Friday, January 10, 2014

Making a Connection

Nancy and Kobie lived in my neighborhood.  A quiet little spot off the beaten path surrounded by century-old oak trees and well-manicured cape cods.  I learned that they were planning to move and contacted Nancy to see if I could help.  After several meetings about getting the house ready for sale and what they could expect once the house was on the market, we listed their house for sale.

A flurry of activity in the first few days rendered two offers on their home.  They were surprised and thrilled! We counter-offered all the offers and settled on the one that would be the best for them in terms of price, closing date and a few other criteria.

Nancy and Kobie had lived in their house for 17 years.  As most sellers do, they loved their house, their neighborhood and all the improvements they had made to make the house their home.  The inspection revealed a few items that needed to be corrected and the sellers and buyers agreed on what needed to be done to complete the sale.

The next step, the appraisal.  In recent years, as home values have declined, appraisals can be a sticky point.  While the market has been on the upswing in terms of value over the last year, the comparable houses have not caught up with the rising marketplace values.  In this case, the appraisal became a problem.  The house appraised for less than the buyers and sellers agreed upon sale price.  Not only is that a problem for the lender and the buyer, but the seller is now in a position where the house has been “off” the market for several weeks.  Previous buyers have moved on to other properties.  Buyers that are still looking for a house know that the house had an offer that didn’t come together, so they often assume there is something “wrong” with the house.  And the “selling” season is that much further along.  It is not an easy situation for anyone!

To accommodate the lender, the buyers and the sellers, we devised a plan that would make everyone happy.  There was more negotiating, late nights and long conversations.  In the end, the buyer received a good value for their investment, the seller received a good price for the property and the lender’s appraisal was honored.  We went to closing!

Nancy and Kobie later thanked me for helping them navigate the sometimes precarious issues that can crop up when selling a house.  As Kobie said, “This is a personal, relationship partnership.  We have to feel a connection with our Realtor.  We felt a connection to you.”  Music to my ears!

Nancy and Kobie have since moved to the east coast and are happy as can be.  The new owners have settled into their new home and new neighborhood.  Perhaps you know a couple or family like Nancy and Kobie who could use my help selling their house.  Give me a call at 333-4406, I’d be happy to make a connection with them, too!

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