A client’s journey from particular buyer to unexpected seller
Sometimes life has different plans and having a good real estate agent can pay off when life throws you a curveball…or two.
Two and a half years ago I received a new client by way of referral from a client who I helped successfully purchase their first home. My new client, a young doctor, was eager to start building equity in a home and ditch her expensive downtown rental. Having been raised in the city my client valued walkability but also wanted to lay down roots and decrease her lengthy commute.
We toured many different communities: Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Judkins Park, Delridge, Admiral District, Wallingford, and Montlake. Nothing was ever quite right. As my client’s agent, I wanted to help her strike the perfect balance between her dream home must-haves and the ideal location. This was proving to be a challenge! But I was up for it.
With a grueling career, my client knew a renovation was not in cards so move in ready or new construction was definitely the right fit. We always seemed to find something that was almost perfect, but it was never enough to feel confident for her to make an offer.
Then, it happened. A brand new home hit the market that was under construction. It was in the adorable and fast-growing hidden gem of a neighborhood of Gatewood in West Seattle. It had everything and more and was well within her budget. Modern home: check. Tall double-height ceilings: check. Patio and roof-top deck: check, check. A quiet neighborhood that was near public transit: check. And that was it! We found the home!
But that would just be too perfect, right? When I called the agent, he informed us the home was set to go pending. So close! BUT this was just one of the three-unit townhome building. Within 24 hours, all three homes were under contract and we were one of them.
A successful sale! A happy ending! But that’s not the end of my journey with this client. Life definitely had other plans because soon thereafter I would hear from client she was expecting TWINS!
When my client found out she was having twins, she made the necessary choice to move back to the EastCoast to be closer to family for the extra support and help. Having only owned her home for one year, we wanted to be very strategic about when we list the home in this wild real estate landscape. We decided on the ideal time to bring the property to market and chose a listing price that would get buyers excited as well as compete with new construction homes.
My team and I did a full stage, making sure to highlight all the living spaces and features of the home. We created unique furniture layouts and chose unexpected modern design elements to truly show all that this home could provide a potential buyer.
In a single weekend, we received multiple offers amidst a slightly cooling market. We received an offer above what we had expected during a time when similar homes were sitting on the market. With the trust that I had built with my client, I was able to take fully take this stressful project off her hands and deliver her a net positive investment of over six figures in under one year. My hope is that this advantageous investment serves her and the twins well as they embark on this new chapter of their lives.