Did you hear the story about the Home Buyer vs the Reporter?

Let me tell you a story about a heated conversation when a "National" reporter here to cover the New Hampshire primary was asking questions of fellow patrons at one of my favorite lunch spots. They were looking for an angle and a story.

I was there to meet a buyer on their lunch break who wanted to make an offer on a house we saw the day before. As I read the contract to my buyer pointing the places to initial here, initial there and sign over here. The reporter was staring our way. The reporter came over asking pointed questions trying to beat up on the economy.

As i gave the death stare, my buyer spoke up letting the national reporter know how strong the housing market is here in NH. Which was why they were moving here. The reporter made some excuse about they were told what to ask.... and my buyer cut them off. My buyer said the real story was here in front of them.

The reporter paused for a few seconds and asked my buyer what their story was. My buyer started by saying, " When a buyer spends their lunch hour to meet a Realtor to write an offer on a home without haste, there had to be a reason." That reason is a strong economy and even stronger housing market. That when a new listing hits the market, a buyer needs to act quickly often making their highest and best offer up front?

The reporters eyes lit up. We were all done signing the forms. I took pictures of them and then tucked away in a folder so i didn't get any food on them. I was trying to concentrate on getting down to eating this sandwich. The reporter came up with a new line of questioning. My buyer in between bites, loved to talk. The reporter could not get enough of my buyers answers. The new line of questioning was based more on why they had relocated to NH. So often you hear the bad things in the news, I wondered how they will put this story together. 

Fast forward to some highlights. The reporter switched between why they were moving to NH to how they found me to work with. To how happy they were with the home buying process. What the buyer loved, what they hated and the why's in between. They then brought up companies like that Z word. The reporter also asked if there was an easier way to purchase a home than the current process?

That was the last question as my buyer was getting close to having to go back to work and seemed disturbed that the reporter again was looking for the bad in everything , not the good. My buyer said it better than I could,  My buyer said the process working with me to relocate to NH could not have been any easier. That their company moved them here right away to take up a new position. That they put their home up for sale in their old state and sold it in under a month. That their company was paying for housing here until they could find their dream home. 

The reporter asked if it would have been easier to let the Internet assist them in finding their home and they could have saved 'so much money." The buyers eyes lit up as the boasted, that the number one thing they wanted in a buyer agent was good service. There was no way they wanted to settle for any discount and not get good service.

The reporter asked what they meant by good service. They responded by saying constant communication, updates, assurance, experience, assistance, a person looking out for their best interest, a person that told them all options, not just what they wanted to hear. AND... most important was they wanted a real person. Not a computer. Not a team. Not some assistant and not a call center in some over seas country. The buyer said the Internet can not give them the personal interaction they sought.

The reporter asked if it was worth it to lose all that money by not getting a discount. The buyer said they could not afford to get that discount. That no discount was worth trading the feeling of being well taken care of when buying a home. That their buyer agent, namely me, reduced their stress and anxiety by being there through each step of the buying process. Just then we got the call. The seller had verbally accepted our offer and they wanted me to meet them right after lunch to sign the contract. You see after signing, i took pictures of it and sent them over to the listing agent. The listing agent got to the seller and we got our answer. 

The buyer with an ear to ear smile told the reporter they should start seeing the best in things and better things would happen. My buyer concluded that this was a prime example how good service beat the Internet. That the price they purchased the home for and terms were worth far more than any discount. AND remember one thing my buyer lobbed at the reporter, "forget good service, this is an example of great service." Now i was smiling ear to ear. 

The MOST IMPORTANT message I can share to anyone thinking of buying or selling a home, is that all agents are not created equal. The choice of an agent does matter. Hire the agent that will work for you through each step of the buying or selling process. 

I now share with every consumer that my philosophy is simple, provide more personal and professional service to guide my clients through each step of the buying or selling process. All Agents are not created equal and every buyer or seller should take the time to hire the BEST not just the biggest. Those that hire me, find a dedication like no other.