By Kim Parmon, December 23, 2019
Have you ever felt like you were supposed to meet someone?
It was the last five minutes of an open house that I was hosting for a colleague at a beautiful Victorian in Lair Hill. The last group had left already and all was quiet. I stood up to start locking up when I heard the front door open. A woman strode through the heavy front door as if she were on a mission. She had seen this house online and had no idea that it was open today. She though that she would come by and check. If it was open and she was able to see it that was a clear sign in her mind that it was meant to be. Well, she saw the sign out front and here we were!
After she toured the property we sat down at the dining room table together to talk. I learned that her name was Meg and that she wanted this home to create a live/work space. Meg works with children with autism and developmental delays. She has always had a dream of creating a welcoming space in her own home where the kids would be comfortable. Having no commute was really important to her since she is on call 24/7. The dining room we were sitting in would be perfect! It had two large pocket doors that could close off the space when she was helping her kids. She also loved the history of the home and area. Basically, the house was perfect.
Meg had some concerns, though. Her current home was almost paid off and she would be taking on a new mortgage. Would it make financial sense to move? I talked her through her options. She was paying rent on an office space for her practice right now. Could she move her practice into her current home? “No,” she said. “It wouldn’t work there.” Did it make sense to give up the office space or did it make more sense to keep it? Meg told me that she really wanted to stop throwing her money away on the rent for her practice. But even though she’d be saving on her office rent here she was still nervous. “Come with me,” I said.
We walked through the backyard to the basement door. The owners of the Victorian had done some extensive work on the basement, basically rebuilding it so that it was dry and safe and had plenty of space. I pointed out to Meg that we were very close to OHSU here and this space would make a great studio apartment for a traveling nurse. She might also be able to rent it out to a college student. There was already pluming and electrical in place. If she was able to convert it to living space and generate some rental income would it be less scary? “Yes,” she said. If she could save money on her office space AND generate rental income it was a no-brainer.
Within two weeks we had Meg’s current home prepped for market and listed. It received nine incredible offers, all over asking price. After a couple of months of hard work, Meg is moving into her new home today. I am so happy to have met this amazing woman, who I can now call a friend. Being able to help her has been a real honor.
Congratulations, Meg!
Kim Parmon
Principal Broker | Earth Advantage Certified | OR
She/Her
Kim Parmon Principal Broker Lead Listing Agent Earth Advantage Certified | OR kim@livingroomre.com Oregon is the fifth state that Kim has called home in her life, and this one is sticking! After moving multiple times in her childhood, Kim fully understands how empowering homeownership and having roots is...
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