Reviews
We are so grateful to have worked with Emma through the sale our first home and purchase of our second. It would have been stressful to work through both transactions, simultaneously, even if everything had gone smoothly, but alas it didn’t… We ran into many unexpected challenges – on both homes – throughout the process. At some points it felt like a new issue was popping up every day. Emma did an incredible job helping us navigate through the challenges – always making sure we were up to speed and felt comfortable. She seemingly worked day and night to respond to every issue that came up and find a resolution as soon as possible. We also benefited greatly from Emma’s network, she coordinated multiple top-notch contractors to make repairs to our first home prior to sale and arranged countless bids on our second to ensure we had all information necessary in our negotiations.
Throughout the process we never doubted that Emma had our best interests at heart and her primary goal was to make sure felt great about the transactions in the end. We couldn’t have asked for a better realtor and would highly, highly recommend!
“I had the pleasure of working with Sally and Carla to sell my first home and I cannot say enough good things about my time with the two of them. Sally and Carla made the entire process incredibly easy; they were always on top of the work, scheduling, paperwork, and in general went above and beyond to help me sell the house. They clearly laid out the process and timelines in the beginning and their honest opinions helped me get a great price for the house and on a timeframe that worked well for my schedule. I was selling the house from out of town and both of them were incredibly accommodating with additional work that fell on them since I was several states away. They were just wonderful. No question – you should work with these two.”
“Recently Leia Carlton helped me sell a house I had been renting for many years. She managed a very satisfactory and low stress process. I especially appreciate that she kept me updated regularly as it progressed. In addition she had an excellent list of vetted contractors and other resources. All performed well. They were available on short notice because of the relationship she has developed with them over the years. My sale presented a particularly difficult problem because the house was occupied by tenants. Leia went beyond what would normally be expected of an agent in helping me deal with the tenants. They were extremely stressed about finding a new place. Leia took the time to listen to them and encourage them in their search. Overall she kept the sale process moving along as quickly as possible. Thank you Leia!”
“I admit I actually considered the possibility that realtors might be unnecessary in a seller’s market like we are experiencing right now…I stand corrected. Our final sale price far exceeded any estimate that I had in mind when we put our house on the market, and I give all the credit to our amazing realtors. Carla and Sally helped us understand what we should prioritize before putting the house on the market which helped use streamline our projects to a list that was actually manageable. They connected us with professionals that helped us with all of that. And finally, when it came time to price the house, they new the magic number that would help to bring in the final price that far exceeded our expectations. We are so glad we chose Carla and Sally as our realtors! You couldn’t ask for a better pairing!”
“Carla and Sally are a powerhouse team. They prepared us well with a list of tasks to complete to update our house for the upcoming sale. We followed their list to the letter, then they staged our house with their incredible design skills and voila – our house sold for (drumroll please) $100,000 over the asking price. That is not a typo. The transaction was smooth and they managed the details for us making our job as easy as it could be. I highly recommend working with these two. They are a rockstar real estate duo. When you do work with them, listen to their suggestions and let them lead. They know their stuff!!”
“Erica helped us buy our home eight years ago. When we were ready to sell this past June, she is the first person we called. Erica was thoughtful about selling a home during COVID-19. She had creative solutions for unexpected issues and was easy to communicate with. We closed on our home a week early! We have already recommended Erica to friend looking to move to the Portland area, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone else who wants a hard working team player in their corner.”
“Carla is absolutely amazing! I’m a first time home buyer and Carla walked me through the whole process and helped me understand what exactly was going on, and made me feel comfortable going through all the motions. She has a knack for knowing exactly what you are looking for in a home, and getting you into it. I now have an amazing place in a neighborhood I love. You can’t go wrong with Carla!”
“As first-time homebuyers, working with Sally and Carla was a dream come true. Not only did they explain everything to us in ways we could understand, but they connected us with an incredible team of other real estate professionals who helped us navigate the incredibly volatile 2021 market in a way that got us into our dream house AT ASKING in under two months from the time we started looking…with all our contingencies intact. All in all, they were incredibly supportive, fastidious, responsive, and kind–honestly, after working with this team, I wouldn’t even consider making a purchase like this without one or both of them at my side.”
“They are the absolute best! Paul went above and beyond for us. I would strongly recommend them for buying a house in the greater Portland area.”
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!!!
“Working with Sally Schwarz at Portland’s Alternative Inc., Realtors has been nothing short of a great experience. She is exceptionally user-friendly, and has a ton of integrity. Her background in real estate and design are a huge plus. But wait, there’s more; we were able to get our dream house, because of the relationships she has in the Portland area.”
Full disclosure: I’ve known Margaret Gerlt outside of the realtor world for a few years. When I decided it was time to adult-level up and buy a house, I didn’t hesitate to ask Margaret, and oh boy, was I NOT sorry. She was able to take the friend hat off, and put her Realtor hat on during the months we worked together. She is professional, and will unleash her inner lioness when needed. We found the house we wanted pretty early on in the process, but getting to closing was an ordeal (tenant, other agent, sellers…..) and I can’t think of anyone else I’d want in my corner. Margaret is also a lender match-making magician. We’ve lived in our house a week, and I’m already excited to work with Margaret again in a few years time.
“From the beginning, Carla provided excellent advice. When we toyed with selling directly to someone to avoid the whole process of showing the house, she was gracious in the discussion yet confidently stated that doing so would not bring the best value to us.
Once we geared up for the listing, Carla brought Sally onto the team, and they made a great duo to guide us through the myriad of decisions to be made. We chose to bring in contractors to address a few repairs before the listing, and they had helpful recommendations for that and even helped nudge a few contractors to get the results we needed. They worked as a true team with us throughout the process, which resulted in an excellent group of offers and a relatively smooth path to closing.
“Carla gave us great advice and was always available for a valuable brainstorm whenever we needed her. I highly recommend her!!”
“I haven’t hired very many realtors, but enough to know that realtors don’t always work very hard for their living. Erica Dagle and Emma Frazier do. Buying a house in a competitive market is nerve wracking—it would have been much more so, but every step of the way, they were there for me, always responsive, and always on top of it. Both of them dovetail an impressive and trustworthy set of qualities—-they’re both sincere and smart, good hearted and savvy. They know the market and work hard, but make it feel easy, even though it’s not. I’m very thankful to have found them, along with my sweet house and neighborhood. Best wishes, and thank you!”
“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!”
“I’ve had Leia Carlton as my realtor twice now – 5 years ago when was looking to purchase my first home, and wanted to use a local realty company. From the first meeting, Leia instantly made me feel at ease, and even though I was looking to buy on the low end of the market for a starter home, she always made me feel supported and important. She helped arrange everything with closing repairs and made the whole process super easy for me as a novice buyer. This year, the market has been so hot that I felt like it was time to sell, and of course my first call was to Leia. She got everything set up, strategized with me, and got me to a successful sale in less than 5 weeks start to finish!”
“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 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!”
“I had the privilege of working with Carla on two transactions, and I couldn’t have had better representation. First and foremost, Carla listens to her clients and the advice she offers is consistent with their wants and needs. At the outset, Carla described her philosophy and approach as client-focused – her primary goal is to act on your behalf and help guide you in the direction you want to take. True to form, Carla laid out a plan for me based on my wish list and timeline. She created detailed tracking spreadsheets for me and asked how I wanted to engage. Did I want to be involved in every detail, or be more hands off? How frequently and in what form did I want communications? What were the things I considered non-negotiable? Her considerate and thoughtful planning set the tone for our interaction, which was maintained through the transactions. Because one of my transactions was lengthy (by no fault of Carla), I had a lot of time to observe her work style. Carla is skilled at negotiating and a strong advocate for her clients. Even in tense situations, Carla is calm, respectful, and kind. I found that while quick on her feet, Carla is not reactive; she carefully thinks things through and gathers information so she can give you an informed perspective. And she offered creative solutions to challenges – things I never would have come up with on my own. There are a lot of other positives that would turn this review into a novel. I highly recommend Carla and her team at Portland Alternative – they made the buying and selling process a great experience.”
“Carla Mink was entirely wonderful in every way. She was on top of my condo purchase from beginning to end, phoning, texting and emailing continuously. I thought being out of town would be daunting and impossible in such an endeavor…Carla made it easy. She also kept in touch with my daughter in Portland, so the two of them made quite a team. Needless to say, I will want Carla to sell this condo for me when the time comes! Can’t wait to meet her. “
“Emma was amazing. We’ve bought and sold before, so we know the difference between good realtors and not-so-good realtors. Emma is definitely one of the good ones. This was our first purchase in Oregon and in a city we’re not completely familiar with. She spent a ton of time going over the process, setting exceptions, and helping us figure out the best neighborhood for us and our needs. She was on top of it every step of the way. Always filling us in and giving us next steps. The entire process went smoothly and I credit that to Emma’s work ethic and attentiveness. Overall, we couldn’t be happier. It was a great experience.”
“I just recently sold my Portland home, and I had the pleasure to work with Sally Schwartz and Colleen Glaab. They are truly the best in the business in my personal opinion. Back in April of last year I sent a message to Colleen about what the process of selling my home would be. At this time I still was not quite ready to sell my home but Colleen was so nice and helpful. She sent me detailed information and a step by step process for how my house would sell. It really helped make the decision to finally sell. I reached back out to Colleen in December and she was quick to respond and get the process started for me. Then in January Sally came onboard to help with the sale of my home. Sally is truly amazing. She held my hand through everything and that is something I truly needed. It is scary to sell a home but Sally reassured me and walked me through the process step by step. Whenever I needed something she was quick to respond and very helpful. Both Sally and Colleen are amazing and very knowledgeable. I couldn’t have sold my house without them. I can’t recommend them enough. Thank you for helping make my dreams come true!”
“Carla Mink is an absolute Rockstar. She absolutely knows her stuff, and worked tirelessly to get our deal done right and done fast. I highly recommend her.”
“We enjoyed working with Colleen Glaab so much! We had a very shortened timeline to accommodate a big purchase in Portland and Colleen stepped up to that plate in a beautiful way. We arrived from out of the country on a Friday night, saw a lot of properties over the next two days, found the perfect house, had a little bidding challenge which she helped us navigate, and ended up closing on our new home in just under two weeks. It was a whirlwind, but very clean, clear and satisfying from beginning to end. She was thorough and calm, and had a positive, can-do attitude. We would absolutely recommend Colleen and/or work with her again. Thank you Colleen!!”
“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!”
“Very pleased with the outstanding service, timely, accurate, focused on results and in an unusual market, we were successful! Best in class communication and support. Look forward to working with Leia and her team on the next real estate transaction!”
“Emma is truly an exceptional realtor and we highly recommend her! She went above and beyond to find us our beautiful new home in Portland. As first time out-of-state buyers, viewing properties remotely during a pandemic seemed like a stressful process but Emma supported and guided us every step of the way. We felt like we were her only clients even though she was juggling multiple sales. She was always attentive to our needs, an outstanding communicator and most of all the kindest person you could wish for to navigate the real estate market with. Emma, thank you for all your hard work finding us our first home. We are ever so grateful!”
“We found Portland’s Alternative Realtors through google reviews since we don’t know many people in the area.
To give some brief context, we were first time homebuyers from the midwest. Prior to beginning our search, we asked our closest family members what we should expect from our realtor. We were told to expect them to pressure us to pay our highest dollar amount because realtors make a greater profit from a higher sale price. They definitely had bad experiences.
We worked with Emma and our experience could not have been more different. She was friendly and outgoing, very knowledgeable in the PDX housing market, and incredibly responsive to emails, texts, and phone calls.
My wife found her dream home and relayed to Emma how in love she was with this place. We made an initial offer and were later advised by the seller’s agent to submit our highest and best revised offer due to there being several potential buyers. When we talked this over with Emma, she helped us find an amount that was lower than our highest and best but still in line with the market value. It was such a nerve-wracking part of the process but this proved to us that she was always looking out for our interests and what the final appraisal of the house would be. On top of all that, she also got every possible bid for work to help negotiate our final sale agreement with the seller.
We enjoyed all of the time we spent with Emma in our search and in the buying process and could not recommend her enough. She helped make the dream home a reality. Our family members call her a unicorn realtor!”
“Colleen is the best real estate agent we have ever worked with. She was calm, consistent, available, knowledgeable, hard working and professional. We will use her again and feel confident recommending her to others.”
“Carla really understands the market in Portland. I had a different realtor before I hired Carla and the property did not receive a single offer in over four months. After hiring Carla, she rebranded the entire property, had it back on the market within 2-3 weeks and after we listed, I had 4 offers in three days. She truly did an exceptional job from the first interview all the way through to the day it closed. I would highly recommend her for your realty needs.”
“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.”
“As first-time home buyers, we’re fortunate we found Colleen Glaab to help us navigate the process. She let us set the pace, was always available, and is extremely knowledgeable about a myriad of details about homes and home-buying. And when we finally found the place we now call home, she kept on top of all the details, making the process smooth, even when covid-19 added a unique and unprecedented set of challenges to our closing. She’s the best!”
“In the spring of 2007, we stumbled upon Portland’s Alternative Realtors while eating breakfast across the street. We had driven down from Seattle the day before and planned to spend the rest of the day checking out Portland neighborhoods and dreaming about our first home together. So after breakfast, we waddled across the street and up the steps to Portland’s Alternative. An hour later, we had hired Erica and were off to explore a few of the neighborhoods she added to our list. The ease of this first interaction was a good sign and it proved true–a month later we were moving into a home in North Portland that fit all our needs, including the price. The process was so smooth and so easy that, fast forward to October 2020, we didn’t think twice about calling Erica again. Life had gotten busier with 2 school-age kids, a dog, and two businesses. Then throw in COVID! Selling a house during COVID could be intimidating but, once again, we found ourselves marveling at how lucky we were to be in such capable hands. From helping us prioritize which updates to make before listing, to helping us set a price, to helping us wade through the multiple offers we received, we felt so lucky to have Erica’s guidance. Her communication and professionalism are top notch. We trusted her experience and intuition and we could not be happier with the results. We would recommend Erica and Portland’s Alternative to anyone seeking help buying or selling!”
“Leia is the best realtor I’ve ever had! She helped my husband and me sell the houses we owned individually & buy one together, all as the pandemic broke out. Leia’s knowledge of the market is very impressive and was such an asset when everything felt crazy. She gave us great advice and helped connect us with great resources in the community when repairs were needed (or desired)! We can’t recommend Leia & her team highly enough.”
“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!”
“Colleen with Portland Alternative Realtors was easy to work with and instilled trust from the very beginning. She is very knowledgeable, timely and professional. She helped us every step of the way in order to find the perfect home for our lifestyle. We highly recommend Colleen and hope that others are as fortune as we were to work with her! “
“We’re so happy that the stars align for Emma to be our realtor – she’s everything you’d hope for (and more) on the journey to homeownership. We had no idea what we were getting into but she helped us through each step with such tremendous patience, knowledge, organization, and grace – during a pandemic no less! She really took the time to listen to our goals and future plans. In walk throughs she pointed out things that we overlooked and ALWAYS had our best interest in mind. I really felt protected. Beyond that, during the times of discouragement or feeling out of our league she was such a gem; positive, fun, and encouraging. Emma was always on point, a wonderful guide, and quick to make it all happen. I cannot recommend her and her team at PDX Alternative Reality enough!”
“We chose Sally to be our real estate broker, and I don’t think I could have found a better fit for our needs. Sally was very kind, professional, thoughtful, and attentive throughout the process. She really went above and beyond my expectations. She was very knowledgeable, friendly, and communicated reliably and clearly throughout the process. She was able to help us find what we wanted, help us understand each step of the process, and assist when needed with any questions we had. I cannot recommend Sally highly enough, she is both a great real estate broker, and an awesome human being. I would trust her again for our real estate needs without reservation. Thank you Portland’s Alternative Realtors, and Thank you Sally!”
“Erica helped us sell a house a few months ago (yes, during the pandemic!) and everything went so smoothly. She is very professional and her knowledge is amazing regarding repairs/areas to highlight/staging. She was very quick to respond to any questions we had and has a great resource of contractors who were able to do some repairs we needed. We had a road trip planned and were nervous about not being there (and the time change) but Erica handled it so well! We will definitely use her again to buy/sell any of our homes in the future! She goes above and beyond and explained all the steps along the way.”
“We moved to Portland from California, so it was especially important that we worked with a well-connected realtor who could walk us through the process even from afar. We ended up connecting with Sally Schwartz and we are so lucky we did. In August we came up to Portland for a week and she blocked it off just for us so we could see 3-4 houses a day. She has a wealth of knowledge not just when it comes to neighborhoods but also potential costs of repairs and the routine yearly costs of upkeep. She makes sure you’re thinking of the total costs to maintain a home and not simply the list price. She also kept us in check about downsides should we ever need to sell. Ultimately, she was able to help us close on a house in SW Portland for under asking AND negotiate us a new roof and water heater as part of the deal. Throughout the process she was extremely easy to reach and had impeccable follow-through at every stage. Even after closing, she’s been a fantastic resource to us as we navigate home-ownership for the first time, more than willing to field our silly questions and point us in the right direction. We’ve been so impressed with Sally, and we couldn’t think of her more highly after experiencing the dedication she shows her clients.”
“Working with Carla and Sally was amazing. They were both professional, knowledgeable and tenacious. Choosing to buy a home in the summer of 2021 was a challenge but working with Carla and Sally made the process as easy as it could be and they expertly guided us through the ups and downs and helped us avoid some potential disasters. We’re so happy with the home we ended up in and couldn’t have made it happen without Carla and Sally’s help.”
“I just sold a home through Portland Alternative Realty and Leia Carlton.
Beyond feeling helped, I felt joined.
It was less like the realtor said, “I will walk you through” and more like “I will take this walk with you”. It was as if they had mapped out every step and designed a system to smooth the way for me. And then added humanity to the delivery of every step in the system. Even the notary was engaging.
Leia is comfortable, personable, bright. I had the impression she was starting her day each day identifying what I needed task-wise and morale-wise by when.
Leia hit every beat. Picture combined efficiency and empathy.
My sale involved choosing an offer and negotiating with a realtor colleague in the same firm. Even with that, I never had any doubt about integrity. So, add “trustworthy”.
Due to unusual circumstances, I am dealing with several realtors at the same time.
For me, this experience of quiet, humble excellence by far outshines.”
“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!”
“Carla is an outstanding realtor. She used to own and run a local boutique in Portland and it really shows. Customization and service are her absolute strengths as a realtor. She is always thinking about the exactly right fit for her clients and, once the process becomes more formal, is always at least two steps ahead of what needs to be done next in order to meet deadlines and get the best value. From the first conversation we had with Carla about moving from our condo to a single family home, we were immediately a team of three. Throughout the process she checked in with us regularly and seamlessly tailored her suggestions to our desires. In the time of Covid 19 she was always incredibly conscientious about wearing masks, having hand sanitizer, observing social distancing etc. She was such a delight to work with that we quickly found and purchased an absolute gem of a home at a very reasonable price. She was in fact so good that she is now helping us sell our condo!”
“Emma was honestly the best Realtor we could have asked for! I would hands down recommend her to anyone– she was a hero for us through this process of buying our first home! She was extremely organized, professional, warm, and knowledgeable about all of the homes we toured and the real estate market. She showed us maybe 25 houses in one weekend when we had originally only planned to see around 12 (we came in from out of town). She was super flexible and accommodating for us on this weekend– I thought to myself, gosh, Emma must be exhausted and I can’t imagine how she’s juggling all this! That said, she was positive, cheerful and energetic the entire time we were with her. Before closing, she met several different contractors at the house for us because we were out of town. Every time we mentioned needing a contractor to go to the house, she happily offered to meet them there. She was super super awesome! Two of our friends also worked with her and had the same experience.”
“Sally Schwartz was my realtor for my recent home purchase and she made the whole transaction fun and stress free. She is very responsive and accommodating, plus she has immense knowledge of Portland and the surrounding areas. She’s also hilarious and will keep you laughing!! She’s honest and straight forward and helped me get exactly what I wanted!”
“We can’t recommend Amy and Portland Alternative highly enough! This was our first home buying experience and the bar has been set incredibly high. Amy took such good care to make us feel informed and help us set realistic and comfortable expectations. We ended up in a great first home that met our needs, and the process felt much easier than expected thanks to Amy’s expertise. We’d definitely work with her again and will be recommending her to everyone we know in the area who might be looking for a home of their own!”
“I fully recommend this company if you are looking to buy or sell a house. In this time of COVID 19 we managed to sell our house and buy a new house in just 2 months time. Colleen is amazing and guided us every step of the way. We weren’t sure if we should move forward with this process during a pandemic, but Colleen assured us that we could do it, and we did. She was extremely helpful in recommending contractors to fix up our old house, and knew what needed to be done and not done to sell the house. She knew exactly what we were looking for in a buying a house, and found us the castle of our dreams in 3 shorts days of looking. We never could of navigated this difficult process without her.”
“Let’s be clear, selling a house is no fun… Unless you work with Sally and Carla. They made the confusing clear and the complex simple.
The best part of working with them is they kept it real in terms of what I had to do and what I should do without creating too much overhead.
To be sure I will be working with them again in the future.”
“I had the joy of working with Erica Dagle to find my dream home in Portland. She was so kind and patient as I looked at many different neighborhoods and types of homes. When it came time to bid, she guided me perfectly in what to offer and she did all the paperwork so quickly for a wonderfully easy escrow experience. She always answered my (many!) questions quickly and clearly, and honestly was a joy to just hang out with and look at houses! I cannot recommend her enough. She is a wonderful partner in what can be a very confusing and overwhelming experience.”
“We are a French – American family who moved to Portland from France last year. We have had the pleasure to work with Portland’s Alternative Inc to find our future home and we have nothing but praise for them! Erica and Leia are professional, knowledgeable, service oriented, and super fun to work with. They were able to help us close on our dream house in the neighborhood we really wanted. They also helped us meet contractors for the remodel we will be doing. Having worked in the real estate industry myself for the last 10 years in France, I have to say I was very impressed by Erica and Leia! Thanks so much!”
“I was a first time homebuyer and I can not imagine ever going through anyone else my next time around. The all around experience with Erica and Portland’s Alternative Inc., Realtors was absolutely perfect. I was moving from out of state and had a strict timeline to relocate. Erica and the team stopped at nothing to ensure I got the home I wanted in the shortest time-to-close, possible. Erica and her team have earned my business, for life! Thank you MG”
“I used Erica and Portland’s Alternative Realtors to buy my house about 10 years ago. Erica and her team made it such an easy and enjoyable experience, I’ve recommended them to many friends and family members since. I can still call Erica up and pick her brain about contractors, investments into my house , and random house things and she always makes herself available as a kind and valuable resource. Highest Recommendation.”
“I have been a client of this excellent group since 2001. Erica and her team have been great partners for purchases and sales. They have a well organized approach, and often work beyond the usual scope of a Realtor. If you’re looking for an alternative to standard houses and services, these are your people.”
“I have known Erica for 20 years and she has helped buy and sell a few houses for my wife and I. Every experience with Erica has been very positive. She is incredibly good at her job, efficient, responsive, knowledgeable, friendly and energetic. She understands the Portland real estate market and has navigated the ups and downs with a clarity that is very calming to us clients. I have recommended Erica to ALL of my friends and will continue to do so.”
“Erica and her team at Portland’s Alternative Realtors are the best! They helped get our home ready for market in a very short period of time and maintained excellent communication throughout the sales process. Anyone looking to sell or buy a home in SE Portland should definitely talk with Erica and her team at Portland’s Alternative Realtors!”
“We hit the jackpot working with Colleen at Portland Alternative Realtors! As first-time homebuyers from out-of-state, we were eager to explore the Portland market and find a home relatively quickly to accommodate our growing family. Colleen took the time to listen and really understand what we were looking for, which made the house hunting process fun and comfortable! She was patient, responsive and incredibly communicative, which was a huge comfort to us. When we found a house we loved, Colleen expertly navigated the negotiation process, resulting in us landing a perfect place to call home. We’re so grateful for all of Colleen’s hard work and partnership, and would recommend her to anyone. In fact, we recommended her to my parents, who just recently closed on their own dream home in Portland – all thanks to Colleen!”
“Having bought and sold multiple homes in the Portland metro area (7 transactions in the last 10 years), all with Erica Dagle, we couldn’t be happier with the end results. Erica is a true professional. When we were on the selling side, she coached us on how to prep our home for sale (without going overboard), assisted us with staging our home’s so they were more marketable, (and elegant) and helped us to understand the current market so we could sell quickly and receive a price we felt very good about. When we were on the buying side, Erica responded quickly and helped us keep our cool when the market was mega hot.”
“We had a fantastic experience with Portland’s Alternative Realtors and Emma Frazier. As first-time homebuyers, we were initially intimidated by the market and the process of home buying. Finding Emma made everything so much more navigable. She was a wonderful guide and, honestly, shouldered more responsibilities than she had to. In our case, we were not only purchasing a home but doing so from out of state, which (needless to say) complicated the process further. Emma took us on FaceTime tours of dozens of houses over the course of a month or so and gave candid feedback throughout the process. It was the next best thing to being there ourselves. We never doubted that she had our very best interest in mind. Once we eventually got an offer accepted, Emma continued working closely with us through that process, and because we were out of state, she helped us to coordinate with contractors on work that needed to be done before we moved in. She made recommendations for painters, contractors, a floor guy. She was a treasure trove of knowledge and information. Worth noting too: Emma is very cool. It felt like getting invaluable advice from a sister. She’s funny. She’s fun. She rooted for our victories and cheered us up after disappointments. I’m not sure that we could’ve found a better fit for us than Emma. She’s a wonderful realtor and a wonderful person. 10/10 recommend.”
“Robyn was so great to work with. One of the smoothest deals I have ever had. She communicates with confidence and kindness. All parties involved walked away happy!”
“We loved working with Pat and Erica. They helped us to buy our first home and went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable with the process. Pat’s knowledge of home repairs was invaluable. He was able to give us ballpark estimates on repairs to make sure the fixer we bought wasn’t out of our price range. Also fun and pleasant folks to spend time with. They never tried to get us out of our price range and even recommended that we not bid on a certain house which we were considering due to the possibility of some expensive structural issues that we didn’t initially catch. We were really impressed by this willingness to pass on a commission in order to make sure we got a home that we were happy with. We ended up finding a home we love and managed to negotiate it below the asking price, which is pretty incredible in this market. Thanks so much to both of you for your hard work! Highly recommended.”
“My husband and I had a phenomenal experience working with Colleen Glaab of Portland’s Alternative Realtors to buy our home, and we highly recommend her! Colleen is smart, super-organized, a great communicator, very knowledgeable about the PDX market, calm under pressure, and a very effective negotiator. She was a terrific partner for us when we relocated to Portland, answering countless questions about neighborhoods, sharing insights about homes based on her renovation experience, and negotiating a successful purchase on our behalf. Thanks to Colleen, we found and bought the perfect place, and we’re so appreciative. We would definitely work with her again!”
“Emma Frazier and Leia Carlton helped my husband and I buy our first home. They are simply the best. Overall, my husband and I were in the market for about 6 months and 8 offers. During that time, Leia and Emma were at our service and ready to help every step of the way. Even though it took us what felt like an eternity to find a home, they never made us feel pressured to do anything we weren’t 100% comfortable with. They negotiated us a great deal, procured what felt like 1,000 bids, and even caught some discrepancies in the loan paperwork during close. But, enough with the boring stuff. These two are fun. If you are anything like me, you will spend hours driving around Portland with your realtor. Do yourself a favor and don’t get trapped in a car with a dud. My husband and I looked forward to seeing Emma each week. There is a variety of competence in Realtors. When you work with Alt PDX you know you are getting the very best and will have fun along the way. I did.”
“Sally Schwartz at Portland’s Alternative Realtors recently helped us sell our home in NE Portland. Sally had our home sold in no time flat. It was obvious throughout the whole process that she had our interests in mind and wasn’t seeing us as a monetary transaction. Very personal and professional. I am currently recommending her to anyone I know looking to buy or sell in Portland. Thanks Sally!”
“Hands down the best experience partnering with Emma and Erica. I was a first time home buyer and they guided me through the process with ease and professionalism. They put in the work to help me find the right home and once I found it’d they went above and beyond to help me lock it in. I feel like I found a true dream team and highly recommend their services and expertise. Literally can not say enough great things about this duo!
Emma and Erica were recommended to me by a former neighbor who they helped to get her dream home.”
“Erica Dagle was the most wonderful ally and guide when I purchased my first home in April 2022. She was direct, diplomatic, and very detail oriented. She arranged multiple contractor bids, worked around my busy schedule, and kept my best interests at heart! I also loved meeting her colleagues Emma Frazier and Jenn Gaultry Wilson, who helped show me different properties. I’ve recommended Erica to my friends and colleagues and look forward to working with her again.”
“Sally Schwartz is an amazing human and an even better real estate agent. She has a wonderful sense of humor, is kind, informative, and made every step of the home buying process as simple and as easy as she could make it. My partner and I were first-time buyers, and we quickly felt overwhelmed by the massive amount of time and energy that goes into the buying process. Sally was quick to help in any way that she could. Our time searching for homes fell right before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We were out-of-towners, and our dream home just happened to pop up mid-May. After Sally masked and gloved up to give us a virtual tour of the home, we soon realized that this was our home. We made the 14-hour drive to Portland after two months of quarantining in Los Angeles. Had our offer accepted. And are now just a few short days away from move-in. Because of Sally we now own our dream home. Trust me when I say, Sally Schwartz is second to none when it comes to a reliable, kind, hard-working, and knowledgeable agent. Thank you for everything. We couldn’t be more happy. Sally’s email reads, “May the Schwartz be with you,” and we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“My husband and I worked with Erica Dagle during the purchase of our first home and then the sale of the same home 5 years later. She was great to work with – very good at communicating! Got to see how Erica worked with both the selling aspect and buying aspect of a home. Would definitely recommend working with Erica for both!”
“I can’t say enough good things about Portland’s Alternative Realty! My husband and I worked with Colleen and Erica. We were living in Southern California and wanted to move closer to family in the Portland area.I had a meeting with both of them about a year ago, just to get acquainted and talk about what we wanted. They were great about checking in periodically, but let me move along at my own pace. In February I was visiting my daughter and showed her some of the places we had been looking at online. She suggested we call Colleen and try to see a couple of houses. It was a very last minute thing, but Colleen managed to arrange the viewings for us. She was very helpful in preparing our offer and making sure that I understood what the contract I was signing meant. It was a pleasure working with her! Once the offer had been accepted, I worked mainly with Erica. She did an amazing job of handling all the inspections, work proposals, and negotiations with the seller’s agent and my bank.She made sure that everything went smoothly. Erica was always calm and professional, even though I was finding the final negotiations with my bank rather trying. Both Colleen and Erica made buying an out of state home much easier than I could ever imagine. They were super responsive and lovely to work with!”
“After my house sat on the market for over six months I decided to try a new realtor and I found Leia, everything changed for the better once I did. She knew exactly what changes I needed to make to the house and she helped me every step one the way! It worked! We had several offers and it sold in just four days! Plus she was always available and was there to help in any way and answer any questions I had during the closing process! I would definitely recommend Leia for you realtor needs!”
“Leia Carlton is, without a doubt, the best real estate agent I have ever worked with. My husband and I have bought and sold many homes over the years. What’s amazing about her is that she is not only the consummate professional, she is charming and personable at the same time. I have worked with her on 3 purchases and 2 sales of homes. Each transaction went quickly, for the right price and without a hitch in large part due to her knowledge of the market. I can give her my highest recommendation.”
“Erica is great at her job and made it a breeze for us to sell our Portland condo. We had moved across the country and she worked with our tenants seamlessly and made the entire process stress free! She is professional and knowledgeable about the Portland real estate market and everything moved along at a timely and efficient pace.”
“Last fall (2021), when I had little or no knowledge of the Portland real estate market, I gave Erica a big task: to find me good Portland investment properties in a competitive market to meet the time requirements of a tax deferred 1031 like/kind exchange. Within two months we purchased three properties, two duplexes and a townhouse. Erica had all the resources needed at her finger tips to select, evaluate, inspect and recommend good candidates, negotiate prices and close the deals to meet a tight schedule. Amazing!! And so easy and fun to work with! Thanks again, Erica.”
“We bought our home in 2018 with Colleen Glaab, and she was an amazing guide through what could have been an extremely stressful experience. She organized meetings, arranged estimates with contractors, and helped us navigate the numerous aspects of each property we looked at in a way we could have not done successfully on our own. Our family can’t give her enough praise, and it’s nice to know we have a realtor for life.”
“We had the pleasure of working with Erica to buy our first home and can’t recommend her enough! She was a true partner in the process, incredibly knowledgeable, patient (but ready to move fast when the time came!) and supportive. We bought in the early days of the pandemic, when everything felt very uncertain, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Erica’s expertise was apparent at every stage of the process, from helping us figure out our priorities and deal-breakers, to confidently navigating winning offers in an incredibly competitive market and setting us up with awesome contractors and pros post-sale. We are very happy in our home now and if anything should change we would hope to work with Erica again in the future!”
“It was wonderful working with Colleen from start to finish in selling my home. The process was smooth and easy, and I felt well taken care of. I highly recommend working with her as a realtor.”
“We used Leia Carlton to buy, sell, and buy our homes in Portland. In today’s market, with all the tools available, it may be tempting to go through this process without a realtor. We considered doing the sell and purchase of our home without a realtor to save some money. But we do not regret at all using Leia as a realtor. She proved to be valuable on many levels to us. Leia offered professional advice throughout the process, and provided a calming presence when we invariably became anxious. Leia offers a non-judgemental voice and well timed advice in a process that is fraught with emotion. Leia was a great advocate and we would not hesitate to use her again for our future needs. I should mention as well, that we worked with other staff at Alt Realtors. So far, every member of their team over there are just as professional as Leia. Even as Leia went out of town for vacation, the transition to Emma for that period was seamless.”
“Carla and Sally were great to work with when they sold our house. We contacted them months before we were ready to sell. They provided us with the support, information and assistance we needed without ever pushing us to move a little faster. We had a list of things that we thought should be done to make the house more sellable. They were especially helpful in whittling down the list to just those items that would most likely make a difference to prospective buyers and they helped us find contractors or get the information needed for the jobs we wanted to do ourselves. They not only gave us the space to decide what to do and when to do it, but they provided us with the information needed so we could understand our options and make decisions we were comfortable with. When it came time to sell, they organized a three-day weekend to show our home to dozens of potential buyers. At the end of those three days, they had three offers – all of them were really more generous than our most optimistic hopes. Our home was really “for sale” for just three days! Choosing Carla and Sally to sell our home worked out great. Thank you both!”
“Emma Frazier was a fun, knowledgeable, and kind real estate agent to work with. Trying to buy in this market was a bit crazy, and stressful, but Emma made it as easy as possible. She was very communicative, and very optimistic. We didn’t know if we would ever be able to own a home in Portland, but now we have a really cute house in the Montavilla neighborhood. Thank you Emma, and PDX Alt realtors!!”
“Emma is an absolutely AMAZING person. She will do anything to make your life easy an only do what’s best for you. Emma is one of the most genuine people I know, she will go above and beyond and not only meet– but EXCEED your expectations! Emma helped me through everything I needed to know especially in this uncertain times, she was always well informed and extremely attentive. Emma is a very genuine, hard working person that spends the time and effort to get to know you on a deeper level. This is very helpful, to have a trust worthy friend when selling your home. There was never a moment I felt confused or lost in the process. Emma made our experience so simple and smooth. We appreciated everything especially how she kept in contact with us and kept us updated thru the entire process. We really love her problem solving attitude and how quickly she got ahead of any issues that popped up. It was just an overall wonderful experience, her expertise guide us through the whole way for A-Z. Would I HIGHLY recommend Emma and the crew @ Portland alternative realtor an astounding YES!!!”
“We first contacted Leia Carlton three years ago, when we were considering buying a house. We decided to wait, but we were so impressed with Leia that we called her as soon as we were ready. Even our kids remembered meeting her and the kindness she showed them as she pointed out neighborhoods on the map! Leia is always knowledgeable, prepared, patient, and quick to respond. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but presents the pros and cons of all situations, to help you decide what is best for you. Our family highly recommends Leia. She was with us every step of the way, and we are so grateful for her expertise.”
“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.”
“I love love loved working with Colleen. She is smart, incredibly hard-working and knowledgeable. I recommend her whole-heartedly. I bought an older building and Colleen’s ability to anticipate possible problems and help guide me through solutions and workarounds was so valuable.”
“Erica is a responsive, dedicated, knowledgeable realtor. We’ve worked with her over the course of 20 years and have found there’s no limit to her willingness to help us out and problem solve.”
“Sally and Carla are the only team you need in the Portland real estate world. From the moment we met them, they welcomed us with a professional but caring manner that made us feel like they were out for our best interest and wanted to know what would fit us best. Within a few hours they understood what we wanted but also could guide us in the availability and logistics that we never considered. They had an uncanny ability to predict our questions and offer solutions to the home we wanted. Their vast knowledge of home buying as well as their connections with everything from financing to yard maintenance made it an incredible breeze. Without them, my family and I would never have been able to buy a home in the timeline we did. They have the perfect balance to create client-led but agent-guided experience. They are kind, fun and experienced. We full heartedly recommend them. They are without parallel!!”
“Sally at Portland Alternative Realty recently helped us sell our home in NE Portland in one would call an up and coming neighborhood. She helped us navigate the current market, made recommendations that made sense for our property and hosted two successful weekends of open houses during the busy summer season. All her efforts lead to numerous offers and then ultimately a quick and painless closing experience. Sally is professional, outgoing, easy to work with and I can not recommend her enough!”
“We used Portland’s Alternative Inc., Realtor for our first time home buying experience and the value of Carla, Sally, and Pat cannot be overstated. They are an amazing team, well rounded, well informed group of people who value the human behind the purchase. You will not be disappointed going with them for your home buying needs.”
“My partner and I worked with Margaret Gerlt and could not give her a higher recommendation! She was thoughtful, prompt, intelligent, and caring. She stuck with us during a difficult negotiation period, even when we decided to walk away from that purchase. She didn’t miss a beat helping us get back out there to keep looking. Margaret got us not one, but two offers accepted under asking. In the end, my partner and I ended up with our dream home in our dream neighborhood! We couldn’t have asked for a better realtor.”
“We had such a smooth and positive experience working with Paul Pattyn to sell our SE Portland home and couldn’t recommend him more enthusiastically! Paul had the extra task of coordinating multiple owners and kept us both abreast of the progress and changing details, throughout the entire process. He was hands on and helpful with preparing the property, handled all of the staging, vendor coordination, photos and wasn’t afraid to roll up sleeves and help us get the yard & home cleaned up and ready for sale, always giving us choices for how to proceed within our budget and time constraints. He was mindful and realistic of the challenges we were facing with the rapidly changing housing market and instrumental in helping to adjust our strategy, sometimes hourly!”
“We worked with Colleen in 2016/2017 (buying our first home) and 2020/2021 (buying our second home and selling the first). I can’t imagine ever working with another agent (because we did before Colleen and KNOW the difference).
Colleen was beyond dedicated to helping us find our first home. We had a set budget and desired located. It was Colleen that found the house and showed it to us, knowing the potential we didn’t initially see. Colleen was engaged every step of the process and saying I felt in good hands is a true understatement.
In 2020/2021 we needed a bigger home for a growing family, and it was Colleen to the rescue again! In a challenging seller’s market, she assisted with us find a home (first and only offer!). Then when she sold our house we literally just were around for the ride as she drove the entire process ending with us successfully selling our home for more than we had ever hoped for.”
“Everyone knows that selling a home can be stressful and can involve miles of paperwork and decisions. My experience was smooth sailing with Colleen Glaab. Very responsive, great communicator, knowledge of current markets, and a pleasure to work with. Our family felt safe and confident knowing Colleen was handling the process with us and I highly recommend Colleen and her team. Literally have zero complaints!”
“We can’t recommend Colleen enough. We had a fantastic experience working with Colleen. She helped us buy our home two years ago (2020); and more recently in 2022, she helped us sell two rental properties this year. So, we’ve been able to work on both sides of the transaction with Colleen and in all three cases – she has been simply fantastic. She clearly has an excellent grasp on the market. Her communication was prompt, clear, and thoughtful. She’s an excellent listener – which I have seen lacking in some prior rellators. Highly recommended!”
“Colleen is incredible! I’ve both bought and sold a home with Colleen. Before moving to Portland, she took the time to help orient me to the different neighborhoods in town – sending me a driving tour with local pit stops for each neighborhood. I trust her opinion and would recommend her to anyone moving from out of town, or anyone looking for a friendly realtor and home search partner!”
“I had a fantastic experience working with Amy Reed at Alt PDX. I highly recommend their services and they made selling my home an easy and streamlined process. Great communication and assistance throughout all aspects of the process.”
“We worked with Colleen, and she did an amazing job helping sell our house quickly in March 2022. It was a stressful time since we were moving out of the state, but she helped guide us through the process, and we felt confident that we were in good hands. Thank you so much Colleen for working with us!”
“I feel grateful beyond measure to have been referred to Leia and Pat at Portland’s Alternative Realtors. Leia is probably better at her job as a broker and realtor than any other person I have met in ANY given job, real estate or otherwise. As first time home owners, buying during the holiday season with high interest rates, my husband and I felt an overwhelming sense of calm knowing that we were in such knowledgeable and thorough hands.
I felt like Pat and Leia helped us through what otherwise would have been an overwhelming process to find the right house for us, they accommodated our many requests for inspections and contractor quotes ahead of the final close date. They knew how important this decision was for us, and took it just as seriously as we did, all the while working generously with their time to meet our short timeline…
Thanks to Leia and Pat, we were able to close early on our home, and move in in time for the holidays. It felt more like working with family because of how genuinely invested they were in our happiness and satisfaction and never made us feel pressured to move quicker than we were ready and kept both my husband and I completely informed. We love our home and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with a home buying or selling decision besides Leia and Pat. They make such a good team!”
“Leia assisted my wife and I selling our home and we were so happy that we had her by our side. There were a number of twists and turns during our selling process, and Leia was a steady presence during the way. She gave us good advice and pointers, and did so in a very easy-going and relatable style. We highly recommend her.”
“Leia Carlton
I once was discussing with a friend whose realtor was better and it turned out we were both talking about Leia! We bought two houses and sold one with Leia as our guide and we are full of praise. She immediately sussed what kind of home we were looking for and guided us away from homes that did not fit our criteria — no matter how pretty they were on Redfin. She was patient and helped us through 2 contentious purchases remaining calm in the face of our nerves and frustration. But, best of all she is fun! Her sense of humor helped us slog though many homes in the “sell over asking in 24 hours” period of Portland home sales.”
“For more than 10 years we have bought and sold properties with Leia Carlton and Portland Alternative Realtors. Leia has supported and guided us successfully through complicated and difficult transactions. She and her team are fantastic to work with and I recommend her to anyone looking for a reliable and highly effective realtor.”
“Leia was so good to us in our search for a home in SW Portland. She was so knowledgeable, and always available when we had questions or concerns. She was even available to us after closing when we had more questions. Honestly, cannot recommend her enough. She helps us find our forever home!”
“In the 50 years that I have bought and sold houses, in every part of the US, most of the realtors i have used have been first rate but Leia Carlton ranks among the best of the best.
We decided to move from Chicago to Portland but, given the craziness of the housing market in late 2021, we could not be in Portland every step of the way. So… but to use the marvels of the new technologies (thank you FaceTime) to find our new home! Leia immediately picked up on style of living, what we needed and the “little things” that were most important to us. It took a few months — principally because the minute a house would go on the market it took less than a weekend before it was sold – but we found what we wanted. If it are not for Leia we would probably still be looking!!
All of our family members who live in the area (and many of their friends) have engaged Leia to buy and sell their homes and when we decided to settle here each and every one insisted that she was “the one”. How right they were and how lucky we are.”
“Erica Dagle and Emma Fraizer help us simultaneously buy a new build home and sell our condo. We chose them because they worked as a team, which meant that someone was always available to show us listings or do an open house, etc. They were excellent communicators throughout the entire process. We couldn’t have managed the complex process of selling our condo, dealing with our HOA and the builder for our new home without them. I appreciate their straightforward and honest feedback and would recommend them to anyone looking to buy and/or sell!”
“We absolutely loved working with Emma and Erica. They gave us great advice and to this day I am grateful for how quickly they were able to sell our home. They were knowledgeable, professional, well connected, patient with me and I could not have been happier with the sale. Still pinching myself. I would highly recommend them both!”
“I am a native Californian, decided to explore moving to Portland last spring. On my first two visit to Portland, met Jennifer Wilson at an open house in NE near Alberta.
“I worked with Colleen Glaab to buy my first house in 2019 and we worked together to sell it in 2022.
As a first time homebuyer, Coco was a joy to work with. She clearly explained the whole process and walked me through things to look out for when searching for a house.
She gave great advice when it came to navigating putting in offers as well as handling the crazy market that was spring 2022.
If you’re in the market to buy or sell, and want to have a good time while doing it, I would highly recommend Colleen Glaab!”
“Erica and Portland’s Alternative Realtors delivered on all they promised. Constant updates on properties that fit our criteria. Quick communication on questions and saintlike patience dealing with the issues we had with the sellers. In the end we had a fantastic house thanks to having an experienced and professional advocate.”
“Leia Carlton helped me buy my property several years ago and helped me sell it last month. The market was a little strange. She never gave up. I really, really appreciated her help!”
“Short story: Erica and Emma are a DREAM TEAM! If you’re looking to buy a home in Portland, get them in your corner immediately.
Longer version: My husband and I started looking for a very specific kind of property (single family home with ADU to rent). We had stayed in an Airbnb of Erica’s when we first got to Portland and had a great experience with her so we decided to interview her when it was time for us to buy a house. We wanted someone with deep knowledge of Portland, long-term real estate experience and amazing client reviews, and an understanding of rental market/logistics – and Erica and her partner Emma fit the bill. They paid close attention to what we were looking for, arranged for quick scheduling of properties we wanted to see, got answers to ALL our questions, introduced us to helpful and responsive lenders, scheduled THE BEST home inspector and other necessary folks (foundation company, drainage specialist, radon/oil tank finders, chimney specialists, moving company, etc.) (side note: Never waive inspection – Erica and Emma gave great advice and advocated for credits related to inspection results that made all parties happy.) Buying a house can be a rough process, but Erica and Emma made it as smooth and positive as possible. Their guidance and expertise helped us get our first offer on a home accepted.
Erica even spent a whole afternoon at the County building searching for an ADU systems development covenant for us like a real life realtor Nancy Drew!!
I looked forward to seeing and speaking with Emma and Erica. They were always available and always honest with us while consistently doing what needed to be done to get us across the finish line and into our home.
If you are wanting to buy a home in Portland, look no further – get Erica and Emma on your team!”
“We had an a fantastic home buying experience with Colleen Glaab! We wouldn’t use any other agent or agency to buy/sell in the Portland area.”
“Leia Carlton helped us buy and sell our condo in Portland. We really enjoyed working with Leia, and recommend her to anyone. She is knowledgable, professional and kind. We had to sell our beloved condo because we were moving out of the state, and it was not a good time to sell. Leia was patient and realistic. I found it really impressive how she could share her knowledge and expertise, and at the same time include us in decision making. Leia gave us lots of personalized attention and never made us feel we are just one of many clients. She truly went above and beyond, especially once we had moved out of state.”
“We worked with Emma to sell our first home and buy our new one. Our experience the second time around using Emma as our agent was an absolute dream. She was amazing at listening to our wants and needs, while offering suggestions and resources along the way for everything you think you might need. Most of all, she is very persistent, responsive, and great at communicating updates, as well as her schedule, so you were never left in the dark about any step in the process. We highly recommend using Emma as your agent, not only is she very good at her job, but she is also just a wonderful person. Thank you Emma!”
“I had the great pleasure to work with Erica Dagle, owner and principal broker of Portland Alternative Realtors, on the sale of my house in SE Portland. Having bought and sold multiple investment houses in Portland before on my own, I seriously considered trying to sell my family home, that I had lived in for 7 years, on my own as well. Erica and I already had a working relationship, as I had designed an ADU for her. When I asked her to chat with me about selling my home with her vs trying to sell it on my own, she never once put any pressure on me or tried to discourage me in any way. She simply laid out all the amazing services she is offering all her clients, including staging help through the very talented and professional Susan Evans Design and photo and video shoots by Crosby Dove Photography. Her team made this whole process so much fun and I felt, that I could never have achieved this outcome on my own. The sale price way over asking price within 48 hours and the super smooth transaction handling that followed by far paid for the cost of hiring Erica and her team! Not to mention the endless moral support, weekends and evenings that Erica invested to make sure that everything was taken care of. Cannot recommend enough! AAA+++”
“Just absolutely great to work with. Even though I was an out an out of state buyer, Erica communicated very well and helped me feel at ease through the entire process. After closing she continued to reach out and make sure everything was in order. Would use her again for sure!!”
“I had a great experience buying my home with Pat. He was patient as I looked at many, many houses and redefined my wish list. Pat’s construction knowledge was extremely helpful when looking at older homes and toying with potential updates and remodels. I would recommend Pat for any real estate needs.”
“Erica has now helped us buy three homes and sell one. She is an fantastic realtor with a deep knowledge of the Portland Metroplex. Highly recommend!”
“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!”
“Working with Colleen was an absolute pleasure! She was available, responsive, and so resourceful. She was helpful through every step of the process and was a perfect fit for a first time home buyer! She went above and beyond to advocate for my needs and to ensure that I was completely content with my home buying experience, the home I purchased, and negotiations. I cannot recommend working with her enough! “
“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 worked with Jenn in our first-time-buyers house hunt. We could tell right away that her goal was to get us in a solid house that suited us. She took us to countless houses with patience, spent lots of time and energy talking us through the houses we saw, and was super fun to work with. When we put in our first ever offer, Jenn and Leia hustled hard while taking the time to hand hold us through the whole process. When we pulled out of our accepted offer (because the inspection report was too much), they helped us to realize that we weren’t just anxious first-time buyers and that it was the right decision. We would recommend Jenn to anyone looking to buy a house and look forward to working with her again in the future. “
“Robyn-thank you for your hard work. There were twists and turns, but I appreciate your excellent communication and guidance.”
“Carla and Sally helped guide my family during our first home buying experience and set the bar very high. Besides being very knowledgeable in their craft and with the local area, one of my favorite aspects of their dynamic was how personable they were. They did a great job at making the experience feel more comfortable and less stressful. I will certainly recommend them for others (already have) and will return for future purchases! Thank you again for everything.”
“Colleen Glaab was absolutely great to work with when I sold my condo. Her experience and guidance made the sale go quickly and smoothly. Her realtor group is lucky to have her on their team. Thank you Colleen!”
“Sally and Carla are an exceptional team! We mostly worked with Sally, but when we did work with Carla she was a joy to be around and beyond knowledgeable about the various neighborhoods and homes in Portland.
Sally is the most generous, kind, thoughtful person I know! She literally put her body on the line without even telling us to get us a good deal on our new home. The seller (and their agent) did not make it easy, but Sally fought for us, HARD! She was honest and transparent every step of the way and made herself available basically 24/7, even when we wanted to see the same house for the third time. 🙂
Sally has truly become a friend and we are grateful to have her be part of our lives.
If you are looking for a reliable realtor, who will be honest with you and fight for you to get the best deal and the safest house for you, your belongings and your loved ones, look no further, Carla and Sally are the real deal. THE DREAM TEAM in every way.
Hire them, you won’t regret it! If I could give them every star in the sky I would! They are truly incredible.”
“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.”
“Carla Mink and Sally Schwartz are the only people you will want or need when buying a home in Portland. We worked mainly with Carla, though. Carla is a fabulous human being who is able to combine her varied business skills for sizing up clients/ sellers/properties/neighborhoods/offers with a terrific sense of humor and compassion which helps when she needs to shift into part-time psychologist. Her depth of knowledge of “all things Portland,” and the real estate market locally and nationally is unmatched. She is savvy when it comes to submitting bids on homes and her contact list for service providers seems to be unlimited. She is a connector in the best sense of the word. Above all, every step of the process of buying a home in this interstate move was always well-informed, documented, confirmed and conducted with the highest level of integrity. We absolutely would buy (or sell) a home again with Carla Mink and Sally Schwartz and would encourage all others to do the same.”
“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.”
“Jennifer is a true professional with great knowledge of the market. She was on top of every single detail, going above and beyond for me. It was wonderful working with someone who is a good communicator, handling the most minute details. Jennifer is a great listener and a joy to work with!”
“Colleen IS the realtor you want to work with!
“My wife and I found Amy when we were looking to buy our first home, and she was everything we could have hoped for. She was patient with us, she walked us through every step of the process, and was able to find us the perfect first home, even on a very tight budget for the area we were looking. Fast-forward a couple of years and we were looking to sell that house and upgrade to a bigger one to accommodate our growing family. We absolutely did not hesitate to work again with Amy to sell our current house and help us with our new search. And again, she was amazing to work with and we found another great fit for our family, right in the area we wanted to be. Amy is so knowledgeable and knows the Portland area so well. She thought of things we never would have on our own, and was never afraid to give her honest thoughts, which we always appreciated. We couldn’t imagine working with anyone but her, and if we ever decide to move on from this home we will no doubt be calling Amy yet again 🙂 Highly recommend!”
“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.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Erica Dagle twice — to purchase my first ever home upon arrival in Portland in 2014 and to sell that home in 2023. I had been impressed by Erica’s diligence, thoroughness, and responsiveness during the home purchase. When it came time to sell it, those were the factors that convinced me to hire her again — over Redfin and other agents. I strongly believe that Erica’s deep understanding of the market and of the importance of presentation — staging and the photos were stellar — made all the difference. Whereas other friends were struggling to sell, my house received offers the first weekend and closed 5 weeks after coming onto the market. Last, but not least, Erica is a consummate professional, maintaining the highest degree of communication and professionalism given the home sale occurred as part of a difficult divorce.”
“Is there 10 stars as an option?! We worked with Leia Carlton to buy our beautiful home. She went above and beyond, showing us homes for hours via Zoom when we were out of town, researching projects ahead of offers, and helping us to buy our home at a great price! Her experience in Portland, her contacts, her attention, her follow up, her ability to make you feel special and always prioritized. Nothing seems to phase her. She has the calm you need during a very stressful time. Even a month after the sale, we’ve still had questions and she continues to help us navigate and with referrals. I truly can’t imagine working with anyone else in Portland!”
“Leia Carlton was the perfect person to help me find a my new home. She worked patiently long-distance with me for almost a year. She was unfailingly responsive when I had questions. She talked me down from a couple of properties that in retrospect would have been a mistake. After the sale she was always there when I had questions about the house. Leia is straight-forward, reliable, honest, knowledgeable, intelligent, and simply a wonderful person to work with.”
“Paul Pattyn is simply the best… he guided us through this home buying process during a time when the market is tricky. He was patient and kind and when we finally put an offer in, he got down to work and acted like it was his own home he was doing the work for! Such dedication and perseverance. We had a great experience and would highly recommend Paul to anyone…”
“Five stars all day for Erica Dagle! Having worked with her in 2014 to purchase my first home, it was a no-brainer deciding who to work with when it came time to sell the same home in 2023. As an area native, her strong knowledge of the local market and connections with local contractors were a fantastic asset. Throughout both the purchase and sale of my home, she was exceptionally communicative and responsive. Working with her helped me feel confident in what I was doing as a first time buyer and later as first time seller. She embodies professionalism in a way that brings about trust. I cannot recommend her highly enough and will certainly seek her out for my future real estate needs.”
“My family has been working Colleen through two house purchases and a sale. She is incredibly diligent, responsive, and personable. A joy to work with!”
“Colleen Glaab is just the best. She was flexible and dedicated to helping us find our new home, even when our wants and location kept changing. Once we found our house, she did it all. It was impressive. If you want the best, you want Colleen.”
“Amy helped me buy a home to finish raising my teenage son in and then enter the empty nest phase of my life, and she was very understanding when my needs evolved as my mother let me know she would need to spend part of the year with me, too. She was always immediately responsive, took the time to understand my needs, and was a very comfortable person with whom to work. I’ve purchased and sold other homes before with other realtors, but if I ever have cause to do so again, I’ll definitely contact Amy again!”
“My partner and I were so impressed by Emma Fraizer when she showed us a property that we immediately knew we wanted her to be our buyers agent. We could not have asked for a better buyers agent! She was perfect in every way: realistic, transparent, communicative, thorough, and she truly advocated for us at every step. I would recommend Emma very highly and plan to use her again in the future when we sell.”
“I’ve worked with Erica multiple times and highly recommend!”
“Emma helped me and my partner purchase our first home. Due to work commitments, I was pressed for time to find a place. She helped me find the perfect location and was able to help facilitate a quick sale. She was thoughtful and professional throughout the process, and often provided emotional support during this high stress time. I have looked for homes previously with other realtors and have always felt that my interests didn’t always align with those of the other people involved when making such a big purchase (realtors, lenders, sellers). Emma never made me feel that way and always made sure I felt supported and that our needs were being met. I am happy to say that we got the keys to our new home yesterday! If I am ever in the position in the future to buy or sell a home I will definitely seek Emma’s help again.”
“Erica at PAR was our agent, and she was a true professional in every aspect. She met us when and where we needed, she had an answer to every question, and we trusted her judgement in some difficult decision making. Her honesty and attitude were key factors in helping my wife and I find our dream house. so I really can’t say enough good things about her. I would, and will, use her again without hesitation and highly recommend her for anyone looking for a realtor.
Thanks again, Erica.”
“Erika Daigle was our realtor when we moved here after retiring in 2012 from Indiana. She had also been our son and daughter-in-law’s realtor shortly before, and they recommended her highly. Our experience with her could not have been better. She is a perfect balance between professional negotiator and personable presence. She recommended houses and also graciously showed us houses listed by other agencies. She was helpful in all respects and let us move at our own pace. She understood and respected our needs. She was very efficient and quick with all paperwork. The contacts she gave us for contractors to do some work were excellent, and we have continued to use them over the past decade.
Just this past month we had need of a CMA to help establish our financial situation for an application requiring one. She was thorough and timely in spite of the terrible ice storm that virtually shut Portland down for a week.”
“Hi Erica—Michael Tocchini here. Hey, I just wanted to let you know of a conversation I overheard on the airplane down to Oakland a week or two ago which made me smile. (And made me realize what a small town this is all over again!) Anyway, a woman in her mid-late 20’s behind me in the plane was talking about this wonderful experience she’d just had buying her first home and how fantastic the company was. I’m not making this up. She was really gushing over details and energy and all sorts of things you’d like someone to tell you if you were anxious about dealing with buying a house, which I think her seat partner was. Anyway, she finished it all by saying: And aside from the company in general, my realtor in particular, a woman named Erica Dagle, was just fantastic. It just made me smile and think of you and how well you’ve done for yourself. I hope all is good and fun and that you’re still smiling often.”
“If I could give Jenn Wilson 10 stars, I would, she’s just that good. This move was a difficult one for me and over a year in the making, but her warm heart and professionalism were clear from the very first phone call. From deciding what to polish on our house, to where to situate it in the market, on through staging and the open house, she had everything flawlessly covered. Not only is she cool, but she has an amazing team and referrals list in her back pocket– from maintenance to landscaping, or whatever is on the list– I have met so many fun people through this experience. Nothing seems daunting with her just like, I know the perfect person for that, sort of attitude.
Long short, our house went pending in 4 days on the market. At which point, we needed to find and close on a new place asap, of course. So she did quick pivot with us, stayed focused on our needs, and helped us find just the right place for us. Once we found it, we closed on it within *one day* of selling our home. Financials, title,etc, all seamlessly done on time! Yes, it was all a miracle, and we couldn’t have done it without her and her team. She knows how to get it done, with a great deal of kindness and heart. Don’t enter the Portland real estate market without her. : )”
“Great experience from start to finish. Amy was very responsive and flexible with scheduling showings. We had a tight closing deadline, and she was very helpful with arranging inspection and getting bids from various contractors quickly. The whole process was smooth, in large part due to Amy’s thoroughness and communication”
“Colleen Glaab my Real Estate Agent from Portland Oregon is The most perfect,Kind,generous and the most Experienced Real Estate Agent I have ever worked with it wasn’t even work it was fun she made sure everything was always at with hardly any work .. she made sure exactly what I wanted and than an extra bonus at the end .. please Choose Colleen Glaab as your next Real Agent .. my name is Gabriel Chavez and My Agent from Portland Oregon helped me get my New House all the from California to my new house in Portland Oregon and I Love my new house.. it has a beautiful experience to work with an agent the loves and cares about your budget your down payment and the bonus that comes with it when you start your journey to find the home you Love at your own pace … Thank you So much Colleen Glaab for everything you did for me to find my Forever home in Portland Oregon.. ️ ️ ️ ️ “
“Colleen was amazing to work with! She was knowledgeable, readily available, and really made the difference for us in having the home selling process go smoothly. We highly recommend her and would absolutely work with her again as a buyer or seller!”
“We worked with Leia Carlton to sell our home and we had a great experience! It ended up being pretty complicated, but Leia was calm and professional throughout, and was able to guide us through the process. We would highly recommend their team!”
“We were lucky enough to get to work with Colleen Glaab with this group. Colleen went above and beyond to make purchasing our first home as comfortable as possible! She always came to viewings with all the information in hand and was eager to move on to another home if something didn’t feel right. She never made us feel pressured or discouraged when looking for a home and kept such a positive and delightful attitude. She gave us great advice throughout the process and was just such a joy to work with. I cannot recommend her enough, thank you Colleen!!!”
“We worked with Leia Carlton when we sold our home in the Buckman neighborhood. Leia helped us navigate a tough seller’s market by lining up a great photographer, working through some challenges with the disclosures, and finally in finding the right buyer. We found Leia to be responsive, professional, and reliable. Strong recommend!”
“I’ve bought and sold a few houses in my lifetime, and working with Leia Carlton at Portland’s Alternative was by far the best experience I’ve ever had. She has so much patience, razor sharp intuition, and emotional intelligence. She worked through a very tight window to make a buying + selling deal happen in what felt like record time. Speedbumps and all. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she made what is a typically stressful process actually fun. Whenever we decide to sell our current house, I hope Leia is still working, because I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather call.”
“We were lucky enough to work with Collen Glaab and Erica Dagle when purchasing an investment property back in 2017. They helped educate us on what to look for and really guided us through the whole process. Then in 2024, when it was time to move our mother to town, it was a no-brainer to call in the ‘Dream Team’ again. Both Colleen and Erica were stars when it came to showing property to us with our Mother on Zoom. Pointing out the good, the bad and the ‘no way’. They were very patient, informative and handled selling a house long distance like pro’s. They made us feel like they were moving their mother to town. They are both very professional, warm and friendly but most of all experienced and knowledgeable. Portland Alternative Realtors is the only agency to call.
mic drop”
“We’ve used Margaret Gerlt twice to buy a home and once to sell, and she’s so awesome. She is personable, incredibly honest and has been in the industry long enough that she knows what she’s looking at and always prepared us for what to expect. I recommend her to all my friends, she’s great!”
“Portland’s Alternative goes above and beyond! We worked with Margaret to buy our house in Happy Valley and I cannot say enough about her ability to spot details about the houses we viewed. Any realtor can handle the paperwork of buying/selling a house, but it takes an expert to be able to help you determine what the actual costs will be (eg. “this house is going to need x,y,z in the next few years, so add that into your costs”, etc.) and to help you plan for those costs and find experts to price them. I really appreciated that!”