Real estate is full of ups and downs. There's the thrill of finding the perfect home for you, followed by the news that the sellers JUST accepted another offer.
There's the excitement of listing your home and getting an offer, followed by the news that during the inspection it was discovered that your furnace is shot.
I could go on, but you catch my drift.
Thankfully, our client's worlds has been filled with more good news than bad.
But there is still some bad news from time to time.
If it's something minor a phone call is okay in my book. What about the MAJOR bad news? The news that a deal isn't closing? News that the appraisal came in 5% below agreed price? The news that during the inspection, it was discovered that the entire attic is full of mold and the foundation is bad?
Face to face is probably best there, in my opinion.
A month ago I had to deliver some pretty devistating news to a client. We had their home listed and under contract with a buyer. We also had their new home under contract and set to close the same day. As we got closer to closing, the excitement was growing.
This family had outgrown their current home and were moving to a bigger home in a different city to be closer to grandparents and extended family.
The week before the original closing date, the lender called and said that there was a hiccup and that we needed to extend the closing. Yikes. I hate that. Not for me so much, for for all parties involved. We extended it a week and continued to move forward. I delivered that news via cell phone.
It was the day before closing. All utilities were set to be transferred the following day. Both closings were on the books at Lawyer's Title. My sellers/buyers had taken a few days off of work to move. Their home was entirely packed up and ready to go. The movers were ready to start work right after closing the following day.
Then it happened. The buyer's agent on their current home called me in a panic. She told me that her buyer had missed too much work, and he got fired today. She couldn't give him a loan to purchase, so the entire deal was off.
My sellers couldn't sell their current home, and they weren't able to buy the new home either. CRAP!
I froze for a minute. I wasn't sure what to do. Well, I knew what I had to do, I just didn't WANT to do it.
My clients live about 5 minutes from my house, so I texted the husband and asked if he was home because I had something to go over with him.
He knew something was wrong.
I drove over and sat down in the living room with him. I said that I have some bad news. He thought I was playing a joke on him. When it comes to real estate and my clients, I'm not a practical joker.
I told him the news and he was devistated. He looked around his house at all of their belongings in boxes. Then he started talking about the utilities, the new home, what they were going to do now, etc. We sat there for 20 minutes while the shock went through him.
At the end of our meeting, we shook hands and did that "half man hug" thing. He looked me straight in the eye and said "Thank you so much for coming over and telling me this news in person. That meant a lot to me."
He went on to deliver the news to his wife and kids. We put the house back on the market and got back to work. It wasn't the end of the world for them, just some very bad news.
I think that if we have bad news like this to report, it's best to do it in person. This business IS personal, right??
What are your thoughts?
Amanda and Jared Christiansen are award winning Realtors with Century 21 Bradley Realty in the Fort Wayne area.
Enough about us...
Tell us what you want your real estate experience to be, and we will do it YOUR way.
Buying? Tell us your wants and needs. Let us know how you envision your family living. Tell us what's important to you, and we'll find the community and home that fits what you are looking for.
Selling? Our job is to make you the most money possible in the shortest amount of time. We offer our sellers professional staging, professional photography, and more internet marketing than most. We will also put your home on our weekly television show Sunday mornings on ABC.
We are committed to giving you everything we have to offer. We are both full time agents and will work around your schedule. Do nights and weekends work better for you? NO PROBLEM. We are here to help you.
Amanda can be reached at 260-704-0843, and Jared can be reached at 260-704-0842.
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