By Olivia Rush, June 10, 2021
Congrats to Mandi, Jon, and their sweet pup Oliver on the purchase of their first home!
Jon and Mandi found me through social media (I guess all those Instagram posts are worth it). Having put in four offers with a different realtor to no avail, they decided to pivot. Jon and Mandi were seeking someone who they felt would be a better advocate for them.
When we first met over Zoom, it was clear they had done their homework. Having rented in Portland for seven years, they decided 2021 was their year to become homeowners. They rented in the Alberta/Fremont area and dreamed of finding a house in their current neighborhood. But – their budget made that feel like a pipe dream. Realistically, they opened themselves to a wide geographic area.
The first offer we put in together was one of those head-scratching, jaw-dropping, eye-widening scenarios. The house had sold in November 2020 for $485,000 and was now being sold due to a divorce (mind you – no major repairs or upgrades were done). It was a good chunk under budget and we thought we had a chance. Comps supported prices up to the $525,000-$540,000 neighborhood, which is around where we offered. HA. There were 13 offers total, 6 over $575,000 and 3 over $600,000. Fun times.
Moving on. We kept our eyes peeled and toured a few other homes, but nothing inspiring. Mandi and Jon had trained themselves to not even look at homes in the $550,000 range. It was too close to the top of their budget. So they didn’t bother reaching out to me to tour the quintessential Portland bungalow in their neighborhood that popped up the following weekend. However, it was still available the following Wednesday…huh? How could this be?
Mandi pinged me, and I reached out to the realtor. Shockingly, there were no offers. Another head-scratching moment – this time in our favor. She had priced it appropriately, and fatigued would-be buyers had overlooked it, assuming they’d be beat out again. We dropped everything and scheduled a tour an hour later. Three hours later, we had an offer out to the Sellers.
Well, you know how it goes. As soon as we submitted our offer, another one magically appeared. Jon and Mandi were determined. We went through my menu of “Bells and Whistles Offer Terms” and upped the ante in every way. Because the Sellers were out of town, they were asking for a 48 hour review period – an excruciating wait. Finally, we got the good news call. The other offer had us beat on price, but our compilation of attractive terms were more compelling.
Jon and Mandi braced themselves for the Sellers to say no to any concessions, (they had a higher back up offer, after all). To our pleasant surprise, we successfully negotiated credit for sewer repairs. As we waited for closing day, Jon and Mandi walked Oliver to the house nearly daily on their lunch breaks. On key day, Oliver already knew he was home – sniff patrol commence!
Now, for the fun part – paint and furniture. Cheers to Jon, Mandi, and Oliver on their first home purchase!
Olivia Rush
Broker | OR
She/Her
As your trusted guide through the buying or selling process, you can expect me to customize my services to your specific goals and preferences, much like I did for my students during my ten years as an educator...
Read More
- T: 207-240-8837
- oliviarushpdx@gmail.com
