Episode 36 - Kevin Kryger & Tasha Brandon Owners of The Cooperhouse

In this episode, Rashelle Newmyer heads to Independence, Oregon, to visit the charming and history-rich Cooperhouse B&B, owned by the dynamic duo Kevin Kryger & Tasha Brandon. They welcomed her onto their dreamy covered porch, where they sipped Fox Farm Pinot Noir as they explored the unexpected journey that turned two “COVID purchases” into a full-blown bed-and-breakfast vision.  

The Cooperhouse is a warm, welcoming, intentionally unplugged bed-and-breakfast, where guests come to slow down, connect, and experience authentic Willamette Valley charm.  The Cooperhouse is surrounded by community charm, including the Saturday farmers markets bursting with local produce, the farm-to-table culture, and the unique climate that allows everything from berries to hops to mint to thrive. If you’ve ever driven through the valley during harvest, you know the smell of fresh mint in the air, grapes warming on the vines, and endless fields of Oregon-grown goodness. Tasha and Kevin share the rich local history of The Cooperhouse. Built in 1910 by J.R. Cooper, a prominent businessman who had deep roots in the Independence community. At the turn of the century, Independence was a buzzing hotspot. More than 40,000 migrant workers came every year to work the hop fields, trains rolled right into downtown, and the town was filled with bars, boarding houses, and even a rumored brothel. Today, locals still share stories from families who have lived here for 50 years or more, keeping the town’s history alive.

Kevin and Tasha reveal their exciting plans for 2026: the opening of The Taylorhouse, located right off the train tracks. This beautifully aged 1870s colonial will become The Train Stop, a curated marketplace featuring upcycled home décor, refurbished furniture, and the work of local artisans. Think soaps, jewelry, paintings, crafts, floral workshops, wreath-making classes, and a year-round home for small makers who typically only get exposure at seasonal markets. It’s a dream for the community and a huge win for local creatives.

Tasha, being a lender, and Rashelle, being a realtor, the conversation takes a natural pivot into real estate investing. They break down the myths around owning a second home, especially the fear of, “I can barely afford one mortgage, how could I afford two?” In reality, there are numerous lending programs, creative financing options, and investment strategies available. And with interest rates dropping in late 2025 and the return of 100% bonus depreciation under the newly passed bill, it’s an especially powerful time for investors looking to build long-term wealth.

They talk about FHA options, DSCR loans, which are based on the property’s income rather than yours, and the advantages of multifamily homes, like living in one unit of a duplex while renting out the others. Equity, appreciation, and rental demand in college towns also come up, especially since Independence is near a university. The bottom line: don’t wait for the “perfect” market. Conditions evolve, prices continue to rise, and opportunities favor action-takers.

Grab a glass, sit back, and enjoy this history-filled, grape-stained, real-estate-nerdy episode. Cheers! 

Thank you for listening! Connect and collaborate with Realtor Rashelle on any of her social media platform pages > https://linktr.ee/RealtorRashelle

Transcript

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Welcome to the Realtor Who Wines podcast. I'm Rachelle Newmeyer, your hostess with the mostest a student of life, a connector, a passionate wine enthusiast, and your local favorite guide. Join me as we explore the vibrant Pacific Northwest. Savor the finest wines and champion the spirit of entrepreneurship. Each episode, I'll sit down with inspiring guests, supporting business ownership and uncovering the stories that make this community unique. So grab a glass of wine, settle in, and let's embark on a journey of discovery and connection together. Cheers. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the realtor who wines. I'm Rachel Neumeier, your hostess and the realtor who loves to whine. Today we are in independence, Oregon with Tasha and Kevin at their BNB. And I can't wait for you to see it, especially if you're watching on YouTube. If you're listening, please check out Social media on YouTube to see how cute this place is. But thank you so much for having me. Cheers to you! Cheers and thank you for being here on this Friday. Here's an entire cheers and short arms. Cheers to that, will you? I know it's so good. We're drinking Fox Farm Pinot Noir today with my faves. Yes. Me too. Fox farm is in Dundee, Oregon, so if anyone's out in the Dundee area, definitely stop by and check him out. Yeah, Foxy was in there. Yeah, yeah. So good. So I'm Tasha. Brandon. Wifey? Extraordinaire. Entertainer. Yeah. No mortgage lender. I know all the things, all the hats. And I'm Kevin Kryger, and I am Tasha's husband and, hubby, also of the Cooper house, which we're going to talk about. And I'm here for the entertainment also. Yeah. And I am Rachelle and I'm here to be entertained. So it works out perfect. Two entertainers and an audience member. I love it. Talk a little bit. So we are at Cooper House. Talk a little bit about your journey. Was this your first like investment property purchase or like what kind of led you this way? So we call this the Covid purchase? Yeah, I know a lot of us. Yeah. And there's Covid, babies, Covid, pets, Covid houses. It really fell into our lap. We know several people in the area. This house had been on the market six months prior to even noticing it. We really didn't. We weren't looking for something right here. But we, did purchase a house right around the corner. Another old lady, she's, she's 1870s. Oh, she's a really cute house. And, one of our friends just came up to this door, knocked on the down, knocked on the door, and said, hey, are you willing to sell to these people? And so just started this conversation, and we weren't looking to buy two homes on the same block, but we did. Yeah, that's how most journeys happen. Yeah, I didn't mean to do this, but here we are. It was radically different than, what it looks like today, but it's still the same house. This is one of my favorite places, and I'm so glad you wanted to do the interview in this room. Yeah, this really does. We're on the front porch covered porch, and it's so lovely. It is. Just watch time go by. Yeah, type of place. But and then it just, you know, it was it was an Airbnb and then it's just kind of morphed into this BNB business model. And we're having fun with it was that the goal? So when your friend knocked on the door for you guys to purchase it, were you looking for a short term rental? We had actually the the backstory on that was and this is why I think it's kind of funny that we are in the situation we are. We actually had an investment property. It was a rental in Albany. Okay. So we sold that. And I'll never forget the day that Tasha turned to me and said, I don't want to ever be a property manager again. I don't want to ever own another rental again. I don't want to do the same as last year. And next thing you know is about six months later, here we are. You know, the Cooper house. Not only did we have one, but we've got two, you know, properties. So yeah, you know, historical homes. Yeah. Registered historical homes. So I guess I'm a good husband that way. And I was like, okay. Yeah okay. Sure. And originally it was originally it was the dream or kind of our vision. It was going to be in Tasha's five year retirement plan. So, you know, this is all come about. And so I said, okay, we can make this work. And and that's how that all started, came with that vision. And but then within the last, what, nine months or so things, life changes and career changes and all of that. I've kind of accelerated that plan to be a more formal bed and breakfast at this point. So yeah, I love that. Yeah. And then talk a little bit about the second property. Did that happen like right when you're purchasing this one or was that a like a few months later, a few months before it was one month before? Okay. So the house around the corner was, a house that could not be lended. It was not lendable. It was in dire straits of. So, TLC so we we, we were fortunate enough to be in a position where we could and some creative financing to buy it with cash. And, we thought, okay, this is going to be our this is going to be our place. We're going to we're going to do this as an Airbnb or something around that, you know, something around there. And then then this fell into place that kind of got put on the backburner for a while because it was a bigger project. That is a bigger project over there. It took us a long time to get, even approved for siting. We had to go through the historical committee. Right. This this whole block has, I think, five different overlays. So it's multiple use. It's, multiple use pedestrian, commercial and then residential, plus historical. So, there's a lot to get through on that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. It's been definitely learning a lot around just what the city expects, the county expects on historic homes in nature. But it's been it's been it's been a lot of fun. I think it's been a lot of fun for sure. Well, because when you're restoring a historical home, you have to stay within certain boundaries, use certain products and things like that. Has it been hard to source some of those products? It has, yeah, I will say it has. And that's actually, you know, you bring up a good kind of a good point, of course, too. Yeah. Because it can be very expensive. Yeah. And so when you take a house like the, the other Taylor house that was built in 1870 and it's hands on cedar, that's, you know, they're inside the walls and everything you had to source. You're not going to find Hansen Cedar. Right. So to source those materials anymore it is really difficult. Yeah. So but we've been fortunate enough through the community and some people that have been around for a long time and really have a vision to preserve, you know, the homes to just really through kind of networking and communication to find some special. Yeah. So like Joseph's been amazing. So, what's really fun is a lot of the historical homes have terracotta, sewer lines. Okay. So we've had a lot of fun with that. Fun fact about it was like, slightly. Yeah. We get another goal. What's your definition of fun right now? Let me just jump to that. Yeah. But fun fact about independence is that, well, one of Vista had the largest terracotta plant in this area. And so before the trains were put in, and so it was a huge hub. So a lot of, a lot of the infrastructure in independence has terracotta, which is great until it's not right. And so, we learned a lot with, with that little old house, in this house too, but, the Willamette Valley clay. Yeah. Is. Yeah. What we're known for. Not just hops, you know? Yeah. So, yeah. Just marijuana though. Yeah. It's not just grapes. It's not just grapes. The clay and fun bathtime fun. But it's all of that and more. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. What has besides the historical stuff, what has been some pieces that you've learned along the way with this journey that, like, you weren't anticipating, as I was saying, could write a novel, jurist diary? Yeah, I think it is that don't expect anything to be square. Like when you're when you're going to replace something in this house, it is built to last. Like, I don't even know if they could truly build a house like this any more affordably. For one, but it's that there's just. It is what it is. You're not going to get a square wall or stairs or any of that. Yeah. For me, are you? Patience. So I don't know your innovations. Yeah, that's what I mean. We are. Yeah, no, I don't I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife. I see my wife who lives. Yeah. I know that now. Definitely more than anything. Yeah. I'm getting a tattoo tomorrow. Yeah. But no, it on your palm, so you can, like. Exactly. So now patience has been something that. Yeah. I mean, you know, the term labor of love is truly something with these houses and stuff, but I enjoy it, too, because it's one of those things that I've learned. I was not a, you know, a carpenter by any means or a contractor. So to learn how to make miter cuts and. Oh yeah, then to be able to go to Home Depot and then for the opportunity to be able to go buy the tools that they need, because you need tools for every single project. Yeah. You do. So we have over by the way, everybody. Right. We have little Home Depot at our house. And we don't need to buy any more tools. Anything. That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's it's been a labor of love. The, the the newly renovated bathroom that you use, that took us, seven months. We did have a contractor, but then. Correction, 12 months. 12. Okay. Maybe seven months of your time. Yes. Yeah. Because that particular room was not even not even level. It had to be built up. Half of the house. As a home settles over 100 years, you know, you just have that that amazing curve. And so just working through like that process, I think has. And we're not done. Yeah. I'm sorry. I just want to break it to you. But it has a tool, so it doesn't matter. Yeah. I got the two I, I've got the patience. Yeah. So yeah. And a good bottle of wine and that's, that's all you need. Well that's I was going to ask like when do you decide to use a contractor versus doing it on your own? Every time. I'm just kidding. Her words. Her words are I want a professional to do it and then you come back RL well, what's the difference between myself and a professional? So have you seen my solo collection? Exactly. I got a little Home Depot right outside, so they know my name. I know how to make a miter cut like you know. So you're many home. Yeah. I just go through the process together. Yeah, exactly. So, no, it's, Yeah, it's. How do we decide? I think it's one Kevin's patience level, or I have had to really kind of reflect and be like, this is outside. I'm out over my skis on this one, man. Like, there's no way. So, and, you know, going to your point about the bathroom remodel, so we did actually have a contractor, a very good friend. Great, very, extremely patient man. Who came in and actually didn't level up all the floors and things to once I did all the demo, because that requires a tremendous amount of patience. But also just asking skill aspirants to know what you're doing, because it was almost like there was potholes in that floor because, like, so unlevel. Anyway, so that's, you know, but, you know, to answer your question, that's when I say it's like, oh, I can't do this. And then the next question becomes, okay, well, how are we going to pay for all this? So, you know, yeah, I that way there's always a cost to something, right? Yeah. It's figuring out like your budget and okay, well if we do this on the chips then we can do this that really, you know, it's just like, where's the best place to put your dollars and a historical home? It doesn't always work like that. You're just going to pay for it. I mean, like, one way or another. Yeah. How did you decide since it isn't a historical home like furniture wise? Like, did you want it to be modern and historical, like the flow, like, talk a little bit about your vision? Yeah, I do, I mean, I love Kevin, Kevin's more of a purist in that way. He wants everything to look antique and, historical, which which I appreciate. Yeah. However, here's the reality. We're not going to do that. That what are the what are they and what's the one thing that most people come into this house and see? What's the item, the furniture that someone bought, that people like. Wow. That's fantastic. It's amazing. I don't know, what is it? Are yellow chairs are matching yellow chairs that we have the big that I got from the the flower. Oh my God. Just for the first week. So so the transition I guess we're in the transition of the house was pretty incredible because the previous owner basically took a lot of the furniture and things, and we had guests that were here on a rental agreements and took beds and took furniture, and they literally called and were like, she took all this stuff. Where do we sleep? Yeah. So Kevin was, you know, panicked and ran around to every estate sale that spring that I can and just started snatching up furniture, of which I'm proud to say thank you live here, that the yellow chairs that we still have in this house and Tosha was she was not exactly, three have rooms now, actually have canopy beds and kept all of them. But I do think that, a level of contemporary, like if you look at the furniture in here. Yeah, it's contemporary, but it's also a little bit of, you know, you could it could be any kind of period piece, classic styles. I love that you did see the red couch. I couldn't I could not walk away from that. Yeah. Had to be in the house. But I think there's, like, little things that, you know, we can you can blend in some modern stuff, but the built ins, they're in there, they're. We're not painting them. Yeah. Living. Oh, my. Would you. Yeah. They're gorgeous. Yeah. And and there is every single piece of lead glass, which was pretty amazing there. It's all intact. It's all original. Yeah. Which is you don't see that very often. So we feel really pretty lucky that we got this house. And when you'll appreciate this, when you're working with home inspectors and old houses, it's like, oh, this has got to go. Let's go. Yeah, we need to. Our home Inspector was like, this is the cleanest historical home I've ever seen. And we're like, dang, we want to negotiate. Oh, I thought you'd be, like, excited. Like, yeah, there's many repairs. Yes. No. And we were really excited. And a lot of, like, knob and tube. We were so sure, right? Nope. Everything had been done. It's all modernized in that way. So we we did get really lucky, but we have so many fun plans for this place because in independence, there, there really isn't a lot of event places where there's a house. Right? And especially downtown. So in addition to the house being here, we have the carriage house. And we have what's called the chicken coop, which are the equal size. And so the, the coop is actually going to hopefully be a little whiskey bar. Oh yeah. That's a cool little whiskey bar I love that. Yeah. And then the carriage house, may just be another, place for people to stay. Overall. So I mean, we have big plans. Yeah. I got some time. Thomas, for anybody that's never been to independence before, talk about why it would be a great weekend to like, come stay here and like what there is to do around here. Do you want to go ahead and take that one? Yeah. Well, first of all, it's in the heart of any, any direction you're going to hit a vineyard. Like any direction. Yeah I think we have close it's close to within 20 minutes. Just outside independence I think we have like close to 175 vineyards just in the local area in the southern Willamette Valley. So yeah. Of which one of them is Red gate or what was Red gate, which is. Yeah. Just huge. Yeah. Just changed. So yeah. So that's a huge advantage. And then the other advantages as we're right here on the Willamette River. So during the summer months you know a lot of kayakers and river goers and people that just want to swim and stuff biking you know hiking I guess we've had some hikers and stuff like the river too. That's all there. And then just the cool thing about independence is, do you want to own the, you know, summertime. So. Oh, yeah, we have independence days. Yeah. And independence. I mean, it's and then it's in the name too. Yeah. It is so much fun. And if you've ever if you've never been here for Independence Day in Independence, Oregon, you're missing out because it's all for festival. It is a whole three day festival. This year was the last year that the city was putting it on. So it's going to be really it's going to be a lot of fun because they did, privatize that. And so I think that, you know, they're going to keep up the tradition. It's it's just it's a lot of fun. And there's a locals day, that everybody comes out in the independence, the main park, and they do the the mini marathon. Yeah. And then it's just it's just a lot of fun. There's a lot of great history here too. Yeah. Well, yeah, the history is incredible. But we can talk about that because there's so much, you know, history, but also during the holidays and things, too. It's the city, will actually put up string lights and everything's downtown is all lit up, and it's all very quaint. Yeah. Very festive. Yeah. You know, for the holiday season, too, so it's great. Oh, yeah. And if you were in the area because you said this is going to be in December. Yeah, this episode will be in December. All right. So the train stop, which is now the Second Street property that we have, it's the train stop at the Taylor house. The Taylors were, that was their residence. So if you know independence, the Taylor fountain shop that is on Main Street, the corner of the three way stop, the sign is still there, but, we are doing a Christmas market there. Oh, fine. So really just, you know, just. Yeah, wanting to get people together. It's near the theater. It's just such a great area. For for that. But there is a lot of history within that property. Well, and if you stay here too, everything's in walking distance. I mean, the winery is you got to drive to a little bit, but you have a cafe right across the street. There's coffee down the street. There's a great restaurant, there's a distillery, there's a taproom. Like there's a lot to do. I think I was saying this earlier that independence is just so under the radar. I don't think everybody realize what it's got. Like what it has going on over here. Like, there's a lot to do. Yeah. And the Willamette Valley tourist, association is really pushing for, you know, to bring people out to, you know, from, areas 50 miles away and more and just bring them in. Yeah. And how do we, you know, how do we get people to see this cute little place? Yeah. I was actually just asked the other day about, you know, I guess it's like, where are people coming from? You know, a lot of people naturally think, oh, they're just coming from Salem or, you know, local area. We've actually had guests from new Jersey, Chicago, all across the United States. Yeah, actually Florida, there was some guests. And then. And then, yeah, we have people that come down into wine country. I've had people come over from bend in central Oregon that are here for the weekend. Just enjoy, you know, kind of wine country in the valley. So it's really nice. And that's one thing that I know that I definitely enjoy. And I think you do too, is getting to know, you know, the folks that stay with us, you know, here at the house because we're really trying to kind of going back to the, you know, the vision of this is create an experience for people. It's a more of an upscale kind of experience to where when you walk in, you feel like it's home. You know, that you feel like, you know, there's a we have a natural wood, fireplace that during that, you know, the middle of winter, a little light. And so it's like, oh my gosh, it's cozy and comfortable and and do that in the middle of winter. And then in the summer, of course, it's like, well, it's just nice. And, Kevin and Josh are nice people too. Well, yeah. Well, well, I like to travel. I mean, I'm like a sneaky. I like to pretend I'm a local when I'm traveling. So I love staying in places like this because then I am in the heart of town. I can walk around like I'm a local, and I think a lot of people like that, too. It just feels like a home away from home kind of a thing. Independence kind of gives me like, if you love the show Gilmore Girls, this is like that kind of town where it's like, all the people that live here and work here know each other, but they're very welcoming, and it's just so sweet and quaint. I love it, yeah. And it's it's kind of fun. We have no televisions entire house. I mean, people bring their laptops and their. Yes, I hear and everything, but there's and there's no televisions. It's so quiet. That sometimes you don't even know if anybody's here. Do you ever get feedback about that? The. No. Televisions. Because at our beach house, we only had a television in the living room for like the evenings or whatever. When you're cozy by the fire. And we got some feedback like that. People were upset that they weren't in the bedrooms, and my family was just like, why would you watch TV? You're at the beach, but other people are like, well, I fall asleep to the TV. But I'm like, to your point, I was like, well, put in your laptop on your like iPad, but so we had to put TVs in the bedrooms. We've thought about putting it down here in that common area. I think, you know, just for having, we were thinking about having events here also where you could use like a projector. Yeah. Use a projector or you could use a screen to do a presentation or something. And then we just kind of like but then there's a TV. Yeah. So the feedback I don't think ever we've, I mean we, we say that there are no TVs in the house. I mean it isn't, that we keep that quiet, but I don't think we've ever had any complaints. No, because most people's people come out here. Yeah, they want to sit on the porch and. Yeah, some are. They're here to do something. Oh, they're watching, as you said, you know, laptops or their iPads or. Yeah, they're just going to watch and stream from there. So we haven't really had any feedback that it's been. Well. Yeah. Well in in this space it's a shared space. So there will be different guests in different rooms because it's a B and B versus like our space is a whole. Hell yeah a short term rental where like you get the whole house, but still. Yeah. And actually when we have had any of that feedback, it's been when someone does, we do a whole house, you know, rentals too. So we actually had a group of local business, local business and their entire like, leadership team coming. Oh yeah. So they were asking about, hey, is there TVs wherever you do a presentation with that? But, that's really been about the only time. Yeah, that was kind of unique. You need, like, the old school one that they'd have in like, high school. It rolls out on the Tuesdays is me. Yeah. Here's the project to this. And as you see here, the schematics they go, yeah, yeah, we're an old school. The old films out on the big, real stuff. Yeah. And just has something. Oh, my God, that's awesome. That would be hilarious. Yeah. And Tasha, you can dress up and you're like, I don't know if you know this historical house. So this is what we have, right? You come out with a ruler in hand. We go today. Yeah. Yes. We're just fitting with the period. Period, you know. Yeah. Please. Right. So they pledge allegiance. Exactly, exactly. Yeah. So it is a fun spot. We have a lot of people just stop by, because we're we're close enough to downtown, and. And you're not far from Salem if you're in town for something to do with, like, work at first. Yeah, but we'll have people walk by and then, you know, we love your house, and it's like. Like, thank you. You can stay here with the cart and tell your friends. Yeah. How family has independence. I can't thank you a little bit. We're gearing up to, to have an empty house here pretty soon and where we can really go to some places. And actually, for thing for, Halloween, Kevin Walls set up, like, projectors and there's, like, cool fog and everything, and, you know. Yeah, I love that. Yeah. Well, you were talking about that. Your, goal is to have, like, events here and things like that next year in 2026. Yeah, that's part of the 20 2026 business plan. But there to that you know that's going to do. Yeah. Breaking news breaking. Yeah. We want to do or I'd like to definitely do like Chef's Table. Yeah that'd be great to where it's it would be small private you know. Intimate. But you know, just basically, you know, take advantage of some of the culinary experiences and stuff that are going on here in the Willamette Valley. Yeah, some of the best. And we have so much farm to table opportunities to. Yeah. And and so I mean this is ag country and it really is. We'll have the it's not uncommon. And you know in the afternoon in the summer for three massive mint trucks to come, you know down Main Street. And everybody's like what is that smell. The mint. Yeah. It smells amazing. Everything mint. Yeah. And it's, but it is really nice to have that farm to table, you know, the Saturday markets, they have so many like farmers there. Yeah. And the variety that's what's so cool about the Willamette Valley is we have the climate and the weather to grow a variety of produce. So it's not just like, no offense to Kansas, I went to K state, but like so corn and wheat is like pretty much the climate there. But here, like you'll have all the berries, you'll have mint, you'll have hops, you'll upgrade like all this stuff. So it's well, one sugar beet unique to the house too. And I again, I pride myself on this because Tasha doesn't necessarily like to go. But we do have we have 2 or 3 major. Well not major, but we have grapes, Concord grapes outside. And we actually thought when we first bought the house I was out there, I'm like, what's that smell? It's like, oh my God, it's grapes. I was like, are those Pino grapes? Like, oh, I know that Thomas is like, oh, those are Concord grapes. But we the Concord grape juice that we get out of those that it's sitting at the other house. It's amazing. That's no sugar. Yeah. It's incredible. So yeah, you know, I make transfusions, which is, a cocktail drink, with grape juice. It's the Cooper house drink I love. I guess it's. Yeah. But anyway, so. Yeah, it's that's on the 2026. That's a 2016 six on. Yeah. Yeah. You can buy drink. Stay tuned. Yeah. They had a bottle it. Well it's going to say to in the Midwest Concord wine is actually quite the thing. It's a very sweet wine but it's. Yes. So you could it is so good and it's nice that you. We just make it here. There will be people that will walk down the sidewalk and just pick the grapes as we walk down, because they know it's been here for 100 years. Yeah. It's weird. Tasha's always like, why, what are you doing? Why do you not have shoes on? And what are you doing in a big bucket in my own backyard? I'm like, I'm doing a trash. Yeah. Hello? It's harvest, honey, but we boiled all the toys to it. I don't know, you're really cute. Social media. As you're doing harvest. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Out there creation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My feet. That'd be incredible. Yeah, yeah. It's it's it's a very I love Lucy. So at the two that's kind like some like that's like some only fan stuff I mean kind of don't like what comes in comes. Yeah. Yeah. We're trying to pay for these pipes. Yeah, yeah. Come, come all stomping of the greens. But that's been definitely a lot of fun. So do you want to talk about the name Cooper House and like where that came from in the history a little bit. Yeah you go ahead. So I've done a little bit of research and so J.R. Cooper was the proprietor here in town. So and he ended up, building this house and it was built originally in 1910. When he built that, he actually he didn't pass away in the house, but he ended up, he was just a prominent businessman. And his cousin was actually James Cooper. I've come to find out. I used to think he was. It was his brother. But, I mean, it's a beautiful home. And he passed away, I believe was like 1937. So, years later and, yeah, that was really kind of the history of he, owned several different buildings in town here in independence, and one of which was, I believe, is a brick factory that was down by the Willamette. And that or the brothel? I'm not sure. Maybe, but yes, several. He had several. One of the buildings he owns, I know for sure, is now been converted into. It's that, the church that's in town, community church, which was a bar, I guess, back in the time independence was at the turn of the century was kind of the swinging place. So as far as his monsoons, always dry. That was always a dry town. Right. And, but independence, they, I guess, had a brothel here, and I'm drinking 70 late 70s or early 80s is what we've heard some of that. So you know. Yeah. But yeah. So that's, that's really kind of the Cooper family. We actually had someone come out from Kansas, neck of the woods that was like, hey, I as part of the Cooper family, I'm doing a genealogy study and all of that. Oh, interesting. And I think we would love to stay at the house if we could. And, she I ended up coming out. We kind of shared some stories about things that were going on. She's like, yeah, I guess the entire Cooper family was that name was pretty vast. Oh, and, it didn't turn out that J.R. Cooper, in that lineage was, you know, associated with her at all. But, yeah. So that's still cool, though. Yeah, it's really cool. And I mean, that's that's one thing I love about this community again, is there's some folks that have been around part of this community for 50 years, you know, that grew up here. So live here. And just understanding that historical aspect of things because there's so many stories, there's so many different, you know, and it's really kind of neat, that's for sure. History kind of. And at one point, I don't know if you knew this or not Rochelle. But so the Hops Festival, the Heritage Hops Festival, the independence as. Yeah, the Willamette Valley or independence specifically used to have 40,000 migrants and people come work the fields in the hot fields at the turn of the century. So the train would come, right into town. People from the coast, central Oregon, would all come out here and, yeah, we're kind of hot field, so like that. So people. Yeah, that's all the towns. Yeah. Oh, does it happening place. Yeah, it still is. What happen in place. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Okay. Can I mention where you where you just came from, sir. They had a lot of history. Yeah. That place was the arena. Yeah. We were just out there. We recorded last week's episode out there. Arena sports bar here. They have a lot of stories. Yeah, they're part of the, Again, we're recording in October, but this will be live in December. But there's a ghost walk tomorrow here in town. Of all the different places in the history of places and things. And that is so fun because they dress up in the period that they're they're telling the story. Yeah. And, like, they, they do a great job. She does a great job, but it's all down town. And, you know, it's just, you know, one of those small town things that you look forward to during this time, I, I yeah, I love this place. I'm. I'm in love with this little town. Yeah. That's so cute. Talk a little bit about the plans for the other spot you plan to open up next year. Well, we're going to do the Christmas market this year. But like, officially open next year. Do you want to talk about what that spot is going to look like, sir? Sure. So it is the Taylor House. And it's right on the train. The the train tracks go through second Street. That actually on the train. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. It's you're like on the street. So it's on the street near the tracks. So the literal viewers are just not on the train tracks. Yeah. On the other side of the tracks of you that are listening to the podcast. Yeah. But it is, it is a special spot. It is one of two homes that are actually on that side of the street. It opposes the, the local theater. But it is going to be. So it's going to be the train stop, hence the train. And then the Taylor house, but it's going to feature of, upcycled home decor, and furniture, along with local artisans, soaps, and jewelry and painters and painters, all different types of artists immediately just, just capturing the local artisan vibe. Yeah. Because there, there are there are a lot of artists here. And you'll see them at the Saturday markets, but they, you know, to have one place that's kind of expensive for some, some people. So my idea has been to have a place where they can feature their work. They can sell it. And they can at least show it you know. Yeah. Year round two. Because the Saturday markets on the farmers markets, those are normally seasonal. So you're giving them a spot to be around. Yeah absolutely. And so it'll be a place where you could do workshops such as wreath making or I have a florist that has a farm. And so in the summer and spring and even the fall, we could be doing, you know, some flower workshops and just having a place that is downtown easy to get to, lots of parking. But that it captivates the historical vibe. Yeah. Because she's really old. She's 1870s. Kevin said. So, yeah, she's, she's a little, a little colonial. So, you know, I know that you've done a little bit of history research. Do you know what the oldest building is? An independence. I don't, but I know, I know that that's like. That's got to be one of them is one of them. So a lot of the houses specifically have moved around, you know, off the blocks. They've been rolled into place where they currently sit. But yeah, I, I not exactly sure what's the oldest, you know. Yeah. So it is, but it's up there. Yeah for sure. They're a lot of the homes that are still standing down here. If you go a little bit south, obviously north. They're, they're around the same period like 1870s and 19 early 1900s. And they all fall in, historical. Yeah. That's a recent area. Yeah. For sure. You know, it's nice to see the town is still growing. And small businesses are coming in across the street, like you said, there's a cafe, there's the barber, there's. Yeah, you know, the home decor. So, yeah, lots of cute little shops. As a realtor, I have to ask this question because I wonder for anyone that's thinking about doing, like, a short term rental or something, the, the investments that you've done, what is something that they should be prepared for as far as the lending side goes? Like you said, the Taylor House was not fundable as far, so that had to be a cash purchase. It did. If you're thinking about doing something like that, you know, you have to look and see what the business model you're, you're trying to achieve. If it's if it's Airbnb, which is a branded third party, that's great exposure. It depends on the location here and independence. There's still a need for rentals. But the I think it's, you know, we got lucky because the interest rates were low. Interest rates are coming down and there's and there's more favorable opportunities to buy, investment properties. And there ever have been. Yeah. And so whether or not you're taking something that is now like is already at an investment property is a lot easier than trying to convert something that was, that isn't but I think that it's I think it's a great time to invest in real estate at any point. And there's ways, you know, you can pull equity out of your existing home, for not very much money you can get. He longs to help with the, initial investments. You know, you're down payments. Yeah, but there's a ton of different programs, right? There is a ton of different programs. And, yeah, to help investors and, you know, I, I say always jump in, you know, if, if that's where your heart is moving towards and you want to develop and, and start investing in that long term wealth. You know, we've talked about that for your kids. Yes. And, maybe this is your that is your exit strategy. Yeah. Right. Well, we want to be investing. There's not a college not too far from here. And so we are talking about a lot of parents have started buying second homes as rentals while their kids are in primary school for when their kids go to college, so they can live there because it's so expensive to live in the dorms and on campus, and then you can be renting the rooms out to other college kids. So and also, I agree with you like don't wait because I know so many people that decide to wait. And then they're like, well, I'll wait until prices come down or until interest rates going out. But ultimately, with the trends that we've been seeing as the prices are still going up and that's going to be more expensive, the same house, if you wanted to buy in right now, it's 2025, right? If you wanted to buy in 2023 and you're like, well, I'll wait for interest rates or for prices to come down. The houses have actually still gone up in pricing. Yeah, yeah. And when you're looking at future projected appreciation it's still holding. I mean Freddie and Fannie, there was just a report put out for 2026 where. Yeah there's, they're not slowing down. Rates are going to come down. And you know, these people are reading on the fence. It's like, oh, you just got to you just got to jump off. If that is your plan. Well talk to somebody that's in our field. Yeah. For sure. I guess for you both because you're in the field. So. But isn't, what's the average rate of homeownership, right? Isn't it, like, seven years or eight years as far as investment property. So where I'm going with that is, is just that, you know, rates are still historically low, right? Compared to, you know, the last ten, 15, 20 years. Yeah. We went through the Covid era, right, which was historically unprecedented. Right. Like rates that low and the chances of us ever seeing something like that again is pretty low. Dangerous. Yeah. Well look at how much. Well and like it was great, especially if you owned a home to refinance. But for I was helping buyers during that time when they were bidding like 100,000 over 18 offers, they were still losing on all these houses because everybody was in the market. And that's what's going to happen even right now. If we get back down to 5%, the market's going to be flooded again and we're going to see bidding wars again and things like that, which it's great in the long term for your payment. But when you do you have to decide long term. Do I want my interest rate this or do I want to pay a higher price point? Because sometimes a higher price point is actually more expensive than paying a little bit more in the interest, and you hit it and we are in that. We are below fives and some of the products like your FHA or VA, we're we're under five. This is October 2025. Yeah. In case you're listening, in 2028. But the banks are still listening, right? Yeah. It's a time of year. Yeah, but that you're right. I mean, we're not in a situation where, one people are offering way over a purchase price and the other thing is, is that sellers are willing to contribute to housing costs right now, it's I mean, like, if you're going to get into an investment property like that is a great strategy. Especially if you can, you know, give them what they want. Okay. Yeah. It's 2%, for investment properties for the seller to pay. So I love your I love your candor. What do you talk about? Mortgage rates. That's so exciting. Cuz, like, I hear my kid all the time sitting there, I'm like, I'm empty. I know he's like, yeah, why should we? Surfing the net? Yeah. He's like, I hear this watercooler talk all the time. But for anybody thinking about seeing this as benefits, absolutely no. I totally yeah. But I was going to say, you know, with those low interest rates, I mean, that's so great. If you were able to captivate capture that. However, it's almost like golden handcuffs too, because you're so afraid to jump into a different property. Yeah. With this like super high interest rate. But you know what? You've probably built up a lot of equity since then. Now we're, you know, heading five years. We're going into our sixth year coming up. You've got equity. Yeah. So either pull it out or, you know, what's the average as of again that's October 2025. What is the average downpayment you've seen on investment properties for most programs. Yeah. I mean you can send me on what your situation is. You could do a 3.5% down. If you bought a duplex, you could live in that property on one side for a couple of years. But that other side is always an investment. Side you can get up to four, you know, you can get up to four units. Yeah. And that is a that is like one of the best things about the FHA program. But I've also seen, other prep programs that are 15% but the DSR that debt coverage ratios, service programs are the best because you do not have to use your own income to qualify. Oh, it's based on the property. And that's why I asked you that question, because I think that's one of the biggest myths out there about owning a second home is, well, I can barely afford my mortgage. How can I afford to? And I don't think people realize there's a ton of programs out there, different ways that you can afford a second property that's income producing for you and long term. Again, this is October 2025. Yeah, but don't come through us in the comments if you if you have been paying attention, part of the big beautiful bill that was passed, one of those provisions was bringing back a zero, you know, a 100%, depreciation. So if you did buy a second home at 10% down, you rented it during the rest of this year, you could depreciate that, interest rate 3%. Yeah. Which is huge because that, that that alone goes against your personal income. And so a little bit different than what this model is. We're we're on a different schedule, but, that's that's huge. Yeah. That's huge. So I mean, I say by this is October 2025 is by now. Yeah. Don't worry. It's coming your way. When they're back on next year, we're going to talk about this again. And the prices will be different. Things will be different. Yes. Yeah. How do people stay with you guys if they want to rent the Cooper house and come go ahead if. Oh yes. So there's well no. Let me go. Let me go ahead. Sorry. I know you can like. Yeah. Yeah I just get, you know, but so there's actually a variety of ways. So we're on Airbnb is one channel I think that's probably the most popular channel, Vrbo. But then, we actually have our website, which is Cooper House independents.com. And all you have to do is Google and go from there. Or you can, you know, call us to personally, photos. Actually, I don't even know our telephone number. I'm he's like, let me think of like that. Click on the link below. And I say click on the link below. Yeah, you definitely will have the website attached to this a podcast. We'll figure that one out. But we yeah we said that. So you can book directly to our website. So that's what you want to do. Yeah. Even on the podcast there's a way to click a link to. So now you say, well yeah for sure. And that's. Yeah. And or just come visit, come visit independence. We're on D Street and Main and, you can't miss it. Yeah. All right. Downtown. Well, thank you so much for having me on the porch again. If you're listening, please go look at the YouTube or the social media channels to see how cute it is, because it is so welcoming and homey, and I think I'm going to have to come stay a weekend for sure. Definitely going to get to count. Yeah. Oh, perfect. We got a little gift for you. Yeah. Well, cheers. Cheers. For me, I refill. I know, appreciate that. So thanks everyone for listening and I can't wait to see you next week. Thank you. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Oh. My.