A normal person would have gotten frustrated. Not Moses and Roxanne – these two were some of the most positive and optimistic buyers I have ever worked with.
They had a specific type of house they were looking for. In fact, I think we looked at EVERY SINGLE split level in Marysville, Everett and Lake Stevens that was in their price range.
Each week we would put in an offer, and for several weeks, we kept getting outbid, but they would say, “That’s okay, we’ll get ‘em next time.”
And that’s when the miracle happened.
I know it was a miracle because it seems like my clients often experience one in the course of our work together. Some kind of happy coincidence in which everything comes together.
My client Dawn described it as “A God Thing.”
It didn’t start out as a “God Thing…” or a good thing for that matter, though.
You see, their Spring Break vacation was delayed by a series of canceled flights due to bad weather and airline strikes. They found themselves stuck at home, rather than en route to their cruise.
So, instead of being 3,000 miles away, they were still in the neighborhood when I called them to let them know the sellers of the home they had toured the day before were willing to consider an early offer from them.
(I always ask if listing agents will take an early offer in the hopes we can send in a strong offer in advance and cut the legs out from the competition. In this case, they bit!)
The seller’s agent indicated they were willing to take our Early Offer but had a few things they wanted to negotiate on… the buyers decided to go back to the home one more time for a second look (this was actually the third time there for the wife!) and we decided to take the deal. Plus, they threw in the hot tub!
If my buyer clients had not been home from Spring Break and ready to go take another look at that home, they told me they would not have felt confident going ahead and completing the purchase.
As it was, they got the house under contract, sent in their earnest money, and rescheduled their trip.
Takeaways:
Be patient – you may not get the first house you put an offer on, but you can adapt.
Learn your niche – The “no’s” provide an opportunity to learn more about your niche in the market and what those types of homes are selling for.
Talk to the listing agent – If my client likes a house, I’m on the phone with the listing agent after the showing, while I’m still in the driveway. If the seller is “motivated” to put an offer together quickly… I want my clients to know ASAP. I have put several deals under contract recently where the seller decided not to wait for the review date, and took our STRONG early offer instead!
