THE ONE

Courtney & Chris are no strangers to making a move. As their family’s needs have changed over the years, we’ve been there to partner with them through the home buying and selling process multiple times. Their last move was from a small but very charming craftsman bungalow in Irvington, that Courtney had put her designer touch on, to a much larger Old Portland style craftsman home in the Piedmont neighborhood. This home allowed their family to spread out and Courtney could once again add her designer’s eye and make it shine. This last spring, we got the call they were ready to move back to their old neighborhood in Irvington. They missed their neighbors and friends much more than they originally thought, and they really wanted to get back within walking distance to their school and community. (Covid had a way of shining a light on many folks’ core priorities around what is “home” to them.) Chris, Courtney and the kids are a joy, and we were more than happy to jump in and help them make their dreams a reality. We got to work right away working toward getting their house ready for the market. It was a breeze as Courtney had made this home just as beautiful as the last one! At the same time, we listened to what they wanted in their new forever home. If they could have dragged this home in Piedmont to Irvington they would have! But that isn’t the case and we had a high bar to meet.  We knew we would need to find them something just as special as the house they were leaving behind. The caveat was that they would need to write offers contingent on their house closing. In a seller’s market this can prove tricky to do. Unafraid of the challenge, we set out to find them their dream location with the right home attached to it. Experienced shoppers, they knew what they wanted, and there were few homes to tour. We all knew when THE ONE came on the market. We wrote an offer right away, only to learn that someone else did too. While our offer was strong on price and terms the other offer was not contingent on a home closing. Ultimately, the sellers choose the lower offer with no contingency. While we were disappointed we took the backup position offered to us and kept looking. I didn’t feel worried though. Somehow we knew it was their house. But, we kept looking anyway. Four days later we were looking at another house just a few blocks away, when I got a call from the agent of THE ONE letting us know the other buyers had walked away. They were put off by an older roof and broker sewer line. We were thrilled by the news and didn’t waste any time moving into first position. We were able to learn more about the items that needed repair during our own inspections and they didn’t scare us. Those things can be fixed! We got a substantial credit for the work, and everyone was happy to move forward with closing. We were even able to close and give them the keys before they had to be out of their old house, so they could take their time moving in. They couldn’t be more thrilled to be back with their friends in the neighborhood they love.