First Time Buyers
“Josh & Sarah”
While I was out on a Saturday with my family, I received a lead from a real estate website for an area home. I pulled the car into a parking lot and called the number. Josh answered and was surprised that someone called so quickly. Josh stated that he and Sarah were living in upper Michigan and he was being relocated to his company’s Ann Arbor office. They were fans of HGTV and knew exactly what they wanted in a house, and they knew their budget. They were not at all familiar with the area, but they wanted to be within 30 minutes of Ann Arbor.
With very little to go on, I told Josh that I would setup a broad search and that there would be lots of matches. There ended up being about a hundred homes that might work. Josh and Sarah reviewed them and narrowed the list to four houses in completely different areas, and I arranged the tour for the following weekend.
We started our tour in a popular subdivision in Chelsea. Josh and Sarah loved that house. Next were homes in Dexter, Howell and Brighton. The house in Dexter was a possibility but clearly second on the list. The next two homes were not at all what Josh and Sarah had envisioned from the pictures, and they apologized for wasting my time. I told them that you don’t know until you go, and that they would know when they saw the right house for them.
During our post tour debrief, Josh and Sarah told me that they really loved the first house, but they were a little scared to buy the first house they saw. After discussing the things they liked about the home and another drive by to look at the area and town, they submitted an offer. They have been extremely happy in their home, and they love Chelsea. They were successful in getting the house they wanted because they had a clear picture of their ideal home. All they needed from me was some reassurance, some guidance and market knowledge. Mission accomplished!