As first-time homebuyers, we did tons of due diligence with interviewing realtors. In the end,…read moreErin rose to the top due to her familiarity with & focus on close-in Portland, her matter-of-fact yet positive attitude, and her understanding of exactly what we were looking for in a home.
Starting out, Erin chauffeured us around town for two or three Saturdays in a row to scope out available homes. This provided plenty of opportunity for us to ask Erin any question we could think of, which ran the gamut of real estate, architectural styles, home maintenance and repairs, favorite restaurants, and even how to care for backyard chickens. Erin had well thought out answers to most of our questions, and always followed up in a timely fashion to those few questions that stumped her.
Erin is a great listener and quickly understood what we were looking for in a house, so we didn't waste time looking at places that would not interest us. We had fairly narrow search criteria (I wanted walkability and my wife wanted a large yard), so this complicated our search and we feared that the process could drag on for a year or more. And with such low inventory and skyrocketing demand, things looked bleak. However, Erin always kept a positive attitude and was confident that we would find our dream home.
In just over a month's time, Erin flagged a house for us that met all of our criteria although we were unfamiliar with the area (SW). Erin was able to think outside the box though and guessed well that this house/Multnomah Village might be just the place for us. The house had been on the market for a while with no offers because the price drops were not showing up on the normal websites (zillow, realtor, estately, etc). However, Erin had insider realtor information that showed the price drops and we are convinced that had Erin not been our realtor, we never would have even known about this house.
Upon visiting, it was love at first site. The house was spot-on what we were looking for and in a price range that we could afford. We knew we had to act fast. Erin reached out to the seller's agent and got lots of great intel. She also got comps on neighboring homes that had sold recently. Within a couple days, Erin submitted our offer that was substantially lower than asking, along with a 1-page letter (Erin's suggestion) about us and how much we loved the sellers' house. In a matter of days, we came to agreement with the sellers and negotiations began.
Erin did all of the busy work throughout the process, which made our lives incredibly easy. She worked with the seller's agent on all the details relating to contractors, the inspection, needed repairs, and timing so that everything was done by our loan deadline. Erin had tons of great contractor recommendations who do quality work, and she met with them at the home numerous times to get bids and ensure the work was getting done and done well. We also had tons of forms to sign during the process, but Erin uses a system that allows users to electronically view and sign documents, making the process incredibly easy and fast.
In just over two months from our first visit to the house, we are now first time homeowners and absolutely adore our house. Erin was with us every step of the way and we cannot imagine having had a better realtor. We highly recommend Erin for your home-buying needs!