By Kim Parmon, July 22, 2020
I met Lee (over the phone) just as the pandemic hit. He and his husband Jim were looking to move to Portland and they needed to find a place to live. Lee was about to start his medical residency at OHSU and was on a strict timeline. My brother is finishing up his medical residency and I know how grueling it can be (those hours are ROUGH) so I was extra motivated to find these two a home in short order.
Since Lee and Jim were on the other side of the country, I utilized virtual tours and detailed videos to show them around. I even toured the streets around some properties they were considering to give them a better sense of various neighborhoods. Finally, we found a property that jumped out: it was a great, semi-detached condo in the desirable Brooklyn neighborhood of PDX. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and its own yard. The catch? It was bank owned AND there was a huge special assessment (read: back HOA dues that were owed) that needed to be paid. The listing stated that the seller wasn’t interested in paying off the assessment (basically, “so don’t bother asking!”), but I thought it couldn’t hurt to try.
We submitted our first offer, which included the seller covering the assessment in full. It was denied. We tried again at a higher price. It was denied again. Frustrated, Lee decided to check out a couple of other properties but he kept being pulled back to this condo. Finally, after some heavy negotiating, we got Lee’s offer accepted! He was thrilled. The special assessment was being paid in full!
The moral of the story: it never hurts to ask! The only time you KNOW you’re going to get a “no” is if you don’t try.
Congrats on your new home, Lee and Jim!
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...
Read More
- T: 503-438-5101
- kim@livingroomre.com
