We loved working with Tara Murphy and the Dawkins team! We were referred to them by friends who had moved to Portland a year earlier and highly recommended them. We introduced ourselves to Tara and Chris about six months before our move to PDX from the San Francisco Bay Area. While we had visited Portland before, we were totally unfamiliar with specific neighborhoods or districts. They listened intensely to what we thought we were looking for and the price range we could afford, and drives through various neighborhoods helped us narrow our search criteria.
Then the hard work began with Tara - finding that one perfect house! We were able to get back up to PDX a few more times to scout houses with her. And Tara led us on video tours when we returned back to California. She was more than our realtor; she became our tour guide, companion, and friend. Tara was straight forward, candid, patient, warm, friendly and totally professional. She knew when we were too tired to drag ourselves through one more door and always game when we were up for just one more house.
When we finally moved north, we took a short term rental while beginning our more serious search. Tara is very knowledgeable not only about neighborhoods, but also about the quality of the houses and how many of our boxes each checked. Through guided conversations, she helped us sort out whether we were ready to make an offer or keep looking. We never felt pressured!
And then it just happened. Tara saw a listing for a house that had just come on the market and quickly made arrangements for us to see it that same day. When we stepped through the front door, Tara never said a word, but from her wise smile, she reflected back what we knew - this was the one!
Tara quickly helped us craft an offer that was accepted the next day. Her expertise emerged again as she arranged and coordinated all the inspections and walked us through the paperwork. We closed three weeks later and moved into our wonderful new house. We still love our new home and Tara continues to be an invaluable resource. We could not recommend Tara Murphy more highly and know that you, too, will come away from the experience singing her praises.
Terri Waller & David Salniker read more