Scott and Sherry were looking to buy a home in Portland, after 18 years spent in Olympia.  Their new home had to accommodate not only them but their screen printing  business as well.   They needed an extra structure, garage or basement suitable for housing a large screen press.  This is a tough find at any price, but with a budget of right around $300,000, I knew this would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.  They made their odds more favorable by remaining flexible on location.

We quickly settled into a routine of Saturday home touring, a cooler loaded with snacks, the day spent on the prowl for their abode.  We looked high and low, north and south.  Many a basement and garage was measured.  There were endless conversations debating the merits of various small, dank spaces.  Seasons changed.  Buyer fatigue set in.  Would they find it?

Then it happened.  This listing showed up on the RMLS on a Thursday.  This place was just what they were looking for and it wasn’t going to be around by Saturday.  They were here the next day.  Saw it.  They didn’t mess around.  They wrote the offer.  They got it.

The home:  A mid-century tri-level home, built in 1950, based upon a design by R. Huck, according to plans left behind by previous owners.  An earlier home once stood at this site and can be used as an attached apartment or as additional living space in a single family home.  The home is heated by radiant heat and has redwood siding.  The living room has a wall of windows juxtaposed to a brick wall, with a cantilevered 2^nd floor overhead. There are many cool details here.   

The land: almost ¾ of an acre, of rolling hills, fruit and nut trees and, on the day of the home inspection, a deer with twins.  Though it feels slightly rural, it is just beyond the county line, only 10 minutes to NW Portland,  and very near Forest Park. 

The shop:  HUGE, detached, over 1,900 square feet, high ceilings, electricity, and tons of natural light.  These buyers were willing to make a lot of less appealing spaces work and in the end they were rewarded with this gem!

The key to their success?  They didn’t hesitate for a minute.  They wisely bid $9k over the asking price and provided excellent terms to the seller in order to procure their dream home.  They stayed within their budget and got more home and shop than they could ever imagine.  By acting quickly they got the house; if they had waited until Saturday the house would have been gone. 

Vision, patience and determination were qualities that saw them through.  Remember their flexibility on location?  That quality helped them find their home.  They persevered and prevailed.  They are now officially Portlanders, but I think they’ll keep the name of the business.  Check them out at www.OlympiaScreen.com.  Good job Scott and Sherry!