Property Watch: A Delightful Cottage in Northeast Portland for $515K

This home draws comparisons to our recently profiled “Portland bungalow,” what with the similarities to their size, circular floor plans, and symmetrical front facades. That’s because they’re both what architectural historian Thomas Hubka refers to as “houses with no names.” These aren’t the one-off architectural wonders, which are also quite fun to discover, of course, but our city’s everyday bungalows, ranches, and cottages that line our sidewalks and make our neighborhoods oh-so-pretty, much like this 1926 cottage in the Roseway neighborhood.

For starters, the centered front porch is flanked on either side by a large picture window. Houses like this were often built by developers in small clusters—a telltale sign is when they share stylistic similarities with the neighbors. Here, that’s the jerkinhead roof, meaning the gable ends are clipped in, and that repeats on the front porch and either side. It’s a small detail that lends the home a bit of a storybook cottage feel, all the better when it’s tucked behind a Backyard Habitat GOLD Certified front yard.

Inside, there are quite a few updates, none of which outshine the innate old-school charm. The hardwood floors have been refinished. A colorful mural rises over a built-in bench and shelves beside the front door. And in the bathroom, the vanity offers up functional counter space around the modern vessel sink.  

Then there’s the kitchen, which has been opened up to the dining room and refreshed with wood cabinets, wood floors, quartz counters, and new appliances. Add to that a lovely pale green basketweave tile backsplash behind the induction range and, on the opposite wall, floating shelves for display. (There are also the many mechanical updates that can’t be seen offhand but that any buyer will appreciate, like a new water main, PEX plumbing, high-efficiency water heater, and gas furnace.)

Two bedrooms and one bathroom round out the 1,521-square-foot main floor; downstairs, find unfinished bonus space and laundry. Out back, a new fence surrounds the patio, raised garden beds, and detached 269-square-foot garage.

The Roseway neighborhood, bordered by NE 62nd Avenue to 82nd Avenue, and from NE Prescott Street to the Rose City Golf Course, sprung up as a dense residential corridor alongside the streetcar line on Sandy Boulevard. And while the streetcar is long gone, the neighborhood retains a few of our other favorite everyday Portland things, whether that’s park blocks (see the Roseway Parkway), a classic bar (the reinvigorated Sandy Jug), or the up-and-coming farmers market near Glenhaven Park.

• Address: 3737 NE 74th Ave, Portland, OR 97213
• Size: 1,521 square feet/2 bedroom/1 bath 
• List Date: 6/5/2025 
• List Price: $515,000
• Listing Agent: Kate Kennedy, Windermere Realty Trust
• Styling: Crush Staging

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. Contact Dalton here. 

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].