Artists Fall for Mid Century Powell Butte Beauty

A towering wall of trees rises straight up behind the house as I pull up to the corner. “Wow, who needs a huge backyard, when Powell-Butte is a block away” I thought to myself as I walked up to the front door. I was ahead of my clients, Emily and Paul, and I had decided to open up the house to walk through on my own before they arrived. No, this isn’t a cheesy horror story, this is actually a wonderful love story, about the perfect house for wonderful people.

On paper, the home wasn’t at the top of my list for Emily and Paul. We had seen about 5 others and had one left on the list to go for our whirlwind tour that day. But, upon opening the front door to this unassuming corner house on the edge of the park, it was obvious that this was the one for them.

Emily and Paul were moving from about an hour east of Portland and they knew they wanted to live on the east side. They are artists and were looking for something with some character, shop or garage space, and maybe a basement. Emily works in Portland, and Paul has a home business he needs the shop space for. Unafraid of a project, having just remodeled their previous home, they were prepared to buy a fixer to make their own.

I had a list of about 12 homes I thought checked most of the boxes on their list that I had sent a few days prior. Because they were coming in from out of town and wanted to make the most of their time looking at homes, they talked me into showing them 7 homes in one day. I usually prefer to stick to 5 max because they will start to blend together. As a home buyer, it’s tough and mentally exhausting to imagine your life in each home you visit.

We saw all of them. The homes we looked at were not so different in price, but condition varied greatly. This isn’t that uncommon for homes at their price point. Ranging from about 350-380, we saw just about all the comps I would have pulled for this home. After taking the drive home to think it over, Emily and Paul called to say they were ready to put in an offer.

I am always so excited to hear about the plans buyers have for a home. The biggest clue buyers give that they are excited about a home is talking about where their things will go, or how they’ll make it their own. When I showed Emily and Paul this place, and they started pointing out where the grape arbor would go. They talked about the fermenting area, the shop, and how big the dining table was.  After we left, I knew I’d be getting a call later.

Now that they’ve closed and are starting their move, I couldn’t be more excited for them. We put in a full price offer of 370, afterall, we had seen all the comps and we all agreed it was a good price. We asked for the mold remediation to be completed before closing and the seller agreed. Everyone was grateful that it was a smooth transaction.

Emily and Paul are currently settling in in their new home. They hope their cat will enjoy the wide window sills and their house plants will love all the natural light. On top of being delightful people to work with, they even gave me the most thoughtful gift. I was presented with a bottle of Cabernet/Elderberry wine from their previous home’s vineyard with a handmade linoleum or woodblock print label. I treasure it and am waiting for the perfect moment to open it and toast to this wonderful, artistic couple and their new home.

Cheers to you Emily and Paul! May you love your new home and make lots of art ther. May you host dinners for family and friends, and grow not only your home business, but also delicious grapes for your next vintage! Cheers!

Mel Marzahl

Broker | OR

She/Her

Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Mel became a passionate advocate for homeownership and investing in real estate after buying and selling her first home. What drew her to it was realizing the significant financial impact the right investment property can make and learning how much having a home to truly call your own can improve your quality of life. Her specialties are working with first-time home buyers and sellers yet she is fluent in all aspects of residential real estate. She is trained extensively in real estate negotiation, holding both the CNE (Certified Negotiation Expert) and RENE (Real Estate Negotiations Expert) designations. Mel knows that with all the technology available to buyers and sellers, one of the best skills a REALTOR® can have is knowing how to be a collaborative negotiator to get the best outcome for their clients. After a decade-long career working in operations and client service for creative companies, Mel earned her Broker’s license and made the move to real estate. She listens to her client’s needs and aims to treat everyone involved in a transaction with honesty and integrity. She loves getting to know her clients, their wants, and needs to ensure they get the highest level of service Mel is known for. Mel brings creativity and an eye for detail to the table with a background in art and events. She enjoys a remodel or renovation project, has a soft spot for old craftsman homes, loves helping first-time buyers, and educating her clients on the selling and purchasing process. She believes in staying up to date on market trends, technology, and tools available to real estate agents. This gives her an edge when it comes to marketing properties and communicating with her clients. When Mel is not working in real estate she is volunteering with the Red Cross, gardening, hosting dinner parties, or relaxing at home on Bull Mountain with her husband, son, two big dogs, and a handful of chickens.

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