Blog Stories From Ballsbridge to The Alphabet District

From Ballsbridge to The Alphabet District

By Lauren Hurley, December 28, 2020

I met Harry & Whitney through clients of mine, who after spending six months in Dublin, had just moved to Portland and purchased a historic home in Northeast’s Kerns neighborhood. Harry & Whitney drove up from San Francisco, to visit their friends and to get a feel for what Portland life might be like. 

It wasn’t long before we were touring old Portland homes, both on the east and west sides. Harry & Whitney were gravitating towards Portland’s Alphabet District.

Harry grew up in Ballsbridge, a lovely neighborhood in Dublin, Ireland. Ballsbridge is similar to the Alphabet District, in that they are all known for their stunning historic homes and walkability. Over the years Harry and Whitney have spent many happy evenings walking around both Hayes Valley in San Francisco and Ballsbridge, fantasizing about what it would be like to own a captivating home in a walkable area where we could have friends from all over come to visit us. 

The home on NW Kearney Street was built in 1890. It is a grand house, perched up on the hill just a couple blocks from the bustling NW 23rd Avenue. Natural light pours into the large original windows, and city views can be captured from the east facing rooms. The backyard is level & private. The home had been tastefully restored by the previous owners, and unique to many homes in the area, it had an attached double garage with a fabulous roof top style deck above. This was the house. After a few visits, Harry & Whitney were sold. They closed right in the nick of time, on Christmas Eve. They are over the moon about starting a new chapter in Portland, and becoming the stewards of this wonderful home. 

Lauren Hurley

Broker | OR

She/Her

After spending a decade climbing the professional ladder of the Marketing industry, Lauren Hurley was in desperate need of vocational inspiration. So she did what most find daunting, if not impossible. She hopped down, and hunted for change. Fortunately for Lauren, she wouldn’t be starting on the first rung of the ladder that lay ahead. The daughter of a Broker, real estate had always been part of the conversation. The world of abandoned RMLS sheets, open house signs collected in the pouring rain and a fridge full of leftovers from Brokers Open Houses was all too familiar. So, while she didn’t always know it, Lauren was being trained by her Broker mom. By osmosis, she was learning how to negotiate, how to communicate and best, how to advocate for clients. While her passion for Portland, homes, history, architecture, design, and working with people had remained constant throughout her life, it took returning to the world of buying and selling homes for Lauren to realize just how perfectly her personal strengths and professional skill set aligned with being a Broker. Whether it’s negotiating and advocating on behalf of her clients, her vast knowledge of the city’s most idyllic neighborhoods, nooks and crannies, developing stunning and effective marketing campaigns, or consistently going above and beyond the call of duty, Lauren knows that superior client care is the result of perfecting every detail along the way. The joy she finds in seamlessly and successfully guiding buyers and sellers through one of the most significant emotional and financial decisions of their lives, has Lauren wishing she listened to her mother years ago. (But please don’t tell her that.) When it comes down to it, taking exceptional care of her clients isn’t only what Lauren does best, it’s what she loves to do. When she’s not meticulously critiquing the usage of serif vs. sans serif font, scarlet vs. crimson hues, or brightness vs. contrast and density, you’ll find Lauren taking Captain Salty the Wheaten Terrier on trails and along rivers around the city, collecting new vinyl records, tinkering with her ‘78 VW Bus, whipping up culinary treasures, or doing her best to imitate Serena on the court.
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  • T: 503-470-0428
  • lauren@livingroomre.com

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