had a great space to build stuff in, and this house has a newer oversized garage/ shop that is perfect for woodworking.
We had talked extensively about the state of the market, and how every house was getting multiple offers with buyers offering appraisal make-up gaps in case the house does not appraise for purchase price, buyers taking on homes as-is with few if any repairs made by sellers, and with home prices up between 15-20% over January of 2020. The house was priced at what would have been the top of the price-range only a few months ago for a house like this and in this location, which made it really difficult to decide what to offer without going to crazy. But Alexandra and Ray were prepared to go over asking, and with interest rates as low as they are, their monthly payment was still in a comfortable range for them. It takes some true hardiness as a buyer to be able to succeed in getting their offer accepted, and after I spelled out all the potential bells, whistles and deal sweeteners they could use in an offer, Alexandra and Ray put their trust in me and offered well over list, stated in the offer that they would limit repair requests to only bigger issues, offered the seller free rent-back after closing and wrote a letter to the seller mentioning how much they loved his rock collection. They were also able to offer what has become the number one denominator in winning offers- the ability to make up an appraisal gap if the appraised value came in less then purchase price. Prices are rising faster then appraisals can keep up with them, and to mitigate the real threat of a low appraisal, buyers who can state in writing that they can bring in a higher downpayment to cover that gap are who are having offers accepted. Alexandra and Ray’s offer was not the highest, but the seller and the listing agent loved their terms and letter enough to come back to me and give them the opportunity to come up just a hair to match the highest offer, which they did. Fortunately the house inspected like a dream- one of the best houses my inspector has seen to date this year. We did run into a slight appraisal issue when the house did not appraise at the purchase price, but Alexandra and Ray were prepared so that was an easy enough hoop for them to crawl through. The seller is holding onto the house for a few weeks after closing while he prepares to move, and I am looking forward to handing the keys to my buyers at the end of the month.
Alyssa Isenstein Krueger
Broker | OR
She/Her
I am living the dream. Working as a real estate broker in my home town brings this native Portland gal joy beyond measure.
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I took the round-about-road towards this career. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in NY two decades ago with a degree in liberal arts/creative writing, I returned to my hometown of PDX and got a job in a legendary record store of days gone by, worked as a music and culture writer for Portland’s oldest weekly publication while pursuing a graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University. Armed with my masters degree, I moved into the realm of affordable housing, community development, and urban planning, and then rounded the corner with a long stay in arts management then back around the bend when I got my real estate license and went to work for a non-profit housing builder at the cusp of the market crash in 2007.
In the time between that market crash and the ensuing madness, I’ve stayed on top of the market like a dog guarding a bone. Using a magical combination of experience, instinct, and market data, I know what homes are worth, I know how to write a terrific offer, and I know how to help a seller market a home and receive and accept a great offer.
Mutual trust and tender relationship building is the basis and foundation of my real estate practice. I use my skills as an active listener, creative solution finder and ace negotiator to get my clients the best price on a home, win the multiple offer roulette, and have as smooth and easy transaction as possible. Timely and responsive communication is the most important aspect of building trust and I don’t take that part lightly. I am a stickler for details and nothing pleases me more than guiding a client through the home buying or selling process (and sometimes both at the same time). My role is one of advocate, advisor, partner, transaction organizer, and counselor. I am a partner broker with Portland Housing Center and relish the opportunity to work with eager first time home buyers.
I have a knack for seeing the potential in almost any home and love to help clients see past what is and help them envision what can be. I have a decade of first-hand experience renovating and caressing my bungalow in Ladd’s Addition and had the honor of having my own home featured in a story in the Oregonian’s Homes and Gardens section. I can feel the love for any and almost all homes, but my heart goes all aflutter when entering a museum quality time capsule house -- the solid mid-century ones with the original pink or green tiled bathrooms, those charming early 1900’s farmhouses with the original kitchen cabinets and fir countertops, the cozy bungalows with the built-ins still intact.
When I’m not working with clients, you’ll find me hanging with my two boys, Kalman and Saul, and my husband Robert, a Fine Art Conservator with his own business, Cascadia Art Conservation Center. Retired racing greyhounds have been my constant companions since 1997, and our family includes Peanut the greyhound, Pinto the South Korean Italian greyhound, our 2 cats Spaghetti and Will, and our chickens, Rosie, Lil' Peck, Penelope and Nugget.
I am an obsessive gardener/plant fiend and love that we live in a climate where I can grow eucalyptus trees (I have 3 in my yard including a couple I started from seed) alongside blueberry bushes (6 in my yard). Given some free time, you’ll find me junking at an estate sale, dreaming of high brow junk, low brow art, making things, sewing, reading and dreaming of tropical locales.
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- T: 503-724-6933
- PDXHappyHouse@gmail.com
