My seller just signed one of the offers that came in on her adorable house in Brookland.  And they were both strong.  One agent is had a lucky day, and the other, well, didn't.

It was just one tiny, but at the same time huge difference in the offers.

Lucky Agent’s offer included a lender’s letter is from a medium size local lender.  The loan officer has been in the business for longer than I have, and when I called to ask how they would handle the appraisal, I liked his answer.  They use a local appraisal firm familiar with in-town neighborhoods.

Unlucky agent’s offer had a letter from a loan officer I didn't know and who didn't return my call.  He was from a gigantic bank that has been the subject of rants at business meetings and broker's opens all over town.  Colleagues have been pulling their hair out over this particular lender, mostly over appraisals and underwriting on FHA loans.

So I called Unlucky Agent and asked about the possibility of his clients using another lender to do the transaction.  He explained that buyer banked at the gigantic institution, and they were going to give a customer rebate of some of the fees they charge.  But did he understand that her insistence on using this lender was going to harm her competitive position?   Could he explain it to his buyer so that she understood?

There are increasing numbers of balding Realtors® running around our nation's capital.  I don't want to be one of them.

So, we took the offer with the pre-approval from the guy who reminds me of Jeff Belonger.  You know, he knows his stuff and gets the job done.

And I'll get to keep my hair, which is one of my best features.

This was a house that went for about $400,000.  I wonder how much of a rebate the big bank was going to give her?