By Alyssa Isenstein Krueger, July 12, 2021
Sarah and Craig were referred to me by a dear longtime client. They just had a baby and were ready to buy a house to settle into and raise their kid in. When we first spoke this past spring, they had not yet spoken with a lender and didn’t really have an idea of how much they could qualify for. I gave them some names of great lenders I work with including the Portland Housing Center. After meeting with Portland Housing Center’s loan officer, they found out they qualified for a $15k grant if they bought something in the City of Portland, so that sealed the deal for them on which lender to use.
Once they had their pre-approval in place, they headed into the stinky soup that was the Spring 2021 Portland Housing Market on a quest to find a home that was big enough for their growing family, had character, was near a freeway for Sarah’s job commute to Hillsboro and had a yard big enough that met Craig’s criteria for having as much outdoor space as possible. They picked the most difficult time ever to buy a home, which meant getting caught up in the offer after offer and rejection after rejection loop. I kept reminding them that their house would come along and it would be the best of the bunch, and as frustrating as it all was, they kept their eyes on the prize.
After a couple of months of being in the Twilight Zone of offer, rejection, offer, rejection, a super sweet mid-century in Parkrose came on the market. On paper it hit every mark they were looking for- including not needing any major repairs or work done. Before we went to see it, Sarah had a feeling that it was going to be their house. It was priced really low for what it was- a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a formal living room and a giant family room with a garage that had been converted into bonus space, hardwood floors, a mid-century vibe, and a backyard that was as lovely as could be. After checking it out, we all felt the vibe that this really was their house. Because it was priced so low, they came in super strong on price, and offered to buy it as-is, barring any major repairs the house may have needed and had a small appraisal gap included in case it didn’t appraise. With eight offers on the table, the sellers decided to accept Sarah and Craig’s offer.
The home had been well maintained and the inspection didn’t turn up anything major and the appraisal came in at value! Everything went smoothly and we were able to close a week early. And I’m pleased as punch that yet again, despite the long and bumpy road to get there, in the end Sarah and Craig came out of their house buying adventure at the top!
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. Check Out My Reviews! I took the round-about-road towards this career...
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