Congratulations to my dear friend Lindsay on the purchase of her first home in Parkrose Heights!
Lindsay has had home-ownership on the mind for years – I mean, years. She almost purchased a home about 5 years ago, and about a year ago recently almost purchased a home with an ex partner. This time around, Lindsay was in it for herself and clear about what she wanted.
Well….kind of. Lindsay could describe the *feel* of the place, and she certainly had a set of specific criteria. However, many of the criteria were on a sliding scale. Huge backyard for the urban farm? Then a 2-bedroom is fine. Further away from the inner core, it’s gonna have to be bigger. Kitchen/dining space on point, we can do with a less natural light and outdated bathrooms. Architectural charm – great, but has to be *WOW* to make up for lousy layout. You get it.
Lindsay and I toured many homes together for a few months – and she toured even more without me, hitting up about a zillion open houses. She had probably seen close to 50 by the time we found one worthy of an offer – and damn, was it worthy. The previous owner was an artist, and had done extensive, tasteful upgrades as well as a complete overhaul of the backyard – which was huge – with boxes worthy of Lindsay’s green thumb, a small orchard of fruit trees, and even a bocce court!
We included an escalation clause with our offer, but luckily we didn’t need to go to Lindsay’s max. During negotiations, the listing agent warned me the Seller was getting cold feet, and we braced ourselves for him to refuse our [reasonable] ask. Apparently, he had a change of heart, and agreed to credit Lindsay for almost everything we asked for.
It was evident that the Seller had poured his heart and soul into this property. During the small rentback period, he invited Lindsay to tour the house and expansive garden with him. He even left her an instructional binder he put together that included plant information, maintenance schedules, and contractor contacts he had used for various projects over the years. What a dreamboat!
Lindsay, who has rented the same apartment for 12 years (12 years!!!), is now moving into her very own space at last. I have no doubt she’ll be hosting dinners and serving home-grown meals in no time. Cheers to Lindsay and to a beautiful passing of the torch.
