First-Time Buyer

“Sara Gray is a powerhouse and we would not want anyone else in our corner for a competitive housing market. As first time homebuyers facing a fierce seller’s market, we were very fortunate to have such a competent and caring realtor guide us through the process. We looked at almost 100 houses before finding our home, and Sara was there for every single one, tireless and ready for anything. She let us set the pace, provided key insights for each house and neighborhood we viewed, and never pressured us to make an offer. Sara brought invaluable industry experience and knowledge to the table, and was always honest with us regarding any questions or concerns we had. Just as importantly, she was there for us on an emotional and human level, keeping us grounded through the journey.

When it came to the offer and closing process, Sara continued to bring her A-game. She found all the ways to make our bid competitive and stand out, so much that our offer won out even though it was not the highest bid. The closing process can be daunting in general, but ours looked to be even more so since we decided on a fast closing period. Sara made it a breeze, though, guiding us through each step, keeping us meticulously on track, and answering our questions at any hour of the day. She steered us straight through to getting our keys, and we cannot thank her enough for all of her hard work. We will definitely be giving Sara a call when it comes time to look for our next home, and highly recommend her for anyone who wants an enjoyable and successful home buying experience.”

“We are so grateful to have worked with Sara to purchase our home. We were looking for a multigenerational home with acreage and a large workshop outside of Portland. With Sara’s help, we purchased a beautiful property in Newberg.

Working with Sara was so enjoyable! Her calm presence, suggestions and advice was greatly appreciated. She is an awesome communicator, very organized and just a lovely person. We know multiple people who have worked with Sara and all had wonderful things to say!”

“Sara was a complete pleasure to work with – professional, personable and highly communicative. She has an innate sense about real estate in the Portland market. Sara’s familiarity and inside knowledge of the neighborhoods we were looking in was incredibly helpful. As first-time home buyers, she made the process seamless and easy!”

“Rookie first time homebuyers with no knowledge, no experience and major doubts. Sara was recommend to us by my sister. We decided to give her a call one afternoon; Sara met with us that same evening not in her office but at a new construction site out in Yamhill County to show us around. She made us feel like a priority, our first visit was very unconventional but so worth it.

Again, as first time homebuyers, we were unsure and felt incline to explore the market a bit more after our first round of tours. Sara was incredibly generous with her time and showed us around. She is very knowledgeable, personable, honest, and endlessly patient. Once my husband and I decided on our FIRST HOME there was no going back, she made us feel very comfortable and most importantly stress-free every step of the way. She even made some recommendations for home inspectors, sewer and radon testing. I am so glad we went with all her recommendations.

The purchase of a home is a big one and for our family of four it had been a dream in the making for years. NEVER did we think it would be this easy and wonder why we waited this long. Destiny led us to her; she is forever welcome in our family and we cannot thank her enough for making what seemed impossible possible. June 6th (our closing date) is forever a day we will remember. Thank you Sara for coordinating everything and allowing two sisters and their families to share such a special day together.

Our hearts are full of joy and wish you nothing but the best, with more success and a fruitful career. Best realtor agent EVER!”

“As first- time home buyers my husband and I did a bunch of research before making the decision of purchasing a home. We talked to a bunch of brokers, but none of them made us feel comfortable. One broker even beginning talking about a second mortgage on our first encounter.

At this point feeling frustrated we made the decision to process our loan with our personal bank who then recommended us to Sara Gray. This has been the best recommendation of our life. We immediately emailed Sara and explained our situation to her and she quickly reached out in timely fashion. On our very first meeting, Sara explained each step to us with details and was clear about her knowledge of the current real estate market. My husband and I left from that first encounter feeling super confident and happy to have found the perfect match. At this point we had no more doubts.

From that moment on, Sara was available to answer all of our silly questions, no matter what time of the day. Sara is an excellent communicator and a friendly person to be around. Working with Sara has been amazing. I immediately recommended Sara to my little sister. Sara was able to work magic and arranged for my sister’s family and mine to get our keys on the same day. You won’t regret calling Sara. Call her now.”

“As first-time out-of-state homebuyers, we knew that this whole process had the potential to be very tricky. Knowing that, we wanted a realtor that would be flexible with our schedule and willing to go and look at places for us while we were out of town.

We could not have chosen a better realtor to help us through that process. Sara walked us through every step and made it feel easy. Considering that we weren’t even sure what we were looking for, Sara helped us navigate the Portland market by showing us a variety of places (both in-person and on FaceTime) and was very accommodating with our schedule.

Buying a home is a stressful process, but Sara made sure to make it feel fun and easy, even in the less-fun moments.
I know that sometime in the future we’ll buy another house, and there is no doubt that we’ll be working with Sara again!”

“Our family was new to Oregon and first time home buyers. We were very fortunate to have connected with Sara. We saw over 30 houses and Sara was there with us the entire way! She was always available to answer questions and concerns. She helped us find the perfect home! Even after the sale had closed, she helped to facilitate the transitions of ownership of the house for our rent back to the seller. She is knowledgeable, patient, considerate, and very genuine person. The was no one else I rather work with again if I ever bought another house!! Thank you Sara!”

“Sara was an excellent realtor that we cannot recommend enough! As first-time home buyers, we really had no idea what we were doing. Sara helped us navigate through the rigors of applying for a loan, looking at houses, drafting a winning offer letter, and stayed at our side through signing the final documents. We received useful tips along the way, and she connected us with a great mortgage broker who helped ensure everything went smoothly.

We really appreciated Sara’s honesty and genuine desire to help us find a good home. When we went to look at houses, she noticed things that could potentially become issues. Water stains, old roof, funky layouts that would affect resale value, you name it. It was apparent she didn’t want us to just settle on any available home.  We also admired her flexibility to accommodating our schedules.

When our home purchase went sideways during the inspection period, she helped keep us well-informed of the situation, worked with our mortgage broker, and turned a potential loss into a win. Ultimately, we found a great home in the area we were looking for and we feel so fortunate that Sara helped make our dream of homeownership a reality.”

“Sara Gray has a remarkable ability to remain calm and cool and at the same time, emit warmth and personality. This combination, along with her extreme organizational skills and know-how, were perfect for us as we approached finding and buying our first home. We were extremely well taken care of, and that is because Sara was on our team.”

“I don’t think I could ever thank Sara enough for finding me my first home.  I am newer to the Portland area and a first time buyer with a limited budget.  I had a short time frame to work with and had already been given the run around from another agent. A good friend of mine had recommended I reach out to Sara and I’m so grateful I did!  I had emailed to introduce myself and gave a small novel of what I was looking for- what I knew I wanted, what I hated, and what I was willing to budge on. Within 15 minutes she had replied back fully on board to help me find my first place.  Within 30 minutes she had already sent me a link to an RMLS listing page with a few condos to look over. We met the next morning to view one of those properties.

From day one Sara has been attentive to my questions and concerns (no matter how big or small), understanding of my frustrations, and always a great voice of reason when things did not go as I had anticipated.  Sara always kept me informed of the processes and timelines of what to expect.  When the road got a little bumpy, Sara used her extensive knowledge to protect me and my interests. She was always respectful and professional with all parties involved, and always kept it real with me – which to me is amazing! I honestly don’t think I could have gone through the process of buying my home with any other broker.”

“As first time home-buyers, we came in without any firsthand experience and didn’t really know what to expect from the home-buying process at all. We started by attending one of Sara’s seminars, which gave a great rundown of the overall buying process and what to expect along the way. This class got us excited to begin our house-hunt, and definitely helped us feel a bit more in control. We knew the steps and the process from the class, and had Sara’s expertise and unwavering support along the way. Throughout the process, Sara was such a great ally. From helping craft offers to coordinating timelines to showing us houses all over the area in a very timely manner, Sara did an amazing job of setting expectations and making the process fun!  Always so positive and knowledgeable, Sara made buying our home a great experience, we can’t imagine going through all these steps without her.

Even after an offer fell through, Sara was there with fresh-baked cookies and encouragement. We always trusted her advice and appreciated her candidness and approach. We’ll absolutely be working with Sara again when the time comes and will continue to recommend her to anyone looking to purchase or sell a home.”