BABY STEPS TO YOUR CLOSING

When buying or selling a house, the journey is always different.  Fast, slow, easy, or hard the path to closing is never the same.  

This fundamental truth applies to both buying and selling a house your first time or your 100th time. Each experience is different. Why? 

I have four theories around what makes each road to close it’s own animal, and how to take baby steps towards your goal in each one. 

Personalities 

At the end of the day, we’re all human and there are likely personal elements at play in this professional exchange for both the buyer and seller. 

For example, the sellers could be listing their family home where they raised children and are having a difficult time letting go. Take a moment when you are in the house and look around. Are there pictures of their children grown up? Do the extra bedrooms look like they have been lived in the past week? These may be tells of an emotional sale.  

Baby steps: ask yourself how you would like to be treated. I’m not saying you go straight to asking price, but consider how you approach them - perhaps it would mean something to them to get a letter from you on your story and the home you intend to make in this house.

Inspections

This is another negotiation - possibly more difficult than turning an offer into a contract. No matter who we are, we want to believe we possess the best product. Inspections exist to find flaws in that precious product. Although necessary to the process, I find inspections can become a serious point of contention because there will always be flaws found. 

Baby steps: tier the most important findings in the inspection and address them honestly and thoughtfully. You will be amazed to find how willing people can be to work with you if there are real reasons you are asking for fixes or reductions.

Process  

Buying or selling a home is a gauntlet. There are many steps, man, along with a plethora of people involved and a mountain of paperwork. Long short, lots can get help up or fall through the cracks making even the best of us lose heart. 

Baby steps: keep your eye on the prize and stay focused on the goal. Deep breath in, deep breath out. This is both a marathon and a sprint, but you will get to the end and, when you are, there it will be worth it. 

Realtors 

These are the people who work for you. Let me say that again a bit louder for the people in the back - these are the people who work for you. 

They should have your best interests forward, not their own when heading towards the closing table. When a realtor and client have misaligned agendas, that’s often when I see fallout or stalling in the process. 

Baby steps: take your time finding the right realtor for you. I assure you, it’s not hard to find us. Just step out of your house and tell someone you are selling your home - you will be met with abundant names and recommendations. Don’t want to go outside? Worry not. Realtors will find you and that’s all right too. 

However you come up with your starting list of prospective realtors, please, please, please interview them. Do they fit your personality? Do you feel they want to work for you? Are they willing to put your agenda first? If you do this, you will be happy and confident working through the ups and downs with a true partner.

Interested in learning more about how I help my clients with baby steps towards their close or my approach to Charleston real estate? Let’s connect!