By Living Room Realty, May 1, 2020
Craig came to me by referral from Sharon Bloudek, another agent at Living Room Realty. She thought we might match well and I might be able to use my condo knowledge to help him sell his property. I met Craig at the property, shortly after his tenants had moved out, and while familiar with other units in this complex, I did not expect to walk into a property that transported me to the Mediterranean. I’ve been in many condos in Portland, but I am always in awe when I get caught by surprise and see a unique property. This was definitely it, but had been a rental for Craig for a number of years and had some of the wear and tear issues that come with rental property. The finish choices were a very personal color palette, that does not always translate to favorable showings, but could be extremely cool if presented with some supporting staging. Craig had lived here early on in his ownership, and still have a lot of attachment to it, the decor and finishes. The question was, how best to present and market it to a diverse Buyer pool.
Enter the ladies of Crush Staging. Tiara Gunstone and Rachel Robichaud, are the wonders behind Crush, and who I had the pleasure of being introduced to when I joined Living Room as a number of agents spoke their praise. They have staged a number of properties for me now and are a delight to work with, making it simple, easy, and effortless. On this one, they came through, gave a number of suggestions we could do outside of just staging the property, and presented it to us in a way that was easy to digest. We took them up on the staging portion, and as they say, they “Crushed It”. This is why I suggest staging to my client’s when discussing how best to market their properties. This combined with the power of professional photography, makes
The condo market in Portland has slowed substantially over the past year and a half. A global pandemic usually does not help the cause either. Once we did go live, we had more showings here, than any other property I had on the market at the time. Sometimes having a place that stands out and is unique, drives interest that even I do not forsee coming.
The property had some challenges to navigate, and Buyer confidence seemed to be low, as we navigated through 2 sale fails. Right before our last sale fail, I got a call from Craig, and he relayed to me that his wife’s job was a casualty of the COVID-19 shutdown and he was going to be looking for other avenues for income. He thought it best to try and get it re-rented and to de-stage the property. I completely understood the reasoning and arranged for Crush to remove the staging and prepared to remove it from the market. The day before we de-staged it, we had a showing, and it seemed there was interest. It took a number of days, and thankfully Craig gave me his patience, as the offer came in and we were back into contract.
Both of us had some unease, as neither of us had any experience with selling a property amidst a statewide shutdown and global pandemic. There were some contingencies we had to navigate, some gives that may not have happened if business was running as usual, but in the end, we had found the right Buyer’s for the property and Craig was able to sell a home he had a lot of sentimental value to.
Congrats Craig, you were a wonder to work with and your perseverance throughout this process was extremely appreciated.
839 SW Broadway Dr. #76
PORTLAND, OREGON 97201
City Views, Mountain Views, River Views! If views are what you seek, this condo has them all! Mediterranean vibes abound in this unique 2-level condo! Custom built-ins in the Master Bedroom & master closet, lofted space that can used as a sitting area or additional bedroom, fireplace, sub-zero refrigerator, gas cooktop, & towering windows that showcase the views. Minutes away from downtown Portland, PSU, OHSU & freeway access.
SOLD AT $270,000
2 BEDROOM | 1 BATH | 875 SQFT
MLS# 19555142
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