Evan Nelson

First, know that working with an agent is a free service to you if you're BUYING a home. The commission is always paid from the seller's side of the transaction. Step 1 is to get pre-approved for financing with a local lender. If you don't have a lender and would like a recommendation, I work with several great lenders and would be glad to connect you. Step 2 is to pick the right agent. I openly acknowledge I may not be the best agent for each person. Each person has different personalities, different needs, different expectations. It's important to work with an agent that is on the same page as you. Once you've determined that an agent is a good fit for you, you should have a full consultation with them to lay out a clear picture of what you're looking for in a home. Step 3 is to take your agents advice. They work the different neighborhoods. They study prices and properties every day. They know the good, the bad, and the ugly. Step 4 is to ask a lot of questions. You want to make sure that during the process, you have a crystal clear knowledge of what you're getting into and how to avoid problems. This will save you a lot of trouble down the road.

No matter whether you choose to work with me or another agent, it is in YOUR best interest to work with an agent, an experienced FULL SERVICE agent. Discount agents exist strictly because they are lazy or inexperienced and rely on business coming to them because of the attractive lower commission. In reality, your home is one of your largest financial investments, and you should ask yourself if you can afford to let someone who is lazy or inexperienced handle that process for you. A good agent earns every cent of their commission by providing exceptional service, and helping the seller to NET the maximum possible amount. As Red Adair, the famous Oil Well Firefighter said: "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." There is serious truth to that statement. The cheapest price is seldom if ever the best deal. It especially bothers me when people let their ego get in the way and try to go for sale by owner. Statistics show that for sale by owner sellers leave so much money on the table that they see a significant loss over if they'd hired an agent. We're here to help you get the best results possible, and when you try to go it alone, you're the one who pays the price. Other things to require from your agent: Professional Photography - This is key. I see so many properties hit the market where the agent clearly used a cell phone to take the pictures, and they are usually the ones that expire unsold. I've even seen photos where agents have scribbled out a person in the background. These kind of distractions really kill your chances of someone buying your house. A professional photographer gets all the right angles, and will often rearrange a few things in the house if needed to get the best possible pictures. Marketing Plan Details - If an agent can't explain how they're going to get your home sold, then that means they are just winging it... Not recommended. A good agent will have a marketing plan they know inside out and it will leave you very impressed after explaining their process. Professional Staging Consultation - Homes that are properly staged sell for an average of 17% more money and 50% faster than those that aren't. I provide a complimentary 1 hour staging consultation. If you choose to move forward with having the house professionally staged, you'll be responsible for hiring and paying the staging company for their services. Past Client References - Ask for at least 2 or 3 past client references. You want an agent who gets feedback from their past clients as this in part shows you how good they are with follow through. Past Sales In Your Area - You want to verify that the agent you're going to hire has worked with other properties in your neighborhood. If they have, they will be more likely to know about important information relevant to your house such as any neighborhood HOA's, information about the schools, local amenities, etc. Ask To See One Or More Of Their Current Listings - If they show you one or more of their listings, you'll get a feel for how they look to the public, and this will give you an idea of how your own home's listing will look. First impressions are everything, so if your home doesn't show up well online, your chances of getting the results you want decrease substantially. Listings Taken To Listings Sold Ratio - This last point is very important. Many agents sell 40+ homes a year, but that doesn't make them the best. In many cases, they may list 50 or more and only manage to sell 50%-75% of them. My track record consists of almost a 100% success rate since 2014. I've even managed to sell several homes that previous brokers had failed to do, often a daunting task.

All kinds of people. Buyers, sellers, investors.

One of my most exciting transactions was in West Linn, one of the higher end neighborhoods in the Portland Metro area. The subject house (21385 Parkview Terrace, West Linn, OR 97068) had been listed for almost 6 years straight by 4 other agents before me, several of the agents whose focus is on luxury properties. As you might imagine, the seller was quite frustrated and tired of being unable to move forward with his plans to relocate. Being the proactive agent I am, when I saw the house had come off the market, I drove over, knocked on the seller's door, spoke with him for a few minutes and left him with my marketing flyer. He was the analytical type and carefully dissected my marketing plan. Within an hour, he and I spoke on the phone, and later that week I met with him and his wife. They made the decision to put me to work for them, and I actually recommended listing the house at a higher price than the previous agent had done, a move that creates a real challenge as it's almost impossible to go back up in price once you've been listed lower. I was confident however that I would be able to get the job done because of the amazing marketing that I've assembled over my years in the business. Within 60 days we received the first offer the seller had in the entire 6 year duration and approximately one month later we SOLD the house for higher than the previous listing price with the last agent. Understandably, the seller was ecstatic! That's the results we deliver to our clients, and I'm a big believer that when you put the clients first, good things happen. This was proof of that.

I went straight in to construction out of high school, and spent 5+ years working in the framing and remodeling of high end homes throughout the Portland area, mostly in Lake Oswego, West Linn, NW Portland, and SW Portland. I noticed a real deficiency of agents who actually know and understand houses beyond the "nice finishes" and felt I had an opportunity to help people buy homes and avoid ending up with a house with an inferior build quality. Additionally, I noticed that most agents are real slackers. They don't take the job seriously, they don't act like professionals, and I constantly encounter this in my day to day operations now. It is really difficult to deal with agents who never answer their phones, incorrectly put information in the MLS about their listings, etc. I felt that I could make a small but positive and powerful contribution to a big problem, and I've done my best.

I spend a great deal of time attending all sorts of real estate events, reading all the latest in regards to real estate, and learning from the best in the business all over the world. I'd be happy to explain further upon request.