Portland OR Real Estate

Alexsandra Stewart, Broker -Portland Oregon Real Estate-
Remax equity group
astewart@equitygroup.com
http://www.realtorpdx.com
503 233-8883
503 869-1295
7886 SE 13th Ave, Portland, OR, 97202  (map it)

Bits and Pieces about me:

To search for all active listings in the Portland Metro area, including Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, please use this link -  www.realtorpdx.com.  Search by city or neighborhood.

As I've written elsewhere - bios are difficult!    Always want you to have the complete picture! --and there are too many experiences to condense to a paragraph or three.  So I'll give you a current snapshot: Artist, reader, gardener, real estate broker, grandmother to three great people (Ryan, Josh and Kinsey), a friend to many, a confidant, a role model to a few I've been told, an advocate for causes I believe in, fun-loving and funny - not always by choice! Traveler, although recently more vicariously than actually getting there.

I've been a therapist, an organizational development and diversity consultant, an author, an administrative assistant, a merchandiser for a women's specialty shop and years ago I worked for the phone company as an operator! Funny how all those skills I've learned along the way to here have come in handy.  Talk about recycling - nothing gets wasted!

As an educator, I'm a firm believer in life long learning and continuing education. And being a bit of an over-achiever I've proceeded to work for and receive several real estate designations: Certified Residential Specialist, Graduate Realtor Institute, Seniors Real Estate Specialist. Currently working on the Certified International Property Specialist and then the Eco-Broker designation.  I told you I was a bit of an over achiever! In the long run though, I know my additional knowledge benefits you - my clients and friends.

I'm great at seeing the big picture, and ideas - I've got a million of them. Can and do look for the practical as well as the potential in a situation. Geographically I've lived in South Dakota, Germany, Montana, Minnesota, Washington, DC and have returned to Portland my home town.

Well, enough! I said snapshot, you got a montage!

Passions: houses and the people who live in them

When I was considering my move back to Oregon we planned a family reunion at the coast.  I came out early and spent a week in Portland.  One of the things I did - as a genealogist and family researcher - was to go to the Multnomah County Library, get the Polk Directories and look up the addresses of all the houses where my family had lived.  We moved a lot! After driving and seeing the rentals in Irvington and Grant Park, the first house they bought off the Alameda near St Rose of Lima where I went to first grade, I called my sister and said, "I know why we love bungalows and cottages!" Those are the houses we lived in during those first impressionable years.

So one of my interests in this business is all the fantastic houses I get to see.  I love the bungalows and cottages and helping others who love them find one to live in. I like knowing the root of the word bungalow (bangla -- East Indian style of dwelling adapted by the Brits), and learning trivia about other styles too, and being able to pass that on is fun.  I love the archictectural details of a Craftsman, the history of the Arts and Crafts movement and the houses it influenced. Victorians, farm houses, Mid-Century ranches, new downtown condos, apartments that are now condos,  plain and simple cottages or two room mini-houses all have their charm and attraction. I like helping buyers find the house they prefer, the one they feel is perfect for them.  It's fun to explore with them, and watch their eyes light up. First time buyers, repeat buyers, investor buyers - no matter whether or not they know what they want, the adventure we're on together is the plus.

Getting inside, seeing interiors and working with the owners of a house to get it ready to sell is another passion. What is the story of this house and the people who lived here? What needs to be done?  How might we position it best?  What small touches can we make to showcase this house at its best? Working with the homeowners to get the answers is fun, exciting, challenging. Who might be a potential buyer? And where will we find that buyer?  Taking the photos, creating the Visual Tour, working with the graphics person to create the postcards and flyers, the CD's we have available at the open houses, utilizing all the technology that is out there to market the house -- all part of the high level of service we provide.

I love the internet!  What a gift to sellers and buyers!

I've always been a city girl.  I love urban living.  Having the coffee shop, the grocery store, the wine shop and more within walking distance is the real deal to me.  I suppose in a way that's one of my specialties - the close in neighborhoods on both sides of the river. Yet I've sold homes further out too. I think my passion and care for people means I go where they want to go! I work where they are. My goal is to make it happen for them.

Being a conduit for information, connecting people, finding resources that make peoples' lives easier, these ARE a few of my favorite things!

I asked and this is what they said...

I had a homework assignment from my coach.  He wanted me to ask people who've worked with me to tell me what the experience was like for them. Here is what they had to say.

"It was fun. You had great ideas about what to do and not do, knew the priorities (of getting ready to sell). Reliable, experienced, personable. Felt like you worked hard for us. Accomodated our needs. You cared."  Sarah, Sharon & Jenny - home sellers.

"You were always there. Took care of things.  If you didn't know the answer, you would find the answer. Gave good counsel.  Knew things I wouldn't have known.  Knew your job.  Marketing skills, follow up are outrageous. I've never seen anyone so good. Negotiation. Another one of your strengths."   Kayleen, home seller and buyer.

And an unsolicited comment:

I was sitting in my backyard basking in the warm sun going down on this first day of September.   Our temps supposed to stay in the 80's this week, and I remember years past, how even into Autumn there'd be Indian Summer (wonder why it's called that?)  Had a week at my river place and now re-inhabiting my RP house.  So I was thinking of that little house that you found for that landscape artist and how he loved the little dilapidated old thing and how he was going to little by little make it a showpiece.  You DO have a talent at this A.  It's not as hard to find an upscale house for an upscale client, but to find a treasure to a seeker and help them get into it!  Now, that's real relationship and real talent.  I celebrate your gifts.    Laurie

Oregon’s largest city, Portland is situated where the Willamette River joins the Columbia River, which flows out to the Pacific Ocean, 78 miles to the west.

On the coast, you can enjoy kite flying, whale watching, beachcombing, shopping and more.  To the east, just over an hour’s drive of Portland, magnificent Mt. Hood rises 11,000 feet, providing year-round skiing and snowboarding as well as hiking, fishing and camping at lower elevations.

Portland is a world-class fresh water port and is a major distribution hub as well as home to nearly 250 high-tech and related firms.  Hundreds of businesses thrive in the Portland area, with technology companies playing an important role in the workforce.

Whether you’ve already decided to move here or are just considering it, we know you want to find the right home for you and your family and that you have specific questions about the communities in which you’ll be establishing your new life – recreation and entertainment, schools and daycare, medical facilities ads more.  We, at RE/MAX Equity Group, have answers that will make your move smoother and faster.

If you need more information ore help planning your move, please call us at RE/MAX Equity Group at our office, (503) 869-1295 and ask for our outstanding relocation package.  We’ll make you feel at home even before you get there.

Portland continues to shift its economy from timber-related industries to high-tech and service-oriented companies.  Tourism also played a large part in the economy because of the area’s natural beauty.

Portland is home to several Fortune 500 companies.  The high quality of life and concern for the environment affordable cost of living, highly educated workforce, and effective and open local governments continue to attract companies exploring expansion and relocation into Portland.

More then 600 square miles of the Portland Metropolitan area is served 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. by the Tri-county Metropolitan Transportation District’s (Tri-Met) buses and light rail.  Tri-Met was named by American Public Transportation Association as the “best large mass transit agency in North America”. MAX, Tri-Met’s light rail system, runs from the eastside suburb of Gresham to downtown Portland, as well as the Portland International Airport, through the Sunset Corridor area ending in Hillsboro, a west side suburb.  This east/west light rail system has earned national recognition.  The Tram, from OHSU to the South Waterfront, which began service in 2007 has become a tourist destination. In 2010, there will be additional service ending at Clackamas Town Center.  Additional MAX lines and trolley service are in the planning stages.

Lloyd Center is the region’s largest enclosed shopping mall with more than 150 specialty shops, fifteen restaurants, and Olympic–size ice rink.  The open-air Portland Saturday Market, open from March through the Christmas season at the west end of the Burnside Bridge, features the work of more than 300 independent artists and craftsmen.

In the city center, you’ll find Pioneer Place with three levels of specialty shops and restaurants.  In the suburban areas, you can enjoy shopping at Beaverton’s Washington Square or Clackamas Town Center on the east side.  Both feature large department stores as well as specialty shops.  You might also want to explore the newly opened European style shopping mall at Bridgeport Village just a few miles south of Portland or the Swedish furniture store IKEA close to the Portland International Airport.

Oregon’s continues to rank near the top in the SAT results for college-bound students.  Oregon invests a large percent of its discretionary income into educational spending compared to the rest of the country.

Portland schools have earned acclaim for high academic standards over the years.  All school districts have excellent special education programs as well as programs for exceptional students.

Oregon licenses child care facilities with the strictest requirements for centers where 13 or more infants/small children are present.  Group home care centers with less than 12 children in private family homes are also licensed.  There are more than 100 independent licensed childcare centers around the Portland Metropolitan area.  If you prefer private, in-home care by a nanny or ‘au pair’, there are several agencies in the Portland area to help you find the right person or program.

More than 200 parks including 20,000 acres of recreational land can be found in the Portland Metropolitan Area and its surrounding communities.  Forest Park, the largest forested city park in the world, features more than 4700 acres with approximately 30 miles of hiking trails, all in the heart of Portland.

Other favorite parks include:

• Washington Park, home to the International Rose Test Garden and the Japanese Gardens
• Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which covers two miles along the Willamette River and the Chinese Garden in downtown Portland, and
• Mt. Tabor Park, a wooded park that covers an extinct volcano’s cinder cone.

More than 50 local art galleries and museums are available in Portland to satisfy everyone form the casual observer to the serious connoisseur

The more than 100-year-old Portland Art Museum was renovated in 1995 and features word-class masterpieces as well as the work of established local artists.  The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) demonstrates scientific principles and illustrates technology through six exhibit halls, a planetarium with astronomy and laser light shows and the high-tech visual effect of the OMNIMAX theater.  The Oregon Zoo is a 64 acre living museum of animals ranging from Western Oregon native animals to the rare and endangered Asian elephant.

Portland is a major cultural center boasting the nationally acclaimed Oregon Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Carlos Kalmar.  The Portland Opera Company is also recognized as one of the top twenty in North America.  Musical aspirations start young in Portland with the world famous Portland Youth Philharmonic , conducted by David Hattner, giving young people the opportunity to hone their skills.

Broadway musicals, dramas, mysteries and comedies come alive in Portland through the work of the Portland Repertory Theatre and Portland Center Stage.

Portlanders cheer a variety of professional teams including the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers, whose home, the rose Garden, seats in excess of 21,000 fans.  The World Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks. Portland Timbers soccer, and the Portland Beavers minor league baseball round out the many choices for sports enthusiasts in Portland.