Eva and Ben are a young newlywed couple looking for their first home. When I first met them we hit it off right away. They were eager but they needed guidance. I knew I could help them find their first home where they could build their lives. They asked to see a home right down the street from their current rental. They already loved their neighborhood in Milwaukie and the move, should they get the home, would be a cinch!
Because they were just starting out in their journey, I hooked them up with my favorite mortgage banker at OnPoint, and as a result they received their approval in a matter of days! Sadly, the house that we had seen in their neighborhood that they loved had gone pending. This market is FAST, y’all! I sent them other listings for a few weeks but they just couldn’t get that first home out of their minds. Then, out of what seemed like kismet the house came back on the market! They quickly called me to go see it again. That was it. The second look just confirmed that they loved the home, the location and the layout. They wanted to make an offer.
Now, this rarely happens that the first and only home a client sees is the one that they make an offer on and it is accepted right away, especially during this tough market for buyers. But this was the unicorn agents and buyers are always looking for! Offer accepted! As first time home buyers, I made sure to walk with them every step of the way. Thanks to their perseverance, quick decision making and hiring themselves an agent that goes the extra mile they finally have a place they can start their lives as a married couple after saving for so long! Congrats to my wonderful clients!
First time home buyer? I’m here for you! Contact me 503.267.0923 or savanna@livingroomre.com
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.
eady to buy a home, it was well into the COVID-19 outbreak. Waiting it out wasn’t an option so we set out to see 7 homes one day; armed with gloves, booties and hand sanitizer. By the end of the day, Wendy and Jeremy wanted to make an offer. And they were ready. They were able to compete for a home that they loved because of their preparation and patience.
Cindy and Oscar got in touch with me in what feels like a lifetime ago- mid January of 2020. They were eager to become homeowners, and after having gone through the process of trying to buy a home last year only to have it implode with a very low appraisal, they were ready for a fresh start. New agent (me), new lender (Umpqua) and a new year. They love mid-century homes and were looking for a home that wasn’t in perfect cosmetic condition. They love to garden and were looking forward to having a yard for their beloved pup Cookie. In late February we looked at a a 1960 tri-level in a picture perfect mid-century block in Mill Park. The home hit most of their marks- it was in good enough shape to move into, had hardwood floors, mid-century charm, and a beautiful yard. They also wanted a home that would work for multiple generations for parents to move into eventually and kids in the future, and with the tri-level layout, it had the perfect floor plan for being able to do so. It also needed a face-lift, something Oscar and Cindy actually wanted to do on a home. It had been on the market for almost 2 months, and while it was priced lower than what neighboring homes had recently sold for, it definitely needed some vision and felt overpriced considering how much work it needed. They decided to keep looking and found another great mid-century home in Milwaukie that they loved and decided to put an offer in on. That home had multiple offers and went for way over listing price, so they did not get that house. But all the while, the sweet tri-level in Mill Park kept calling to them. So a little over a week after they first saw it, we wrote up an offer for $25k under list price. The sellers countered back with $20k under list and my buyers accepted.
Congratulations to Bea and David on getting the keys to their new to the home in Pleasant Valley. From start to finish their transaction was 32 days, and during this time, the world turned upside down and our planet went to war. The seller was Opendoor, which if you are unfamiliar with is an Ibuyer company that buys homes for cash off market and undervalue, and then slaps some paint and caulk on the house and puts the house back on the market at market value. I was out of town for President’s Day weekend when Bea and David decided to check out a house in Pleasant Valley that piqued their interest. Since it was an Opendoor property, they were able to let themselves in without me and what they found was a home that had parquet wood floors throughout the entire house, a tri-level layout, and decks with views for days on all levels. They were in love, so we wrote up the offer while I was still out of town, and the next day Opendoor accepted their offer. The first time I saw the house was at their inspection, and our inspector warned us that all Opendoor does is slap some lipstick on problems, and she has seen a lot of sale fails because of the poor condition of homes and Opendoor not willing to negotiate credits or repairs. Thankfully the inspection went fairly well- still a lot of work will need to be done to fix some rotted siding, roof and gutter issues and a few plumbing repairs, but overall it was one of the better Opendoor homes our inspector had inspected. Getting Opendoor to offer any credits was like trying to pull teeth out of a live tiger, but I did manage to get them a couple thousand in credit, which was better than a poke in the eye. And then right after we finished that negotiation, poof- the whole world collapsed. Thankfully my buyers were far enough into the transaction that we had everything pretty much nailed down so they were able to sign their closing docs- though I was not allowed to join them. The sale closed, and rather then me meeting them to give them their keys my buyers were able to get the keys from the lockbox at the house themselves. This was the first transaction that I can remember where I didn’t get to hand over keys or go to the signing. And like everything else in this new world, it feels strange and sad. But my buyers are thrilled and really that’s all that matters. They can focus on moving from where they are sheltering in place at their rental, to quarantining themselves in their new home.
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.
Through the kitchen, you’ll find yourself in a spacious den with a big window and bookshelves. 
A rare find! Beautiful Old PDX style modern home, built both for efficiency and classic beauty. Perched up off the street this home offers light filled open spaces, gourmet kitchen, custom details and so much more.
Paloma and Mike are amazing clients and together we achieved something almost beyond belief!
Portland Monthly
