There’s a lot in the news about Buyer Agency (Realtors who represent buyers during a home purchase.)
I love data and I also love sharing a good story. In early 2023, I was referred to a family who was relocating from Upstate NY to Northern VA. They were pretty certain that Oakton would be the right area for them. We exchanged notes on a few properties and one in particular was enticing enough for them to drive down and take a look in person. They brought their teenage children and I got to know them a bit as we toured the house. It was intriguing but it just wasn’t hitting the right notes. They shared with me the lengths they had gone to over many many years fixing and updating their home in NY and how that really was not of interest to them in their move to the DC area. I knew of a completely turnkey home in Reston and as I thought of what might spark some joy for the kids, I wondered if they would be open to looking at it and seeing how walkable that location would be - for exercise, for teenage hangouts, and for a little more neighborhood “energy.” They agreed to go take a look.
Seeing their teenage daughter’s eyes light up in the kitchen made me so happy. Although it was slightly less space than they had originally considered, they knew it would be workable and the home just had so many beautiful elements - inside and out. It would be a competitive bid, however. Luckily, because I have a reputation for being a Reston specialist, the listing agent for this home, another Compass Realtor, had invited me through while she was staging and pricing the home. I already had a good sense of what it would take to win. We wrote an offer 2 days after they had come down, months sooner than they had anticipated, and they won. They worked with my preferred lender and knew exactly where they stood financially with their competitive bid. The listing agent and I worked together developing an appraisal package for the appraiser and the home did appraise for the sales price.
After the purchase was complete, they were still living in NY to finish up the school year. During that time, I was able to connect them with and meet contractors at the house for estimates and overseeing small projects that they wanted to complete before their big move. I was able to send them names of local doctors to help them with their transition to the area. When I saw them a few weeks ago, I was happy to hear they are still so happy with their decision and their purchase. What seemed like a quick one-weekend decision was actually quite congruent with their wishes, their budget, and their family needs.
There are tons of competing options in Real Estate industry. I take such pride in the distinct choice we present to our clients.
