“My Aunt and Uncle have found a house they want to buy in Venice. Can you help them?” That is how it started. A Realtor up North was calling us because her relatives had called her. I asked, “Do they live here?” “No, but they have been looking on-line”, was her response and “they found the ONE”. Well, we all know how competitive the market is right now, so you probably think you know how this is going to go. I called the Aunt and Uncle and we chatted about the market and this particular home. (What sweet people and what a delightful conversation) When calls like this come in I know the people I am chatting with don’t know Ray or me. They don’t know we are honest and forthright. They are simply basing their trust on our one conversation. Ray and I toured the home for them. (When we tour homes for people from out of town, we create videos. Our interior video its about 6 or 7 minutes and about 3 to 4 minutes for the exterior. We want people to feel like they are really walking through the home.) After watching the video, they decided to make an offer. Did they win? No. In fact no one did. The seller received multiple offers over list price and decided not to sell. So, now I must explain this bizarre situation to these very kind people. As I was describing this very odd situation to them, I knew it had to sound, well, a bit fishy. They were a little flabbergasted. But they agreed to “tour” a few more homes. And we videoed several for them. A really nice home came on the market, and I shared before we went and saw it that the lanai faced fence and then backed up to a major through street. I mentioned this again in my video, “the lanai might have traffic noise during different parts of the day.” And when I opened the lanai slider during the video tour there was no hiding that traffic noise. I think that is when they really understood we had their best interest at heart. They did make an offer on another home, though. They were out bid. Now, they are questioning whether this is a good idea or not. When a fabulous furnished home came on the market! Since this would be a second home the idea of furnished was very appealing. We “toured” the home. We wrote a solid offer. (There is more to writing offer then just dollars, there are dates and many details.) There was a bit more negotiating, but they won. They came down within days to see the home. They loved it, they loved the furnishings, they loved the community, they joyfully said, “Yes, to the address!” YAY!! Thirty days later they closed on their Florida home. They are now sitting on their lanai overlooking a little pond and enjoying the Florida sunshine for the winter. What joy it brings Ray and I to make real estate dreams a reality.
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