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.