Laura Wood

Laura moved to Portland in the 80s, a refugee of Chicago winters, and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She selflessly and tirelessly visits restaurants, coffee shops, tile stores, shoe stores, etc. to make sure she knows what’s going on in Portland’s many distinct neighborhoods. She is passionate about making Portland the most pet friendly city in the country. Before selling real estate, she worked for seventeen years as an emergency/critical care veterinarian. There is absolutely no better negotiation training-ground than dealing with life and death situations involving large amounts of money with people you just met, all at three in the morning. None.

Laura is fascinated with homes and how we live – figuring out what’s important and bringing that front and center, whether it’s a neighborhood with the highest walkability score, a kitchen for two to cook in and room to entertain friends , space for a garden and all the pets, a fixer you can fix exactly the way you want or maybe a clean, modern condo that makes no demands. Whatever you tell yourself about how you want your life to be she’s all for seeing how close you can get and giving it a try. Life is short – why not aim for making it as sweet as possible?

Laura loves Portland, love houses, and relishes being an insider in the Portland real estate market. She’s rehabbed houses and owned rentals for years and still thinks real estate is the most solid long-term investment you can make (everyone should consider the rental as college fund idea!). Her business is 100% referral, and she keeps her clients by helping them buy and sell smart; sometimes the house you fall in love with is not the right house for you. Her clients are lifetime clients – they refer parents, sisters and friends in New York considering a move to Portland (we’re the New Yorker’s version of a fairy tale – a creative city with cool, walkable neighborhoods and affordable housing). She wants clients to call her during a renovation to make sure they’re making the right choices, call with questions about their garden, for reassurance that they’ve found just the right shade of green, advice on what kind of dog they should get…no one has ever accused her of not having an opinion.

Laura lives in the Clinton/Division neighborhood with her partner Martina in a 1909 Craftsman full of pets, too many plants in the garden and never enough books. She loves being home, picking out yet another set of color, planning the next remodeling project and one day finishing her novel (set in Burger King in the 70s – can’t wait to read it, can you?) and always, always thinking about houses.