Agents

Laurie Gilmer

Principal Broker
Pronouns: She/Her

Call Me503-347-3565

Email Melauriegilmer68@gmail.com

Websitehttps://www.brightspacerealestate.com/

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Whether you’re buying your first home, your 20th investment property, or anything in between, I will help guide you through the process and always provide my honest opinion and feedback. I have owned fixer uppers, move-in-ready homes, investment properties, and condos. Even after a transaction has closed, I am still available to you on an ongoing basis. I encourage my clients to use me as a resource on remodeling, referrals for tradespeople, or even questioning if now is the right time to buy or sell. I enjoy helping in any way that I can.

I have called Oregon my home for over 30 years, after time spent on both coasts. I’ve lived in all quadrants of Portland and experienced them change and evolve, with their own unique personalities. I appreciate all Portland has to offer, from quirky community events and mouth-watering farmers markets, to an abundance of local businesses. My wife, Kellie, our dog Newman (named after one of our favorite shows, Seinfeld), and I currently live in NE Portland and love being able to walk and bike (if you see a lit up bike with streamers and music playing, odds are it’s me) to restaurants, bars, and friends’ homes.

Before becoming a Realtor in 2003, I was a mental health clinician for many years. The skills I used as a therapist – active listening, building a trusting relationship, stress management, and organization – are invaluable to selling real estate. I work hard and take pride in handling every detail of your purchase or sale. 100% of my business is through referrals from satisfied clients and I value my clients’ opinions and confidence in me. I recognize that it is often about more than just real estate: it’s about your life, your money, your goals, and your dreams.

Assisting and supporting people as they fulfill their dreams is a value I hold dearly. In 2001, I helped establish a non-profit (originally Oregon Cultural Access) connecting people living with a mental or physical disability to the arts. In this capacity, I ran a theater company for people living with mental illness. I actively participated on the board for 22 years until we decided to turn over the programs to other non-profits in 2023. I continue to actively contribute and participate in a number of local non-profits. My dedication to giving back to our community will always be an important part of my professional and personal life.

When I am not working, my passions include traveling, scuba diving, exploring our beautiful state, cooking, live music and festivals (I am a dedicated Phish Phan), “glamping” in our adorable teardrop trailer, hanging in our backyard adult treehouse, coming up with new cocktails at our home bar, eating and drinking my way through Portland, and spending time with friends and family. I look forward to helping you achieve your real estate dreams!

Laurie is knowledgeable, accurate, intuitive, responsive, thoughtful, and efficient. She supported us through the process and to a great result. I'd highly recommend her to anyone looking to find their dream home.
Clair & Jeff
Laurie is a remarkable realtor. She is everything one could want in the person who will lead you through one of the most challenging and potentially stressful transactions of your life. She is knowledgeable, thorough, prepared, and full of resources. She has all the people you could need on speed dial, and hooks you up with them as needed. Before I hired Laurie, I met with other realtors, but Laurie impressed me from the start. She had prepared for our visit; she had printed up comps, had ideas for the sale of my house, and even sent out her favorite roofer (a gem) to assess the health of my roof, before I had even indicated a commitment to her. Her suggestions for preparing my house for sale were spot on (even the ones I thought were unnecessary--she really did know best!). The open house was amazing, and very effective. We had 4 excellent offers after one weekend. She is also patient and even keeled in the property search side of the process, and made me feel safe that all the little details were being watched and taken care of. Everyone I came in contact with on her team are wonderful, kind, helpful: Joe, Emily, Laura--thank you all so much!
Nancy Sullivan
We wouldn't think of letting anyone else handle the selling and buying of our homes! Laurie is simply the best in every way. She worked with us for several years as we tried to find the perfect home for us in the neighborhood we desired. She was always patient, helpful, professional, fun, and an expert on all of the aspects of home ownership. Trusting an agent like we trust Laurie makes the whole complex process so much less stressful. We always knew she had our back and that we could trust whatever advise she gave. We can't thank her enough for all of her hard work on our behalf in the recent sale of our home and the purchase of our wonderful new home.
Charlotte FinnPortland, Oregon
I wish I could give this woman more than five stars. There's not a doubt in my mind that without Laurie on our side, we would not have our house. She went far beyond the call of duty every step of the way. We were moving to Portland from out of state and didn't even know which neighborhood we wanted to live in. As first time home buyers, Laurie took the time to really find out what we needed in a house and to break down what can certainly be called a daunting process. We decided to come for an exploratory day and Laurie set up 16 houses for us to look at. Just that morning, a house came down in price into our range and she managed to set up a last minute viewing for us. It was the last house we saw and it blew everything else out of the water. We LOVED it and Laurie said "I'm going to get you this house." And boy did she. There was another bidder and Laurie helped us figure out what we needed to make a competitive offer. Then she went to present it in person! And who could say no to this woman? But it didn't stop with her getting us the house. As we lived out of state, Laurie oversaw the whole escrow process- recommending our mortgage broker (who we love), scheduling and overseeing the inspector and various tradespeople coming to and repairing the house, checking herself to make sure everything was done properly (and re-scheduling appointments when it wasn't), checking in with us and taking the time to answer any and all of our questions, the list goes on. If you're looking for a knowledgable, experienced, extremely personable, energetic, enthusiastic and talented broker, stop right here. You've found her.
Eva MNovember, 2 2014
As first time homebuyers, my partner and I came to Laurie without much knowledge of the "nitty gritty" of house buying. Laurie is *so* knowledgeable and wanted us to understand every part of the home buying process including teaching us about foundations, electrical, etc. She was supportive through the entire process, and always had our best interest in mind. We cannot recommend Laurie enough!
Claire BJune 19, 2022
Laurie was recommended to us by former clients who couldn't speak highly enough of her, and after our experience with her and her team we will absolutely do the same and recommend her without reservation. Her comprehensive knowledge of both the Portland real estate market and the city itself was an absolute godsend during our house search. She also proved to be an expert in negotiations - more than once she caught details that probably saved us thousands. She and her team were outstandingly responsive and proactive; our questions never went unanswered, and we felt totally comfortable in their hands. Buying a house in Portland isn’t easy, but I really believe having Laurie on your team is a huge advantage!
Heidi HDecember 9, 2021
There aren't enough words to describe the magic of Laurie Gilmer. I am a first time home buyer and was referred to Laurie by a mutual friend. She helped me navigate a complicated housing market and was able to explain the ins and outs of both home ownership and condo purchasing. She knows Portland incredibly well, and gave unbiased feedback on every home and condo we saw together. Somehow, I always felt like I was Laurie's only client, although that was obviously not the case. When I finally did put in a couple of offers, Laurie spent hours with me digging through property history and real estate records. For the condo I ended up purchasing, Laurie and her team spent even more time working with the city to understand various permits, and she scheduled my inspection, sewer inspection, etc. At every step of the way, Laurie was responsive, empathetic, patient, and resourceful. She got to the bottom of all my questions and not once did I feel pressured to purchase anything; quite the opposite, I felt that Laurie was 100% an advocate for my long term success. Having worked with other realtors in the past, not one of them has shown a fraction of the care and dedication as Laurie and her incredible team. 10/10 would recommend!
Kristin RMarch 2, 2023
On a scale of 0 – 10 (ten being the best thing ever), Laurie and her team are easily an 11. Because of Laurie, our house buying process was stressless. She made herself available and was very reliable. She is transparent, trustworthy, and honest. Laurie was not only concerned with finding us a house we loved, but also ensured we were making a smart investment. Even after we moved in, and all the docs were signed, she followed up with us to make sure all was well in our new home.
Lynzi SJanuary 28, 2021
I have never had an agent so involved and so on top of things. Laurie is personable and worked hard for me and found me the perfect home. She and her team were incredibly responsive and made going through the process of buying a home easy.
Kathryn RAugust 14, 2019
Laurie was fantastic and we would recommend her to anyone looking for a realtor. We were selling our condo after having moved out of state. Laurie basically took care of everything, from getting it staged to arranging for repairs requested by our buyers. She made sure everyone far and wide knew about our listing. She was diligent following up with every person who toured. Through it all she was straightforward and communicative. After trying and failing to sell our condo a couple years prior, we now understand the difference a good realtor like Laurie can make.
Clark PFebruary 16, 2021
Laurie Gilmer is the absolute GOAT when it comes to realtors. When my partner and I decided to try to buy a house in this weird market, an acquaintance recommended we talk to Laurie. I remember sitting in her office and already feeling at ease and confident Laurie would help us find our first home together. My gut was right, y'all! She led us each step of the way, easing our anxieties, explaining everything to us and being patience with our never ending questions. She truly went to bat for us in negotiating and when things came down to the wire right before closing, she made sure the sellers got their stuff together and handled everything they agreed to handle. She negotiated more money for us and everything. Not only is she an absolute wealth of knowledge, but she has a phenomenal sense of humor, is extremely responsive, and overall a truly amazing person. We loved working with her and her entire team. They made buying a house feel manageable and even enjoyable! Do yourself a favor and work with Laurie and her team to buy or sell your next home. You won't regret it.
Zo NMarch 26, 2023
I have never felt more compelled to write a public review of any business or person in my entire life. Laurie came highly recommended by a friend, and from the beginning, it was obvious why. As first-time home-buyers in a market that was BANANAS, we were completely overwhelmed and nervous. Laurie and her team were supportive, knowledgeable, and kind every step of the way. Walking through a house with Laurie is like walking through a house with a super-computer. She seems to know everything there is to know (design, usability, durability, what work would need to be done, little details that we'd never have thought to look at) we learned so much just from our first few viewings with her. She delivers information in a way that is incredibly clear without being condescending at all, which was so comforting for us. She's also a pro at negotiations and writing offers. I can confidently say we wouldn't have gotten this house, which we love, without her guiding us. Again, buying in a competitive market is tough, but with her support, we made ONE offer on ONE house and it was accepted. On top of all of that, her support doesn't end at closing. Laurie and her team have continued to be incredibly responsive in the months since we've moved in - recommending contractors and service pros, even helping us solve last-minute move-in emergencies, which felt well beyond the scope of what I'd expect form a realtor. Future Portland home-buyers, for YOUR sake, I'm begging you, work with Laurie.
Stephanie F.Feb 15, 2022
We were out of area buyers—during fire season and a pandemic—a contingent buyer looking for rentals—Laurie and her team were most helpful. Laurie is very honest and calming. No drama at all. Very good guidance—fact driven and objective. She provided many helpful resources and we felt very well taken care of. The entire process was so smooth, I kept waiting for that bomb to drop—that has occurred in all our many purchases/sells—never happened. We closed right on time on a darling duplex in a wonderful neighborhood.
Pam SDec 27, 2020