Welcome.
Sit down. Take a breath. Stay a while.
weave & seed is a space, place, and structure to practice an Integrated path in so-called “real estate.” We say “so-called ‘real estate’” because it is a term with a meaning and a history that we don’t believe in. Yet, it is the term that so many of us use and recognize to refer to the ideas, experiences, and systems we’ve constructed around home and earth. So, we acknowledge the term “real estate” as a helpful reference and entry point for this work.
We value your time and we want you to know as soon as possible if this is a space that serves you at this time. This space is non-traditional. Or perhaps it is more truly traditional in the ways of home than anything “real estate” has ever been. What we mean is this: there is a wealth of education, experience, tools, practices, and mentorship available here, but if you are looking for support to “close more deals,” or even to buy many investment properties, this space may not be a good fit for your goals.
Photo of Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon by Sarah Ardin on Unsplash
placement & lineage
My body is born of primarily Italian immigrant and British colonizer heritages and is racialized and privileged as white. Some of my other identity contexts include: predominantly cisgendered woman, educationally privileged, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder impacted.
For more information on my placement on this planet and in this work, a reflection piece will be posted soon.
“There have been few things in my life which have had a more genial effect on my mind than the possession of a piece of land.”
— harriet martineau
meaning & impact
On real estate’s simplest level (with rentals and investment only exponentializing these outcomes), the impact of homeownership in the course of an individual’s or family’s life cannot be overstated. According to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, a typical homeowner’s net worth was $195,400, while that of renter’s was $5,400 as of 2013. The significance is even more staggering for people of color. Wealth from equity in a home constitutes 51% of total wealth of the average white household, but 71% for black households.
36x
the multiplier for median net worth of a homeowner compared to a renter
5.3%
Portland Metro Area annual median sales price increase from 2017 to 2018
3.5%
Minimum down-payment for an FHA, federally backed mortgage loan (not 20%)
In Habitat for Humanity Portland Metro/East’s 2015 Homeowner Survey, an 83% high school graduation rate was reported, well above the 64% Multnomah County rate. Family net worth and education could be argued as the two most significant factors in socioeconomic upward mobility for anyone in our country, and both are so inextricably tied to the stability, predictability, and financial return of homeownership.
start somewhere & keep swimming
Coming up with a real estate plan that fits you and doing the work to execute it isn’t always easy, but we’re here to help and we promise to make it easier. Plus, in our experience, it’s worth it.
Many people, especially after the mid 2010’s in Portland, get caught up on “What if I had bought in 2012…” and put off purchases in hopes of a perceived proverbial pricing bubble to pop. We cannot predict the future, but from where we stand, over the long haul the proof is in the pudding: any historical low has rebounded, and other cities at price points far above those anywhere in Oregon also continue to rise (and some of their residents held similar skepticism at the time of our price points).
We have industry and societal conversations to be had and responsibility and actions to be taken around affordability and anti-discrimination. We plan to continue to aggregate relevant resources and demonstrate how we put these ideas into action, but for now you can find what we already have available thoughts throughout this website, on our instagram, or over a beverage of your choice with one of us. If you’ve got a soft heart like we do and have mixed feelings about the real estate market and affordability, that’s okay - there are ways we can incorporate your values into real estate plans.
The general, industry-wisdom-holding “They” say that at any given time, the best time to purchase property is… drumroll… 40 years ago. The next best time to purchase? Today. Ready to sell? That means you’ve already taken the leap to buy. Great. Let’s talk strategy, any needs for repurchase, and overall life goals to make sure we have your priorities straight in making decisions about the sale of your property or home.