A Successful Purchase!

Lee helped another family recently relocate to Corvallis! 

Read on to hear their success in finding just the right home!

How did you meet Lee?
Lee was highly recommended at the time by a prospective employer. We were asked if we wanted to be connected to a local Realtor. The search, interview, and vetting process at this particular office was one that took almost a year from the actual hire date. On the first of many face to face interviews, Lee had set up a tour of Corvallis for us. This was about 8 months before actually moving here and with no guarantee of landing the job. When we got to our hotel we had a welcome basket that Lee had left us and on our last day after all the interviews were finished Lee took us around the town and neighboring areas. He gave us great information on the city, schools, community, Oregon itself, and information relating to the housing market in the area. I was rather impressed that he knew so much and so many people related to Corvallis and that he was probably doing all of this on his own time.


What were you most excited about when buying your home?
We were looking forward to a great job and moving out of the big city to a small town in Oregon.  It was a great opportunity to imagine our kids growing up here and choosing a neighborhood and home with lots of play space.


What lessons have you learned from this process?
The housing in Corvallis is unique. Not only is there a certain time to sell and buy but the homes are all special in their own way. I found that is was actually pretty challenging to really find what you want.


What advice would you give to a friend who was buying a home, having recently gone through the process yourself?
If you have the time, patience is always good. Take into account what your plans for the future include e.g., kids, grandparents, living at the home for more than 15-20 years or less than 5. Also in this case, use Lee; not only is he the best Realtor but when your roof starts to leak or it's time for a remodel, he has a plethora of resources. It could be someone at the city related to permits, a builder, landscape guy, or if you want to become involved with the community, he knows how to connect you.


What were some of your needs when buying?
At the time, we had a newborn and preschooler, so schools were important. Most of Corvallis is kid friendly but everyone has their interpretation of what makes a good neighborhood for their kids. At the age our kids were, we needed to have a place that was pretty much move in ready and in a neighborhood with less traffic, near a park, and bike paths.


How did Lee help with these needs?
The market in Corvallis can be challenging and to add to that we were on a very tight timeline. Being out of state, I only had a few opportunities to actually see properties. When I did make it to town, Lee had a schedule that had us seeing 15+ houses in just a day and a half. When I was back home Lee was sending e-mails, text messages, pictures, videos, and basically any media he could get his hands on to help. He went as far as walking through a house with a video camera strapped to his head for us. He was running all over the city for information related to permits and property boundaries. When it came time to put offers in, because of our situation everything was done remotely. As my current position did not allow me to take off any more time, Lee handled all the aspects of closing. Getting the house in order, there was some HVAC work that was in question with the previous service company that he took care off. He also took care of inspections, walk through, and even locked the place up and held the keys until we were finally able to get into town. Lee did so much for us and still does.



What do you and your family do for fun?
A few of the reasons for moving to Oregon was to have a slower, more community based life, breathe clean air and enjoy the outdoors more. So far Corvallis does not disappoint. One last point, as I said Lee is well connected so by the time I arrived, I had a network of outdoor people waiting for me to join them!

Thank you, Lee, Jenny, and Jessi!

Sincerely,
Brandon

September Shout Outs!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life."

~ Melody Beattie ~

Gratitude is an amazing thing.  Each day I awake, roll over and hug my wonderwife and start my day with gratitude.  Once a month I get to send out my official “Shout-Outs” as my gratitude to my friends, family and the amazing people I get to help accomplish their real estate goals.

I am grateful for getting to work with each of you on the sale/purchase of your homes and/or just being able to know you! Congratulations and thank you for your continued support. I wish you all the best!

~Lee

Each and every day I could fill a page full of gratitude.  Below are some extra special shout outs:

Let me start by saying THANKS to the 350 who came and made the 4th annual Life is Great party amazing. It was an incredible day that I will always remember.  A very special shout out to my amazing team of Jessi Furlo and Jenny Bouman who took the magic wand and created some magic this year.

To my friends at Imagine Coffee – you rock.

Congrats to everyone at Ticor Title for being number one in the marketplace.

John and Jo - – You are treasures. Corvallis will miss you.

Johna - Congrats on your new home.  So happy for you. Tricia Kocurek –thanks for your efforts.

Jeanette -– Congrats on your move to California and the sale of your home in Corvallis.  So happy for you.

MaryKay -– Big time congrats on being close to moving closer to your Grandbabies! Corvallis is a much better place with you here.

Fall Festival -– Great job on an amazing festival.

James Furlo -– For being you.

Jessi and James -– Congrats on your first of many big deals.

Brian and Tim -– Although I still have some saddle soars, the 110 mile escapade from Sisters to Albany on the Old Santiam Wagon Trail was an experience I will never forget.

Michele K and Ben D -– You two are gems.

Morgan Eckroth -– Congrats on getting your license. Thanks for allowing me to sleep in after so many years. Be careful!!!

Mayor Julie -– You are an amazing person.

1000awesomethings.com –- I am a new addict.


And last but certainly not least...Go Beavs!

August Shout Outs!

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments 
when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

~ Thornton Wilder ~

We are grateful for getting to work with each of you on the sale/purchase of your homes and just being able to know you! Congratulations and thank you for your continued support. We wish you all the best!

~Lee, Jenny, & Jessi


Barber family -Congrats on your great home in a fantastic Corvallis location.  Mary - thanks for connecting us!

Brian and Laura - Super happy for you. Thanks for having me on your team since last year. Soon you will be moving into the dream home!!

Veronica and DeWayne - Welcome to Corvallis!  I think you will love being so close to the trails in your great new place.

Robert and Rebecca - Big time congratulations on your home sale! We had a couple of challenges –but all the hard work and focus paid off.

Kevin - Thanks for having me on your team as we worked to sell your Corvallis real estate investment. Success!

A special thank you to the Corvallis Parks and Rec Department, City Hall, Public works, the library and OSU for helping make Play Corvallis, Play a huge success!

A special thanks to David Dodson, Ken Gibb, Karen Emry and Dave Lundahl for believing in Play Corvallis, Play. Without your support it never would have happened.

Market of Choice –thanks for hosting a piano at the front of your store.  Everyone loved it!

Corvallis Community Band...you rock!!!

Congrats to CIMA for a successful second annual festival!

To my core mountain biking buddies - Thanks for making my riding world awesome.  You know who you are!

I have so much gratitude –but to end this month'’s shout-outs:

A very special thanks to my family. I love you very much and thanks for all your daily love and support.

The Carpenter Family

How did you meet Lee?
We were referred to Lee by our friend Kelly. And we had seen his signs all around the area. When we met with him for the first time over a year ago, we were impressed by his knowledge and by the way he cared about what was best for us, not just what was best for him as a realtor.

What were you most excited about when selling your home?
The prospect of getting back what we put in to the house money-wise. Also, we were excited about how the process of decluttering before showing our house would help us as we transitioned into our new home.

What lessons have you learned from this process?
Listen to your realtor's advice! That's what you're paying him or her for, and we felt completely confident in the wisdom of all of Lee's suggestions (and those of his team).

What advice would you give to a friend who was selling a home, having gone through it yourself?
Find a realtor (Lee!) who listens to what you want and whose goal is to sell your house at a fair price without having to resort to playing pricing and other games.

What were some of your needs when selling?
Advice on selling in general since we had never sold a property before. We needed to know what were appropriate expectations and what potential buyers and their realtors would want to see in our house.

How did Lee help with these needs?
He provided invaluable advice and suggestions and reality checks!

What do you and your family do for fun?

We play board games, go on bike rides, and take short hikes (now along the Willamette River :D).

The Furlo Family

How did you meet Lee?
We first met Lee for a walk-through about 4 years ago in South Corvallis. We were looking to invest and over the next 18 months Lee spent hours with us doing drive-by's and walk-throughs and mostly listening to our dreams and vision. We found a great investment property after all that looking! Over the next few years we found another investment property, and finally a single family home. Through each process Lee took the time to know us and walk us through the process of buying each property.

What were you most excited about when buying your last home?
We were most excited to find a great deal! We saw it on the MLS and Lee responded quickly to do a walk-through. We saw a ton of potential in this property.

What lessons have you learned from this process?
We learned that first appearances aren't always true. The roof looked terrible but it turned out that it was in good condition and just needed to be swept off. We also learned that a small crack in the foundation which seemed scary at first was not a structural issue at all. We learned to trust our inspector and the advice he gave for which items to take care of right away as well.

What advice would you give to a friend who was buying a home having gone through it yourself?
I would tell someone to be patient and take time to define what you are looking for. I would also suggest to have multiple options in mind. The "perfect" home could mean a lot of things and it can get overwhelming trying to look at everything. Just choose the top 5 most important things to look for then start narrowing down.

What were some of your needs when buying?
We were not looking for the typical 3/2 home. We wanted a fixer upper and needed to be able to trust Lee to share his thoughts and opinions on whether the home we chose would be a good fit for us. We are also extremely busy and needed to have flexible meeting times.

How did Lee help with these needs?
He helped us think through the potential of the home. He also recommended a great inspector, Matt Wadell with Amerispec, who gave us a clear picture of what we were buying and what we needed to be concerned about. Lee also helped guide us through all the paperwork and things went very smoothly. At one point we were headed down to Mexico while signing documents and Lee was available and flexible through all of our crazy scheduling.

What do you do for fun?
James and I love to work in our garden and grow food! I also love to crochet, play with our fur baby, go running and spend time with friends. James loves to follow tech and finance news, play D-n-D with friends, go camping, hiking and practice his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu moves.