Sell With Impact: How Proud Ground & Grand Union Turn Your Home Into a Community Legacy
- tylergkoski
- May 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 9
Opening: Stakes-First Reframe
Selling your home in Portland or Southwest Washington isn’t just a financial decision—it’s a cultural one. In a region facing affordability pressure, investor churn, and wealth flight, every home sale becomes a fork in the road. Will your place become another speculative flip—or a lasting asset for the people who hold this city together through affordable housing?
That’s the opportunity Proud Ground and Grand Union Real Estate offer: a way to turn your transaction into transformation. Not just for you—but for the block, the neighborhood, and the legacy you're leaving behind.
What Is Proud Ground—and Why It Matters
Proud Ground is the Pacific Northwest’s largest community land trust. It operates using a shared equity model—making homes permanently affordable while still offering sellers fair market return. When you sell through Proud Ground, your buyer isn’t a hedge fund or a short-term rental operator. They’re a nurse, teacher, tradesperson—people who want to live where they serve, achieving home ownership.
Proud Ground at a Glance:
Nonprofit community land trust
Keeps homes permanently affordable through shared equity
Supports essential workers and income-qualified families
Provides long-term housing security
Backed by city initiatives like the Portland Housing Bureau
3 Reasons Sellers Choose Proud Ground
1. You Strengthen the Fabric of Your Neighborhood
Selling through Proud Ground keeps your home in the hands of people who contribute every day—educators, emergency workers, child care providers. These aren’t speculative buyers. They’re stayers. And when you work with Grand Union, we ensure your home reaches those buyers through targeted, mission-aligned marketing.
In a region losing affordability, every Proud Ground listing is a vote for permanence over profit-taking.
2. You Still Capture Strong Financial Returns
Let’s be clear: This isn’t charity. Sellers working with Grand Union and Proud Ground often benefit from:
Competitive pricing within appraisal standards
Streamlined negotiations with mission-aligned buyers
Closing efficiency supported by Proud Ground counselors and pre-qualified candidates
Potential seller incentives via housing programs and preferred lenders
Remember: You’re not just selling square footage. You’re preserving community equity—and building your own narrative capital.
3. Your Home Becomes a Legacy Asset
When you sell traditionally, you lose visibility after closing. But a Proud Ground home remains part of something bigger—a community portfolio of homes tied to civic good, enhancing affordable homeownership opportunities.
And if you ever want to track the legacy of your home? We can provide optional impact reporting on who it’s helped and how.
The Grand Union Method™ for Legacy Listings
We don’t just handle transactions. We design impact.
At Grand Union, we apply a proprietary, four-part framework to ensure every sale reflects your values and creates lasting value.
1. Story-Based Entry®
We begin with why you bought your home—and who you want it to serve next. This guides everything from narrative copy to target buyer personas.
2. Outcome-Focused Advising®
We align your sale with Proud Ground’s requirements, coordinate with preferred lenders, and ensure your timeline and goals are met—without compromise.
3. Impact Closings®
From the listing agreement to the final signature, every step is designed to transfer both equity and intent.
4. Legacy Loop®
Optional: We offer follow-up reporting, social features, and tools for tracking the ongoing impact of your sale.
Listing with Purpose: What You Can Expect
Before we even stage your home, we assess it through the lens of legacy.
Our Listing Services Include:
Strategic alignment with Proud Ground criteria
Custom photography and staging
Narrative-rich copywriting to connect with values-based buyers
Market analysis focused on civic impact, not just comps
Compliance with income limits, mortgage loan thresholds, and community land trust conditions
We don’t just “go to market.” We go to mission.
Marketing to the Right Buyers—Not Just Any Buyer
Generic MLS blasts won’t get the job done. We deploy targeted campaigns to reach mission-minded, pre-qualified buyers who already understand Proud Ground’s value.
Marketing Channels:
Digital campaigns tied to local community orgs and housing equity advocates
Hyperlocal outreach via Grand Union’s Portland and Southwest Washington network
Proud Ground cross-promotion through their buyer list and nonprofit partners
Custom collateral framed around story, not specs
Negotiating with Confidence (and Integrity)
Community land trust transactions often involve additional steps: income verification, resale caps, eligibility documentation.
Our agents are fluent in all of it. No jargon. No delays.
We collaborate directly with Proud Ground and city partners to make the process simple for you.
Expect:
Strategic offer reviews
Transparent terms aligned with shared equity
Negotiation that honors both your goals and community needs
From Contract to Closing—Rooted All the Way
Our transaction team doesn’t disappear after the offer is accepted.
We manage:
Full title and escrow coordination
Regulatory compliance and Proud Ground approvals
Post-closing support (including seller storytelling, if desired)
Buyer pool validation using mortgage readiness and income verification tools
Why This Matters—Right Now
With affordability shrinking and extraction increasing, legacy sales are more vital than ever. Proud Ground is one of the few mechanisms left for keeping Portland and Southwest Washington livable—for everyone.
And you? You’re not just a seller. You’re a steward, ensuring stability in the community.
When you work with Grand Union and Proud Ground, you help write the next chapter for your home—and your neighborhood.
Ready to Sell with Purpose?
If you want to understand how your home might qualify for Proud Ground—or just want a no-pressure consult on how to sell with impact—reach out.
📍 Learn more about selling through Grand Union 📍 Explore Proud Ground’s eligibility criteria 📍 Or browse recent community-rooted listings
Get in touch today—and turn your sale into a story worth telling.
Comments