Coffee break

A chat with an influential, interesting or innovative voice in Oregon business

The Bungalow Guy: Halpern, 36, is a real estate broker and commercial developer. He specializes in helping people buy and sell homes along what Carl Abbott, an urban studies professor at Portland State University, calls the Bungalow Belt on the city’s inner east side. Halpern, who lives in Northeast Portland with his wife and 4-year-old son, is also a commercial developer on Alberta Street. Until now, he has rehabbed established structures. But this week Halpern planned to break ground on his first new commercial project.  Roots: The son of two parents of the Haight-Ashbury scene, Halpern spent his early childhood in Half Moon Bay, Calif., and occasionally hitchhiked the West Coast with his father. At 16, he moved to a counter-culture community outside Cave Junction in southern Oregon. After college, he moved to Tokyo to teach English. He eventually started his own head-hunting firm in Tokyo and helped Intel, Goldman Sachs and other find workers. About the time the tech boom busted

and a child arrived, Halpern and his wife moved back to Oregon, where he identified with the people and appreciated the clean, green lifestyle. “Everything Tokyo wasn’t” he said.  Lately: Halpern made a bundle with his head-hunting gig but lost a bundle in the stock market bust. Burned by market hype, he wanted investments he could touch. After moving here. he bought six Portland homes as investments, which sparked his development career. For fun: He plays Hacky Sack, Texas Hold’em and hangs with his son. He speaks Japanese and Spanish and is searching for a second home in Latin America. Perception vs. reality: Most of Halpern’s clients come from outside the state. “All come for the quality of life, but the lucky ones have a job” he says. Rambo: It’s his birth name, and he came along before “First Blood”. His dad picked it up form a short story written by science-fiction writer Cordwainer Smith.     -Ryan Frank

Portland bungalows continue to experience brisk sales due to their affordable price range, nostalgic design and proximity to a vibrant city’s core.

Online PR News – 07-January-2010 –PORTLAND, OR – It’s no secret that the housing market is down and many Realtors nationwide are struggling. Despite the trend, Portland Realtor Rambo Halpern has discovered that his niche has provided a buffer zone to the recession. Halpern has been dubbed ‘The Bungalow Guy’ in Portland because of his knowledge of nostalgic bungalow homes of the 1910′s and ’20′s.

Bungalow homes were popular after the turn of the 20th century and were built around the city’s central core. In the many decades since, urban sprawl has moved people to the suburbs. In most cities including Portland, the city’s most historic homes surround the city center. Homebuyers continue to flock to Portland’s bungalows not only because of their proximity to work, but also the appeal of sturdy construction, the feeling of living in a close-knit community and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.

The success isn’t just contributed to location, location, location. The U.S. Commerce Department, the agency that tracks home sales, recently showed that existing home sales jumped a healthy seven percent in December 2009, while new home sales fell 11 percent. To explain the disparity, experts point to the negotiating power of buyers on existing homes that isn’t available on new home construction and the availability of homes that have gone into foreclosure.

Halpern’s buyers fit into two primary demographics: first-time homebuyers and baby-boomers who love the nostalgia of Portland bungalows. “Bungalows are sought after by the architectural style enthusiast and buyers who appreciate the great craftsmanship of the Arts & Crafts period. Because the homes are relatively inexpensive, with a median price of $300,000, it’s possible for homeowners to do renovations immediately, says Halpern, AKA ‘The Bungalow Guy’ (http://www.thebungalowguy.com).

Many of the homes that Halpern sells have already been revamped, making them as easy to move into as new home construction. But others with a lower listing price are easily upgraded to make them more energy efficient. Regardless of whether or not the bungalows need work, buyers continue to flock to them for the period architecture and craftsman details including hardwood floors, leaded glass built-ins, wood-burning fireplaces, original wood trim and tile.

Halpern’s homebuyers are comprised of 80 percent who are moving to Portland from out-of-state. By going to Halpern’s website, potential buyers can search current listings of bungalows in specific areas of Portland including NE Portland, SE Portland and Westside Portland bungalows. The site allows the search to be sorted by price, square footage, neighborhood, listing date and number of bedrooms.

About The Bungalow Guy P.C.: Rambo Halpern, a Portland Realtor for RE/MAX Signature Properties, specializes in MLS listings of bungalow-style homes in Portland, Oregon. Halpern lives in the Alberta Arts/Alameda neighborhood with his wife and son and has personally bought and restored his share of Portland bungalows (http://www.thebungalowguy.com).