|
Relocation Power Tour. See 24
Homes, Make 3 Offers
When I tell buyers that I really want them to
see 24 homes before they make an offer, they sometimes act like that would take
weeks to accomplish. It well might be if you're used to seeing only 2 or 3
homes in an outing.
I work with many relocation buyers where time
is very limited. After doing this for many years, I have found that it is
very possible to see 24 home over a weekend. It just takes some planning
and making sure you work the plan.
I call my system the 12-12-3 plan.
Quite simply, I want you to see 12
homes in three hours on day one. Then see another
12 homes in three hours on day 2.
Then make 3 offers on your top
three at the same time and let the sellers compete for your
business.
It's Feasible. It allows you to
be Decisive. It brings Clarity to
your decision.
Here's how it usually plays out.
You might start with a pool of maybe 50
possible homes. But through satellite views and pictures you can
narrow it down to 24 homes. Send me your list and we'll set up two
efficient home tours where we'll see 12 homes in three hours
on day one and then see the other 12 homes in three hours
on day 2. At ten minutes per home and a 5 minute travel time
between homes, you can easily see 4 homes per hour which translates
into 12 homes in 3 hours. Some homes will be eliminated in just 2
minutes, some will require 15 minutes. During our transit from one
home to the next we'll talk through the pros and cons and rank it
compared to the others we have seen.
If needed, we'll go back to see
your top three at the end of day two.
Don't kid yourself. Pictures help a lot but
they don't provide some important details that might be key to your
decision. You have to go see the homes in person.
- Pictures don't tell you how moldy the
basement smells.
- Pictures don't tell you how much privacy
you have on the deck
- Pictures don't tell you how dark and
dreary it might be in the middle of the day
- Pictures don't tell you the size of the
garage
- Pictures don't tell you the details of
the floor plan
- Pictures don't tell you the size of the
rooms
When in doubt, let's just put it on the list
and let's go see it. If it's not "The One", we'll just turn right
around and move on to the next. It's not a big deal.
Also, don't rely on the tax records for
accurate square feet numbers. I've seen many times where the size
is way off.
I suggest you make three offers at the same
time for a few reasons.
- You don't want your #2 and #3 choices to
be gone if your #1 choice doesn't work out.
- It might make the sellers more motivated
to get to their bottom line quicker
- It positions you as someone who knows the
market and has other options
- It's an easy way to find out who's most
negotiable in the shortest amount of time
The quickest and most direct way to find out
who is most negotiable is to put an offer in front of them and see
how they counter. Then, the best way to see if that is really their
bottom line is to be ready to walk away. Having three legitimate
possibilities puts you in the driver's seat.
Maybe the first home that we see will actually
be "The One". But do you want to be second guessing yourself
forever? There's really no harm in playing it out and seeing the
other 23 homes. If nothing else, you'll feel more confident that
you are making the right choice. You'll be more educated on the
market. We're only talking about spending 6 hours looking at
homes.
Some agents will say that I'm crazy. They'll
say that they are trained professionals who can listen to your needs
and therefore can show you just a few homes that are right for you.
I've worked with hundreds of buyers and I just don't see it
happening that quickly. What I see when buyers see just three or
four homes before deciding is fear and doubt. I also talk with
buyers who are moving up to their second home who say that they wish
they would have seen more homes in order to get what they really
wanted. Instead, they were rushed and made a poor buying decision.
Maybe even after seeing 24 homes we still
won't find "The One". No problem. We'll set up a listing alert for
new listings coming on the market. You'll already have done your
homework and probably will realize a good deal when you see it.
Sometimes the screaming deals require you to offer full price, or
more. If a home worth $200,000 comes on the market for
$150,000, getting it for $155,000 would still be a really good
deal. But would you be prepared to do that if that was the only
home you saw? I don't think so. So educate yourself on the market
and don't put blind faith in your agent. You are the one who will
be living there for a long time so don't let any agent rush you into
making a decision.
If you want to work with an agent who isn't
afraid to show you as many homes as it takes, an agent who isn't
afraid to submit a few extra offers, then give me a call. I'd love
to get started with you.
Tim Maitski
Atlanta Communities
www.HomeAtlanta.com
404-216-0472
|
