It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Keith Rost. 

Keith has represented me in a number of transactions, including buying a home in 2004, 2007 and selling a home in 2010.  I did not realize how important it was to have a knowledgeable Realtor until I met Keith. With his background in property management and inspections, he has a wealth of knowledge to bring to the table to help the buyer “beware” and consider all their options.

Keith goes above and beyond the ‘call of duty’ to make sure the transaction runs smoothly, to pay attention to and anticipate the buyer’s/seller’s needs, and speak honestly if something doesn’t seem right to him.  He has the most integrity of anyone I have had the pleasure to do business with.   Keith has a nice balance of professionalism and an easygoing personality. 

I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have regarding Keith.  Please feel free to contact me @

High end remodel features gourmet kitchen with updated cabinetry, cement counters, cork flooring and newer appliances. Attractive hardwoods throughout featuring an open floor plan.  Lower remodeled level includes an office, large family room with wood fireplace, utility and storage rooms and an additional full bath.  Possible 2nd family living with lower level entry. New roof, windows, interior paint, lighting, electrical panel and forced air gas unit.

Close to coffee and grocery stores! Minutes to Downtown Portland and within walking distance of local college.  Dont miss your opportunity with this home.

We will definitely take the time to overview your home (interior and exterior), and give creative suggestions for special ‘staging’ techniques.

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~First impressions are everything and quite essential when your home is listed for sale~!
Make sure your entire yard is manicured and uncluttered.  Your entry should be swept and inviting; for example if it is the Fall time of the year make sure all the leaves are raked and swept. If you have children, put away the toys and maximize ‘Curb Appeal’!  We have seen many prospective buyers just continue driving by a property and choose not to even review the interior of a home when the home’s exterior appearance is not attractive…again…First impressions are extremely important.

~Empty your house of clutter.  If you can, rent a storage unit and put all unused items, excess furniture and such until the house is sold. This will make your house appear larger;  especially if you have a smaller home it will greatly improve the appeal.  Emptying storage spaces, the basement and the garage will help potential buyers envisions their possessions in the home.  Minimalism may really behoove your sale!

~Touch up paint in both the interior and exterior areas of your home.  Paint is relatively inexpensive and an attractive ‘quick’ fix in order to attract potential buyers.  Try to always maintain neutral colors since many buyers taste vary.

~Remove family portraits from the walls.  This will help potential buyers see the home more generically and not as someone else’s home.

~Sensory perceptions of homes have a huge impact on buyers!  Make sure the garbage is taken out regularly, and if you have any pets you may want to consider either having the carpets cleaned or the use of air fresheners.

~Make sure all your light bulbs are in working order and replace those which are not. Dripping faucets can also be a big detraction so it would help you to have those repaired.

~Keep pets away either when you are having an Open House or when your home is being showed to potential buyers  Animals can intimidate some people and may leave a negative impression of your home.

~Reorganize your closets so they don’t present as being cluttered.  This is really important.
A suggestion may be to remove and box up clothes that you are not currently utilizing so your closets appear larger.
~Make sure all beds are made and all things picked up every morning.  Your home may get shown throughout the day while you are at work. Bedrooms with all the beds made and cleaned up present well. This also applies to cleaning up the kitchen so dirty dishes, etc are not visible.
~Fix sticky doors, peeling linoleum flooring, cracked windows, etc and any other little household project you may have put off.  Now is the time to address those issues so your home will show with the best presentation possible.

~In short, the presentation of your home is essential.  The best scenario is to create an environment  to show your home as a ‘model home’; always extremely clean and may appear almost like no one lives there!    This definitely does require some work from a Sellers perspective  however it certainly improves the selling potential of your home and may help with a more expedient sale!

 Home inspectors need to have certification in their trade so we suggest to make calls or search the internet and make contact to several inspectors and ask what their qualifications are.  Often times your real estate agent may have experience with a variety of inspectors and may be able to suggest to you a local inspection company. You may want to see if the inspector has current memberships with any professional associations.

Why hire a home inspector? 

 Obtaining a qualified home inspection by a licensed home inspector is one of the most important things a buyer can do…even for new construction!  They will look for issues including insects, dry rot, leaking roofs, cracked foundations, etc.  Buyers should be diligent with checking out who may be a good home inspector for their specific needs.

Should I get pre-approved for a mortgage loan first before beginning my search for real estate properties?

  Yes!

 There are essentially two types of mortgage loan qualifications; pre-qualification and pre-approval. A buyer going through this process is then able to shop for mortgage rates, lock-in (securing the mortgage interest rate that you want for the loan…keeping in mind that these rates are dependent on various factors and rates can sometimes change several times during the day) and finding out how much you can afford. It also enables you to move swiftly when you find the right home.  Make sure to get a Good Faith Estimate from your lender (which itemizes what your costs may be) and also request a face to face meeting with your lender so you can review any and all questions in regards to your mortgage loan.  The pre-approval letter may behoove you a bit more than a pre-qualification letter since the pre-approval letter would be submitted to you by your lender once they have checked your credit and ran it through automated underwriting.  They may also request that you submit your asset, income and other information as well; the pre-approval process includes the added step of truly verifying your information.  As always, once a buyer identifies a property they wish to make an offer on, a copy of the pre-approval or pre-qualification letter is usually included with the initial offer to purchase to let the Sellers know that the buyers have already checked with a lender and submitted their financial status in order to request to qualify for a purchase of  the said property.  This process of getting ‘pre-approved’ for your loan may position you in the Seller’s perception as having more strength in your efforts to purchase their home.   Your lender will be able to educate and explain the differences between the pre-qualification and pre-approval letter.

What are contingencies?

  A contingency means that the sale of  a property is contingent upon certain things happening.  Sometimes it is contingent upon the buyer obtaining a loan (which we strongly suggest that all buyers get a pre-approval letter…as stated above) before they even begin their home search venture, or a sale may be based as contingent when selling your home first.  And sometimes a sale is contingent upon a good home inspection.

What is a 72 hour clause?

  If a buyer has to sell their house before they can purchase another home, Sellers often insist on a 72-hour clause.  This way if a better offer comes in on the home for sale, and the contingency is unsettled, the clause requires the Seller to give the buyer 72 hours to remove the contingency or forfeit the house.  This buyer can sometimes find alternative financing available allowing them to continue the purchase but it also allows the Seller to not miss an opportunity.  This is also referred to as a ‘bumpable’ or bmp transaction. Obviously, each transaction may be different and is handled on a case by case basis.

Do I need to get Homeowners Insurance?

 Yes. Mortgage and title companies require insurance.  You will have to obtain insurance prior to closing of escrow to avoid any unexpected issues…definitely a buyer would be wise to request as soon as possible from their selected homeowners insurance company what their insurance rates will be and request an insurance binder to be prepared. All buyers should shop around to see what the best company and premium rates may be best for you. Again, the buyers ‘due diligence’ is extremely important throughout any purchase of real estate and to be pro active with this type of information will definitely save you some time (and headaches) down the line!  Even those ‘cash’ buyers who do not need to receive a mortgage for their purchase would be wise to definitely consider getting Homeowners Insurance.

What is a Lead Based Paint Disclosure?

 All residential homes built prior to 1978 are subject to the Residential Lead-Based paint Disclosure Program, which is administered by the EPA and HUD.  This Act requires affected home sellers to provide buyers with a lead-based paint disclosure and the pamphlet titled “Protect your Family from Lead in Your Home”


“Thank you for finding the perfect house and saving us so much money!  We really enjoyed working with you and hope to in the future.”

Jim and Tai purchased an attractive older home in a close-in neighborhood in North Portland; located only minutes to Downtown Portland and OHSU.  This was their first home and they were drawn to the many original older features integrated into the house and saw a lot of potential.  After their remodeling was completed, we could not believe how incredible this property looked.  The owners were eventually transferred to the East Coast and Barrington-Grey Realty listed this home for sale within Portland with a successful, profitable transaction for the owners within a few weeks of listing.

2005

“Thank you so much for the smooth transaction in closing.  She is quite possibly the happiest buyer I’ve seen!  (and I’ve seen lots).  She credits you for all of this and I wanted to say thank you again and I look forward to our paths crossing again.”

This was actually submitted by the buyers realtor in regards to a somewhat difficult transaction where Barrington-Grey Realty was positioned as the listing agent for this home in North Portland. The Sellers were located out of state and we listed their home for sale.  The buyer had a difficult time in obtaining the mortgage loan due to credit issues however we all worked together in order to benefit the Sellers first and foremost and also assisted in whatever communication or tasks that were involved to make it a successful transaction for the buyer as well.  A good relationship and communication between the listing and selling realtors is essential in order to benefit both Sellers and Buyers in their transactions.

2004

“Thank you for helping me through the transaction; you were great. Thank you for the gift also.  It was much appreciated.  I am a little overwhelmed with all the work the house needs but I am sure Tuan is up to the challenge.”

These buyers were looking for their first rental home in the SW area of Portland, Oregon and purchased a HUD FHA foreclosure @ a great price!  Albeit the home was newer construction, it did need some repair work to be performed.  After the buyers thorough home inspections, they decided that the sales price on this home for sale was in line with the amount of money needed to upgrade and remodel.  Their purchase was successful and this home is still operating as a quality rental for them…and located minutes to downtown Beaverton and a short commute to Downtown Portland.

2004

“Thank you Keith for being so diligent; it is very much appreciated. The more I see the house the more I like it.”

This family was fantastic to work with and did have several specifics in their pursuit of their next home.  Logistically, they had to be positioned in the middle of their two work locations to lessen their current commuting time and also needed a newer home that was large enough for their family, and also positioned in a desirable school district.  Many homes with this square footage did not offer 3.5 baths however we were relentless in our search and found the perfect house and these buyers were very pleased.  This home offered a myriad of uses due to its well thought out floor plan and was situated in an extremely desirable area.

2005

“Thank you, you have done an excellent job.  I’ll let you know when I am ready to buy in Oregon again; should be in 4-6 months.  I’ll keep your name handy as a referral to others.”

Jason was an out of state buyer who was referred to us.  Although this buyer was extremely well versed in the practice of purchasing real estate, we made sure that all bases were covered so this ‘sight unseen’ buyer was completely satisfied with his purchase of a rental property located an hour east of the City of Portland and closer to the Oregon coast.  The purchase was made on a new construction home in an up and coming area.  It was important to note that this buyer  had several home inspections on this new home.  A new home needs to be inspected as thoroughly as an older home since you want to make sure all work has been performed to adhere to the current codes of each specific area.  In this case, the home inspection determined that there were errors in the initial construction so we diligently assisted the buyer to make sure all repairs were performed in a satisfactory manner. This property is still proven to be a successful rental home purchase for this buyer.

2005

“Thanks, Keith…you’re a sweetheart.  I cant tell you how happy I am to be living in my new place. I have to pinch myself all the time to make sure its real.  And I owe it to you, buddy!  Plus, I cant believe the OBSCENE amount of money I am selling my old house for!”

This buyer was an incredible, intelligent lady.  She had the foresight to change her location by selling her home in the City of Portland and move a bit northwest to a river view, brand new construction townhome.  Purchasing a new construction home is an exciting experience, however there are many items to review and make decisions on, such as what type of flooring, appliances, paint, etc that the buyer would be pleased with.  The townhome turned out to be a very attractive place with a great attention to detail and this buyer was truly pleased with the outcome.  It was an enjoyable experience to work with this client.

2005

“Dear Keith:

I am writing to thank you for all of the excellent service you provided with the purchase and then sale of our property on Fairhaven in Portland.  Dennis and I both felt your work in both transactions was extraordinary and believe that we would have been near as successful without your honesty, integrity and knowledge.

As you know, the property was an investment for us. Our initial goal was to profit around $20,000 from this investment.  Due to your experience and diligence, we more than doubled this profit.  Your knowledge and insight to the market truly came through on this purchase.

Honestly can be a difficult trait to find in individuals and this is no different in the real estate market.  The fact that you were completely upfront and honest about all of our dealings made the experience delightful and even fun.

We also appreciate the integrity of insuring these transactions were profitable for us.
When things were discovered with the property, you made it right.  That shows that you truly care for your customers and their financial well-being.

If you ever need a reference, for any reason, please feel free to contact us.  This is only a small re-payment for all of your help.”

This couple bought their first rental property.  They wanted a reasonable price so a thorough search was made in the HUD FHA foreclosure properties.  Although this home for sale needed some work, these buyers were well versed in the construction industry so their purchase was a perfect fit with the amount they paid for this home and the amount of money and time it took them to remodel to ready up the property for their tenants.  These buyers then moved out of state and again requested that Barrington-Grey Realty list their home for them.

We had an extremely expedient sale and we were very pleased with the amount of profit that these Buyers (and eventual Sellers) made on this property.

2003

“Rumor has it that I purchased my first home.  Well, I’m hear to set it all straight. I did indeed purchase my first home, and what an exciting, and at times exhausting experience.
There is more paperwork, phone calls, meetings, faxes, last minute hold-ups and missed appointments in the buying process that I would have ever imagined.  Now I understand where the “realtor fee” comes from.  My realtor was such an excellent human being to work with.  He overlooked absolutely nothing, and was a true professional.  I must say that I was blessed to have this going for me.”

This was another first home buyer purchase and the buyer definitely wanted a home ‘close-in’ to Downtown Portland however still looking for a country type atmosphere.  Due to this buyers expertise with home remodeling, we were able to focus in on some properties which needed some work while not discounting the fact that the home would have to be acceptable per mortgage guidelines.  We found the perfect home for this buyer; located steps from shopping areas but still in a more rural area.  We were extremely happy that the buyer was very excited about this home and it has worked out well for him.

2004

“Dear Keith:

You are the baddest Dawg around! (translation = the very best…). Thank you so much for all your hard work, attention to detail, sense of humor and patience in guiding us through the process of buying our new home.   Craig and I are so grateful to you for all your efforts on our behalf.”

This couple was in search of their first home. Location (and price) were paramount in our search since they wanted to be closer-in to Downtown Portland and also Mt. Tabor Park (a 100 acre park ‘retreat’ located only 3 miles from Downtown).  List prices were a challenge to locate a home in such a desirable area however after researching the RMLS daily for possible properties, their perfect home came up as available.  Their new home met all of their expectations and their final selling price proved to be a great deal for them.

2005

“Dear Keith:

I know we’ve said it many times, but it never seems sufficient! Thank you for being the greatest Realtor we’ve ever met.  Ten successful purchases and sales in the last three years with you by our side and all of them has made our endeavor much easier and stress free than we could have imagined.

I know feedback helps, and we want you to know the specific things you have done that have worked so well for us.

-    You believe in us and our dream
-    You watch out for us, teaching us tricks of the trade we wouldn’t know otherwise
-    You connect us with outstanding professionals who have aided us immensely
-    You work consistently to make sure we are aware of opportunities
-    You are diligent about being on time
-    You do your homework above and beyond the call of your profession so that we can make better decisions
-    You are straightforward and honest;  we never feel pushed or manipulated
-    You are in this for our benefit without concern for your own
-    You hold to your principles and set good boundaries
-    You’re absolutely brilliant; proven again and again with each new pursuit
-    You have amazing instincts and insight, so feel free to guide us anytime!
-    You are kind and generous and deserve all the good this life can bring you

I’ve been trying to express this for ages, and I don’t think this even covers half of it.
We are so blessed to have you in our lives.  Thank you for all you have done for us, for so many of our friends, and for those that are lucky enough to find themselves with you on their side.

We love you a lot!”

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting this couple at the onset of my real estate career.  Their focus was to build capitol for their church through flipping real estate.  They made extremely intelligent and wise decisions; and were always driven and balanced all their purchases with good integrity. Initially, they had tried to pursue this venture of real estate flipping a few years earlier however things didnt come together for them but through their determination and faith, they proved to be very successful with their instincts on which properties to purchase and also walked away from those that didnt serve them well. As they built their portfolio of real estate, it gave me great satisfaction to see their results.  Results that were so well achieved that they are now purchasing a limited amount of properties on their own.  I always wish them the best of luck and feel that they have deserved all that they have accumulated.

2006

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do.  I really appreciate your patience and concern that you have had over the last couple of years thanks to all you do.
I would like you to come and have dinner with us to show how much I appreciate all you have done.  I know it is your job but there are lots of times you have gone past the call of duty.
Talk to you soon.

“You’re a wonderful person and its nice knowing not all realtors are…well…you know  ”

Keith:

I wanted to extend a huge THANK YOU to you for all of your hard work and help. I’m so glad Randy found you over a year ago. You’re a wonderful person and its nice knowing not all realtors are…well…you know  .  You go above and beyond the call of duty and it is very much appreciated.  I know I can speak for Randy when I say we will refer potential buyers and sellers to you if we cross paths with any in the future.

2003

Paul and I really want to thank you for everything you have done for us. Debbie was taking us for a ride.  Thank you Keith for rescuing the appraisal from those wicked people.  Paul thought it was great that you sat in the office reading the appraisal, ruffling up a few feathers I’m sure.  ?  Talk to you tomorrow.

2007

After finding our perfect retirement home in Las Vegas, NV my husband and I were faced with the task  of selling our home in Gladstone, OR after we had both moved here.
Thanks to the wonderful realtor who had helped us sell our prior Oregon home and purchase our Gladstone home, we knew exactly where to turn…to Keith Rost of Barrington-Grey Realty.

Keith not only advised my husband as to what needed to be done to make the Gladstone house more appealing to buyers, he also ‘watched’ over it for us during the time it took to sell.  Thanks to Keith’s excellent marketing techniques, including holding Open Houses and many phone queries, we had a buyer in a relatively short time. Keith even took care of finding us a landscaper who worked with us ‘long distance’ keeping the yard and trees maintained.

As always, Keith went far beyond the ‘call of duty’ in helping us with the sale, just as he did with our previous SE Portland home back in 2003.  I highly recommend him to everyone I know in the Portland-Clackamas area.

No one will ever doubt they got a more than fair deal when they choose to work with Keith. He’s the very best!

2005

Hello Keith:

I just wanted to express my total satisfaction with the sale of my house in Salem.
As a brief reminder, we met a few years ago when I was looking to buy a house in Salem. We looked at a lot of different places and you instilled a great deal of confidence with me in your ability to be honest and really look out for my interests.

Due to your past experience in home construction, you helped me find the right house and knowing that I’m not a Mr. Fix-it type of guy found the best place for me and my price range.  Now, I have made another ‘life change’ and got married. Since I was moving in with my wife in Hillsboro,  I needed to sell the house in Salem.  There was no question in my mind as to who I was going to call to be my realtor.

Once again, I was not disappointed, you were there for me during the different offers that we had.  Again, directing me and helping me find the right offer.  And of course, you did.

You cant do better than FULL PRICE  and in LESS THAN A WEEK.

The sale went as smooth as the purchase two years ago.  Keith, you are one of the most honorable men that I have known in a sometimes dishonest environment. I just want to say thanks, and when my wife and I are ready to sell and buy a bigger house, guess who we will be calling?

Rest assured we will be using your services again in a few years.

2005

We are loving our new old house’ its small but cozy and it feels like home.  We have hundreds of ideas on fixing it up; its hard to focus on one thing at a time.

We are so grateful to you for your dedicated, persistent, protective attitude while helping us attain the first step to our dream. And especially for your awesome sense of humor!