I don't think that bonAbode would have happened if I owned a house
anywhere else. I've lived in a lot of great cities, including San
Francisco, but I've never been a part of such an urban Renaissance like what is
happening here in Portland.
I remember discovering Mississippi Street and thinking, "This could be a nice
neighborhood in a couple of years". A couple of years turned out to
be 12 months. Little did I realize that this town was brewing a
caffeinated cocktail of real estate, bountiful civic pride, the
spawning ground of America's 30 Something's and white tile grout
powder becoming the new blow.
And I love it.
I moved here 6 years ago. 12 months after that I bought my first
house in North Portland and went nuts. I tore it up, down, apart.
Any which way my imagination could take me. This place was mine and I could
do anything I wanted. Not too many times in my life have I had this
kind of freedom. But I punched myself out. I came to realize that it
was a lot more work than I thought. Time and money were precious. I
came to realize that my house was about patience and contemplation.
What do I really want? What do I think is valuable?
Time has passed. I continue to work on my house and watch this city
blossom. About a year ago a friend emailed photos of his huge remodel
project. It looked fantastic. I knew he worked really hard on it and
I thought that there should be a place for people to post pictures of
their house work. I now realize how impressive and difficult some of
these things are to do. After asking around I realized that there was
no 'place' for people to talk about their homes. Surprising. And then a
few weeks later it dawned on me that if there was such a website and the
content become large enough, it could be a phenomenal reference tool.
If you wanted ideas about a house project, type in your search
parameters and see what other people have come up with. Whammo!
www.bonAbode.com
With the help of two other first time Portland home owners, Charlie
Johnson and Jaybill McCarthy, we built it. You can post images and
content about your house. You can look at other people's postings and offer
comments. If you are a professional contractor or interior designer
you can post images of your work and attract new clients. And it's
not just about showing off what you've done-- you can also ask for help.
Post a project and explain what you need. Maybe somebody out there
knows exactly how to solve the problem. As long as its within the
context of a home it's fair play. Remodeling, Design, Vendors,
Materials, Resources, Contractors, Anything.
If you like to talk about your house you'll like it and if it's got
half the giddy-up of the rest of Portland, its going to be a smash.
Chris Cardy
www.bonAbode.com
September 2007
Fall, that is....
Hi there, Portland Peeps....
Awesome, awesome sunny, lovely fall day! I took a stroll
downtown this afternoon and wanted to stay out there walking for hours and
hours and hours. Bah-humbug to work and too-pointy shoes!
There are a ton of
new postings on the real estate forum right now. You really oughtta come
over and take a peek. Ross is a witty, knowledgeable guy-- we're very glad he's
with us!
In other news, we have some new
neighborhood profiles that will be posted soon. Make sure to check back...
