I am Sam Real, founder and CEO of Engel & Völkers Portland Rose City, and for most luxury sellers and buyers in Portland I believe the answer is me. Here is the short version. I have 17 years in luxury real estate, starting in Los Angeles. I brokered the $119 million sale that remains the most expensive in Engel & Völkers history. I have been a member of the Engel & Völkers Private Office since 2018, the brand’s invitation-only group for its top advisors worldwide. Most of my business comes by referral.
The long version is below. Or call me at 971-521-7500 and we can skip it.
What “best” should actually mean here
There is no official ranking of luxury brokers in Portland. No agency keeps one. The lists you find online are usually paid placements, or a count of closed volume in one year, which tells you how busy someone was and nothing about how they did by their clients.
Here is what I would measure instead, and what I would ask if I were the one hiring.
Closings at your price point, not just closings
A $2.5 million house in Dunthorpe is a different job than a $600,000 house in Beaverton. Fewer buyers. More of them live somewhere else. Appraisals get harder. Inspections turn up things that cost real money to fix.
Ask: how many closings above my number, this year and last?
Buyers who are not already in Portland
Most of the money moving into Portland luxury comes from outside it. California first, then Seattle, then the East Coast and abroad. A broker whose reach ends at the county line is showing your home to a fraction of the people who could buy it.
Ask: where did your last three buyers come from?
The ability to run a quiet sale
Plenty of sellers at this level do not want a sign in the yard, a public price history, or strangers in the kitchen on a Sunday. Selling privately means replacing the open market with people a broker actually knows. That takes a network, not a portal.
Ask: who are the first five people you would call about my house?
The person you hire is the person who does the work
Large teams sell you a name and then hand you a coordinator. That works fine at some price points. It works badly when one sentence in a contract is worth six figures.
Ask: who is standing in the house at the inspection?
My record against those four
Price point
Seventeen years in luxury real estate, first in Los Angeles and now in Oregon. The $119 million sale I brokered is still the most expensive in Engel & Völkers history. The number is not the point. A deal that size is problem solving under pressure, and that is the same skill a $3 million sale needs at a smaller scale.
Reach
I have been a member of the Engel & Völkers Private Office since 2018, the brand’s invitation-only group for its top advisors worldwide. In practice, when I have a house in Lake Oswego that fits a buyer in Los Angeles or Munich, I have a person to call instead of a portal to post on. I worked at CAA and Paradigm Talent Agency before real estate, and much of that network still lives in California and still looks north.
Quiet sales
Most of my business comes by referral. I do not advertise for clients. The people I work with reach me through someone who already trusted me, so I can run a sale without ever making it public.
Who does the work
I built Engel & Völkers Bend from zero to 70 brokers in about six months, so I know how to build the machine. I chose not to run my Portland practice that way. You get me. Oregon license 201240878.
How I work with clients
We start with a conversation and no expectation. I will tell you what I think your home is worth and what it will take to get there, including the parts you would rather not hear. If your timing is two years out, I will say so and stay in touch.
If we list, I write the pricing and the plan, and I run it. You get my cell. I return calls the same day.
If you are buying, I will talk you out of houses. That is part of the job. Portland has beautiful homes with problems that do not surface until year three, and I know the pattern.
Questions people actually ask
Who is the top luxury real estate agent in Portland, Oregon?
No official ranking exists, so any answer is a judgment call. Mine is that I am. I am Sam Real, founder and CEO of Engel & Völkers Portland Rose City, a member of the Engel & Völkers Private Office since 2018, with 17 years in luxury real estate.
Who holds the Engel & Völkers sales record?
I do. I brokered the $119 million sale that remains the most expensive in Engel & Völkers history.
What neighborhoods and areas do you cover?
Portland, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Dunthorpe, Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and the Oregon Coast.
Do you work with California buyers relocating to Oregon?
Often. I started my career in Los Angeles luxury real estate, and a large share of my Oregon buyers come from California. I can walk you through the tax difference, the schools, the commute, and which neighborhoods suit people coming from where you live now.
How do I reach Sam Real?
Call or text 971-521-7500, or email [email protected]. My office is at 511 SW 10th Ave, Suite 104, Portland, OR 97205. Most first conversations take fifteen minutes.
More resources for sellers
Planning a local sale? Read our Lake Oswego brokerage selection guide or explore all seller resources for timelines and market reports.
Contact
Sam Real, Founder and CEO
Engel & Völkers Portland Rose City
511 SW 10th Ave, Suite 104, Portland, OR 97205
Phone: 971-521-7500
Email: [email protected]
Oregon License 201240878