By Julie Davis, September 25, 2018
A riverboat captain by the name of Irving buys a large parcel of land on the east side of the Willamette. He builds a home on the narrow strip by the river leaving the wider tract undeveloped. Then moves to Canada, leaving charge of the land to his wife’s brother-in-law, another riverboat captain by the name of Shaver. In the late 1880’s during an economic boom era, the Irving family subdivided their land into nearly 130 blocks and the neighborhood of Irvington was established.
But it was the newly connected streetcar service that brought the people to this far-flung (at that time) area. It started with the horsecars, then as our know-how modernized, so too our conveyances. Next came the steam-powered, tiny locomotives often disguised as streetcars so as not to spook the horses. Followed then by the cablecars whose design allowed them to surmount graded hills otherwise insurmountable until with the advent of electricity at the close of the 19th century, the trolley became the go-to means to go.
And this area, named for the river-man and his family, became a more easily accessible and desirable place to call home. Irvington, like other similar communities, grew into what’s known as a Streetcar Suburb. These neighborhoods began popping up all over the country outside of rapidly increasing urban areas where the land was available, the air was cleaner and the residents could commute greater distances than just their feet would allow.
Julie Davis
Broker | Earth Advantage | ADU Specialist | OR
She/Her
Julie Davis believes finding home is a story we write ourselves.
To Julie, finding home describes the way the buying process itself reveals our style, preferences, and priorities—not to mention what “just feels right,” according to Julia and Evelyn, just two of Julie’s happy homeowners. Her clients call Julie an intuitive agent, an investment-savvy realtor, and a strategic negotiator. But Julie defines her success in simpler terms, “Helping clients find a house means nurturing the process of discovering what home means to them.” As a Portland REALTOR® with Living Room Realty, buyers and sellers not only receive a trusted guide but an agent with profound knowledge in maintaining a home’s integrity. According to Julie, her first-rate education in home construction began years before her real estate career started, when she worked alongside activists devoted to saving and restoring old Portland homes. Today, she’s on the cutting edge of real estate with training in Earth Advantage and a specialty in ADUs, expertise she uses daily to support her clients as they navigate the Portland area’s booming real estate market together.
From growing up on a dairy farm in rural Oregon to living in Northeast Portland’s Roseway neighborhood today, Julie’s enthusiasm for the Portland area informs her work with buyers and sellers. First-time home buyers like Sarah, who purchased a home on a single-income and specific budget, credits Julie’s strong negotiation skills with the purchase of her half-acre farm in East Portland’s Gilbert Park neighborhood. After Sarah parted ways with her initial realtor, who relied on assistants to show prospective houses, assistants who often criticized her selections, she searched for a REALTOR® who could also be an advocate. “Julie worked so hard for me,” says Sarah, who knows Julie saved her thousands of dollars in home repairs. When buyers Evelyn and Julia faced the frustration of their seller’s unavailable REALTOR® after the conclusion of their sale, Julie’s ability to build a positive working relationship with the sellers themselves eased the frustration, while also lightening the stress of a big move and subsequent renovations for Evelyn and Julia. Her clients routinely highlight Julie’s unwavering calm when working through the exciting and stressful buying and selling process, but Julia notes that it’s not only a personality strength of Julie’s—it’s just good business, “Julie’s business acumen is very strong. She keeps in mind that real estate is a business, and that can be hard for people—but in the end, it’s an investment.” And Debbie, a client who both sold and bought with Julie’s guidance, hired Julie because of her impressive personal character, in addition to her emotional equilibrium. “I knew I needed someone who could handle themselves well and someone I felt I could trust. The quickest way to lose me in any financial transaction is to pressure me into something,” says Debbie.
Julie understands her clients - buyers, sellers and investors - will need expertise beyond her own, and has built a knowledgement network of experts including construction professionals, home inspectors and financial professionals. Her clients refer to Julie’s “amazing team,” assembled to support them through the buying and selling process, a group including experienced and trusted women contractors and home inspectors. Julie’s not only building a strong team but providing opportunities for her clients to meet highly capable women entrepreneurs.
With over 25 years working as a community activist, and the founding Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon, her work as a Portland REALTOR® is a natural extension of her advocacy life, where she sought to create a diverse, inclusive, and accepting community of activists to defend everyone’s basic rights. Today, her clients and colleagues are the regular beneficiaries of these remarkable cross-over skills. When it comes to defining what home means to each person, Julie brings a dedicated worldview her clients experience over and over, best summarized by Julie’s own belief that, “Everyone deserves a place to call home.”
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- T: 503-718-4629
- F: 503-961-8224
- juliedavispdx@gmail.com
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503-961-8224