Way back in May- just barely into the pandemic, my buyer Elizabeth contacted me to see about working together. She picked me because my profile photo has me holding my Italian Greyhound pup, Pinto, because Elizabeth also has an Italian Greyhound mix pup named Whiskey. She gave me the basics of what she was looking for, but what was really important was to be in her own home by election day. Given it was only May, that seemed like an achievable goal.
The first time I met Elizabeth in person was when I showed her a darling little house over in Brentwood Darlington that she loved. We then went to look at a couple more houses, but none fit the bill like the first house we saw. We wrote up a full priced offer which the sellers accepted right away. Then came the inspection. I usually have a pretty good eye for seeing what might come up in an inspection and can prepare my buyer. But if there is weird stuff going on in the crawlspace or up in the attic where I can’t see, I’m as blind to the house’s charms as my buyer. When Elizabeth and I showed up to the house to go over the report with the inspector, it became clearer by the moment by the look on her face that she was not that going to be buying this house. The house had been flipped a few years before, and the seller bought it either not having had an inspection, or not having a very good one. You see, most of the framing underneath the house was powdering away and crumbling because the house was so infested with wood boring beetles. And the chimney was supported by a few pebbles. And the whole roof structure needed to be replaced. And there was some other stuff too, but there was enough stuff wrong with the house even if the sellers agreed to fix all of it (which was looking easily in the $25k or higher range) it wasn’t a house Elizabeth felt good about buying anymore, so she terminated the transaction.
After that experience, she decided that she wanted to save up more and sort of see what happens with the world before going back into the market. Three months later Elizabeth felt ready again to hop back on the house buying horse. We looked at a couple of duds, and then a super cool rancher in NoPo that had been on the market for a couple of weeks had a price drop that put it within Elizabeth’s reach. It had been thoughtfully renovated and had a ginormous yard- something that she really, really wanted. It’s on a busy street, which even though the market in NoPo is fierce, probably kept this house on the market. Everything looked great about the house and no red flags jumped out, so we wrote up an offer that day and the sellers accepted a couple hours later. And then came that inspection. And once again, beetles. Beetles had eaten through a good chunk of some of the sill plates, had gotten into the sub flooring and some important beams. Though this time it wasn’t as bad as the other house, and other then the beetle damage, this house was in otherwise good shape. Elizabeth was really and truly in love with this one and the yard and the thought of terminating again was probably more anxiety producing to her then the beetles. We had originally written the offer with a 30 day close, but given the extensive work needed, we were able to get the inspection period extended while we waited for contractors to come out to get us bids. Once we had bids, the sellers agreed to do the work, so we wound up extending closing another month so the work could be done prior to closing.
The work finished up and we finally closed after a 2+ month long transaction. I handed over the keys the day before Halloween, which gave Elizabeth a couple of days to settle in just in time for the election.
Five years ago I helped my clients purchase this great 3-bedroom home in Cully at 6001 NE Milton St.. Earlier this year my clients contacted me because they love the Cully neighborhood and were super intrigued by a new co-housing development being built by Orange Splot, called Cully Green. After doing their research they decided that they wanted to sell their home and buy a new home at Cully Green. And then the pandemic happened. But thankfully by the time they were ready to sell their home, we had figured out all the protocols for handling sales. We listed the home, got a great offer, and they just closed on selling this one. Next week- on to buying the new house in Cully Green!
Houses with the sunburst pattern in the siding over the front porch are special and this Irvington home with the sunniest of siding is no exception. My buyers recently moved up to Portland to be closer to family and after a couple of months of looking for the ONE, they found it here. Because it’s a special house, of course it had 3 great offers. My buyers were the first to write on the house, and when it came time for the sellers to choose which offer they would accept, thankfully being first offer in was a big point in our column. Congratulations to my buyers on getting the first and only house they wrote on!
The layout and flow throughout the home is absolutely ideal for a home of this size. Through the hall, you’ll find three bedrooms filled with natural light and ample closets. Also, a roomy bathroom with double sinks and stylish updates.
Josh and Evayn were referred to me by some great past clients of mine. We met for the first time via Zoom and we talked about the current state of the market and what to expect as a home buyer looking to purchase a home in close-in North or Northeast Portland. I explained how despite the pandemic, real estate was as busy as it’s ever been with nearly every good house getting multiple offers and almost always going over asking. Having caught them up to speed on the state of the market they were prepared for the worst, or at least prepared that it might take a while before they found the perfect house and had an offer accepted. We discussed what they were hoping to find, and they mentioned that they had seen a house listed in Overlook that seemed to check all their boxes. It had just gone pending so unfortunately that was off the table as an option. Or was it?
My first time buyer August is smart, diligent, stubborn, fun and funny. Basically, dream client. And, I promised them I’d go skydiving, since they took a leap of faith with me. More on that one later.
Congratulations to Sarah, Scottie and Piggers! Thanks to impeccable timing they were able to get $35k in down payment grants through the LIFT program and University of Portland’s down payment program designed to help full time employees buy their first home near the UofP. Within a week of having the LIFT reservation in hand, we found a great rancher in University Park that checked all the boxes including what we thought would be a difficult to find huge detached garage for Scottie’s blossoming contractor business. This was the week before Christmas, and knowing that the LIFT funds expired in 2 months, and that most likely they were not going to see a house that checked this many boxes in their price range anytime soon, I suggested they offer just a few hairs over asking in hopes that the seller would accept their offer prior to the weekend, and it worked! Three days before Christmas they had their offer accepted, which was just 2 days before I left town on vacation for 2 weeks. Thanks to my excellent colleague Lisa Avena at Living Room who took great care of them and handled their home inspection, I was able to enjoy my vacation knowing Sarah and Scottie were being well taken care of. The inspection turned up a few unexpected surprises in the crawl space, but having a contractor buying a house always makes me feel better when a house is going to need some work. Even though the seller (who was also the listing agent) wasn’t happy, we were able to get him to agree to fix the big stuff. And then the appraiser called out some dry rot on the garage. Grrrr. By this time we were in mid-January and the market had clearly turned a sharp corner. In the 4 weeks from when their offer was accepted to the time the appraisal came back, the market shifted strongly into a sellers market with little inventory and a ton of buyers out shopping. The seller was very aware of this, and reminded me a couple of times that he had someone waiting in the wings who wanted the house badly enough because of it’s huge garage, that this supposed buyer would have taken the property as-is. So when I told him that the appraiser had called out that the garage needed to be repaired before the lender would loan on the property, he refused to the garage repaired. This would have been the end for most buyers, but Sarah and Scottie were not daunted. Scottie knew he could take care of the issue himself in less than a day’s work, so we got the seller’s permission for Scottie to fix the issue and Scottie got to work. Between the 35k in funds, finding the right property at the exact right time, and having the literal skills and ability to fix a problem, this family of three were able to close on the perfect house for them.
Upon entering you’ll notice vaulted ceilings and wonderful natural light. The floor plan flows easily into the formal dining room and formal living room, wonderful for entertaining and intimate dinners alike. You’ll love how the living room shines with an oversized picture window and soaring ceilings. Making your way into the heart of the home is the beautifully updated kitchen featuring ample counter space, storage galore and soaring ceilings. A dining nook and breakfast bar help to make this space feel both spacious and inviting.
DELIGHTFUL BUNGALOW IN ST JOHNS 
Through the kitchen, you’ll find yourself in a spacious den with a big window and bookshelves. 
