A house is made of walls and beams
A home is built with love and dreams
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Buying a home can be an overwhelming process. I'm committed to providing you the service you deserve from the time you contact me until a transaction closes. I pride myself in being a hard worker, a good communicator and your best interests are always my top priority.
With over 20 years of experience helping people buy & sell homes, I’ve navigated different markets: strong, challenging and in between. Over these years I've helped people in all stages of their life and real estate experiences.
I’m a native Oregonian, born and raised in Portland. I graduated with a BSN in Nursing from the University of Portland and worked as a Nurse for over 15 years, both as a floor nurse and a case manager. The assessment and negotiation skills I honed in Nursing has served me well in real estate.
I started my “second” career as a licensed Real Estate Broker at The Hasson Company in 2004, I’m grateful to have learned from the best and received such a good foundation, being surrounded by experienced, respected agents. In mid 2022 The Hasson Company merged with Cascade Sotheby’s, creating Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s. After 20 years in the business, my husband Mike and I launched our own Real Estate Company called Navigate the Way Home, opening our doors in January of 2024. I love working with people and feel privileged to help my clients in often the largest financial decision of their life. I pride myself in making the process as seamless and stress free as possible, while having some fun along the way.
We live in NW Portland and have two sons. Matthew graduated from University of Portland and is working in tech sales in San Diego. Connor graduated from Oregon State in 2024 and is exploring job opportunities. We love spending time together as a family. We are big sports fans and enjoy cheering on our favorite teams, hanging out around the fire pit and making annual trips to Central Oregon & Palm Springs. We also love exploring new cities, making sure we try and catch an MLB game in each one. I enjoy hiking, gardening, decorating, and love exploring what our city and state has to offer.
Discuss Process Needs, Wants
Elevating Your Home Buying Experience
For over 20 years, we’ve been helping home buyers not only buy a house, but to buy a place to call home More than the paper work and documents, buying a place to call home means looking at the whole picture and plotting a path to purchase Let us help you navigate the process so that your next house, truly feels like home.
Our Town, We Know It Well
Born & raised in Portland, we have a deep connection to our city and firsthand knowledge of the neighborhoods, the schools & local attractions Let us help you navigate the market and find the area & home that is perfect for you.
Responsive & Diligent
We pride ourselves in our timely communication From quickly responding to inquiries, to setting up showings, to gathering more information as needed, we listen to your needs & work hard on your behalf to help you efficiently find & purchase your home.
We’ve Got Your Back
Our goal is help you present a favorable offer & get the best value possible If you find yourself in multiple offers, we’ll help you craft an offer that sets you apart. Inspection issues? We’ll go to bat for you and negotiate repairs or a credit for you Bottom line, you are our priority!
Relocating?
We have years of relocation experience and know the granular details of the Portland area. We consider ourselves matchmakers when it comes to introducing you to Portland & finding the right neighborhood and home for you
OurFirstMeeting
Step by Step Process
Thiswillbea“gettoknowyou”visit,eitherbyphoneorinperson.
Iwillgatherinformationfromyouaboutyourwants&needs,ifyou’vepurchasedahomebefore,find outif you’vebeenpre-approvedetc
Wecandiscussthecurrentrealestatemarket,theadvantagesanddisadvantagesofdifferentareasr/ttaxes, schools,amenitiesetc
Thenewlawsthatrecentlytookaffectnowrequireabuyertosignabuyerrepresentationagreementbeforeeven seeingahome.Iwilldiscussthiswithyou.Ifweagreetoworktogether,Iwillsendyouadrafttoreview&sign. IwillsendyoualinktotheOregonBuyersAdvisory??
Wehavedecidedtoworktogether,NowWhat?
Youwillneedtohaveamortgagepre-approvaldone Icansharetrustedlendersifyouneedthem
Beingpreapprovedisessentialpriortogoingouttolookathomes One,toyouknowwhatpricepointyoucan afford&alsoyou’llbereadytomakeanofferwhenyoufindahome
Onceweknowthepricepoint,Iwillsetyouuptoreceiveautomatedemailsofnewlistingsastheycomeonthe marketinyouridentifiedare.
Youwilllikelybelookingonyourowntoo,ifyouseeahomethatinterestsyou,pleasecontactmeandIwillfind outmoreinformation&wecanarrangeatimetoseethehome.
Lookingathomes-thefunpart!
Iwillsetupanappointmentforustolookatthehomesyoudecideyouwouldliketosee.Whilewetourthehome we’lltalkaboutpros&cons,discussifit’sagoodfitforyou&Iwillpointoutanyadditionalthingsthatare important
Iwillgatheranyquestionsyoumayhave&followupwithlistingagent
It’salwaysbesttoseeahomesoonerthanlater Someareasorparticularhomesaremoresoughtafterandyou don’ttomissanopportunityifitsellsquickly.
Ifyouwanttostartlookingatopenhouses,thatisagoodwaytolearnthemarkettoo,justmakesureyoutellthe agenthostingtheopenhouseyouareworkingwitharealtoralready.
Ifyouareinterestedinnewconstruction,alwayshaveoneofusgowithyouthefirsttime,theyrequirethatin orderforustorepresentyouandgetpaid Youwantyourownrepresentation Theonsiteagentsworkforthe builder
YourOfferIsAccepted!
Onceyourofferisaccepted,Iwillsendthecontracttoyourlenderandyouwillstarttheloanprocesswiththem Ihaveatransactioncoordinatorthatwillopenescrowatthetitlecompany,provideyouwithtimelines&any additionalpaperworkthatneedssigning
Youwillreviewthesellerspropertydisclosures&acknowledgereceipt Ifyouhaveanyquestions,Iwillreachout tothelistingagenttogettheanswersforyou.
Iwillhelpyousetuptheinspectionswediscussed&Iwillattendallinspections.
Onceinspectionsarecomplete,wewilldiscussissuesandcraftanaddendumforrepairsand/orcredittowards repairs Iwillkeepyouontrackwithdeadlinesandhelpobtainbidsifneeded
Oncetheinspectioncontingencyisremoved,ifyouarefinancing,theappraisalisthenexthurdlebeforeclosing, Thelenderarrangesthatforyou
Oncetheappraisalreportisback&hasfinalapproval,it’shurryupandwaitforclosingday! Youwillgettheutilitylisttogetthoseinplaceformovein.
Escrowwillprovideanitemizedclosingstatementaheadofsigningforourreview.Youwillsignyourloan documentsadayortwopriortoclosing.
Closingdayisthedaythedeedisrecordedinyourname&yougetyourkeys!. Closingday=Keyday!Congrats!YouDidit!
Iwillaskyouforatestimonial/reviewafterclosing,Iappreciateyoutakingthetime.
Our reach is far and wide....
** Map does not include clients served in Gearhart or Neskowin
What my Buyer clients are saying.....
“We were very fortunate to have Kathy Kollas as our real estate agent to guide and assist us in the purchase of a townhome. She knew the areas of interest very well and was able to "zero in" immediately on what we were seeking. Kathy would point out the possibilities of properties that we certainly would have overlooked, All her advice was sound, and she responded quickly to our phone calls and emails. Most importantly, Kathy gave us good counsel during negotiations with the seller We wouldn’t hesitate to work with Kathy again and plan to refer her to friends and family looking to buy or sell.”
- Tom & Toni
“Thank you so much for helping us throughout the entire house hunting process. It took awhile, but well worth the wait for this beautiful place we now all call home. We are so grateful for the time and energy you put into the entire process.”
- Matt & Christi
“We wanted to share that it was a pleasure working with Kathy Kollas. Kathy is extremely upbeat and personable, and her negotiation and project management strengths truly shine in the closing phase of a home buying experience. We greatly appreciate Kathy and the service that she provided throughout.”
- Jeff & Cindy
Being a first time homeowner, I was pretty clueless into the purchase of a house Kathy made the whole process easy and painless for me with her knowledge and experience. I would highly recommend her if you are looking to buy a house.”
- Michael
What my Buyer clients are saying.....
“Kathy has helped us purchase two homes and later sell one of them. Each time, she has adeptly helped us navigate through the process, making our buying/selling experiences as easy as possible. She operates with high integrity and is constantly attentive to our end goals, without any pressuring to make decisions against our best interests She is a trusted partner, a pleasure to work with, and someone we highly recommend!”
- Andy & Kristi
“Kathy Kollas was terrific to work with and we thoroughly enjoyed our house buying experience. I have no feedback that would greater serve you or future clients. Our Overall experience was top notch!”
- Tyler &Callie
“Thank you so much for helping me buy a home! You made the process so easy for me and were always on top of everything. I really appreciate you going above and beyond to help set up appointments to get bids for upgrades so I could move in sooner. I can't imagine a better experience becoming a homeowner! Thank you so much ”
– Katie
“Kathy's name came to us highly recommended. We were first time buyers with no knowledge about the home buying process or the area, we were purchasing in. Kathy was highly available, listened, understood the negotiating process and was patient with us as new buyers. What impressed us the most was her pro-activeness and knowledge of the market. We would not be in our home today if it wasn't her dedication and quick actions. Thank you, Kathy. You are a phenomenal realtor and a genuine person.”
- Noel & Rich
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my experience and approach.
I look forward to building a relationship with you and becoming your trusted real estate broker, one that you can rely on and refer to your family and friends.
Please visit our website at www.navigatethewayhome.com to learn more.
