Does meeting with the listing agent or the buyers agent really make any difference in whether or not a house sells buyers get the home they want?
I'm sure we've all had real estate transactions where we've never met either the listing agent and seller or the buyer's agent and buyer. In today's day and age just about everything can be done over the Internet from looking at photos to making offers and negotiations. Heck, things can be done over text now but are we losing that face-to-face connection and relationship?
This last week I had a couple of buyers that were really interested in a home in the San Ramon real estate market. However, it was a new listing and below-market value so my buyers offered $20,000 higher than the listing price with minimal contingencies and a quick close. We knew that there would be a lot of buzz and hype on this property so in order to help seal the deal I contacted the listing agent and met with them personally. I shook their hands, looked them in the eye and told them how much my buyers love the property. We found some common ground in our conversation and chatted about local news and events. I found out a little bit more information on the sellers and was able to cater my negotiations right there on the spot.
Over the course of three or four days the listing agent received four offers on the property and ours actually came in number three. This means that ours was not the most appealing offer and others were probably priced higher and maybe even had better terms. But in the end, the listing agent and sellers decided to go with our offer instead. I called them up to personally thank them and they said that even though ours was number three on the list they felt that the personal connection and personal story of my buyers really meant something to the sellers and that's why they decided to go with our offer over the others.
Now does this happen all the time? Not necessarily but it certainly can make a big difference in whether my buyers or my sellers get the terms and the price they're looking for.
Need an agent that will go the extra mile? Call me today. I specialize in buyer, seller and investment services for the Tri-Valley area.
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