By Melissa Dorman, December 7, 2020
Sonia and Hafiz met me on a home tour about 5 weeks ago. I was delighted to find out they were from Bangladesh and they spoke Bengali. I had lived in Bangladesh 10 years ago doing humanitarian work and had learned to speak Bengali. We had an instant connection!
They told me Hafiz’s father suffered from a stroke a few years ago and moved in with their family when their daughter was born. Since Covid happened, Sonia and Hafiz have been working from their small home, which has proven too small for their family anymore. With such a hot market, it was quite the puzzle to figure out how they could buy a home and sell theirs without moving a stroke patient around too much. With the help of my fabulous lender, Cori Angel from Bank of England, we were able to qualify them to buy a home, before they sold their current home.
On the second day of touring, they fell in love with a beautiful house. There were multiple offers already, so I flat out asked the listing agent how we could win. To my surprise (this never happens) she spelled it out and we did exactly what we needed to do. Within a week of meeting each other, Sonia and Hafiz we’re pending on a gorgeous home in Murry Hill that was a major upgrade for their family.
Today they closed on this beautiful home and we will soon be listing their prior home at the beginning of the year. I’m so happy for their family and honored they trusted me through such a quick and complicated process. I couldn’t have guided them through it without their utmost faith and an amazing lending partner, Cori Angel. Another big win for the books!
Melissa Dorman
Broker | OR & WA
She/They
Ten years ago, Melissa was living in a slum in Kolkata, India, helping over 200 women escape sex trafficking by providing alternative work at a social business.
It was there she discovered her passion for financial education as a means of empowering people to move out of poverty. After graduating from UCLA with a Masters, Melissa spent 5 years working as a Social Worker; assisting clients facing homelessness, in jail, or at a psychiatric facility.
As much as she loved the work, imagining saving for retirement on the meager salary of a social worker was becoming grim. That's when Melissa discovered "passive income." In no time, she fell in LOVE with real estate as a vehicle for wealth. Soon after, Melissa began locating off-market multi-family properties to purchase through creative financing strategies and win-win opportunities. Two years into investing, Melissa quit her day job as a Social Worker to become a full-time broker and investor. Initially, she was drawn to people in difficult circumstances, so she developed extensive experience assisting families facing foreclosure, short sales, and probate. Melissa is well versed in helping her clients overcome complex real estate challenges.
Currently, Melissa is teamed up with Super Broker, Yascha Noonberg at Living Room Realty. Together they assist clients to achieve their real estate dreams, including how to strategically buy and sell a personal residence to maximize profits. Far from the slums of Kolkata, her greatest passion now is empowering other working professionals to develop passive forms of income through buying multi-family properties in Portland.
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- T: 503-567-4697
- melissa@livingroomre.com
