Lauren Aldous

Real Estate Broker
Knipe Realty NW
360-936-4577

How long have you worked in Real Estate?
I’ve been licensed in Washington State since 2013, however, have been buying and selling real estate for approximately 21 years, as a hobby. I grew up helping my father continually making the family house larger. So I guess I’ve always had an affinity for real estate. Currently, I’m working on my Managing Broker’s License.

What is your specialty?
Customer service is so hugely important to me. I work seven days a week, between 12 to 18 hour days. I honestly feel that bad customer service is remembered more than people realize.

What is one tip you have for someone looking to buy or sell a home?
For Sellers: Your memories aren’t left with the home. You take them with you in your heart.
For Buyers: There is no perfect. You make it perfect once you move your memories in.

What is the most challenging/gratifying aspect of what you do?
By far the most gratifying aspect of what I do is making people happy. I enjoy handing people their keys when their house closes and seeing their faces light up. I love it when that moment actually kicks in for the first time home buyer and they realize “Hey, we just bought a house!” Nothing meant more to me like when a luxury client asked the escrow officer to leave the room after a closing and told me that, while they’d purchased many homes in their lifetime, there had been no other agent that had done such an exemplary job as I had and that they now have a Realtor® for life.

What do you see in the future for real estate sales/prices?
Right now we live in a world of bipolar weather and a changing government. So here’s my two cents: Live for today, as no one can predict anything right now. Interest rates are rising and inventory is low. I would like to see more inventory in order to help those buyers who cannot find a home though. I honestly feel badly for them. It’s tough when they’ve gone through the pre-approval process and the mental preparations to decide to buy a house, only to spend countless hours searching, coming up empty handed. So if you have the opportunity to sell your house, please consider it before interest rates continue rising.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? Hobbies, volunteering, family, fun?
Since I spend so much time working, I don’t have a lot of free time. However, I do spend as much time as I can with my daughter, Lexi. She is going to college in Eugene and I try to get down there as often as our schedules allow. During Spring/Summers, my two stepsons Ryan and Reese have baseball and soccer, which is where you’ll find my husband Gary and I…on the fields with our pups, Betty and Lucy. I’ll be the one off to the side, negotiating transactions. I also really enjoy being a part of 100 Women Who Care and helping support City Christian Schools build stronger facilities for their children.

What do you like about living in this area?
Portland/Vancouver Metro has already been dubbed the new Silicon Valley, from what I hear from my California clients. I’m thinking that this could be the culprit for all the new traffic congestion. I love how much Vancouver is growing though. With the new Waterfront going in, Vancouver is quickly becoming THE place to live!

Anything else you would like our readers to know about you and your company?
If it takes a client years to find a house, I will stick with them until they find it. I have shown the same client over 237 houses until they found the right one. As for Knipe…I’m grateful to be a part of such a caring company. We get the opportunity to donate with each transaction to help children that are impacted by extreme poverty with Sell A House, Save A Child. When my daughter was young, I volunteered at her schools, so being a part of a company that gives back to the community is important to me.