By Jenelle Etzel, November 17, 2025
Welcome back to Open House: Everyday Excellence. In each episode, we look at the real work behind great real estate. This week, we sit down with one of Portland’s top listing agents, Bonnie Roseman, to explore how she approaches one of the most important tools in our industry: the Comparative Market Analysis.
Bonnie has already sold fourteen homes this year, with an average market time of just over five days. Her consistency is not the result of luck. It is the result of a thoughtful process that begins long before a home hits the market. For Bonnie, pricing is both analytical and intuitive. It starts with understanding the story of the home, studying the neighborhood, and identifying who the most likely buyer will be.
Looking Beyond the Basic Comparable
Two properties can sit within steps of one another and attract completely different audiences. One may appeal to someone who loves original character. Another may draw a buyer who values low maintenance and modern systems. Bonnie pays close attention to these details. She looks beyond the classic radius search and into the lived experience of the property. What is the light like at different times of day. How does the layout live. What does the backyard feel like. These elements may not show up in the MLS data, yet they can significantly influence value.
Lessons Learned Over Time
Bonnie’s approach was shaped by years of learning through real scenarios. Early in her career, she worked with a client who owned several rentals throughout Northeast Portland. Some were polished and market ready. Others needed full preparation. That variety taught her how condition, style, and presentation influence pricing, and how buyers weigh tradeoffs without even realizing it. A few listings did not perform as expected, which led her to examine her own assumptions. Those experiences helped refine the clear, repeatable process she uses today.
Passing Her Knowledge to New Agents
Now, as a team leader, Bonnie teaches her agents to see value through the same lens. They prepare CMAs independently, then review them together. When their comps differ, it opens a conversation about era, neighborhood nuance, and buyer behavior. One recent listing had the charm of a 1920s property with the systems of a newer home. The right comparables were not obvious. Bonnie walked her team through her reasoning and showed how to match not only the house, but the likely buyer.
Using CMAs for Buyers and Sellers
Although CMAs are critical for listings, Bonnie believes they are just as important for buyers. She never assumes a list price reflects true value. Instead, she uses the CMA to guide her clients toward realistic expectations, stronger terms, and smart negotiation. In Portland, she has noticed that many people hesitate to negotiate, which has given the city a reputation for being overly polite in real estate. Bonnie explains how timing influences leverage. If a home makes it past the second weekend without an offer, it signals opportunity. Sellers become more flexible as they near the point where they would normally adjust the price. Understanding that rhythm gives buyers more confidence and clarity.
Helping Sellers Choose the Right Price
When working with sellers, Bonnie prefers to evaluate the home before discussing their hoped-for price. Starting from a neutral place helps her deliver a fair and accurate range. Once she presents that range, she guides clients toward the lowest price they could comfortably accept. Starting at the top of the range often reduces demand and extends days on market. Starting at the bottom invites competition and creates the best conditions for a strong final result.
What She Wishes She Could Change
Toward the end of the conversation, Bonnie shares two things she wishes she could change about the industry. The first is creating a more equitable structure for the work that happens behind the scenes. Not all listings require the same level of preparation, and she hopes the industry continues to move toward models that recognize that difference. The second is her desire for a tool that captures the intangible qualities of a home. Light, flow, character, soul. The things that carry real value but do not live neatly in a spreadsheet.
Advice for Agents Who Want to Grow
Her advice for newer agents is simple. See as many homes as you can. Study them. Ask why some sell quickly and others linger. Let experience shape your instincts. Over time, the patterns become clearer, and pricing becomes more natural.
Listen to the Full Conversation
Episode 9 is now live. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you listen. Search for Open House: Everyday Excellence and start with Pricing with Purpose and Precision with Bonnie Roseman.
Jenelle Etzel
President & Owner, Licensed Broker OR
She/Her
What does being lead singer and guitar player in a female punk band have in common with starting a real estate company in the middle of a recession? Not many people can answer that question. But when you ask Jenelle Isaacson Etzel founder and CEO of Living Room Realty, there’s no hesitation; where most would see a chasm, she sees a bridge.
For Jenelle, it’s all been about finding a voice—the singular and irrepressible expression of self. Once a quiet, studious, high-school girl growing up in Portland, Jenelle started a punk band after college. She played guitar, wrote cathartic songs, performed, and traveled across country while living out of a van. All that seems light years from the present moment--owning a successful, growing company; serving on boards of civic and philanthropic organizations; enjoying family life with her two young daughters and long-time partner. Still, she uses the same voice now that began to emerge on stage years ago.
Whether it’s business or music, “It’s important to know what your voice is. If it’s true, it will resonate.” Jenelle’s voice, her truth, is about being brave enough to take action without apology, being heard without being exploited, to be energized, constantly problem-solving and refining her skills in the pursuit of building a purpose-driven company. All this requires risk-taking. She’s learned the hard way that she can’t fix everything and that not everyone will share her vision. But even as she explains the difficult choices she’s faced, Jenelle radiates joy.
“It’s never okay to play small,” she says with conviction. And this, more than anything, is what she strives to impart to other women, empowering them to pursue their passion whole-heartedly and to be leaders who speak with their own unique, unapologetic voice.
Living Room Realty, founded in 2009, offers residential, commercial, and property management services. Living Room ranks in the top 15 real estate companies in Oregon, with more than 110 affiliated broker-agents. For more information, visit www.livingroomre.com.
Noted Achievements: First west coast real estate office to receive B Corp status • Top Workplaces, 2014-2016 • 100 Best Workplaces in Oregon 2017 • 100 Best Green Companies 2017 • Oregon Business in Ethics Awards in 2014 • Jenelle has been featured in The Portland Monthly, Oregon Business, and REALTOR® Magazine • Portland Business Journal 40 under 40 Business Leaders • Board of Directors, Rock n Roll Camp for Girls, receiving 2015 award for creative philanthropy • Board Member, Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global Network, Portland chapter • Orchid Award recipient for Business and Civic Contributions • Guest speaker: OPB’s Think Out Loud, Investor Beat, Cascadia Green Building Council • Advocate speaking on behalf of Benefit Corporation legislation with Oregon Secretary of State, Kate Brown
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- jenelle@livingroomre.com
