It took some time to find the right buyer for our client Jesse's Classic Portland Home near the St John's bridge. 
The property's vicinity to downtown Portland, Forest Park and its privacy were huge selling points, but we had to wait for the right buyer who could bring this gem to its full potential. 
The Stats:
5944 NW Saltzman Road,
Portland OR 97210
SOLD: $415,000
1/20
Built in 1925
2008 Square Feet
Three Bedrooms
Three Bathrooms
Three levels with a lower level Mother in Law unit

If you'd like to sell your Portland home, get in touch with the Grover Team!
Frani - 503 998 6149
​Martha - grovermartha60@gmail.com

Sometimes a search for the perfect property is not so straightforward; Ramu and Renata, two teachers working abroad, needed a home for their visits over the summer and holiday breaks. They were growing weary of of staying in Air BNBs with young children and all the additional hassles that entails. Renata's sister Camille was also looking to change her living situation, from renting with her daughter, to something more secure. 
Luckily, The Grover Team helped them find something perfect: a 1908 Portland home that had been used as a multifamily unit for many years. 
The Stats:
2422 SE YAMHILL ST, PORTLAND, OR 97214
SOLD: $645,000
9/19
1920 Square feet
Two units with Two bedrooms and one bath each.
Each floor was furnished with fully functioning kitchens. 
Congratulations Ramu, Renata and Camille! 

Get in touch with us to find your perfect home!
grovermartha60(at)gmail.com
frani(at)franigrover.com

Sarah and Jacob had been searching for a home in the country for years. Last year, one finally came on the market in the rural community of Corbett, OR. Corbett, located in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, is known for high winds and world-class views. 
Coincidentally, The Grover Team had sold this historic home a year prior. When we found out the house was going to come back on the market, we asked the couple if they'd like to see it. They fell in love and the rest is history. 
The Stats: 
SOLD: $449,000
2/19
Five bedrooms
Two Bathrooms
3,560 Square Feet
Built in 1938

The Grover Team was delighted to help the Kimes family sell their home on Williams Ave in North Portland last summer. The buyer was a commercial builder and the transaction did not close until the following March. Working with the Kimes to get a top price for their valuable property was our pleasure, albeit we benefited greatly from the patience of both the buyer and seller. 
The Kimes have moved their family to Eugene to continue their work with people experiencing homelessness in the Pacific Northwest. We're so glad we could do our small part to further their mission. 

Our team member Mike Grover has been a Realtor for over twenty years. We asked to him write a blog about "The Closing Date", a term often misunderstood by sellers and buyers alike. 

"The closing date is defined on the sales agreement as the day when the deed is recorded in the name of the purchasers and the sellers receive their money.  But how is this date chosen, and what happens to cause the date to be moved?
 
Closing used to commonly take 60 days, and it wasn’t unusual to hit 90 days in some cases.  But then, as the whole real estate transaction started to move online, this moved to 30 days.  Because of various state regulations, it will occasionally rise to 45 days, but then as everyone gets used to the new regulations it moves back down to 30 days.
 
When a sales agreement is written, the selling realtor fills in the closing date based on their experience with other closings, and their knowledge of the buyer and the house being purchased.  In reality, the realtor is just guessing.  They have pinned a target date to the wall and invited all parties to the transaction to work together to try to hit the bullseye. 
 
There are many things that can cause closing to be delayed.  Mismanaged paperwork, repair negotiations, the scheduling of bids, repairs, inspections, and appraisals are common items.  But other things can impinge, for example, sometimes (rare, but it happens) an underwriter will intervene in the transaction and insist on a repair being done.  I once had a closing delayed because the mortgage insurance underwriter was sick, and the file was on her desk, and so closing was delayed by one day.  Or, sometimes a courier cannot be scheduled in a timely manner so closing is delayed by a day.  
 
Sometimes closing will be delayed by the buyer or the seller for their own personal reasons, which are withheld from the other party.  On these occasions the buyer or seller works behind the scenes with the lender, title company, or even one of the realtors to delay closing.  Closing can also be early, but it rarely happens because of moving considerations by both parties.
 
Real estate transactions must close by the closing date or the transaction is dead.  However, if all parties agree to extend, the date can be changed, but it must be changed in writing and signed by all parties. 
 
Usually it is the buyer who needs more time.  A seller can refuse to extend the closing date, but sellers want to sell, so it is not unusual for a seller to extend the closing date for additional time if the buyer has a good reason and seems ready and able to close.  If there are doubts about the need for extra time the listing agent may ask for non refundable earnest money, or have the earnest money immediately released to the seller.

I have seen sellers ask for delayed closing, usually because of problems with the house they are moving into.  In those cases the buyers have little recourse but to give the time, terminate the transaction, or threaten legal action.

Having a good lender is key to a smooth real estate transaction. The Grover Team sat down with one of our favorite lenders, Tiffany Martone-Caprai of Green Leaf Mortgage, to ask her for some advice for prospective buyers looking to buy a home in Oregon. We wanted to reach out to a lender because we've found that many buyers have misconceptions about the role of the mortgage broker, and what they may need to do to qualify for a home loan. 

The Grover Team: How long have you been a mortgage broker? 
 
Tiffany: I’ve been a mortgage broker for twenty years. I opened my own small boutique mortgage company as an independent mortgage broker in 2007. Being an independent mortgage broker gives me the advantage to keep rates and fees low, and to offer a more specialized and personal approach to lending. I started in this business in 1999 with a new baby and two other children. I wanted a career where I had more control and flexibility.  I’m very driven, and creative and I love working with all types of people. I found the mortgage business an exciting opportunity to become more ingrained in my community and the people of Oregon.  I also love the challenge of mortgage planning and finding strategic ways to put financing together. Many brokers say no when a buyer doesn't fit inside the box.  I am really great at finding creative solutions to achieve the dream of home ownership. 
 
The Grover Team: What is your favorite thing about being a mortgage broker?  
 
Tiffany: I’ve been an Oregonian for most of my life and value the beauty, culture and people of Oregon. My favorite part of my job is being part of someone's dream and helping that dream come true. Buying a home is something that most people strive to do and the happiness that buyers feel when the loan goes through and they receive their keys is truly something I love being part of
 
The Grover Team: What's the most common misconception buyers have about talking to a lender? 
 
Tiffany: The most common misconception would be that potential buyers may not feel they could qualify based on the amount of assets they have to put down. Most consumers believe you must have 20% of the purchase price to put down to get a good rate. There are so many loan programs available to buyers and many require as little as 3% down. Each buyers circumstance is different buy typically there is program to meet the needs of most. 
 
Additionally, many consumers simply go to their bank or credit union and assume that is enough.  You want to shop around in order to ensure that you are getting the best rate, lowest fees and the most available program options. Many people believe advertisements or the commercials they see on TV and chose to work with giant predominately on-line lenders. If it is seems too good to be true, it usually is.  Most of the time these borrowers end up feeling extremely frustrated as the rates end up being higher, the turn times are long and the customer service is extremely poor. Working with a lender you can sit down in front of, who is willing to dig in and really look at a variety of options and who is familiar with the market area, truly makes a huge difference. You should expect great communication and clear answers and a lender who is on top of every step of the process.
 
The Grover Team: What's the most common mistake buyers make during the lending process? 
 
Tiffany: One of the most common mistakes is buyers who make big life changes or big purchases during the loan process without consulting with their mortgage professional.  I ask all of my clients to let me know if they want to make a purchase over $500 during the loan process. Sometimes if the buyers ratios are tight a large purchase can make the difference in qualifying for the loan.  I have had other clients who quit their job during the loan process or made other big life changes thus making it impossible to qualify for their mortgage.  It is vital to keep your mortgage professional aware of any big changes you might want to make or any large purchases that could be impactful to their qualifying for financing.
 
The Grover Team: What’s the role of a buyer's credit score in securing a loan? What's the easiest thing a buyer can do to improve their credit score? 
 
Tiffany: Credit scores are big part of obtaining a mortgage as it relates to rates and program option.  Those with outstanding credit scores will receive the lowest rates but buyers with marginal scores still have many program options available, such as FHA, VA and USDA loans, if they meet the overall criteria. I work with many buyers who have less than perfect credit to come up with a 3 month, 6 month or 1 year plan to improve their scores.  The best way to improve a buyers credit scores is to pay your payments on time or a few days early, make over the minimum payment, try to keep the balance for each credit card at no more than 50% of the available credit and pay off collections and judgement as fast as possible. Everyone is different and having low credit scores is nothing to be ashamed of as everyone has a life story. The good news is that you can bounce back as long as you are diligent and invested in the end goal.
 
 
The Grover Team: What does a borrower need to do to be competitive in a tough housing market? 
 
Tiffany: Being prepared is the number one component in a competitive housing market.  Making sure you have a firm pre-approval is key to making sure you are not disappointed when you find the home of your dreams. That along with finding a great real estate agent that will walk beside you step by step throughout the process, is the best approach to being competitive.
 
Grover Team: What’s something that you wish every borrower knew when beginning the process of buying a home? 
 
Tiffany: I wish every borrower knew that in order to be successful in the journey towards home ownership you must surround yourself with the right team players to help you achieve this goal.  The right agent combined with the right mortgage broker will help ensure that your experience is not only rewarding but memorable in a good way. When you surround yourself with good people who are truly invested in you and your dreams, the sky is the limit.

Tiffany Martone' - Caprai,
Owner/Independent Broker Emerald Valley Mortgage, Inc.,
​NMLS #276693/#277048
Tiffany@emeraldvalleymtg.com

2350 Oakmont Way, Suite 106
Eugene, OR 97401
O 541-685-9000
C 541-915-1299

The Grover Team was honored to help Joshua and Shawna Putnam find a new home in the Columbia River Gorge recently. Josh and Shawna never gave up in their search for an affordable home near friends and family in East County.
Congratulations to the Putnam family and thank you for trusting us with your business! 

From Shawna: "Last week we closed on our NEW HOME. Still doesn’t feel real. It’s been a long and drawn out process but the keys are in our hands and we can officially get started on the world’s longest list of to-dos. Suuuper thankful for the people we have in our corner and family who came to celebrate with wine in plastic cups, fresh baked crisp on the front steps and a visionary walk through to christen this place.
Ana Linden, we are so soooo grateful for you, your mom and sister. What a pleasure it was having you guys in our corner. You better believe we are passing your name along to everyone."
 
Get in touch with the Grover Team so we can help you find your dream home!

​While in the process of purchasing a home, the Grover Team often refer our clients to the Portland Maps website. (https://www.portlandmaps.com)
 
There is so much useful information on the website, every buyer should become familiar with it. You can look up when the last permit was pulled on the property and crosscheck that with anything you find in the inspection report or what the sellers have disclosed. 
 
 
Portlandmaps.com has made it very easy to do neighborhood research online.  For example, there are maps of Portland showing real time airplanes and helicopters flying over the city.  By clicking on the airplane icon it gives you the flight number, the height of the plane, whether it’s coming or going etc.  Pretty much anything you would want to know about an airplane.


There are is also a “Noise complaint map” with a dot for every location someone complained to the city about noise.  (And a noise variance map as well.) They mostly fall into loud music, a machine, or constructions sounds early in the morning or late at night.
 
Other categories you can quickly look at are Geologic Hazards, crime maps, and marijuana applications.  Maybe not something you need to know, but fascinating none the less.  (West side, you’re not doing your share.)
 
Other things you can find on Portlandmaps.com are street sweeping schedules, locations of trees, locations of flashing pedestrian lights, (West side, you’re not doing your share!) and the progress of pet projects like Springwater salmon recovery.
 
In short, every buyer should do their research before purchasing a home and Portland Maps is an amazing resource. 

If you're in the market for a new home, get in touch with our buyer's agent, Ana Linden - 503 964 0617