Deciding to move to Portland, Oregon based on the recommendation of a cartoon internet dog is certainly unconventional. But to some extent, it is also totally Portland. My husband and I chose to move here thanks to the website findyourspot.com. I am reminded of our story of searching for our Portland home every time I meet with buyers who have a huge laundry list of what they want in their home.
First, I encourage all buyers to make a list. I am an Order Muppet at heart, and making lists is paramount to holding back the chaos that can thrive within the real estate purchase process. Incidentally, hiring a Realtor is also a terrific way to keep things orderly (yes, shameless self promotion here because (1) I believe I add tremendous value to the process, and (2) I know I can unburden you if you let me).
Our own list of “must haves” when we were looking to move to Portland included the following: (1) at least 2,500 square feet, (2) 3 bedrooms plus a bonus room, and 2 bathrooms, (3) must be a bungalow built prior to 1930, (4) central air conditioning, (5) attached, oversized 2-car garage, (6) “original features” – unpainted woodwork, original windows, and a “period” kitchen, (7) fully fenced yard for the dog, (8) a fully finished basement, (9) close to amenities and less than an hour to the airport. You can imagine our surprise when our Realtor, armed with the list of everything we said we wanted, hopped on the Sunset and trekked us out to Beaverton and Hillsboro. We were practically glued to the back window of the car. “But…but…the city. Why are we leaving the city?” Turns out, in our price range, that laundry list of “must haves” was not attainable within the city limits.
We obligingly looked at property based on what we thought we could not live without, and we slowly started chipping away at our “must haves” in order to get us back into the city. In the end, it all boiled down to location. After touring neighborhoods with our Realtor, we found a 13-block stretch along SE Hawthorne Boulevard to which we needed to be as near as possible. We drew a map about 5 blocks north and south of that 13 block stretch. That was our “spot.” Our home was contained somewhere within those 130 blocks. We just needed to find it.
Below is our list of “must haves” along with what we settled for in order to live exactly where we want to live. Now, all these years later, we laugh at what we thought we could not live without.
| Our “Must Haves” | Our “What We Gots” |
| Minimum of 2,500 finished square feet | 1,600 finished square feet |
| 3 bedrooms, plus a bonus room | 3 bedrooms, 2 with closets of questionable depth that do not fit adult-sized coat hangers. No bonus room. |
| 2 bathrooms | 2 bathrooms |
| An attached, oversized 2-car garage | A detached, dilapidated 1-car garage suitable to store only those items we wouldn’t mind losing if the roof were to collapse (read: no parking) |
| A fully fenced yard (woof) | A fully fenced yard (woof) |
| Bungalow-style home (built prior to 1930) | Bungalow-style home (built in 1913) |
| Stained molding (unpainted), oak or fir | White painted molding, most of it pine and MDF |
| Original windows | Mostly original windows, most not in functioning order. This became apparent during our first winter snowstorm when we woke up to a pile of snow on the windowsill. Inside the living room. |
| Original, tiled fireplace | Non-working fireplace updated with slate and a mantle that matches the pattern of the big box store, deeply discounted front door |
| Period kitchen | Ikea kitchen |
| Fully finished basement | Unfinished basement that required we install a French drain to keep the water out. Incidentally, this unfinished basement was lucky for us when we had to cut through the floor and replace 30 feet of crushed pipe that ran diagonally underneath the basement in our first week of home ownership. Pro tip: make sure your sewer scope professional scopes back toward the house, not just out toward the street. |
| Central air conditioning | Ha ha ha ha ha |
| Close to amenities and no more than an hour to the airport | We are just blocks away from SE Hawthorne Blvd. We could not ask for a better location. It is our location that makes all of the “short comings” on our above list completely inconsequential to us. The first rule of real estate is location, location, location. It is a rule not to be forgotten. |
In the end, what mattered to us was that we lived in a charming, older home somewhere in those 130 blocks, with enough room for ourselves and the occasional guest, and a nice yard for the dog. We got everything we really wanted, we just did not know it at the time.
When I work with buyers, I make it my mission to help you find that balance in your own home search as well. Yes, it is compromise. But not everything on your list is weighted equally. It is the process of looking at homes that helps you hone your list and better understand what truly matters to you. Well, that and a Realtor that understands what you are going through and is able to help you make smart choices you can live with, within your budget.