Buying new construction in Portland? Bring a buyer's-side agent.

Featured communities

Two communities Kaz knows cold today. More will come online as new preferred-agent agreements close.

What Kaz actually does for buyers

The on-site agent at every builder community works for the builder. Their fiduciary duties run upward to the builder, not outward to you. A buyer's agent runs the other side of that table. Here is what that looks like in practice on a Portland-metro new-construction deal:

1. Pre-visit registration. Most representation problems on a new build start at the front door of the sales office, with a tablet, on a Saturday afternoon. The walk-in counter runs against you. Kaz registers you with the builder in writing, on each builder's specific form, before your first visit. That single step protects your right to representation through close.
2. Model walkthrough decoded. Model homes are staged with upgrades. Kaz walks the model with you and tells you which finishes come standard, which cost extra, and roughly how much extra. She takes notes you can hold the builder to later.
3. Contract translation. Builder purchase agreements differ from the OREF standard residential form your agent uses on a resale. They carry addenda that limit the builder's exposure and expand the builder's flexibility. Kaz flags the clauses that matter, pushes back on the ones that should be negotiable, and explains in plain English what each one binds you to.
4. Lender comparison. The builder-affiliated lender will offer an incentive (closing-cost credit, rate buydown, sometimes both) if you finance through them. Sometimes that incentive beats the rate spread; sometimes it does not. Kaz pulls a Loan Estimate from the builder's lender and at least one independent lender, then runs the math over your expected hold period.
5. Incentive negotiation. Published builder incentives have quieter cousins available to buyers who ask. Lot premium discounts, design-center credits, and rate-lock extensions all enter the negotiation when the right person asks at the right time. The on-site agent does not volunteer them.
6. Inspection sequencing. A new home is not the same as a finished home. The pre-drywall inspection catches structural and rough-in issues while they are still visible. The pre-close walk catches finish defects when the builder still has full incentive to fix them. The 11-month warranty walk catches settling issues before the workmanship year closes. Kaz sequences all three.
7. Close coordination. Title, escrow, lender deadlines, walk-through scheduling, and the design-center timeline all converge in the last 30 days. Kaz tracks the timeline against the contract.

Builder communities Kaz currently covers

Kaz is a registered preferred buyer's-agent at multiple Portland-metro new-construction communities. The featured page list above is the current short list. She also registers buyers into communities outside that list — D.R. Horton, Lennar, Pulte, KB Home, Holt Homes, and smaller local builders all welcome outside agents on co-op terms when registration runs through the right channel. Tell Kaz the community you want to walk and she will tell you the co-op rules for that specific builder before you commit a Saturday to a tour.

For outside agents

If you are a licensed buyer's agent at another brokerage and your client is shopping a community Kaz covers, register your buyer through Kaz before the first sales-office visit. The builder pays the published co-op commission directly to your brokerage at close. Kaz acts as a knowledge partner on the registration mechanics for that specific builder so that procuring-cause never becomes an issue. Full details on the agent co-op page.

Areas Kaz serves

Clackamas County is the center of Kaz's practice. Wilsonville, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Happy Valley, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Damascus all fall inside her primary service area. East Multnomah County (Gresham, Damascus, Boring) and the Tualatin / Sherwood / Beaverton corridor in Washington County are also active. New construction concentrates at the geographic edges of established markets, which is where Kaz spends most of her time.

Buyer education

Before you sign anything, read these. They are the same things Kaz walks every new client through on the first 30-minute call.

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Frequently asked

Is Kaz the listing agent for the communities on this site?

No. Kaz represents buyers. Miyabi at Frog Pond's listing brokerage is Coldwell Banker Bain (Kevin May). Copper Heights sells through Terrata Homes' own on-site sales office. Kaz is the outside buyer's-side agent who registers her clients into those communities so the buyer side of the negotiation has a real advocate.

Does it cost me anything extra to have Kaz represent me?

On the communities Kaz currently covers, the builder pays the buyer-side co-op commission. There is no separate fee from you for representation through close on those builds. On any community where the builder does not publish co-op terms, Kaz will tell you up front what the financial structure looks like before you commit to a tour.

I already toured a community without an agent. Is it too late?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Builder representation rules vary. Kaz can call the listing brokerage and the on-site agent to see whether the builder will grant representation after the fact. If the builder declines, you still have options — pay Kaz directly under an Oregon-required buyer-representation agreement, or work with the on-site agent under disclosed limited agency. Kaz will tell you straight which option fits your situation.

I'm relocating to Portland from out of state. Can Kaz help before I arrive?

Yes. Most of Kaz's first conversations with relocating buyers happen by phone or video while the buyer is still in their current city. By the time you land in Portland for a community tour, the registration paperwork is filed and the tour schedule is set.

What if I want to buy resale instead of new construction?

Kaz's deep specialty is new construction, but she carries a full real-estate license and represents buyers on resale through Keller Williams Experts Realty Group. She will tell you on the first call whether resale or new construction fits your situation. If resale is the better fit and Kaz is not the right specialist, she will refer you to a trusted colleague within her brokerage.