Living in close-in Portland normally means sacrificing open space and a big yard for the convenience of being close to shopping and other urban amenities. But there are a handful of options for people who want to feel like they are living in the country without leaving the city.

One of the best neighborhoods for this type of house is Cully. Driving through Cully is a different experience than the rest of Portland–instead of the normal rectangular lots packed with bungalows, Cully offers winding dirt roads, oversized lots in varying sizes and shapes, a mixture of newer and older homes, and a fun community of neighbors with a strong neighborhood association. Cully Boulevard, which runs through the heart of the neighborhood, is currently being rebuilt into a new street featuring a cycle track, the city’s experimental new bike lane designed to make cyclists more secure.

A recent day of looking at property in Cully revealed lots of options for buyers at all price ranges–for less than $200,000, you can find remodeled homes with huge yards and lots of privacy. If you think a country estate in the city might be right for you, call Tim at 503-317-4312.

Meet Mother of the Year Donna Soto.  After flying in from Foley, Alabama, Southern Bell Donna Soto bought her son Zack and daughter-in-law Krista a house–over peppermint tea and raspberry poppy seed cake!  Donna, Krista, Zack and I had an action-packed weekend when Donna came to town.  Having fun the whole time through, we saw all of the very best houses under 175K.  The winner was this fantastic farmhouse right outside of downtown in Saint Johns. With 3 bedrooms, a large kitchen, full unfinished basement, hardwood floors, corner lot, location 2 blocks from Pier Park and a nice back yard, this house is the cats meow!  And can you believe the price?! Congratulations.  A sweet deal for a sweet couple from a sweet Mom!

I passed this sweet ranch on my way to work each day. I had long admired the beautiful setting, good bones and meticulous manner the couple who lived there kept the home. After years of admiration the home went on the market and I knew I wanted to be the person who found the right buyer for this SW gem. Luckily for my clients Bill and Brenda it was a perfect fit. I sold their house in the Multnomah area a few months prior and they were waiting in a rental until they found the right thing. Their last house was too big and had a huge guest cottage to boot. The arrival of a new baby had them looking for a fuss free lifestyle that they could easily manage with the new demands of parenthood. This home’s open floor plan is filled with gorgeous natural light. It has an enclosed back yard great for small children to play and directly across the street is a green way with a play structure and open field for games when little Henry gets bigger. Their street dead ends into a nature park where other neighborhood kids gather to play in the stream and hide among the large trees. An idyllic setting close in to the city.

The home had been well loved by the previous owners who raised their own children here. Bill and Brenda hired Erin Barnes from Spruce design to help them give new life to the home.  They have started repainting, removing old wallpaper and picking out new finishes. This home has all the goodies such as great light, location and great bones so a little modern touch is going to give them a knock out place they will enjoy for years to come! Congrats!! 3344 SW Maricara 4 bedroom 2 bath  3200 square feet sold for $358,200.

If you have a million dollars to spend in the Portland housing market you can get an amazing deal right now. This is the softest part of the market. You get 3 to 4 times the house compared to a half million dollar home. I have had the thought more than once you could easily share one of these homes with a friend or relative if a million is out of the budget. These neighborhoods aren’t usually what comes to mind when you think of co-housing but I like to get creative when thinking how more people could take advantage of some truly amazing deals. Here are some prime examples of homes in each quadrant of the city that seem like a steal!

Gorgeous English at 2208 NE 28th listed at $1,095,000. This home is my favorite classic house in NE Portland. Its a gracious floor plan with amazing original tile work in the bathrooms, a perfect kitchen thats open and light. The location is devine, 6875 square feet 6 bedroom 3.5 baths, art deco details that will make you feel like a vintage Hollywood scarlet as you glide down the stairs. Listed with Billy Grippo of Windermere.

2134 SE Elliot. This home is inside what many in Portland would consider Portland’s best urban neighborhood, Ladd’s Addition. In fact I think it has been recently voted that in a national poll. Tree lined street with antique Elms a mile from downtown Portland. The home is stunning, you can save money on gas for your commute, in fact you should hardly ever have want of a car for anything here. Listed with Morgan C. Davis of Keller Williams for $1,195,000. 5659 square feet 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths with 2 half baths.

2373 NW Pettygrove St. listed at $998,000 with Dana Cody of Coldwell Banker. This dollhouse in Portland’s established NW Alphabet district is an urban dream. Walkers paradise, close to shopping, parks and all the best of Portland. 2948 square feet 3 bedroom 3.5 baths. Gorgeous interior details, woodwork and gourmet kitchen.

3930 SW Martins St. listed at $1,049,000. with Chris Larsson of Coldwell Banker BSSP. This mid-century gem built in 1953 on nealry half an acre opens up to views of the wooded lot. Private and Elegant this is my pick of the million dollar litter.  3882 square feet 5 bedrooms 3 baths is enough room for all. This home is dialed, all the mechanicals have been updated and the original NW Modern details you would hope for are in tact as well.

11361 SW Aventine Circle is located in the highly coveted Riverdale school district. Award winning academic programs, Portland’s most exclusive neighborhood and a Post Modern home designed by Dale Farr all for $925,000. Seems like a small price to pay to live in a home where you can recreate scenes from Less Than Zero. Let your inner Julian out after you tuck the kids to bed. Listed with Teri Nelson of Realty Trust. 2 bedrooms 2.5 baths on .69 acres.

That completes my top 5 picks for million dollar deals. Call me and I can show you more. 503-719-5589

Walking into the spacious and light filled living room of this side by side duplex I instantly fell for the property.  This charming duplex boast 2 beds and 1.1 baths on each side with full unfinished basements offering even more space for hobbies, workshops or storage.  Features include; new windows, hardwood floors, built ins, fireplaces, as well as updated kitchen and baths in the south unit.  The back yard is great with room to lounge enjoying the sunshine with a bonus patio to sit at the front of the house.  A two car garage with off street parking is the cherry on top for this duplex allowing parking and/or storage outside keeping all the wonderful living space inside available for just that, living.  Loreen Officer at Windermere/C&C Johnson is the listing agent.  5615 NE 11th is priced at $385,000 with 1100+ sq ft each side, 2 beds, 1.1 baths, great walk-ability or short bike to Alberta Arts District and the up and coming Dekum Triangle. Call me today and I’ll show you how to make this great duplex pencil as a head smart investment or a comfortable owner occupied home of your own with some sweet income potential!  503.730.7205  ~ Jaime Arb Haessig