By Living Room Realty, February 27, 2020
Hi Readers!
Call me old school, but I like talking on the phone. I leave voicemail. I often call before I text. Do I like answering unknown phone numbers? No. In fact a recent survey showed nearly half of all phone calls made are left unanswered because of the dreaded Robo Dial. But, I understand how important it can be.
In the case of my recent sale in Arlington Heights, me being a phone fuddy duddy paid off for my buyers. Zach and Haley had their eyes on a house that had been on the market for a while. They were under the impression that there must be “something wrong with it” to be sitting, especially considering it was in a dreamy location. I assured them (as I will you, too) that just because a house has been on the market for more than a week in today’s market doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong. It’s likely over priced. So, I picked up the phone and called the agent.
20 minutes later I had all the information I needed – background on the house (some slight water issues that were set to be repaired) and the intel to help my buyers craft a strong offer that had the terms the seller needed. I also totally hit it off with the listing agent and we realized we had some life things in common outside of being REALTORS®. Cool! They wrote a beautiful introduction letter. And then, we found out it was now a competitive situation. So all we could do was stay optimistic and wait. 24 hours later, my buyers found out they got the house, even though the other offer was $20K above theirs. Why? The letter. AND the strong endorsement the agent made for me because I picked up the phone and took the time to call and learn about the listing, ask smart questions, and create a relationship. She later told me I was the first agent who had done that. Huh.
At any rate, the moral of this story: don’t underestimate the power of relationship and creating connections. And when you’re looking for a Broker to help you find your home, be sure you have a connection with them, too. Ask them how often they pick up the phone. Better yet, give me a call and let’s talk about your #realestategoals.
Till then, high fives,
