“Derrick and I received the keys to our perfect first home on October 25th, all thanks to Erica Dagle of Portland Alternative Realtors! Here’s our story…
We moved to Portland earlier this year from California because it’s such a cool and affordable city! We knew we wanted to buy, but did not expect it to be so soon.
This summer I submitted our info to our credit union to see if we qualified for any type of mortgage. We were hoping to purchase a condo. To our surprise we were pre-approved for more than expected. I now recommend people apply for pre-approval even if you don’t think you will qualify… you may be pleasantly surprised like we were.
Hence began the process of hawk-eyeing listings on Redfin, as they are the most user friendly app in my opinion. We met a Redfin agent Memorial Day weekend, and from that point on were touring homes and condos left and right for the next 2 months. Redfin touring agents are very nice, but we did not like the first realtor whom we were assigned to, so they gave us another. With Redfin, you only meet your realtor once and then random agents take you around when you schedule showings. Very convenient if you’re just dabbling the market.
After a couple months of active searching and disappointments, we decided to try a traditional realtor who could dedicate more time to us and answer my myriads of questions. I took to Yelp and found Portland Alternative Realtors. I liked the reviews, and the fact that their office is just a few blocks from our apartment. I read all the profiles and decided that Erica was the one. Aside from her gleaming and friendly online photo, I liked the fact that she has vast personal experience in home buying, is licensed as a broker, is a co-owner of the business, and loves cats!
I met with Erica mid-summer at her office. The office is very charming, a PDX style house right on SE Belmont. Very non-traditional. Erica was friendly and bubbly. I told her that I have lots of free time during the day but no car, so she happily agreed to be my chauffeur. We were sold on Erica, and the hunt began.
We saw place after place, and Erica would always accommodate me even on short notice. She has a very pleasant demeanor, not only with clients but also with other agents both live and over the phone. Rapport was easily established, as Erica works quickly and efficiently, as do I. Emails, texts, and phone calls were answered immediately or within a very short period- just the way I like it!
In July she showed us a short sale, and our application was approved! Short sales are long and boring but Erica was patient and helpful throughout the process. We went to the house several times and were in constant contact. As closing approached, she came with me to meet with various contractors so we could get quotes on future work to be done. When the inspection came around in September, the house had too much major damage so we dropped it like a sack of bad apples.
I was disappointed, yet relieved to be rid of a place that would require so much work. Erica never complained or argued, even though she had spent so much time and effort pursuing this property for us. She remained optimistic and pleasant.
Just two weeks later we found our perfect gem. Erica counseled us on how to submit the offer, and even in this seller’s market we were able to get the home for slightly less than ticket price. Everything went so smoothly and easily, thanks to her work. Erica arranged all the inspections with her reputable contacts. She even arranged for a chimney technician and foundation technician to come out and give us free quotes so that we could negotiate repairs. Much to everyone’s delight, the sellers agreed to do all the repairs on our list. This being on top of the fact that the home was in excellent condition (unlike the short sale that fortunately and literally fell through)
The loan process was a breeze thanks to Erica referring us to Aaron of Capital M Lending. Aaron is her loan officer counterpart in professionalism, friendliness, and competence. We felt safe and secure with this dynamic duo on our side. More on him later in a separate review.
Thanks to her hard work and constant follow-up with the seller, we were able to close on schedule despite last minute hurdles and hoops. We received the keys to the perfect starter home. Erica continued to answer residual questions and concerns I had even after closing.
Although our hopes and expectations were high and our budget limited, we were still able to get exactly what we wanted: a move-in ready Portland style home in the Inner SE!
We are currently getting improvements and additions for the home, and excitedly await our December 14th move-in. I full heartedly recommend Erica and could go on saying more positive things about her if only Yelp allowed me more than 5,000 characters. I look froward to working with her again when we’re ready to buy our second home!
Thanks Erica!”