Author: Thomas Shapiro

I recently had the pleasure of helping my wonderful client, Dave through the home buying process. Like any savvy buyer, Dave was looking for the best possible house for the best price. What set Dave’s experience apart, however, was that he planned to fix up whatever home he ended up purchasing, so the aesthetics of the home itself weren’t of much importance. 

He went into the process thinking that he might need to see dozens of homes before finding one that he would be happy with. To ensure that his time was well spent, I took his wishlist and translated that into a highly curated list of properties for him to see – as a result, Dave found his perfect home after seeing just three properties! 

The first two were fixer-uppers. One ticked most of the boxes and needed mostly cosmetic updates, but it didn’t quite feel right to Dave. 

The second one felt as though we had walked onto the set of a horror film and was way more work than Dave wanted to take on. 

Then we found the “Glass Slipper”, a perfect fit. While the location was a tad further out than what Dave had originally wanted, it was only 10 blocks from some of his closest friends and offered a short trek to the airport that perfectly suited him with his frequent travel for work. While the design and fixtures in the house were dated, the house itself came back with a clean inspection and the updates could all be completed without too much work. 

I’m so happy for Dave and so excited to see how he takes his new home to the next level! 

Congratulations on your new home, Albert and Charles! 

Albert, a friend and fellow rugby player with the Portland Lumberjacks, had lived in his one bedroom, classic Buckman condo for 11 years and he, and his partner, Charles, were at the point where they needed more space to grow as a family. 

With dreams of barbecues in the backyard, relaxing evenings spent in the hot tub, and sharing meals with their family & friends in the dining room, they started their house hunting process. 

This would be Charles’ first time as a homeowner, and more importantly their first home together, so we wanted to make this as exciting and positive an experience as possible. We saw quite a few properties: mold castles, critter dens, and our fair share of ‘underwhelming’; they had all but resigned themselves to the prospect of a “fixer” that still left a lot to be desired. 

One Sunday I got a text from Albert saying they wanted me to go and see a home they had checked out at an open house. I went over and was delighted to find the home was pristine and preserved with tasteful fixtures and Albert’s most important criteria: level floors. 

The home was “priced to sell” with warning signs of multiple offers. Knowing that this was the right home for them, Albert and Charles made the decision to submit a bid above ask and the seller responded with an accepted offer. 

I can’t wait to see how they make it their own!