Archive for October 13th, 2009

Oh I bet you say that to all the Realtors!

October 13th, 2009 categories: Charlotte HomeSTORY, Charlotte Real Estate & More, Michael Gibbons

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with a young family relocating to Charlotte – it was a double pleasure because Andrew, Tena and their daughter Brooklynn are the kind of clients I love – they wanted to buy a house they could make a home – it was going to be their ‘74 Buick Century. Now don’t get me wrong Andrew and Tena knew exactly what they wanted, what they were willing to pay and they are no pushovers – but they never lost sight of the forest or the trees.**

Everyone says it’s a buyers market and I suppose it is but in some respects I think that only makes the transaction tougher (for all parties). A seller ’s duress often leads to a messy deal or one that ultimately fails. In this case we were all lucky to deal with a seller who not only acted professionally but had a heart and really cared about the family that was buying his home – remember those days? Although negotiations were at times tenuous and as Andrew says “most of all (Mike) fought for us as the buyer” – well it’s much easier to fight when dealing with reasonable people who are buying for the right reason. So often today it’s ALL about the DEAL, seems to be solely a game, one up-manship, ego – not here - in the end this was about the joy of owning a home! Proof that sellers don’t have to lose for buyers to win & vice versa.

It’s true (as you see below) Andrew and Tena did (in the end) buy the first home I showed them – truth be told that had a lot more to do with luck (and their focus) than providence as I initially took this home out of the mix due to a sloping front yard! And let’s not forget we looked at a bunch of homes in Lake Norman, Waxhaw and Mint Hill – which helped them hone in on what they really wanted! That is what it’s all about – part of finding the home you want is checking out the homes you don’t – it’s why there is nothing more valuable to buying a home than a good Realtor – who listens, who listens.

“Michael was the right Realtor for us right from the very beginning. His prep work was extensive and allowed us to focus only on those properties which met our requirements. Throughout the entire process Michael was reachable, responsive, proactive, extremely well organized and knowledgeable, but most of all he fought for us as the buyer. In fact, he was so good that we ended up buying the very first house he showed us! I would recommend him highly if you are serious about buying a home.”   Andrew Sobel

Malcom Forbes once said “in all thy getting, get understanding”. I think that is apropos especially for today’s market — make sure in all our getting (wanting) that we don’t forget the understanding part – its the part that makes all the difference, the part that helps us remember/focus on what we’re really after.

So if you call me for list of  foreclosure porperties - you’ll understand why I’ll politely recommend another agent who can help you with that deal!

**Oh and talk about forest for the trees, joy etc. – how about this – ten minutes before the closing Andrew proposed to Tena in the (suitably posh) LawAvania law offices!! Now that’s a closing to remember!

Spoken by Mike Gibbons | Discussion: 2 Comments »