3852 SW Condor Ave
Portland, Oregon, 97239
Step into the enchanting world of this whimsical fixer-upper, a unique property with a delightful footbridge to welcome you. Nestled in the wilderness with seasonal views of the Ross Island Bridge, this property offers the perfect blend of tranquility and convenience. It’s walking distance to downtown, includes single car garage/off-street parking and is close to public transit, yet it maintains an uber-private atmosphere where neighbors are out of sight. Surrounded by nature, this property is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. Deer, rabbits, and a variety of birds call this place home, complemented by lush greenery, fruit trees, and a garden that add to the picturesque setting. Your own private “tree house”! In the summer, the property stays cool and shaded, thanks to the protective canopy of trees. The detached studio, a vaulted haven, makes an ideal space for artists, hobbyists, workshop or rent out for extra income! The unfinished basement with tall ceilings opens doors to endless possibilities ideal for expansion, or creating an additional income stream with a possible ADU/rental space. Don’t miss the chance to make this enchanting fixer-upper your own! The seller has building plans completed in 2000, available upon request.
OFFERED AT $475,000
1 BED| 1 BATH | 2,277 SQ. FT.
MLS# 23464286 | TAXES: $6,324
If you only have enough to cover new paint, some new hardware for cabinets, and an appliance or two, maybe a “light” cosmetic fixer or a more modest-sized home is best. If you have enough cash to replace all the cabinetry, re-do the bathrooms, replace light fixtures and flooring, you’ll have more options.
close to the Zipper on NE Sandy, by Providore, and on a lovely tree-lined street. The house itself had been a rental for more than 30 years. It still had so much soul, but it was buried un
Congratulations to Sarah, Scottie and Piggers! Thanks to impeccable timing they were able to get $35k in down payment grants through the LIFT program and University of Portland’s down payment program designed to help full time employees buy their first home near the UofP. Within a week of having the LIFT reservation in hand, we found a great rancher in University Park that checked all the boxes including what we thought would be a difficult to find huge detached garage for Scottie’s blossoming contractor business. This was the week before Christmas, and knowing that the LIFT funds expired in 2 months, and that most likely they were not going to see a house that checked this many boxes in their price range anytime soon, I suggested they offer just a few hairs over asking in hopes that the seller would accept their offer prior to the weekend, and it worked! Three days before Christmas they had their offer accepted, which was just 2 days before I left town on vacation for 2 weeks. Thanks to my excellent colleague Lisa Avena at Living Room who took great care of them and handled their home inspection, I was able to enjoy my vacation knowing Sarah and Scottie were being well taken care of. The inspection turned up a few unexpected surprises in the crawl space, but having a contractor buying a house always makes me feel better when a house is going to need some work. Even though the seller (who was also the listing agent) wasn’t happy, we were able to get him to agree to fix the big stuff. And then the appraiser called out some dry rot on the garage. Grrrr. By this time we were in mid-January and the market had clearly turned a sharp corner. In the 4 weeks from when their offer was accepted to the time the appraisal came back, the market shifted strongly into a sellers market with little inventory and a ton of buyers out shopping. The seller was very aware of this, and reminded me a couple of times that he had someone waiting in the wings who wanted the house badly enough because of it’s huge garage, that this supposed buyer would have taken the property as-is. So when I told him that the appraiser had called out that the garage needed to be repaired before the lender would loan on the property, he refused to the garage repaired. This would have been the end for most buyers, but Sarah and Scottie were not daunted. Scottie knew he could take care of the issue himself in less than a day’s work, so we got the seller’s permission for Scottie to fix the issue and Scottie got to work. Between the 35k in funds, finding the right property at the exact right time, and having the literal skills and ability to fix a problem, this family of three were able to close on the perfect house for them.
Four years ago I helped my buyers Megan and Christian purchase a home off NE Alberta. At the time they bought that house, it was a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom with an unfinished basement and attic, with the only way to access the attic through a pull down ladder from a hatch in the hallway. Over the last four years they have converted their basement into a lovely apartment and finished their attic with a master suite and added a spiral staircase for access. Christian has a construction and carpentry background and did most of the work. Being perpetual project taker-onners, they decided they were ready to purchase a second property to have as a rental, and since they excel at and enjoy sweat equity, ideally they wanted to purchase a home that had an unfinished basement that was suitable for turning into an ADU.
I would say wanting the “big city” walkability but the “small town” big yard feel is a pretty popular dream for most people moving to Portland. Coming from the beautiful town of Hood River where this already exists and artists by trade, my buyers were more attuned to this than most. We scoured the market and wrote a few offers on ones that were very close and definitely could have worked. But Portland is still a competitive market with multiple offers on homes like this because it’s such a driver for people moving here. “Buyer fatigue” was definitely starting to set in for these guys.
