From referral, to turned down, to a happy beginning - signing the listing

Call:  (301)943-4370

adambashein@mris.com

 

 

So, there I was a few weeks ago on one of the websites where I advertise and a person private messages me.  He says that he likes what I have to say and the recommendations that people have written about me.  I say thank you very much!

 

The gentleman than messages me that he has friends nearby who are going to move and he will suggest that they call me.  It will probably be in a few weeks

Wonderful!  I can't wait.

 





 

 

 

Time passes on one morning, around between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., while in an appointment This person called...I couldn't pick up because I was in a meeting.  Right after the meeting, between 11:30 and 12 p.m. I returned the call, introduced myself and asked when we should meet?

He said thank you very much, that he called several realtors between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and didn't understand why nobody was able to pick up and couldn't meet right away.  He got through to one agent and met with that agent a little while earlier. 

 

I replied that it is hard to find someone who is available for an appointment immediately.  Continuing that he sounds like  a great person and I really wished he called me a day or two in advance, so our meeting would already be on my calender.  But, given our great telephone conversation,  

 let's figure out a time that I can come over.

 

The gentleman said that I sound like a very nice person, a good agent, but he didn't want to waste my time and have me come over because he was going to work with the

one agent he spoke with earlier in the day. 

 

We talked a little bit more, I tried nicely :-0 asking in a couple different ways for an opportunity.  Finally, I said,  don't you think, especially since you were referred to me that  you should get a second opinion and invite me over?

 

He said thank you very much but was pretty certain what he was doing.

I said, ok.  My door is always open if you ever want to talk or if you want to change directions.

The next morning, to my complete surprise I received a call from the same gentleman. He just starts talking and apologizing because I was so nice and invited me over :-)!  I said of course. What time?!

 

So, I went to my office, prepared some reports and went over to his house.  He and his wife gave me a very warm greeting and nearly melted when I gave them a hospitality gift. 

They placed the gift on their fireplace mantel and I knew something good was brewing :-).

We had a nice hour or so conversation, walked through the house, he asked me to refer him to a couple of contractors to do touch up work and we agreed to a time for meeting number two. 

I need to say that the sellers were extremely respectful and wonderful.  They wanted to know when I could not meet because of the holiday season and my Sabbath, just so we could plan around those times. They brought this up before I had a chance to say anything. Amazingly kind and sensitive. 

I came back for our second scheduled appointment, took off my shoes because their shoes were off and they asked me what I was doing because it was cold. I said I was following their custom. They said to please put on my shoes so I would be comfortable.  We walked and talked, but they weren't quite ready. So, I left them some sales documents to read over and we agreed to meet in a couple of days..

The meeting went perfect.  The sellers got the touch up work done that they planned to do, they read through the paperwork I asked them to review and we took care of signing the listing papers and getting pictures of their home.  I am delighted to say that their home is now listed on the market with me.

It was extremely flattering that the sellers had a chance of heart and decided to invite me over for a listing appointment after initially telling me that a decision was already made.  What do I attribute this turn of events to?

1.  In a respectful way, not  just initially accepting no as an answer :-).
2.  Being kind and professional; not pushy.
3.  Reminding the sellers that we connected because their friend highly recommended me.
4.  Keeping the door open, if you will, so the sellers would be comfortable calling. Never burn a bridge or hang up as a sore loser. 

Looking forward to giving these sellers sold results.

Life is good!

Adam Bashein
Licensed in MD & DC
www.basheinhomes.info
adambashein@mris.com
Cell:  (301)943-4370
Office:  (301)469-4700 -ask for Adam
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
information deemed to be accurate but not guaranteed

The bonding of buyers and sellers can be worth thousands in negotations.

Today was truly a wonderful day. I wrote an offer for the proud parents of a new born and presented the offer.

A week and a half ago one of my clients had a baby who is cute as a button.

Amazingly,having the baby increased their focus on finding a home immediately,when more often I have found people changing and postponing their plans while enjoying their new child. And,this is their first child,so I thought they would put the search on hold for several weeks.

On Monday we visited several homes in Frederick County,including one where the sellers were home. So we had an opportunity to establish a rapport. We had scheduled an appointment to see the house last week but it got cancelled because the mother went into labor that day. So my clients and the sellers were delighted to see the baby and we talked about family how the sellers raised their children in the house. The sellers even told us that they were moving to be closer to their grandchildren, one who is 6 months old.

The sellers were proud to show us around the home and the house projects they did over the years. There was a very good connection. As a real estate agent I often think it is better for the potential home buyers to look around a home while the sellers go out because:
(1) you may lose a negotiating advantage if either party sees how much the other wants to buy/sell and they will factor that into the offer;
(2)buyers don't always feel comfortable walking around a home,taking notes and evaluating if the home is for them or not;
(3)sellers may not want to be around just in case they come across as desperate to sell and lose a negotation
(4)it is hard talking about the home you are touring and comparing it to other homes while the seller is there or in the next room.

In this situation I knew the sellers were going to be around (one of the sellers doesn't move around too well) and I was able to tell my clients,the buyers to take mental notes and to not say anything in front of the sellers other than niceties and talking about the baby.

I met with the buyers,wrote an offer on these sellers' home and included an cover letter,as I always do to discuss the market,why the buyers like the house and work that needs to be done and the terms. I truly believe that terms due include intangibles,such as whether the buyer and seller relate to each other and if they can even see themselves walking through life in the other's shoes.

In this case, because of the connection we made with the sellers I was able to write a letter that really touched the sellers and they are seriously considering the buyers offer,which is lower than the asking price. While the sellers want their price,I really touched their hearts and that could be worth a few thousand,maybe over ten thousand dollars to the buyers.

Below is an exerpt from my cover letter. Due to the sensitivity of the sale,I am not mentioning the home address,the buyers or the sellers:

"...The Sellers and the buyers had the pleasure of meeting on Monday, along with the buyer;s new baby, "X" when I was helping them find a home to begin the new chapter in their lives. As I mentioned, we had originally planned on seeing the home last week, but little baby X was determined to be part of the house hunting process and mom went into labor the day we had originally scheduled to tour. We have looked at many homes over the last couple of months and hope that the search ends here. The buyers have been renting a home and look forward to enjoying pride in ownership and taking advantage of the benefits of first time home buyers. The sellers have obviously loved and taken care of their home for many years and the buyers will love the home every bit as much. The buyers and sellers have a mutual interest in buying and selling the home: family considerations. The buyers want to move into a new home as soon as possible for themselves and the new baby and the sellerswant to move as possible to be closer their grandchildren,including a 6 month old."

I feel very proud of this cover letter and am proud of how I represented my clients.
I
The sellers may end up accepted a lower offer than they would have otherwise if a personal connection wasn't made. We shall see.