Chris and Andrea are transplants from Los Angeles and after settling in the Pacific Northwest for the last six months, were sold on Portland and ready to start looking for their new home: what would turn out to be a 1942 Overlook Bungalow with some serious Deco flare.
Andrea is an architect and has an eye for design. They both wanted to be able to commute via public transportation – her to downtown and him to OHSU, so we began by looking at neighborhoods that would offer them a less than an hour commute via bus or train.
It was also important for them to have a house with character and a yard, no shared wall, bathtub, two toilets, fireplace and walkability. I loved that they knew what they wanted!
They basically manifested this darling Overlook Bungalow-Deco (Bungaleco? Decolow?) that had been sitting on the market for awhile.
We scooped it up for a great price, negotiated an additional credit and repairs, and they’re closing in time to enjoy Portland’s perfect summer. Bonus: the lender waived appraisal, which means it really was a steal.
Andrea has plans for the hardwoods and kitchen, and I’m so excited to see what they do with it. There are so many beautiful original details, but the deco doorways get me every time I’m there. And, they even had a view of the downtown from their Master attic space.
These two were dream clients: decisive, design-savvy, and witty. I find myself laughing every time I get to spend time with them (note to self: find more sarcastic/witty/dry clients).
Looking for a Decolow? Or to buy or sell in Portland? Reach out here.
Or get social with me here.
Back in mid-March my buyer Valerie called me in somewhat of a panic because the new construction condo she had been in contract to purchase was a steaming pile of mess and the lender eventually pulled the plug on getting a loan for it. Turned out that the condo she had been in contract to purchase for months was part of a brand new complex and only 1 other condo out of twenty had sold since they officially went on the market 5 months prior. When there are that few sales on a new condo project, most lenders are going to deny a loan because the risk to the buyer of the whole stack of cards falling down is pretty real. If the rest of the complex winds up turning into rental apartments because the developer could not sell them as condos, it then it makes the units purchased by unfortunate buyers almost impossible to sell down the line- and that’s not a risk worth taking.
A rare find! Beautiful Old PDX style modern home, built both for efficiency and classic beauty. Perched up off the street this home offers light filled open spaces, gourmet kitchen, custom details and so much more.
Every now and then I get to work with incredibly easy clients and I have to pinch myself because they seem too good to be true. Hanne and Andrew fall into that category. They were referred to me by a long ago client, and when we met up to talk about working together, the process of buying a home and the kind of house they were looking for for their first home purchase, their needs were simple. They loved old houses, wanted at least a couple of bedrooms and wanted to be within easy biking distance (easy for them at least) from their jobs in inner East Portland and had a realistic budget. Shortly after we met and they got their pre-approval, I sent them all listings west of 82nd that were financeable and seemed to have some potential. I can’t remember how many listings I sent them- maybe 15-20, and by the next day they sent me back their comments and questions about all of them. One in particular looked intriguing to them- an old farmhouse in the Woodstock area. The house hit the market at the end of September, right when the market flat-lined for a few months. It was now mid-February and had been on the market for five months, seemed reasonably priced where it was at, and the photos made it seem like a cute house. Of course, the question arose of- what’s wrong with it?
Ali and Jeremy marched into their search for their first home with determination and motivation. They had realistic expectations of where we would find houses in their price range, and after recently getting married after 10 years together, they were eager to start the next phase of their lives. After we met and they got their pre-approval, they set their eyes on the prize. The first step was checking out a few homes at open houses, and then we went and looked at about 5 homes that could nicely be called dregs. While visiting each house, Jeremy would ask Ali what she liked about the house and what she didn’t. Ali is a bright side sider and she was always able to find something about each house that she liked. By the end of our tour, I had a pretty good feeling for what Ali was looking for. The fact that she was even willing to consider a couple of these homes (like the one that had cigarette burns all through the carpeted house, or the one that had two sets of front doors, but no rear or side doors, or that one with the creepy gun room in the basement), told me that her standards were pretty low. After that day I think they felt resigned to the fact that all the homes under $350k with a good sized yard for Moira and Hubble- their shepherd mix pups- and enough bedrooms and space to start a family in, would be less than ideal.
I met Jillian and Nick in early November when they began their house hunting adventure. As mid-century enthusiasts, they knew exactly what kind of house they wanted- open floor plan, huge picture windows, fireplace and preferably a vintage style kitchen. The only problem with having a love for that style is they are far from the only buyers out there looking for that perfect little mid-century in East Portland. About a week after we met they found what they thought was their dream home- as much as they tried not to fall in love, they did anyway and all 8 of their combined heart valves collapsed when the sellers selected another higher offer. They felt they would never get over losing that house, yet they managed to find a couple more homes that they liked enough to put offers in on. Considering all of the homes they liked were priced at or near the very top of their budget, they didn’t have a lot of wiggle room to go up in price when the multiple offer situations would kick in, so after they lost two more houses, they were heartbroken, but only in a 2-valve way each as opposed to the first house which was a 4-valve heartbreak.
Even though they were organized and wanted to take some time ramping up, it was soon clear that while there were houses out there matching their needs, they were few and far between and they would need to be more proactive in going after “the right place.” In fact, the very first house they identified matched nearly all of their criteria and they made an offer right away. That house had been on the market for over two months, and it seemed like everything was meant to be; however, the sellers received another offer that very same day and Zack and Catherine ended up in backup offer position. That house was just east of 82nd Avenue on a quiet side street.
The house, built in 2010 with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, was in excellent condition – and even had a brand new kitchen and bathroom. Wary of being outbid, Zack and Catherine bid a bit over asking price with a 30 day close and standard inspections. We were also able to negotiate replacement of some wall heaters and a new window screen, as well as several hundred dollars in closing cost credits from the sellers. Overall, it was a smooth transaction with no hiccups.
I had seen this sweet house on Robin Road over the summer for some other clients who never ended up touring the home. Even then, I was a little in love with the place – a sun-drenched and large mid-century modern perched on a small hill — with views to the west hills of Portland – and I really wanted to get inside to check it out. It had been under contract twice since April, with nearly $50,000 in price reductions, yet it remained on the market into late October.
We returned the next day for a second visit with their parents,