About Robbie
Robbie, a native Oregonian, has been an active and dedicated member of the Portland/Vancouver community for many years. With over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, he is deeply committed to assisting his clients in navigating the complexities of buying and selling properties with ease and confidence.
As a dual licensed Broker in Washington and Oregon, Robbie’s extensive knowledge of the local markets and his exceptional organizational skills truly set him apart. He understands the unique dynamics of the Portland/Vancouver areas and uses this insight to provide valuable guidance to his clients.
Robbie firmly believes in the power of education and strives to ensure that his clients are well-informed throughout the entire transaction process. He pays meticulous attention to detail, leaving no stone unturned, to ensure that every step is fully understood and executed smoothly.
With Robbie’s expert guidance, you can trust that your real estate journey will be a seamless and successful one. His unwavering dedication to his clients, combined with his passion for real estate, make him an invaluable asset in achieving your goals.
Whether you are a first-time homebuyer, a seasoned investor, or looking to sell your property, Robbie is ready to provide you with personalized, professional service that exceeds your expectations ~
Robbie Ratkai
Principal Broker, GRI
Licensed in the State of Oregon
office: 503.238.7617 x107
cell phone: 503.516.6500
fax: 503.234.9511
Words From Robbie’s Clients:
I am so glad my sister referred Robbie to us, Robbie is one the most professional most helpful most knowledgeable most reliable realtor I have ever met!! Robbie went over and beyond for my family he has been there guiding us through this whole process until we found our home. Robbie is the person you want when searching for a house he will treat you like family and make sure you are absolutely happy!! If you are looking to buy or sell let Robbie be there for you, you will not be let down he is dedication to help you is second to none!!!
“Robbie is a fantastic Realtor. He helped us find a new home and sell our existing home. He is very proactive, communicative and fun to be around. He has a strong understanding of the different Portland neighborhoods and did a great job of getting us into a home and neighborhood that was right for us. He deftly managed both transactions and went out of his way to make sure things were on track and optimized for success. We highly recommend Robbie!”
“Robbie and Carla helped us navigate a challenging seller’s market and land an amazing home in our favorite neighborhood. Their attention to detail during the viewing and knowledge of pricing trends in Northeast Portland gave us confidence in our offer and an advantage over the competition. Robbie worked with us closely from inspections to closing and made sure we were well prepared throughout the process. Portland’s Alternative Realtors were recommended to me by a satisfied client and we would certainly do the same!”
“Robbie was my agent for purchasing my first home. He was great and found the perfect home for me in a tough market especially as a first time buyer with a FHA loan. Four years later, I went to him to sell my home. He made the process feel so easy. House went pending in a few days! If you are looking for an honest and fun real estate agent. Robbie is your guy!”
“I just had the absolute best experience buying a home with Robbie. He’s SO professional, fun, and thoughtful. I can’t recommend him enough- I’ve bought and sold a handful of properties in the past, and this by far exceeded my expectations.”
“I was incredibly impressed with Realtor Robbie Ratkai. I went into the process very clueless, and Robbie provided full service support: advice about lenders, home inspection, chasing down permits, etc, etc. Even for the two months since closing, he is still responsive with recommending contractors and answering my various queries. Throughout the process, I never once felt like he didn’t adequately & promptly address my questions and concerns — heck he even fielded an email from my old man (who was obsessing over some perceived issue with property lines) — talk about going above and beyond. Finally, the couple times Robbie needed to call in a substitute agent from AltPdx to show us a house, they were both great too. Thanks Robbie & AltPdx!”
“Robbie is the best. He sold us our first house five years ago and this year, helped us sell that house and buy our new one. He is incredibly communicative, responsive, experienced, thorough, intuitive, flexible, FUNNY, and kind. Robbie helped us find our perfect home (in a pandemic, nonetheless) and we will always be so grateful. He also did an amazing job preparing our old house for sale and we sold it above the asking price. We couldn’t be happier. Call Robbie!!!”
“Robbie Ratkai and Portland’s Alternative were the picture of professionalism during our housing search! Robbie always made us feel like we were his most important clients. He was easy to communicate with and we appreciated his candor while touring dozens of homes. When it came to putting our best offers forward, Robbie made us feel confident in our decisions and ensured that the entire closing process was smooth and drama-free. If you want a professional, hard-working, and FUN realtor, look no further!”
“We could not have been happier with Robbie. Whenever we doubted something he panned out to be right. He was a pleasure to spend time with and quickly understood what we were looking for. We will certainly be referring folks when the opportunity arises.”
“There is no other way to put it: WE ADORE ROBBIE!!! He was proactive, always quick to respond and knowledgeable. We’ve heard so many horror stories about the travails of buying a home, but it was a smooth and easy process for us. We would 100% recommend him! Bonus: he has the cutest dog that often accompanies him on house viewings “
“We would like to highly recommend Robbie Ratkai as both an intelligent and a knowledgeable realtor. From 2005 to 2010 we bought three houses with Robbie’s help that at first were for our daughter but then became rentals. The houses were terrific buys and were located in just the areas that are desirable now. One house I bought without ever seeing it as we lived in California. I trusted Robbie that much.
Today we live in Portland in a remodeled house which we used to rent out and our daughter lives in another rental not far from us, both in the Northeast. We love being here both for the city and to be close to our daughter.”
“I just found a great house in SE (with everything I wanted) and got it for a good price! I’d almost given up hope, but then I found Robbie.
If you’re looking for a Realtor you should definitely give Robbie Ratkai a call. He’s honest, professional, smart, well-informed, patient, kind, and fun! (And I didn’t just toss those adjectives out there. I thought about Robbie’s most impressive qualities, and then listed them in order of how important they were to me recently, while I was looking for a home.)
I felt good about Robbie from the beginning, and now I can look back and see why: he actually has your back, & he always goes the extra mile. He knows his stuff and works hard. He’ll steer you away from the duds (and the nightmares) even though they might mean more $ in his pocket. He actually wants to HELP his clients find a quality home for a reasonable price. From the initial meeting, through the home tours, negotiations with sellers, and even the loan process, he’ll be in your court.
And if that’s not enough, he’s well-connected in the community and can introduce you to other professionals who will be just as awesome as he is, like his inspector (Bill Owens), sewer scope guy (Ted Mc Bee), loan officer (Aaron Nawrocki), escrow co (Stewart Title) ., … AND his phenomenal general contractor, Brian Bachelor, who is (as I type) making all kinds of magic happen in my new little place.
Best of luck in your search. Portland Alternative Inc., Realtors will make it easier. I promise. ”
(I found Robbie via internet reviews.)
“I interviewed several realtors but none stood out more then Robbie Ratkai. From the moment we sat down he listened to what I was looking for, digested the information and was able to offer ideas and solutions for what I wanted.
Throughout the process, and it was a loooong process, he was incredibly patient. I’m a very diligent and thorough buyer – the type that probably researches too much and creates multiple spreadsheets to track everything right down to the where a nail is located in the drywall – and Robbie never once flinched at any of this. He came prepared to every house we looked at, recognized faults in places I wouldn’t have even looked and found issues in locations that I thought looked sound.
To throw him another curve ball, we spent months working on a short-sale and he provided regular updates and was a great liaison in my attempted negotiations with the bank.
Overall, Robbie was a great resource through everything, made himself available to work around my hours and had incredible industry knowledge which helped lead me through my first home buying experience.”
“We worked with Robbie Ratkai and he was absolutely fantastic. Very patient and well-informed. He was a great sport about entertaining our 2 year old (who was crazy about him!) to free us up to look around. Robbie has a perfect combination of a great sense of humor and big-picture insight: he was totally honest about houses we saw and would identify potential drawbacks to consider that I never would have thought of – even things that might not present for several years. I never felt rushed to make decisions or like he was trying to make a sale. It was more like we had a very knowledgeable and witty friend with us to look at possible homes and walk us through the process.
Once we had an accepted bid Robbie expedited making things happen and really simplified the process for us. It was very easy. He lined up a great inspector who we really liked and a sewer scoper. He was out of town for our final walk – through but he was easily in touch and arranged for his co-workers to meet us instead and he even called internationally while he was on vacation to make sure we had gotten the keys and were settling in OK. 5 gold stars.”
“The whole team was amazing and made both my search and first house adjustment as smooth as possible. Being a first-time homeowner, I had countless questions and worries, but Robbie (and Clinton) answered them fully in real time, virtually whatever time of day. With hurdles discovered by our first potential mortgage broker, Robbie quickly found us another broker and pushed him along to match our rather tight time frame. From first contact through inspections and even now, a few months later, he has been honest and diligent and ready to help in all ways.”
“Robbie Ratkai is an effective and very dedicated realtor. He worked hard to find us a home which fit our lifestyle and budget. Robbie knows the Portland market and made efficient use of our time. He also set the stage for an enjoyable journey because he possesses a unique sense of humor and one needs stress relievers during a home search. But Robbie is all business when it comes to negotiations and follow through. If you want an honest, caring, focused and knowledgeable realtor, look to Robbie Ratkai. He won’t disappoint!”
“I had an exceptional experience with Robbie Ratkai and Portland Alternative Realtors. Robbie listed my home in April 2011 as I was going through a divorce. It was a fragile time for my family, and Robbie was excellent through the entire process. His communication was tremendous, and his understanding of my family’s difficult time made selling my home much easier. Robbie’s experience was obvious. He was meticulous with detail, and he knew exactly what we had to do to get our house sold. Robbie came highly recommended to me, and I would recommend Robbie to anyone looking to buy or sell their home.”
“Robbie Ratkai was our realtor and was nothing short of awesome throughout the entire home buying process. After finding a house to move forward on, he made negotiating, dealing with multiple inspections, fixes to the house, etc. as simple as it could be. As with any home purchase, there were issues that arose at times, but he never stressed and simply took care of them to make sure we stayed on track for closing. Would highly recommend his services.”
“I was searching in a very competitive price bracket and neighborhood, and it was pretty frustrating. But Robbie Ratkai was super patient as we visited 40+ houses, filed four unsuccessful offers, and finally landed a place. He’s a goofy, papaya- and tequila-loving guy, but he’s a welcome change. And when it comes time to negotiate, a second Robbie emerges, and he’s all business… he helped beat the seller into mowing their freaking lawn and never missed a cue or backed away from a confrontation. Really someone you want to have on your side!”
“Dear Owners—I want to write and thank you for the great service we received from your colleague Robbie Ratkai. I just bought my first house and Robbie was an excellent mentor through the process. He was thorough in helping me understand the many steps in becoming a home owner, he viewed multiple houses with my sister as I was overseas during the purchase process and he provided endless insight into home construction and repair. Robbie was always available for my questions and had several great contacts for us throughout the several months he worked with us. He helped us stay within our limited budget and yet we found a great house that was move-in ready.
Since I was purchasing this home while living in Kenya, Robbie went the extra mile to help me feel comfortable with every decision. He also went even further to close the deal by Christmas (we got the keys on the 23rd of December!) and ensure we were safely in our home upon arrival in Portland. Robbie would be my first recommendation for anyone buying in Portland. I hope that you will make every effort to ensure that Robbie is recognized by his colleagues and future clients as a star performer. He can sort you out whether you are in Portland, or not, and can make a purchase happen regardless of snowstorms and holidays. Thank you for such excellent service!
Kind regards“
“It was certainly my lucky day when I found you! Your knowledge of multiple areas, products, the markets therein, your techno expertise, flexibility in answering requests, wonderful resources, tireless and complete follow-up; these are you, Robbie and how I appreciate you! You are very prompt and professional.”
“I have to tell you that we sent e-mails to several agents that were recommended to us, and you seem by far to be the best choice for us! We were truly impressed with your organization, your direct answers to our questions, and your personality overall! Have I told you lately that you rock? I think you are by far the most helpful person I have met in a long time. Just thought you should know how much I appreciate you Robbie and all you do for us!”
“Robbie was a dream to work with. He was super informative, responsive, and a fun person to get to know and hang out with through the home-buying process. He knows a ton of great contacts in Portland, e.g. we had the best home inspector and I didn’t have to research or worry about it. Definitely would recommend Robbie and Portland’s Alt Realtors to everyone!”
“I have used Portland’s Alternative Realtors and, in particular, Robbie Ratkai a total of 4 times. Each purchase and sale got easier and easier, with 312% confidence that I was dealing with the right person at the right agency. Professional, knowledgeable, practical, but also really allowing you to have joy in the process of finding a home/releasing a home back into the wilds … I wish I could clone these people and drag them across the country with me as I move out of the area. They gave me speed, efficiency, reliable guidance, and encouragement in every dealing and that was invaluable to me. Let Robbie and PAR pull it all together for you. “
“Robbie was my realtor when I bought a house back in 2020, and I was very happy with his services. So when in 2023 I decided to sell my old house, I pinged Robbie without giving it a second thought. I wasn’t at all surprised that as a seller’s agent, Robbie exhibited the same skills that made him good for a buyer: professionalism, approachability, availability, honesty, market knowledge, etc, etc, etc. Being a busy person who’s not good with time management, I especially appreciated Robbie helping me find several key tradespersons to do the various upgrades that we agreed were necessary, and his meeting them on site when I wasn’t available and basically playing the role of contractor. He also helped me understand options for my non-conforming sewer. Also, I should say I was a bit surprised one day when I found he had gone ahead and staged the house with furniture — I didn’t even know that was part of the deal! In summary, like I did back in 2020, I strongly recommended Robbie & Pdx Alternative Realtors.”
“We got referred to Robbie by a couple of friends who raved about their experience working with him. They undersold him!
Robbie is flat-out exceptional as a persona and a realtor. My partner and I were searching for our first home and he treated it as delicately as we did. We started our search from living out of state and he visited every single house that we were interested in and even took videos for us to consume. He didn’t have to do that but it was clear that he was committed to helping us find a home that met our needs without any agenda of his own. He was exceptionally patient with us, communicative, and offered high levels of expertise. His experience showed through our entire process and without it we would not be in a home we adore. This guy goes above and beyond and will not let up until you’re in a house that is as great as he is.”
“If we could give 10 stars we would! Robbie was an absolute pleasure to work with. Our buying and selling process turned out to be a bit more complicated than we had anticipated, but Robbie was gracious, calm, level headed, patient, reassuring and very communicative every step of the way. He went above and beyond for us and completely exceeded our expectations. We truly could not have had a better realtor or experience. We will recommend him forever and always.”
“Robbie is great at what he does. He helped me find my house in SE Portland in 2008, and helped me sell it 15 years later. In both cases he was attentive to details, and helped discern what was critical to consider, and what was cosmetic. His ability to analyze other properties and figure out where a house sits in the market is great. I appreciate his professional approach with the willingness to overcome any challenge that comes along. He made buying and selling from a distance easy. The communication was excellent and I felt in good hands at all times. He was able and willing to answer questions, or find the right people to walk through any pieces of the buying and selling process. I would highly recommend AltPDX and Robbie’s services.”
