No, I’m not getting into real estate, but rather helping my significant other buy a home.
The main advantage is to help someone very close to me buy the home, but I am also learning the ropes after having a real estate license for over 5 years. Thus far the process has been incredibly smooth!
We began looking at homes not too long ago, and after viewing 7 homes, we found the one. Of course, we had to navigate multiple offers, which honestly intimidated the heck out of me. Being a detailed guy, I spent time learning about the Seller, their motivations, needs, desires, and their “why” for selling their home. I did the usual comps and advised my client on the likelihood of multiple offers, and the CMA results.
Since it’s her buying the home, and a personal relationship, I was very careful not to push, pull, or influence her decision in anyway, ensuring that I stayed at arm’s length as much as possible. The only advantage I had was being able to get an inspector there prior to making an offer. (I certainly encourage you to contact us when these situations come up as we would love to help you too!)
In the end, we made an offer that was contingent only on appraisal, a conventional loan product, AS-IS, as we had all the information we needed to put forth a strong offer that matched well with the Seller’s wants.
So, why am I sharing this? First, I’m walking in your shoes now. I thought I would blog about this journey as I learn more of the real estate process from walking a mile in your shoes as a Realtor. It’s another opportunity for me to learn more about this real estate game and how all parties collaborate to get the deal to the closing table. I also thought by blogging I’d share my insights on things I’m learning. Maybe they will help you, maybe not.
Thus far, we’ve ordered the appraisal and began title work. The mortgage process is well underway and moving nicely. I decided early on I would use some of my experience as a Home Inspector to hopefully prevent some of the common complaints I hear from other Realtors.
The most common complaint I hear is regarding the lack of communication between agents. So, today, I emailed the Seller’s Agent to update them on the mortgage process and where we are. They emailed me back about a concern they had, which I promptly addressed and contacted those parties that could make the concerns go away. Tomorrow, I’ll follow up and make sure the Seller’s Agent is satisfied with my response, and that we do what is necessary to prevent a similar situation. In this case, it was an email to them from a service provider that I was not aware of and stemmed from a lack of proper information from the vendor.
Dave