Blog « Living Room Realtors

Steve and Brook

May 18th, 2012 by Maureen Swan

When I first met Steve and Brook they weren’t sure if they wanted to buy the home they were currently renting or venture out in the market and see what else was out there. A few trips out into the world of home buying and it became clear to them they wanted a new place. Brook is a collector and seller of vintage wares so lots of space was a must. Steve loves music, instruments and has lots of electronics so space was a necessity for him as well. Happiness arrived the day we came across a 4 bedroom/1bath home in the Creston/Kenilworth neighborhood in Southeast Portland. Complete with wood floors, a large garage, a sweet corner lot full of mature plants and a large unfinished basement that is plumbed for a bath!

The best part of this story, their mortgage including taxes and insurance is $35 less a month than their rent was! Welcome home Steve and Brook you were a true pleasure to work with!

Maureen Swan 503.888.8259

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100% Financing Loan Program for Doctors…

May 18th, 2012 by Greg Sobotka

A large percentage of my clients are doctors who have taken advantage of 100% financing, sourced through Chris Grubb at Physician Relocation Specialists. Chris has a broad network of bankers who provide doctor loans in all 50 states. Physician Relo is headquartered right here in Portland. For more information visit http://physicianrelo.com/.

Greg Sobotka ABR, GRI, Earth Advantage Broker (S.T.A.R.) | p 503.804.0315

One. Two. Three Rainer beers equals cock-a-doodle-doo!

May 18th, 2012 by Tracy Dau

I have a thing for birds. All types of birds. My fascination with these creatures was inspired by the beautiful lake I grew up on in SE Alaska — Auke Lake. A black abyss surrounded by trees and mountains, the perfect setting for water fowl and birds of prey. Living in a culd-a-sac on the outskirts of town provided my with little to do when it came to entertainment, the lake became my playground and the wildlife my friends (feel free to insert an imgae of Snow White where she flutters through the forest singing to squirrels and birds. It was sort of like this).

Before I was 8 years old I could “call” just about any type of duck to land on the lake. I swore to my parents that I could “understand” what these birds had to say. Rather then commit me to an institution my dad decided I would be the perfect hunting partner, but that’s another story.

One night, over a case of beer dad and Mr. Belflower found an advertisement in Field and Stream for ‘one hundred exotic chickens from around the world.’ Too enticing was that add, because soon after a crate arrived carrying multi-colored fuzz balls. The perfect Christmas present for a bird-whisper-child.

Fast forward to visuals of a lanky kid being followed by a mass or birds, worm hunts, picnic parties in which we sat on a blanket with a loaf of bread and bike rides in which my favorite girls sat in my basket for a short mile to Dehart’s Store for popsicles.

Now that I am all grown up with children of my own, I feel it is my duty to make sure O and L have a coop of their own. We built our coop this Fall using recycled materials bought from The Rebuilding Center and Western Wire Works Inc. We get fresh eggs very morning. Cluck, cluck, cluck!

Feel free to contact me with chicken coop questions… Winter is a time to ponder spring projects — let this be one of yours!

Tracy Dau

971-275-0387

tdau@livingroomrealtors.com

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another time capsule discovered in NoPo...6115 N Oberlin St

May 18th, 2012 by Heather Lamkins

Congratulations Ana & Bryan!

Heather Lamkins | Living Room Realtor | www.pdxrealestatebroker.com | pdxrealestatebroker@gmail.com | 971.255.9868

Hip Remodel Turns Townhouse Into Investment

May 17th, 2012 by Hope Beraka

When Kim bought this 1983 poop brown townhouse three years ago, she had an immediate vision for what it would take to bring it from drab to fab!

Of course changing the exterior color was on the immediate to do list. Her plan was to live in it and when time came to move on, keep it as a rental. Well, the plan was a good one but life happens and took her on a different path. Newly engaged with a great rural property in their sight, she decided to give up the close-in location and maximize her buying power by selling the townhouse.

We spent some time reviewing the interiors and made a long to do list of what it would take to get it market ready for a quick sale. Kim and her fiancee, along with Mom and Dad, tackled the project focusing on cosmetic updates and market appeal. She set a budget, kept to it and is now ready to move on – with a nice profit to show for it! Investment, even in the most unexpected places, is at your fingertips with vision, effort and the right advice!

Original 1983 kitchen. I did say vision, right?

Way to go Kim!

Just Sold

3722 SE 42nd Avenue

Let's Hear it for the Girls!!

May 15th, 2012 by Jaime Arb Haessig

Calling all you ladies…

This Saturday marks the 20th annual WOMEN in Trades Career Fair, “the largest non-traditional career fair of its kind”. If you’ve ever wanted to explore a career in the Trades now is your chance. With more than 70 exhibits, this fair is guaranteed to get your career questions answered and provide ample insight into the many possibilities for girls interested in the Trades.

Open to all, it will be taking place at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center off NE Airport Way. It runs from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and it’s FREE. Free admission, free parking, free on-site childcare, and even a free EcoShuttle from Gateway Transit Center.

For all of you eager Trade enthusiasts ready to roll up your sleeves and try your hand at various activities, there will be drop in and scheduled workshops throughout the day ranging from climbing a power pole, to operating a dump truck, to book binding, to using a jackhammer, to creating a mini floor, and the list goes on! In addition to the workshops you can speak with, and gain valuable advice, from employers and tradeswomen who have succeeded in this field over the years.

If a chance to bond with Dad sounds like fun, there is a Dads and Daughters Event set from 10:30 – 11:30, followed by a construction wear fashion show. Who said you can’t look stylish while operating an excavator? While there, ask about the free, pre-apprenticeship class offered to women throughout the year by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., where they teach you the necessary skills to prepare you for this line of work.

For more information, and to view the full list of offered workshops, go to www.tradeswomen.net.

Rosie the Riveter would be so proud of you.

Gretchen and Stuart take a leap of faith

May 14th, 2012 by Tracey Henkels

I want to congratulate my clients and new friends Gretchen and Stuart on their transition to their beautiful new home!

These days, it’s a good idea to wrap your head around the fact that it takes some moxie and patience to to sell a house and transition into a new home. In the case of Gretchen and Stuart, they decided it was time to go for it!

After being on the market only one day, we received a great offer on their Sabin bungalow! We then hit it hard in the search for their new home. People have all kinds of motivations for needing a new home. For Gretchen and Stuart, their home just wasn’t big enough for thier family anymore. They had been thinking about the idea of moving for a while so when they heard that the market was turning around, they decided the timing was right!

Check out their new digs. The kitchen is absolutely gorgeous and they are planning to start a master bedroom remodel including adding a luxuriuous master bathroom soon after they move in!

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Tracey Henkels
Cell: 503.715.6140
traceyhenkels@gmail.com
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A home for Hamlet... 4529 NE 35th Pl, Portland

May 12th, 2012 by Heather Lamkins

This little piggy went all the way home! Congratulations Teri, Badger, Vito, & Hamlet!

Just to be clear–this is Hamlet, the Extreme Dandy (and he is extremely cool & extremely small)

Heather Lamkins | Living Room Realtor | www.pdxrealestatebroker.com | pdxrealestatebroker@gmail.com | 971.255.9868

Sunday Parkways is Here...Summer's coming too!

May 11th, 2012 by Jaime Arb Haessig

Eat, Drink, and Be Active!

The time has come, my friends! I’m sure you couldn’t help but notice that the sunshine has arrived, and us Portlanders love us some sun. We also love to get outside and be active, and this Sunday kicks off the annual Sunday Parkways extravaganza!

You haven’t heard about Sunday Parkways? Well, let me introduce you.

“Sunday Parkways is one of a handful of annual events that highlight the importance of exercise, healthy living, and fun on a broad community scale,” said Dr. Weisz. “Our organization seeks to support the total health of Portlanders, caring for the mind, body, and spirit. We’re pleased to support this uplifting celebration that encourages people of all ages and stages of life to thrive.”

This celebration is a wonderful opportunity to get to know fellow P-Town enthusiasts, while you stroll, jog, skate, or bike your way through traffic free streets. Yes, I said traffic free. Things that won’t be missing, however, are loads of laughter, music, marketplaces, yummy food, and festivities. This year’s Sunday Parkway begins in the beautiful Northeast neighborhood along the new Greenway – NE Going Street, on May 13th. Sounds like you and Mom now have a date for Mother’s Day! And the best part is, the events won’t cost you a dime. From 11-4 you can journey from Fernhill, Alberta, and Woodland Park and partake in all the fun! You can view the 8 mile route map on-line at http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=51515&a=395655.

If you can’t make it this Sunday, or you can, but you just didn’t get enough, don’t distress. The fun continues through the summer. It moves to:

North Portland on June 24th
Southwest (added this year) on July 22nd
Southeast on August 28th
and wraps up in East Portland on September 30th.

I don’t know about you, but a day of health, magic, live music, performers, time with friends and family, and sunshine sounds like a mighty good time to me! If you’d like to volunteer, or donate to contribute to the continued success of this wonderful event you can find more information on their blog at http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=46103&.

Here’s to Sunday Parkways! Hope to see you all there.

Beth and Chris find an amazing John's Landing Bungalow

May 11th, 2012 by Chandra Noble-Ashford

Beth and Chris are the perfect clients, highly motivated, readily available and really funny/easy to spend time with. This market is crazy and basically made it so that in order to have any sort of a chance in getting an accepted offer we were at the house the day it came on the market, even still oftentimes houses had offers within hours. It is frustrating out there. Beth and Chris never got down about it, they were super optimistic, which in turn made it so that the karma gods smiled upon them and granted them a great house in an ideal neighborhood! ( John’s Landing has it all, good schools, cute houses, walk-ability, and proximity to downtown!)

The house is adorable, with a huge basement (room to grow), and attached garage, more built-ins than I have ever seen and oodles of character (including a very pink bathroom that is not Chris’s favorite;). The inspection was really clean for a house of this vintage, the owner had taken stellar care of the home and made great updates, while leaving the charm intact. We had a really smooth, friendly transaction that resulted in happy buyers and happy sellers, this equals success in my book! I cannot wait to meet the newest member of the family due at the end of the summer, congrats Beth and Chris on this amazing phase of your life!

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