I had an amazing client. She had the perfect home in her mind. The home had to be in Viera or Suntree, Florida. It had to have a pool and be on the water. Concrete block construction was a must with an open kitchen and a three car garage. Did I mention that the home had to face east?
As a Realtor in Melbourne, Florida there were a few choices. Looking at Suntree Real Estate and Viera Real Estate I was able to keep a few homes in front of her. The husband only cared about the three car garage and concrete block construction.
Lord knows, we searched, and searched. I dearly love this lady and her husband. Part of the Greatest Generation. Wise with their money, amazing stories of war, the depression, past jobs and his service with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. They knew everyone in town and everyone I meet speaks highly of them. I really wanted to do this right.
We searched for months and yet she never seemed discouraged. Finally, we found the perfect home but the husband would not budge on the very low offering price he had in mind. I explained to him that if we low-balled this one, his wife would kill him. He wouldn’t budge, we lost it and, yep she just about killed him. He learned and we continued to look but could never find a home to match the one we “lost”.
One day I was sitting with her and asked with a smile, “Where is this magical house?” She took my hand and said, “Get in the car. I’ll show you.” Bless God, she did. Drove me right to the place and said, “That’s it.”
I went back to my office and ran the numbers. I sat with the two of them and said, “No shenanigans. Let’s review these comps. I’m going to knock on the door and show the owners the same thing I showed you. We’ll make a fair offer and see what happens.”
Two hours later I was standing on the doorstep of the Mystery House with a contract in hand. I knocked, the door opened and I simply said, “Hello. My name is Joseph Robinson. I’m a Realtor here in Melbourne and I have a client interested in buying your home. Would you like to look at the offer?” They invited me in. I reviewed all of the comps and the offer and the wife began to shake. Suddenly she simply burst into tears. Wow. As her husband consoled her he began to explain.
They missed their children in Jacksonville. They had a terrible experience trying to sell the home before. They hated the idea of the people coming through the house and dealing with all the mess. They were ready. They asked me if they could sleep on it. The next day they signed. The buyers were beside themselves. They told everyone. I sold three properties for them and one for each of their children.
This strategy has worked for me a few times now. Nearly every property you see has a price. Next time, your client has the perfect home in mind, You may want to simply ask, “Have you seen this home somewhere?”
Joseph, great perseverance and very inspiring story. You definitely went the extra mile for this one. 
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