Just So You Know, You Won’t Be Making Much Commission on This One
A couple of days ago I received an email out of the blue from a buyer I met at an open house about four or five years ago. When we first met he had just started looking, and I think he had decided it wasn’t the right time for him to buy. So we lost touch; I didn’t do a good job staying connected to him, so to receive this call from him is flattering, to say the least.
He said he’s looking for a house, has a few he saw on the internet he’d like to see, and would like to buy something sooner rather than later.
Then he told me that I wouldn’t be making much commission on this sale. Huh???
He explained that he really wanted to stay close to $100,000 and possibly buy more of a dream home down the road. Do I still want to work with him? He said he realizes real estate agents don’t make much on a $100,000 sale so wanted to be sure I was okay with this.
He reminded me of a comment I had received from another buyer the previous weekend. That buyer called me asking to take a look at a fixer-upper I had listed. When we met at the house, which was listed at $103,000, he told me he called because a friend of his in the business wasn’t returning his call. His girlfriend quipped it was because this is “only” a $100,000 house.
I will never understand that mentality of not wanting to work with a “$100,000 buyer.” I will be the first to acknowledge that if that is the only price point an agent works in, it will take many, many sold units to be able to keep up with the bills.
But at the same time, these buyers need my help just as much as a $200,000 or $500,000 buyer does. So if they can demonstrate to me that they are serious about and commmitted to buying a house, you can bet I will work with them. Hopefully one day they will call me when they are ready to move up to something bigger or maybe they have a friend or relative who needs my services.
And besides, I was a $100,000 buyer several years ago. To think an agent would have thought less of me because of my price point — well, I don’t ever want someone to feel they’re any less important than someone who may qualify for a more expensive home.
Goodwill Plans to Come to Grafton!
Looking for a place to donate clothes you no longer wear or items such as furniture, electronics, and housewares? Or are you looking for some gently used furniture, electronics, household items or clothes for yourself or your family?
Goodwill is hoping to open a retail and drop-off location in Grafton! If all goes as planned, the store should be opening in June, and will be located in the former Sears building on Wisconsin Street, just a short distance south of Highway 60/Washington Avenue. This is a great addition to the community as this will be the only location in Ozaukee County.
If you’re not familiar with Goodwill, they are a non-profit organization with headquarters in Milwaukee that assists youth, seniors, veterans and military families, immigrants, and people with disabilities, criminal backgrounds and other special needs in securing employment and becoming and staying a contributing member of society. You can learn all about their mission, services, and opportunities by visiting their website, goodwill.org.
Ozaukee County’s Best Kept Secret — Harrington Beach State Park
I don’t ever remember walking along the beach or strolling around the quarry at Harrington Beach State Park in the middle of the winter. But this winter is different.
So far this year, we’ve had minimal snow and unusually warm temps. Today we made it into the 50s. Add bluer than blue skies, a breeze out of the west, and the golden sun, and you have the makings of the perfect day to play hooky from work.
So that’s what I did — at least for part of the day. I couldn’t resist.
If you haven’t been to Harrington you should take some time to visit. Located in Belgium, just 25 minutes or so north of Milwaukee, this state park offers year-round activities including camping, fishing, cross country skiing, and hiking.
This is the place we’d go to as kids for some summer fun, whether we biked there from home or drove down with the entire family piled into our old green Dodge on a Sunday afternoon.
No matter the season, there is awe everywhere you look. It’s the perfect place to go when you want to play hooky for the day.
How Come You Back Off Every Time I Ask You About Your Pre-Approval?
I think I’ve written about this topic in the past, but because of some recent happenings, I think it bears repeating.
The first step to buying a house is to get pre-approved.
I know some buyers out there don’t want to hear that. You just want to get a taste of what’s on the market. What can you get for $150,000? What can you get for $200,000? What can you get for $250,000?
But the bottom line is, it’s too risky for me to take the time to search the market for you, to email listings to you, and to drive around showing houses to you if we don’t know how much the bank will loan you. And it makes me wonder if perhaps you’re not as serious about buying a house as I might have thought you are.
And there’s a risk for you, as well. You could walk through a house that you fall in love with only to learn you don’t qualify for the price point. Or worse, you could write an offer on a house only to have the seller reject you because you aren’t pre-approved.
It’s worth it to take the time to talk to your lender about what’s affordable to you. It doesn’t cost you anything, and it’s the most important step you can take toward home ownership.
So please don’t back away when the question of whether you are pre-approved comes up in our conversation. It’s important for both of us to know the answer so we can determine the best way to proceed with your home search.
Reactiving with Grace Versus the Alternative
I’ve learned a thing or two from some colleagues and myself over the past several years on how and how not to react to different situations in the real estate business.
Got an offer that’s not quite what you were hoping it would be? Appreciate that you got an offer. There’s a buyer out there that wants to buy your seller’s house. Work together to come to agreeable terms. Getting angry at the buyer or the agent who wrote the offer only sets everyone off on the wrong foot from the get go. That’s just counter-productive.
Lost a buyer due to a misunderstanding about who was going to be working with said buyer? Assuming you haven’t spent too much time with the buyer yet, work out some sort of referral fee or perhaps just let it go. Sometimes it’s better to just walk away rather than create awkwardness and confusion for the buyer.
Have a buyer who’s making some less than desirable demands of your seller? Keep cool about it. Cursing out the buyer’s agent is less than stellar and just unprofessional.
Think your level of production puts you above those around you? Having the ability to stay grounded and offering help and advice to those around you is a much better thing to be rememberd for.
Behave and react with grace. It’s a pretty nice way to set yourself apart from those around you.