We’ve all seen them: those real estate listings that may have a promising first photo, then devolve into random exterior shots or absurd close-ups that don’t seem to tell the whole house story. Maybe the price was right, but there’s no full interior shots to corroborate. The listing copy usually includes the words “potential” or “buyer due diligence.”

During the pandemic in 2020, Jenelle Isaacson Etzel, founder of Living Room Realty, podcaster, and former punk bander, saw just such a listing in Stayton, 60 miles south of Portland, and found her next creative project. The result is a 1910 Victorian farmhouse on 1.61 acres that’s been restored top to bottom, from the chimney cap to the spindles on the wraparound porch, and dubbed the Friends Farm.

Inside, the home is all about those charming historic details, like cased arched doorways, crown molding, and refurbished wood paneling, paired with hits of pattern and play via wallpaper and tile. This starts in the foyer, with its slate floors and built-in bench, and there's a powder room wrapped in mustard-colored wainscot and black floral wallpaper.

The main living spaces are connected by those aforementioned cased archways, with the focal point being an inglenook. There, a high-efficiency woodstove is flanked by built-in fir benches and a House of Hackney wallpaper that picks up on the colors of the brick hearth.

The kitchen is another standout, thanks to custom inset cabinets accented with brass hardware and a Zellige tile backsplash, high-end appliances like a Bertazzoni range, a pretty tiled floor, and a bespoke built-in eating nook. A Dutch door—so fitting—connects you back to the porch and a nearby herb garden.

The house plan includes three bedrooms, with two set up as primary suites, and a few bonus spaces sprinkled throughout. A large hall landing could double as a library with its built-in shelving, while a lower-level family room is wired for sound and has its own wet bar. The carriage house/garage has room for a workshop, as well as a sauna and cold plunge—the latter being the property’s second clawfoot tub.

Having 1.61 acres at the buyer’s disposal makes this a listing with more potential than ever, as it turns out the site can be subdivided with up to five new lots. Or perhaps, with a name like Friends Farm, it’d be ideal for a cooperative buying situation, something that’s evolved past the days of ’70s-era communes and which millennials and Gen-Zers are now embracing in the face of rising housing costs.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 433 W Water St, Stayton, OR 97383
• Size:  2,268 square feet, 3 bedroom/3.5 bath (including 1.6 acres)
• List Date:  5/9/2024
• List Price:  $1,400,000
• Listing Agents:  Cristen Lincoln and Stacey Pongracz-Bartha, Living Room Realty

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. She is based in Portland, Oregon. Contact Dalton here. 

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Editor’s Note: Portland Monthly’s “Property Watch” column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures to the burbs and points beyond, for good measure). Got a home you think would work for this column? Get in touch at [email protected].