Our Story:

Dead Fish.

Our story really starts with dead fish. In the summer of 1980 while swimming on the shores of Lake Oswego at their parent's home, Quinn and John Nieland were hired by the Lake Oswego Corporation to clean fish and debris from in front of lakefront homes. Although they spent much of the time arguing over who would drive the boat and who would do the actual hauling of the fish, a real appreciation of the fine homes that they were working in front of started to take shape.

Their Mother Erin had started selling real estate in 1969 and the boys worked on many family remodeling projects with their father Kirk, upgrading the investment homes that their parents had purchased. Hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit became the focus as the brothers worked summers building docks, performing small remodeling projects and doing inspection repairs for the local realtors. After both brothers graduated from UCLA, the foundation had been laid to launch their business ventures with serious force.

In the early 1990's Quinn and John started building Real Estate portfolios for clients and for themselves. With a measured analytical approach and lots of hands on experience, the business has grown steadily ever since. Purchasing, remodeling, renting and leveraging investment homes has not been a glamorous task, but the experience gained has proven to be absolutely invaluable. As the years have gone by we find ourselves with a vast array of properties and have brokered over a quarter of a billion dollars in real estate sales.

With the downturn of the housing market, the rare situation that we had been in was fast becoming normal. Homes that would usually sell were now becoming rentals, as owners wanted to preserve their equity and wait for the return of the housing sales market. Now our ability to attract the upper demographic of renter was suddenly in need, so we started North Star. Since we built our processes from an owner perspective, North Star is modeled as an extension of what we have been doing for ourselves over the last 20 years.

We are a small, focused and powerful firm who partner with owners, investors, Realtors and portfolio managers to provide our unique approach, experience, technology and drive to help attract and retain the right tenant for your properties. Our clients love us because we are firm but fair, are approachable and love what we do.

For you, one of the biggest issues with investment property is finding a property management firm that understands the investment process and can draw upon personal experience of not just property management but the bigger picture of Portfolio Management. Knowing how, when and why to leverage, buy, sell and lease a property is a lot more intricate than simply renting out a home. A property management company must be in tune with not only the rental market, but the overall real estate and financial markets as well. They must have corporate partnerships in order to attract the best renters and have a proven and experienced web marketing division, leveraging the newest technology and web sites to broadcast the properties to the largest audience possible to avoid vacancies. They should understand that first and foremost it is about securing the best tenants as quickly as possible for maximum rent, but should never forget that these are also investments and should be managed and protected as such.

So trust us with what is probably your most valuable asset. We are local and we have portfolios of our own. We draw upon our history of construction, leveraging, risk management, purchasing, selling, marketing and renting of properties. We have been doing this for over two decades. This is who we are and what we do.

Our Team:

Owner Meetings - Quinn Nieland

For many of our owners either the transition from family home to rental home is a new experience, or due to the challenges with the sales market the dynamic of the current rental market is both unrecognizable and daunting. Quinn is able to explain the process, potential pitfalls and investment upside of the current market from an owner perspective. He started leasing homes 20 years ago in addition to well over a decade of history as a real estate broker, and as a co-founder of North Star is ready to benefit you with his knowledge and experience.

Tenant Showings - Bridget Baumer and Brenda Nigro

Raised in the Portland area, these two sisters have backgrounds in Real Estate, Design and Property Investment that help them to perfectly match the correct tenant to your property. With families of their own, they understand and have great care and compassion for the individuals and families that are in transition, looking for a home and community to call their own.

Operations & Bookkeeping - Sara Mirabella

With a wealth of experience in the technology start-up arena, Sara brings automation, processes and execution to the company, allowing the focus to be on the active representation and management of properties. Sara coordinates the flow of funds and information from the tenant and property to the owners.

Operations, Marketing and Work Orders - Jennie Bistolas

Jennie's vast knowledge of Internet marketing techniques and processes always pushes North Star homes to the top of the list on any site. Her attention to detail is unmatched, making sure that every facet of your home is being watched over carefully.

Property Maintenance and Contractor Coordination - Kirk Nieland

One of the most important responsibilities of our company is to keep your investment protected. To do this you need a knowledge base to understand the complexities, cost and need for the ongoing repairs. Kirk is that base. With decades of firsthand experience, he makes the final call and coordinates with owners on all issues regarding your home.

Sales - Kim Nieland

With a combination design and property investment background, Kim has the ability to assess homes to maximize investment dollars, raising the lease rates while at the same time lowering the vacancy rates. Her vision of a company built by property owners for property owners is what has allowed us to grow in volume and service simultaneously, a trait that is rarely seen in our industry.