Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher

How to Compete in this Market

October 15, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

The best words to hear after you have been out house hunting are, “Your offer has been accepted!” You did the hard work of finding your dream home, putting together a thoughtful offer, and waited patiently for what seemed like days to get the news back. Unfortunately, in our current market of high demand and low inventory, it’s becoming more and more rare to hear those fantastic words. Luckily, we have tools in place to help you get your offer accepted and to stand out against the competition, even if that competition is paying all cash.

It seems like every offer is competing these days. In the close-in neighborhoods with ‘Pinterest perfect’ homes, you could be competing with 12 or more other people. We know it is tough out there, but before you get discouraged, know that we have quite a few tricks up our sleeves to help make your offer stand out. Here are our top 4 recommendations to help get you that accepted offer phone call.

#1 Make a stronger offer

There is no way to know exactly what the competition is offering, but we can still make our strongest possible offer up front. In most cases, money talks, so offer over the list price and don’t ask for any concessions. Going in with a strong offer up front shows you are serious and that you don’t want to play any games. We can also write in an escalation clause. That allows you to set a cap and offer a set amount over the next best offer.

#2 Write a love letter

I know, its cheesy. But for most people, a home is a sentimental place. They want to know the home is going to someone that will love it just as much as they did. Tell them earnestly why you love the home and how you imagine yourself living there. A sweet case of serendipity may just win over their hearts.

#3 Waive or shorten some contingencies

The contract is written to strongly favor the buyers in the transaction. There are multiple opportunities that allow you back out of buying the house but there are none for the sellers. You can sway the contract a bit more in their favor by shortening or removing some of the contingencies. You can remove the contingency for the seller property disclosures, shorten the inspection period, and waive the right to re-negotiate price based on the appraisal. Discuss each of these options in detail with your agent. There are varying levels of risk with each contingency, so it’s important to know all the options before removing them.

#4 – Pay their closing costs

This isn’t something we see very often which means it could really sway your offer to be more favorable. Sellers have to pay title and escrow fees just like buyers do. We can offer to cover those costs to help bring the sellers net proceeds up just a bit. You could also offer to pay the commission which typically come out of the seller proceeds, but that is a much larger monetary commitment.

#5 – Surprise them

Do you have a special talent? A huge wine collection? Access to lots and lots of pizza? You can offer anything that you would like to get the sellers to accept your offer. I have had clients offer to brew the seller any type of beer that they would like (only in Portland right?). I have had clients offer free pizza for a year, a weekend get away at a beach cabin, the sky is truly the limit! The trick here is that you cannot attach any monetary value to it. We are giving it to them in exchange for the home, but it needs to be as a gift.

Even after doing all of these things, we may still have been beat out by a higher offer but it is important not to give up. The right home is out there, and when it is meant to be, it will be. Though it’s not on this list, having a great real estate agent on your side is crucial. Having positive working relationships with other brokers in the city has gotten our offers chosen over other (higher!) offers on many occasions. IF you want to get to know either or both of us a little better head over to our about us pages. You can read about Jessica here and Tekela here. Also, you can read our quick guide and meet our favorite lenders here. Lastly, if you want to look at the homes available on the market, you can find those here!

The Hoxton

October 8, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

The Hoxton is Portland’s newest addition to a downtown that is famous for chic hotels with fun dining options, so we had to go check it out!

We decided to start at street level, by visiting Lovely Rita- a classic lounge with an industrial mid-century flair. Neither of us will ever turn down the temptation of oysters on the half shell. With $1 a pop Shigoku and Kumamoto on the happy hour list, we didn’t have to skimp. We paired that with a delicious bottle of Brut Rose for a proper celebration. As the oysters and bubbles had only whetted our appetites, we also added on the Calamari Fritti, with pickled peppers and lemon aioli. The calamari was crispy and the peppers were a great addition. We wished that the lemon aioli had been a little bit zingier to pack a perfect punch.

Now that snack time was done and our bottle empty, it was time to head up to the rooftop taco bar, Tope. The decor at Tope was airy and bright, like a greenhouse or atrium that happens to serve margaritas. We also ended up with a fantastic table, right at the edge of the rooftop for sweeping views of the city and the river.

We started with the aforementioned margaritas because, how could we not? I got the Spice Gurl as I like my margaritas on the hot side and Jessica went with the traditional. Both were lovely and refreshing. For food, we decided a share-it-all feast was the way to go. We ordered the Chorizo Queso, the Caesar, the Smoked Spare Ribs, Shrimp Ceviche, AND the Dungeness Crab Tostada. We were fans of all of the food, but a few of the dishes really shone. The Smoked Spare Ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender with a smoky chipotle sauce that complemented them perfectly. The Dungeness Crab Tostada was my personal favorite, piled high with sweet lumps of crab meat with little bursts of tangy roe. All in all an excellent spot to enjoy some tasty vittles with a view.

We weren’t able to check out the basement speakeasy bar 2NW5 this time, but if it is as quality as the other dining and drinking spots in the Hoxton, we are sure to be pleased.

Have you checked out the Hoxton yet? You can see the full menu, hours, or book a room over on the website. What did you think? Let us know in the comments!

Pumpkin Patches

October 2, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

With the leaves changing, the sweaters slowing coming out of the back of the closet, and pumpkin spice invading every part of our lives, you’ve probably realized it’s fall! That means it is time for one of our absolute favorite family activities, visiting the Portland area pumpkin patches! Whether you need pumpkins for carving or you just want cute family photos, there is much more to do than wander around the pumpkin field.

Things will look a little different this year with most farms requiring advanced reservations to limit the number of people on site. As long as you plan ahead, you can still enjoy all of the Fall festivities. In alphabetical order, here is a list of the places that we recommend!

Bella Organic

Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.
16205 NW Gillihan Rd
503-621-9545
Online: https://bellaorganic.com/pumpkin-patch/

No entry fee or varying activity fees

*Masks required in buildings and on hay rides*

All activités can either be purchased a la carte or as an all day activity bracelet. Activities include a cow train, a grain train, a hay maze and duck races. Many of the activities are only available on the weekend, check the website for full details.

Bushue’s Family Farm

Hours: Friday-Sunday 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
9880 SE Revenue Rd
Boring, OR
503-663-6709
Online: bushuefarming.com

Reservations required, prepayment for activities required

*Masks required in buildings*

Offering lots of family friendly activities including a pig train ride, hay rides, apple cider and donuts, and an animal farm.

Lee Farms

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 12-6pm and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
21975 SW 65th Ave.
Tualatin, OR
503-638-1869
Online: leefarmsoregon.com

Reservations recommended, pricing varies

*Masks required in buildings and for some activites*

General admission includes a hay ride, play area, pumpkin and corn field access, and an animal area. There is also a larger activities area with a bounce pad, large slide, hay mazes and tricycles.

Plumper Pumpkins

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
11435 NW Old Cornelius Pass Road
(503) 645 9561
Online: https://plumper-pumpkins.square.site

Pre-purchase $10 admission

*Masks required in some areas*

Admission includes most activities including the Hobbit house, corn maze, animals, hay pyramid, and pumpkin picking. Pony rides are available for an additional cost.

The Pumpkin Patch

Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.
16511 NW Gillihan Rd.
503-621-3874
Online: thepumpkinpatch.com

No entry fee or activity fee

*Masks required in buildings and on hay rides*

The original Portland pumpkin patch. They offer a corn maze, hay rides, an animal barn, cafe and coffeehouse, gift shop, produce market, and specialty food carts!

Let us know where you end up this year and what your favorite pumpkin patch is to visit!

Hawks View Winery

September 23, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

This week we headed to the beautiful suburb of Sherwood to meet with a new client and try some wine. One of our favorite things about Portland is that the city is small enough that you can get out to the suburbs in about 20-30 minutes. That allows us to enjoy some of the amazing places outside of the city. Hawks View is a perfect example of this. They have a gorgeous property in the hills with multiple decks, modern design, and, most importantly, delicious wine.

I highly recommend trying a wine flight, for $20 you get 6 different wines. If you are lucky they will be starting the flight off with a sparkling rosé, it’s a dry and crisp sparkling wine and pairs perfectly with the end of the summer. They also had a pinot gris, chardonnay, and 3 pinots on the wine flight while we were visiting. All of their wines are very true to the style and moderately priced if you want to bring some bottles home.

They also serve a bit of food. They have a fantastic charcuterie board that has been a staple at the winery since they opened, but they also just started doing flatbreads. Cleverly named after the color of the wine it will best pair with, all the choices counted delicious.

We decided on “The Red” a flatbread with gorgonzola, figs, prosciutto, and arugula. It was delicious. The flatbread was crisp on the edges and light and fluffy in the middle. The flavors are a classic combination that all balance really well. True to the name, it did pair very well with the pinot noir we had.

The tasting room is by appointment only, but they have a very easy online system to use. You can get to it over on their website. You can also buy bottles, book events, or join the wine club while you are there. Let us know when you go and visit this winery, we would love to know what you think! You can also check out some of the other hotspots we have loved HERE.

Baerlic Brewing

September 15, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

This past week we headed out in search of a cool patio and some yummy beer. While we have an abundance of choices here in Portland, it can be a bit harder to find the truly outstanding ones. Baerlic, however, is a brewery that you can always trust to have great beer. Their huge ‘Super Secret Beer Club’ Patio is just a fantastic bonus!

One of the things that we love most about Baerlic is that they excel in multiple different styles. There are a lot of breweries that specialize in IPA in Portland, fewer that you can get a great Helles or a Saison and Baerlic is certainly one. Personally, hoppy beers have never been my thing. This time, I tried an Oat Gose, which is a slightly sour beer usually brewed with a bit of salt, and the Helles. Both were clean, crisp, and delicious. The menu changes very frequently here, but you can check out the beers currently on tap before you drop in if you want to make sure they have one of your favorites.

The ‘Super Secret Beer Club’ doesn’t offer any food, but you can bring your own, order from some nearby carts, or have something delivered. Teote or The Hawthorne Asylum Food Carts would be my recommendations because you can walk there and they are delicious! If you want to check out some of our other favorites places to grab beer, head over to our list of Top Breweries in the city!

Bend

September 9, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Our Hot Spot of the Week this week is one of our favorite places to visit in Oregon, Bend! After a fantastic summer of helping so many people find their dream homes, we decided to treat ourselves to a little getaway. A big bonus for us of visiting this lovely city is that our flagship office of Cascade Sotheby’s is located there so we also got to visit with some of our favorite colleagues.

_{Visiting one of our Bend offices and wine tasting with one of our favorite Bend agents, Dave Holland}

The Beer

One of our favorite things about Bend is that there are so many wonderful breweries. No matter what style of beer you like, you will be thrilled with all of your options in Bend. Many of the breweries also have public houses, so one of the days we decided to grab lunch at Deschutes to try their pub exclusive beers and grab a bite. I definitely recommend grabbing their beer cheese soup and some VERY garlicky truffle fries to soak up the fantastic tasting flight.

The Bubbles

Everyone knows we love bubbles, so of course we had to sip on some on our celebration weekend! We ordered some at our dinners, but our absolute favorite bubbles experience was at the wonderful spot Good Drop Wine Shoppe. They had an amazing selection of champagne and the wine steward was extremely knowledgeable and helped us pick the perfect selection. We went with a delicious bottle called ‘Eye of the Peacock’ (but in French) and it was the ideal blend of bright and crisp with a slightly toasty brioche finish. I highly recommend this spot for all of your wine needs when you are in town.

The Food

We had so many delicious meals while in Bend, but our absolute favorite was Washington. We’re always big fans of ordering a lot of dishes and sharing everything, and here was no exception. We started with the Goat Cheese Fondue (yum!) and the Pork Belly with Dungeness Crab (yummm!) plus some tasty cocktails. Mine was the Garden Party, with Aperol, champagne, gin, and basil and it was positively summer in a glass. We proceeded to order a bottle of bubbles with dinner, and adored our choices of the evening Sturgeon special with corn and Chantarelles, as well as the grilled Bavette steak with Chimichurri. I cannot wait to return to Washington and try every single thing on their menu!

The Outdoors

Despite what it sounds like, we didn’t JUST eat and drink the entire time in Bend. We also went to explore a bit of the nature nearby. While the lava tubes were sadly closed, we were still able to wander around in the lava fields at Newberry National Volcanic Monument as well as hike over to Benham Falls along the Deschutes River. There are so many amazing nature experiences all over the area, so you will have no shortage of choices when you want to see beautiful things or work off all of the indulgences 🙂

We had such a delightful time visiting Bend and we cannot wait to go back! What should we see/do/eat next time we are there? Let us know in the comments!

Clark Lewis

September 2, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

This week we tried the farm-to-table restaurant Clark Lewis. They just recently remodeled and reopened for dine-in service so we were thrilled to try it out! The first thing we noticed was how open the restaurant felt. Like many other restaurants in Portland they have taken up some parking spaces to use as a patio, but they also have massive roll up windows that allow the whole restaurant to be an open air dining space.

It isn’t often that we have a lunch this classy so we decided to really treat ourselves and test out many of the items on the menu. We, of course, started with a half dozen oysters while looking over the rest of the offerings and deciding on a cocktail. Because Clark Lewis focuses on fresh and local ingredients I decided to try the marionberry margarita. It was perfectly tart and tasted exactly like you would expect limes and fresh marionberries to taste. There was a slight tequila kick to remind you that you were having a cocktail and it was very refreshing on this hot summer day.

The Food

For lunch we decided to share a couple of different salads and a wood-fired pizza. We tried a watermelon and beet salad with a horseradish vinaigrette, a frisée salad with black plums and a dill vinaigrette and a salmon salad with kale and mama lil’s peppers. All of the salads tasted as though you had just picked the vegetables from the garden and the vinaigrettes were subtle enough to just pull all of the ingredients together. The salmon with the Kale salad was some of the most tender and flavorful salmon I have ever had and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

For the pizza, we decided on the loaded veggie. With a garlic oil base, green olives, mushrooms, artichokes and Parmesan cheese, this pizza was delicious. It was a little salty, but in a way that just made you want to eat more, kind of like a potato chip!

There were also pastas and paninos on the lunch menu and with the food as good as it was, we will definitely have to go back and try it again. The dinner menu also looks to be quite impressive. Let us know if you have been here yet and until next time, Cheers!

Ecliptic Brewing

August 25, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

This week we are featuring one of our favorite breweries and restaurants. With space themed decor and beer Ecliptic Brewing is just a fun place to visit for the whole family. They are currently only offering patio dining, but they have converted the entire parking lot into space for tables so there is plenty of space (pun intended).

Ecliptic also offers a wide variety of beverages, there is a full bar and some local wines to choose from. The real star, though, is of course, the beer. John Harris has been an important NW brewer since his early days at McMenamins. He then moved to Deschutes and Full Sail before finally opening his own brewery.

He doesn’t play it safe with his beer either, depending on the time of year that you visit, you can get almost every style of beer available. I love a fruity sour, there were multiple choices on the menu so I tried the the Carina Peach Sour. With the hot weather we also wanted to try a crisp and refreshing beer so we opted for the Ecliptic-Ruse Collab Pilsner. Both beers were refreshing, delicious, and exactly what we were expecting of the style.

Ecliptic has by far the best food menu of all the breweries. They focus on fresh and seasonal ingredients and switch up the menu often. This summer they are offering little gem salad, street corn and seared albacore tuna. You can also order one of their many burgers or sandwiches. They always have a great burger, but they are currently also offering a beet melt with goat cheese and granny smith apples and a salmon burger with avocado and jalapeño aioli. Head over to the website to see the full menu.

If you aren’t quite ready to head out to a restaurant you can order the food to go or have some beer delivered! You can order your beer HERE. Have you tried the beer/food yet? What did you enjoy most?

Want to check out our other hotspots? You can find those HERE