Carolyn Groves
Real Estate Broker
Licensed in Oregon
Carolyn bought her first house, a 1970s split-level duplex, in Jackson Hole, WY in 1994. Many a DIY home improvement project ensued, in which she developed skills that she used on her second house, a major fixer upper with great potential. In 2008 Carolyn and her family relocated to Portland and fell in love with everything about the Rose City! They rented in inner SE for a year and eventually purchased a home in Concordia that had been owned by the same family for 41 years.
While remodeling the kitchen and a bathroom of this wallpaper-covered time capsule, Carolyn began cultivating relationships with various professional contractors and eventually had a backyard Accessory Dwelling Unit designed and built for her parents. She draws upon all of these experiences to help clients envision how to make any house their own unique and special home.
Her ideal Portland adventure: When her daughters were younger, Carolyn’s ideal Portland day involved participating in one of the numerous family-friendly activities all over the metro area: spending time in one of the 100+ playgrounds, visiting the Zoo and OMSI, and cheking out books at one of our wonderful libraries. Now that both of her daughters are grown and attending the University of Oregon, her perfect Portland day revolves around friends, food, and music. She and her partner Brian Dunster (also a Realtor at Urban Nest!) are both musicians and enjoy catching shows all over Portland and traveling to music festivals in their 2002 Eurovan (named Wilma!), playing darts and cribbage, and savoring the abundant dining options all over town. Carolyn also loves going to yard sales and finding unexpected treasures with her octogenarian mom, Granny Jean.
Her Superpower: Optimism and the ability to see potential.
Superpower she wishes she had: Carolyn wishes she had a time-turner. She’d love to go back in time, and add extra hours to her day so she could get everything done and still have plenty of time for a restorative nap!
Favorite moment/s in real estate: As a former librarian, Carolyn loves the research that goes into finding the perfect neighborhood and house as well as helping sellers decide which improvement projects will give them the best bang for their buck. She also enjoys keeping track of all the small details that mean her clients will experience a smooth transaction. Finally, it brings her great joy to explore so many different houses and neighborhoods, becoming friends with her clients along the way.
Favorite Portland neighborhood, and why? While picking just one neighborhood is challenging, she absolutely loves her neighborhood since 2009, Concordia. She enjoys watching the swifts and bats fly through the mature tree canopy in the summer evenings, the proximity to all of the small local businesses on Alberta, Killingsworth, and Dekum, and taking Petra the dog to the off-leash areas at Fernhill and Alberta Parks.