I called Gabrielle after yelping, "The Best 10 Real Estate Agents in Portland, OR." She is also a Recipient of 2019's Five Star Agent Rising Star Award for Portland and a PacNW native. When I met her shortly after the call, she came with a folder of information to help guide me through the process as a first-time homebuyer.
What was good:
- Amazing attitude: As a first-time home buyer, I didn't realize how much time I would spend communicating with Gabrielle throughout the entire two months and some process. We only met up three times to visit properties that were within my affordability and location range, so most of our interactions were through text, phone, and email. I remember every interaction with her was positive, reassuring, and service-oriented.
- Responsible realtor: I never felt that Gabrielle would drop the ball intentionally, and her trust-based partnership style works for me. I found a property I liked, and she advised me on the offer, which got me the property after one negotiation. I am glad I didn't have to go through a competitive bidding process. Gabrielle also reminded me to keep my credit score high all the way to closing day.
- Vast network: Gabrielle has a wide-range of recommendations, everything from mortgage brokers, home inspectors, to flooring businesses and locksmiths that she and her clients had good experiences with. I appreciated the home inspector she recommended, and got a couple of flooring quotes from her flooring recommendations.
- Unbiased opinion: I never felt pressured in the process, even when I had second thoughts about moving forward with the offer. Gabrielle also steered me away from properties that did not fit my price range and invited me to check out properties that could be good deals.
What could have been better:
- Catching all the details: Gabrielle got me the property quickly with a decent offer. However, she is a big picture thinker and may not have thought to give me a heads up about getting estimates for flooring, cleaning, and additional repairs, as well as consider parking spot changes, and other minor details that could have been included in the negotiation process.
- Mortgage lender recommendations: Gabrielle's recommendation for mortgages extended only to mortgage brokers. It would have helped me to know what my options were as a first-time homebuyer (banks, credit unions, FHA loans, Conventional loans, ARM loans, and so on) early on in the buying process. If she chooses to coach first-time homebuyers on the different types of mortgage lenders, mortgage products, and down payment options that best suit her client's needs, it would ensure a smoother overall buying process. Or just give first-time homebuyers a heads up to do the research themselves and compare loan estimates from mortgage lenders that best suit their financial situation before putting an offer in. read more