The mysterious rental house revealed
The intrigue with the house next door doesn’t seem to end. I figured that whoever was trying to rent the house would put an ad in the Oregonian or on craigslist. So, I conducted a quick search today, and sure enough:
Conveniently, the poster’s email address was on the listing. randal@fchelp.com.
If you would have asked me 2 years ago how I thought this all would end up, foreclosure was certainly not a thought I had. Actually, this sort of final outcome really gets under my skin. Why? Because the guy who bought the property tried to cut down 6 massive Douglas Fir trees on it without a permit, and the tree cutting crew pretended that the “permit is in the owner’s office, and they are out of town”. If Katie hadn’t stopped him, those trees would be gone, the owner would have paid a nominal fine to the city, and he would have (eventually) gone bankrupt before he could actually finish the development. Meanwhile, the neighbors are left to sort out the mess. This is a case in point as to why the city of Portland should be more forceful with its tree protection rules.