Blog Buyer Vista Pearl North

Vista Pearl North

By Alyssa Isenstein Krueger, December 26, 2018

Last fall I helped out some fantastic buyers, Rachel and GT and their little kiddo buy their first home in Portland after having recently relocated here from New York City. They love living here and Rachel’s mom Carolyn lives in Seattle and has been a frequent visitor. This past summer Carolyn decided to sell her home of 47 years in the Seattle area and buy a house here in Portland so she can see her grandson as often as she likes. Once Carolyn made the decision to move here, Rachel and GT put her in touch with me, and off we went.

Rachel and GT live in a classic 1920’s bungalow in North Portland, and Carolyn initially thought she wanted to live within a 5 block radius of Rachel and GT. Within the first week of looking, we found an absolutely charming to the hilt early 1900’s Victorian cottage 4 blocks away from Rachel and GT. Carolyn put an offer on it, beat out 12 other buyers and looked forward to living so close to her kids. And then came the inspection. For a house nearly 115 years old, it was in great shape, but the house was 115 years old. After some soul searching, Carolyn decided that as much as she loved that house and the idea of being so close to her kids, when rubber met the road, she decided that she didn’t want to deal with old house stuff and she wanted to live surrounded by others in a condominium community.

A few months after that, Carolyn contacted me again because she had read an article in Alaska Airlines magazine of all places about the Pearl District’s newest condo building, the Vista North Pearl.  The building was nearing completion and after reading about it, the idea of it really struck a chord with Carolyn. It really isn’t that far from the Pearl District to Rachel and GT’s North Portland house, and by living in a condo she would be surrounded by people she can build community with as well as being able to walk out the door and be in the middle of all the vibrancy of the Pearl. We made an appointment to tour the building and see a unit she was particularly interested in. Once we saw the unit, it took all of two seconds for Carolyn to decide that buying a condo in the Vista Pearl North was the plan. The condo unit she chose looks out onto the west hills with side views of the Fremont bridge and the Willamette River. Unique to this condo building is that on the units that have outdoor decks, these decks are some of the largest in the Pearl. Carolyn just closed on her unit, and though she won’t officially move into it for a few months while she ready’s her home in Seattle for sale, once she does make the final move I know she is going to love living here.

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. Check Out My Reviews! 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

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