Sometimes the Best House Isn’t the Flashiest One

Some clients come through referrals. Some find me online. And every once in a while, you simply happen to meet the right people at the right time.

That’s how this home-buying story began.

I met these two at an open house, and there was an immediate connection. They were relocating from another state, but one was from here and already very familiar with Portland. They work on the westside and knew they wanted to stay on the westside, so we had a good starting point for their search.

Over the next several months, we saw a lot of houses together.

Every home helped us narrow things down a little more. What did they love? What didn’t work? Which compromises were reasonable, and which ones would eventually become frustrations?

That process is important because buyers naturally start imagining their lives in a house. Sometimes that excitement can also make it easy to overlook things that deserve a closer look.

Part of my job is helping buyers see both.

The HGTV effect

We all love a beautiful kitchen.

A gorgeous primary bathroom, designer lighting, fresh cabinetry and beautiful countertops can absolutely make someone fall in love with a house.

But there is another category of improvements that doesn't photograph nearly as well — and can be much more expensive to deal with after closing.

Things like roofs.

Furnaces and air conditioning systems.

Electrical panels.

Plumbing.

Windows.

Those aren't usually the things that make someone stop scrolling through listing photos, but they matter enormously when you're evaluating the true cost of owning a home.

That became especially important with this purchase.

Then came a Friday night

One Friday evening, I sent them a listing.

The house had already been on the market for a while, so it wasn't the shiny new listing everyone was rushing to see.

But when I looked through it, something jumped out at me.

A lot of the expensive work had already been done.

The home had a newer roof, newer furnace and air conditioning, a newer electrical panel, fresh interior paint and new carpet.

Those aren't necessarily the improvements that create the dramatic HGTV before-and-after moment.

But to me, they represented something really valuable: a house where many of the major-ticket items had already been addressed.

Kitchens can be updated over time. Bathrooms can be remodeled. Paint colors can change.

Replacing a roof, HVAC system or electrical panel isn't nearly as fun.

I thought this house deserved their attention.

I sent them the link that Friday night, and they later told me they'd never forget opening it and immediately having that feeling:

This could be the one.

And it was!

Knowing when there may be an opportunity

Because the home had been on the market for a while, we also had an opportunity to negotiate and ultimately I was able to negotiate a purchase price 8% below the home's asking price.

After months of looking, they found a home in the area they wanted, with many of the major systems already updated, at a price that made sense for them.

And earlier this month, I got to hand them the keys.

That's one of my favorite parts of being a buyer's agent.

Sometimes it's finding the beautiful house everyone loves.

And sometimes it's recognizing the value in the house that everyone else has been overlooking.

Congratulations! Welcome home.