By Alyssa Isenstein Krueger, June 30, 2022
Between March 1st and June 30th of 2022, the real estate market here in Portland saw appreciation rise at a rate not seen since, well, ever. Over 20% year over year. Despite the challenges of the market, particularly being a buyer, I had 10 buyers and 5 sellers successfully close on homes- all on the east side in the City of Portland. Of those buyers and sellers- 2 sellers were able to buy first and closed in March, and then sold their homes April and May. Another of my sellers was able to sell their home and buy their next one within a couple of weeks in June. Six of my buyers were first time home buyers, and 1 of my sets of buyers purchased the home they had been renting directly from their landlord off-market. Lucky ducks. Of my 10 buyers, 7 got the first home they wrote an offer on, 2 got the second house they wrote on and 1 set got the third and best house they wrote on. The total number of homes I wrote a total of 14 offers. The youngest house I sold was a 1960 rancher in Parkrose Heights, and the oldest was a bungalow in the Richmond neighborhood built in 1912. Three of the houses got new roofs, 2 got new sewer lines, and 2 had leaking oil tanks- all of which were taken care of by the seller.
My 5 sellers did really well. Four of my sellers received multiple offers, and the fifth set of sellers accepted the first offer they received which was well over asking and submitted less than 24 hours after we went on the market. Of the 5 homes I listed, 4 were ones I had originally sold to the sellers. Bringing it full circle. Of my five sellers, 3 bought new and larger homes in Portland, and 2 moved out of state. The youngest house I sold was a condo built in 1972 on Jantzen Beach. All the other homes were built between 1906 and 1953. None of my sellers made any repairs, and only 2 gave closing cost credits/concessions for needed repairs. I sure know and love old houses.
Everyone of my clients was either a past client of mine, or a referral from another previous client, a friend or lenders I partner with. Fifteen transactions in 3 months is a lot for little old me who doesn’t have an assistant and doesn’t want one. Those are probably at least half the number of transactions I’ll have the honor of working on for the entire year. So much joy and happiness to be surrounded by.
Alyssa Isenstein Krueger
Broker | OR
She/Her
I am living the dream. Working as a real estate broker in my home town brings this native Portland gal joy beyond measure.
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I took the round-about-road towards this career. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in NY two decades ago with a degree in liberal arts/creative writing, I returned to my hometown of PDX and got a job in a legendary record store of days gone by, worked as a music and culture writer for Portland’s oldest weekly publication while pursuing a graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University. Armed with my masters degree, I moved into the realm of affordable housing, community development, and urban planning, and then rounded the corner with a long stay in arts management then back around the bend when I got my real estate license and went to work for a non-profit housing builder at the cusp of the market crash in 2007.
In the time between that market crash and the ensuing madness, I’ve stayed on top of the market like a dog guarding a bone. Using a magical combination of experience, instinct, and market data, I know what homes are worth, I know how to write a terrific offer, and I know how to help a seller market a home and receive and accept a great offer.
Mutual trust and tender relationship building is the basis and foundation of my real estate practice. I use my skills as an active listener, creative solution finder and ace negotiator to get my clients the best price on a home, win the multiple offer roulette, and have as smooth and easy transaction as possible. Timely and responsive communication is the most important aspect of building trust and I don’t take that part lightly. I am a stickler for details and nothing pleases me more than guiding a client through the home buying or selling process (and sometimes both at the same time). My role is one of advocate, advisor, partner, transaction organizer, and counselor. I am a partner broker with Portland Housing Center and relish the opportunity to work with eager first time home buyers.
I have a knack for seeing the potential in almost any home and love to help clients see past what is and help them envision what can be. I have a decade of first-hand experience renovating and caressing my bungalow in Ladd’s Addition and had the honor of having my own home featured in a story in the Oregonian’s Homes and Gardens section. I can feel the love for any and almost all homes, but my heart goes all aflutter when entering a museum quality time capsule house -- the solid mid-century ones with the original pink or green tiled bathrooms, those charming early 1900’s farmhouses with the original kitchen cabinets and fir countertops, the cozy bungalows with the built-ins still intact.
When I’m not working with clients, you’ll find me hanging with my two boys, Kalman and Saul, and my husband Robert, a Fine Art Conservator with his own business, Cascadia Art Conservation Center. Retired racing greyhounds have been my constant companions since 1997, and our family includes Peanut the greyhound, Pinto the South Korean Italian greyhound, our 2 cats Spaghetti and Will, and our chickens, Rosie, Lil' Peck, Penelope and Nugget.
I am an obsessive gardener/plant fiend and love that we live in a climate where I can grow eucalyptus trees (I have 3 in my yard including a couple I started from seed) alongside blueberry bushes (6 in my yard). Given some free time, you’ll find me junking at an estate sale, dreaming of high brow junk, low brow art, making things, sewing, reading and dreaming of tropical locales.
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- T: 503-724-6933
- PDXHappyHouse@gmail.com
