Let’s Talk Real Estate – May 2021
When I started in real estate in 2004, my office was on the corner of 5th and California streets. One day I stepped outside to take a call and noticed something I had never seen before. Over the white picket fence was a house nestled amongst the trees and not very visible to the street. It was an incredible Victorian home hidden in the most magical gardens I have ever seen. I even said it out loud, “Magical, this place is magical!” Fast-forward 11 years to when we were looking to buy a commercial space to relocate our growing business. I was at the stop sign on 5th and California when it came to me that this enchanting home could be our office. I knew it was for sale, but the possibility of owning it had never occurred to me.
Wayne and Jacquie Reavis purchased the home in 1971 for $17,500. Wayne had passed away at the age of 84 and Jacquie had moved to an apartment behind Pioneer Village. I really did not know much about the Reavises. We put in an offer, it was accepted and we were in escrow. Several weeks into the transaction, Jacquie also passed at the age of 89. After closing, we moved into the home and Jack, Wayne and Jacquie’s son, was so kind to come over and show us around. There were ponds, a creek bed, exotic plants, a vegetable garden, pinwheels, carved coconuts, handmade art in the trees and squirrel feeders everywhere. It was a lot. Jacquie was a master gardener and poured her heart into all her plants and trees. I see her legacy every day and never take for granted the magic of this place and her finger prints everywhere.
Over the next few months, we learned about the Reavis family. They were known for their generosity and their yearly brunches which were always on the Sunday after the 4th of July. It started in 1986 when their daughter, Cathi, found a recipe for crumpets in a Wolferman’s catalog. She and a few friends decided to host a brunch. From there it grew to 200 people; the whole town was invited and it became a yearly tradition. The gatherings were famous for the Gin Fizzes made by the Reavis family! Everyone in town knew of them. Wayne even won the lottery from a ticket purchased at the Jacksonville Tavern. They used some of the proceeds to build an artist studio which still has a faded, hand written, sign on the porch that reads, “Thank you Oregon Lottery.”
When we moved into the house, we started with the things that needed to be done. The house had been vacant and the Reavises were unable to keep up with the property in their declining years. Rats and squirrels had taken over the crawl space and made a home in the ducting. All the ducting, plumbing and electrical needed to be replaced before we could even think about starting on the cosmetics.
Over the next few years, we tried to find a way to pare down the gardens to a manageable size. We had issues with the irrigation and we could never find someone to get to the bottom of it. There were 20 stations and whenever one would be fixed, a week later another leak would appear. Our water bill was in excess of $350 a month. During this time, we lost many of the plants.
We asked an arborist about trimming the trees so they would not hang over the roof and deck. An older gentleman came out from Beaver Tree Service who happened to know Wayne and Jacquie. He said he had told them to cut those trees years ago. He said they were hollow and the limbs would fall and threaten the structures and anyone beneath it. We ignored the warning because we loved those trees. One afternoon, following a rainstorm, a large branch fell from the Maple out front and not only broke the deck, but went through the joist structure that held the decking together. I naively went over to pick up the branch and it must have been 300 lbs. It was hollow and water logged. We realized then that it was only a matter of time. We were so saddened, and still we waited, but then we got a letter from our insurance company demanding we cut the trees or they would cancel our insurance.
As for the landscaping, we finally gave up and hired someone to re-do the irrigation system, remove the dead plants and re-landscape the front. He had done a great job on a couple of other properties we managed but, unfortunately, this job was an epic failure and we had to let him go. Meanwhile, the arborist told us to stop the landscaping project until they came because their equipment would destroy any work that was done. The arborist was booked 4-months out and we were mortified at the condition the landscaper had left the property in and that we were unable to move forward right away. People, knowing we had done some of the yard work, would say “looks great.” I would just tell them “stop, it is awful!”
Now we are looking forward to the day we bring back the magic and people stop and take pictures of the house again. We have great plans and beg for your patience. It is our top priority to restore the property to its former glory.
Gayle Pobuda is a Principal Broker with Expert Properties, located at 390 E. California Street in Jacksonville. Contact them at 541-899-2030 or www.expertprops.com.