Congratulations to Richard on the purchase of his darling St. John’s home!
My dear friend Claire connected me with her pops, Richard. Richard, having spent the majority of his adult life in Bellingham, was ready to move to be closer to his 4-year-old grandson, Henry. Ideally, within a mile of Henry – otherwise, what was the point? Richard needed his partner in crime close. St. John’s was really the only option.
In this market, buyers often have to compromise. Being restricted to a small geographic area means less options – and when that small geographic area is St. John’s, where everyone wants to live – more competition. The kicker: Richard wanted to close before the end of June, which gave us roughly 2 months tops to secure his next home.
Challenge accepted – but not without several very blunt and honest conversations about the realities of our market and contingency plans. Richard got it. He was serious, motivated, and ready to bring the heat to his offers. Henry needed him, and within walking distance!
Richard came to Portland to tour some homes in person, and actually found TWO within blocks of each other (and Henry, duh), that would work. Fancy that, options!? A good and rare problem to have these days, deciding which house to make an offer on. Ultimately, being the outdoor guy that he is, Richard chose the house that had two yards: a private, sunny backyard with a fire pit and fruit trees, and the front yard with a massive Siberian Elm tree, ripe for hammocks and Henry’s future tree house.
There were four offers. Because of Richard’s flexibility with move-in date and aggressive terms, the Sellers chose his. The best part of this transaction were the ongoing communication between the Buyers and Sellers. The Sellers had revived this house from nearly being demolished. It was a foreclosure sale, and had been home to squatters for several years. Richard wanted to know the history of the property, so there was a ton of back and forth throughout the transactions. This created more goodwill – which came in handy during negotiations. Richard was reasonable and fair with his Concession Ask, and knowing he would continue to be a great steward of this home, the Sellers simply agreed to it.
We closed, and that evening Richard got to meet the Sellers in person! It was smiles all around. Richard has a few more weeks before he can move in, but has already begun planning a summer of epic adventures with Henry. Cheers to Richard and welcome to Portland!
