Client Spotlight: Makenzi and Stanley
I had the extreme pleasure of helping Makenzi and Stan find their home in May of 2021. They ended up in a super special and well maintained home in University Park with all kinds of original details. I can’t really say enough about how nice it was touring houses and writing offers with these two, and when the right home popped up they pounced and beat out a whole bunch of other offers… 11 if I remember correctly. We even broke the garage key on our tour, but we said - don’t worry about that, we will fix it once we own the house.
I checked in with Makenzie and Stan, and they are doing well, and have a new addition to their family - a new puppy named Dolly! Now they are the two of them, Dolly, Bella the dog, and Chunt, the cat. They are playing ultimate frisbee, and disc golf, and just living the life in North Portland.
1. Could you share a little about yourself?
Examples: where you are from, how long you have lived in Portland, what you do, pets, hobbies, etc. Mak is from Salt Lake City, UT, and has lived in Portland for 4.5 years and works in Planning for a tech company. Stan is from Knoxville, TN and has been in PDX for about a decade and is a cider maker. We have three pets: Bella the dog (13yr), Dolly Parton the dog (1yr), and Chunt the cat (2yr). We share several hobbies: ultimate frisbee, disc golf, paddle boarding, travel (duh) and, as of recently, gardening (more on this later).
2. When did you buy your home?
May 2021.
3. How long did you spend with Michele searching for your home?
About 1.5 months. Felt like 4 ;)
4. In what ways was the home you bought like what you were expecting to buy, and in what ways was it different?
It is a little smaller than my initial 'requirements'.. I wanted a second common area so the TV was not in the main sitting area and I wanted a second bathroom. However, I also expected to have to do some work/ upgrades/ renovations which I realize now would have been expensive and challenging to accomplish immediately. The house we ended up in was not only move-in ready, it was pristine! So much well-cared for character. We also got a lot more land/yard than I expected.
5. What has been the best part of home ownership so far?
Having always rented in the past, the best thing is to have a space that is my own. No worries about rent increases, not worries about having to move in the near future, no worries about getting permission to make a change to the space. It is so rewarding to make a home out of a house!
6. What has been the biggest challenge of home ownership so far?
For me it is deciding what to do with the space and prioritizing projects. The opportunities are endless, but overwhelming. Even deciding what color to paint the walls is challenging haha.
7. Have you made any upgrades/done any remodels you want to share about?
Not really. We installed rain barrels over the winter and are working on a garden area now. Definitely a WIP and not very pretty yet. We will also get a new fence this summer after the old one blew over this winter :(. We really haven't made any improvements. The front looks the same. The back looks worse at the moment thanks to the dogs digging and being in the middle of the garden project. The inside is just decorated differently, no change to paint or anything.
8. Do you have any advice for someone just starting their home search?
There will also be another perfect house! I offered on several houses, all of which I thought was 'the one'. But week after week I found another great house. Don't offer outside of your comfort zone/ stretch beyond your means because another 'one' is around the corner.
9. How has homeownership changed you or your daily life?
I am way more of a homebody now. Not only do I have more responsibilities at home vs when I rented, I also just like to be in my home.
10. Anything else you want the world to know about you, your home, me, homes in general...have at it!
Michele is amazing! If you want to buy a home, work with her!
