Wednesday, April 4, 2007

It's Important to Show up


I just listened to offers with my clients for their home on Oregon street in Berkeley. I gave the agents bringing offers for their clients the opportunity to present them to the sellers. Half took the opportunity and the other half simply dropped the offers at my office.
That night I saw clearly how having your agent present your offer directly to the sellers can give your offer a clear advantage.
First let me say that when you are in competition for a home, it is the offer itself, both the amount of the offer, and the terms of the contract, that are the most important features in a successful bid.
But, in a situation where two bids or even a series of bids are close in amounts and terms, it is the agent telling your story to the sellers that can really make the ultimate determination.
My clients were clearly touched by the stories they heard from the agents. It swayed how they thought of each offer, and they felt a real connection to the buyers making the offers. Those offers became more than black and white contracts. They could see the buyers behind all those numbers and words.
It is important that given the opportunity, when you are making an offer to buy a house, that your agent go and tell your story.
It could make all the difference.