Buying a Home In Marin County – Home Buyer Success Story
Buying A Home in Marin County – Home Buyer Success Story
Real Estate is a challenging business to be in, especially in today’s market with the ever changing rules, regulations, laws and statutes surrounding Real Estate transactions. It has become a mine field of disclosures and compliance. However, for me the most important and most rewarding part of the Real Estate business hasn’t really changed that much and that is Client Care. It’s true, younger Gen X and Gen Y clients now entering the market are tech savvy and better prepared. They do most if not all of their preliminary research online before even contacting a Realtor which is fantastic but thankfully, us Realtors are still necessary to insure a smooth transaction that ends in a closing celebration!
Now, more than ever, the role of Realtor in the transaction is the difference between a deal closing or not, how smooth the transaction goes and in the end how happy and satisfied all parties are. The completed process should be a win-win for all.
There is really nothing better than finishing a transaction and having your client give you a big hug or give you a closing gift or in my case, a closing gift and several months later vegetables from her new vegetable garden.
I had, what might have been, the perfect client. She was referred to me by her daughter who is a tenant in the apartment building I manage. Her mom wanted to sell her family home of 25 years in Missouri and move to Marin County to be closer to her daughter and she wanted me to help her. We set a date via email to view properties during her short visit. I put a tour together of 6 houses, a few she found and a few I thought she would like.
On a Thursday we toured 6 houses. On Friday we revisited one. I asked her what she thought about the house. She said, ” I like it, I want it, lets write an offer”. On Saturday, we sat down and wrote the offer. The following Tuesday, I presented the offer to the listing agent and on Wednesday night, before my client had to fly back to Missouri, our offer was accepted without counters! I know, pretty close to perfect!
But this is not about me or a smooth transaction it’s about finding the perfect house for your client and I believe we accomplished that. Her number one criteria was having a garden and weather conducive to gardening.
I think the pictures speak for themselves. She wasn’t as concerned about the interior of the house as the exterior. The house is mostly original from the 40s but very clean and well cared for. Many younger buyers were not interested in this home because they tend towards wanting homes that are either fixers or completely remodeled. My client loved the original state of the home and the size of the yard but wanted it be a place where she could grow fruit and vegetables and enjoy the outside.
She covered up the ugly, cracked concrete with a lovely redwood deck. Added a glass door to the extra bedroom (she is using for here studio) so she can enjoy her garden even when inside. She also removed many of the existing plants, leveled the yard and put in raised beds for her vegetable garden.
I visited her recently and came home with scallions, lettuce and great pictures to convey her story. She is so thrilled with her new home and especially her new yard! She was so excited to show off all the things she had done since she bought the home. This is what is important. This is why I love Real Estate!