Like a first date, you walk in, sit down and look around you… What do you see? How do you feel? What can you expect?
These are all natural feelings when you’re going to meet someone new for the first time. Anxiety sets in as you have prepared, to the best of your ability but, still you don’t know what to expect. You are about to embark on the most significant journey of your life. It will symbolize your step from being a young adult to a responsible grownup.
These are the feelings Brad Fisher had just before meeting me at my office. Like everyone else who is buying a home for the first time Brad had questions about the process and needed answers. Because of this, I stressed an initial one-on-one conversation which allowed Brad to walk through the process of buying a home from start to finish with me.
Brad shares the experience of having his first buyer consultation with me:
“Tim & Diana were both extremely friendly, informative, and honest right from the start. Being a first time home buyer, I didn’t know exactly what to expect with the process of buying a home, nor did I know what types of homes were realistic to find in my search area and price range. Also, during our first meeting, they supplied suggestions of lenders, home inspectors, etc… to help begin my search and answered all my questions about what to look for in these services. I walked out of my first meeting having a better understanding of what to expect.”
Knowing now what to expect you could feel Brad’s anxiety leave the room. You could see his confidence as he was smiling, energetic and ready to begin his journey. Being an engineer Bard was very detailed and concise. He had done his homework and knew the answer to his questions. This allowed him to test me and make sure I knew what he expected. One false slip, one wrong answer and he would have started second guessing.
As the meeting continued we stressed our #1 priority.
COMMUNICATION
I remember saying, “Communication is a two way street. We take pride in leading and you are responsible for deciding. For this journey is yours and we are your guide.”
You could see it in his eyes as I said this. He felt relief knowing he was not alone.
In Brad’s words: “They were there to answer any questions that came up along the way and were always prompt with responses.”
Understanding the market and positioning you to have equity is one of, if not the most important roles a real estate professional plays when helping you find a home. If a project is what you desire, you must have an agent with construction experience to guide you along the path of possibilities. If building sweat equity is what you seek then adding the right finishing touches is how you find gold.
To do this we first needed to understand Brad’s “Why” and “What.”
“As we began to look at a number of homes, they talked through what I liked and what I didn’t like about homes. Tim was able to pick up on things that I was thinking subconsciously but hadn’t even realized yet regarding items that were “must haves” in my home as well as items I wanted to completely avoid. If I was ever stuck on an issue with a home, they provided options for fixing it, if possible, so I could look past it or were honest when I should look elsewhere. Their knowledge of the market and what the value of a home is and where it could go as well as what different updates I could possibly do to increase its value were very helpful along the way.” — Brad
Once we found the perfect home for Brad there was still a long way to go. Negotiations is where an agent determines their worth. A good real estate negotiator is like a good fisherman. He knows what kind of fish he’s looking to catch, he understand the weather — how it will affect the fish and he knows what kind of bait is needed to catch the big one. Because, like fishing, negotiating is an art. Some have it and some don’t. In Brad’s words:
“When it came to presenting an offer and negotiating, Tim Murphy went to bat for me. He did everything I asked of him and more! I was very happy with the whole negotiation process. The final outcome was better than expected.”
Even after the heavy lifting is done there are still “ i’s “ to be dotted and “ T’s “ to be crossed. The Closing process begins after both parties agreed to terms and the inspection contingency was removed. Luckily with Brad there were not a lot of issues when it came to inspection. The home was in good condition. All Brad needed to do was add his personal touch like carpet, paint, possibly update bathrooms and a few other things as he saw fit.
When it came to the closing process that’s where Diana took over. We don’t call her “Momma Bear” for nothing. She takes tremendous pride in delivering “Disney Magic.” She made sure Brad knew what was going on every step of the way. If there was going to be a bump in the road. Diana, like a good fishing guide who tells you when to make sure your line is tight, keep your rod high and set the hook… made sure Brad knew, in advance, it was coming and how we were going to handle potential speed bumps.
“Closing was a breeze! because, they prepared me. Ensured I was informed, had everything completed well ahead of time and prior to closing. I can’t thank them enough for everything they did for me and how easy they made the home buying process. I am excited to be able to enjoy what is now my home! ”— Brad Fischer
Receiving a great compliments like this from a friend, you know all your hard work and dedication is well worth it.
