Emotional Goals - Client Story

Every agent should have a list a questions that they ask their buyer clients, ranging from but not limited to areas regarding location, price range or distance between school and work. While these are important to ask, my biggest focus tends to be land on the question of: “why?” – Why are you looking to move?

The “why” for my latest buyer client was for her son who needed the private outdoor space necessary for the imagination of a young child to grow and prosper. I remember being 7 years old when my Mom purchased her first post-divorce home. The “why” for purchasing this home meant that we could have a backyard and multiple levels to grow as a family. Compare that to the 2 bedroom corner apartment I called home in my early childhood years. As much as I would like to disconnect emotions from each transaction, it’s nearly impossible for me to not invest a sincere level of compassion for some of my clients and this family was no exception.

Fast forward two months later, and I beam with pride as an agent that I fulfilled my duties as a realtor for my client when I see her son grinning ear to ear in their tree-lined backyard, or seeing how her son has converted the nook under the stairs into a reading cave for himself and the family cat. At the end of the day, I want my clients to know that after years of working in an assortment of arenas within the real estate industry, I will always strive to make sure that their next home not only meets their fiduciary goals but their emotional goals as well, necessary for their family to prosper for years to come.

Neighborhood: Highland View

Who We Represented: Buyers

Refreshed & Relisted - Client Story

After having their property on the market for almost four months with another agent, and despite several price reductions, a seller had not been successful in selling their condo in Columbia Heights. After the listing agreement had expired with the previous agent, the seller reached out to me. Having successfully sold other condos in the same building, I was more than happy to.

I was able to make several suggestions on how we could better present and market the property after discussing with the owner. The condo had been an investment property and after several years of being rented, it looked a bit dated, so I made several recommendations for updating and refreshing the property to make it more appealing to potential buyers.

Because the seller was not local, I coordinated to get quotes from contractors and oversaw the process of renovating. Once the work was finished, I re-staged the property with more contemporary furnishings to give the condo a more polished look. Rather than using marketing material from the previous realtor, I had the property photographed, created new brochures, and re-listed it.

Using my knowledge of the DC market – specifically the Columbia Heights condo market, and providing strategic marketing advice, not only was I able to get the property under contract for my client, I was able to get it sold for above list price.

Neighborhood: Columbia Heights

Who We Represented: Seller

Montgomery County Yard Hunt - Client Story

I find it difficult as a realtor to try and separate emotion from every transaction, but for me, the two seem to inherently intertwine. My latest client was a referral from Craig – a single mother looking to finally provide a yard and more child-friendly neighborhood for her growing son. Of course, my client and I hit it off; not only for her dry-wit sense of humor, but because I saw the determination to provide the best for her child that I saw in my own mother when I was a boy.

I was seven when my mom and I sat stood and watched the cement mixer dump truck reverse over the curb and begin to lay the foundation to our new home. I remember endless childhood memories from that home like racing my bike through the wooded trails of the neighborhood after a long day at the pool.

I understand how important it was for my mom, as a single parent, to provide me with a yard. For my client, I wanted to make sure I accomplished that AND more. Success for me isn’t had when the signed ALTA reached the inbox of my management team, but for me, success is reached at the end of a deal when I get a slew of pictures and videos within the first three days of close and I can literally feel the sense of joy, wonder and excitement of my buyer’s son through the iPhone, and I can see first-hand that the most important client of my deal is thoroughly pleased with their new home.

Neighborhood: Montgomery County

Who We Represented: Buyer

Similar, but Not the Same!

When buyers get their eyes set on a specific neighborhood, it can sometimes blind them to great opportunities. This was the case for Craig’s client who had narrowed in on the western area of Dupont as his “must have” neighborhood. The budget of up to $1.5 million was substantial, but continued to produce properties that didn’t meet the buyer’s needs. Craig asked the buyer to outline specifically why that area of Dupont was so important to the buyer. He explained that since he works from home, it was important to have restaurants nearby that are open during weekdays for lunch, so he can get out of the house. He also wanted to be in a neighborhood that was mostly rowhomes, not large buildings, and has a neighborhood feel. Craig went to work and surprised the client with a tour of Bloomingdale. They completed a tour of a beautiful Victorian home that met all of the buyer’s property needs, but did the neighborhood work? Craig showed the buyer the three nearby restaurants that were open for weekday lunch. They toured side streets and noted almost all rowhomes. As Craig explained, the neighborhood was very similar, but not the exact same.

After a successful purchase, the buyer settled in and became an instant figure of the neighborhood, a regular at the local restaurants, and established great friendships in his new community. Craig loves to share this story because it is an agent’s job to create vision where the client can’t. He knew that the buyer would love Bloomingdale and that his budget could finally produce the right home for him in a neighborhood with the same benefits of his old community.

Neighborhood: Bloomingdale

Who We Represented: Buyer

Strategizing a Successful Offer Using VA Loans - Client Story

The spring housing market is always a bit of a frenzy. Sellers have to be decisive and ready to move quickly when they see a property of interest, and even then it may not be enough. Additionally, properties of interest tend to be properties of interest for other buyers and that when things get competitive. Competitive usually results in multiple offers, usually for tens of thousands over asking price, and waiving most – if not all contingencies. Offers that have fewer contingencies are looked more favorably upon by sellers, such that offers that aren't the highest purchase price may still be chosen by sellers if they have fewer contingencies than higher offers.

My clients were first time homebuyers, but they had put in the work to prepare themselves and were clear about the features they were looking for in a home. They were formerly in the military and made use of a VA (Veterans Affairs) loan program. The VA program is a wonderful program for former service members, but the program can take longer to close and does not allow for contingencies to be waived. In a competitive situation, an offer can become a no-go when sellers have other offers to choose from. I worked to help prepare them as first-time homebuyers and for how we could position their offer in a competitive market…

After a few weeks of looking and not seeing anything of interest, a listing of strong interest came on the market. We were the first showing (and perhaps only showing) as it also happened to be a holiday weekend, which worked to our advantage. The property did need updates, but my clients were prepared and willing to do the work. They decided it was “the place” and we quickly submitted their offer. They offered $4,000 over list to incentivize the seller to select their offer and not wait for others, which proved to be enough and their offer was accepted. After we were ratified, two additional positive things happened. First, their appraisal came back with higher value than the sales price. Instant equity! Secondly, another comparably sized unit (though one that had been updated) came on the market and sold for $100,000 more than the purchase price of their property.

Despite it being the “crazy” spring market and using a loan program that required more time and all contingencies, I was able to assist my first-time buyer clients to navigate the market and find a place that they can work to make into their home.

Neighborhood: Arlington

Who We Represented: Buyers

If At First You Don't Succeed... - Client Story

These clients had worked with Craig to purchase their condo in northeast Washington, DC. When it came time for them to sell, they initially listed their condo with a different agent. This happens sometimes despite Craig’s best efforts to always keep in touch with clients. The property was put on the market and well…it didn’t sell. The condo market wasn’t soft and buyer interest was strong at the time.

After an unsuccessful first listing, Craig reached out to see if he could be of assistance. After outlining the full suite of services that our team could offer and the unique strategy that we use, the sellers were on board! Our team got to work right away.

The sellers had already relocated out-of-state and purchased a new home, so a quick sale was needed to avoid additional holding expense. The property was initially listed at $393,000 for 35 days with no offers. Craig repositioned the price at $389,000 and quickly installed our team’s free staging. This completely laid out the floorplan and space for buyers to visualize how they could live in this beautiful condo. Professional photography, videography, and floorplan renderings were completed within one week and the condo was back on the market ready for buyers. The new marketing and professional approach that Craig took successfully secured multiple offers within 7 days. The winning offer removed contingencies and bid over asking with a sales price of $399,000, or $6,000 more than the previous list price.

This story outlines the importance of what your listing agent truly brings to the table. A property doesn’t always fail to sell because it’s overpriced. More often, the property fails to sell because the marketing doesn’t truly highlight the best features of the home. Craig was thrilled to win back these clients and give them the same high-level of service they had come to know when the purchased it.

Neighborhood: Eckington

Who We Represented: Sellers

Navigating a Difficult Market - Client Story

My buyer clients for this transaction were looking for their first official home as post-covid newlyweds, but also knew that they wanted to live in this property for at least ten years, which means that this home not only had to be affordable now, but also, suitable to accommodate the growth of a new family. This should be easy right? Oh, I also could not look outside of Northwest DC and the home needed a real third bedroom (read: closet), could not be completely open in the main level, and needed to be under $900k. THATS FINE! I think back on the first home we placed an offer on. I cant even believe we offered less than $100k over, but I vividly remember the listing agent telling me on the phone, "This is the first offer for your clients? HA! This is good for them, they need to lose a few offers in this market right now. " Click.

Yes, this is when I began to sweat. Yet, with any transaction, communication is key, and these buyer's were willing to do the daily research and self-affirmation needed for ALL first time homebuyers during this Spring 2021 market. When the listing agent for the fourth property we placed an offer on called to inform me that we not only lost the bidding war, but that we were number 11 of 22 offers. This was after my clients removed ALL contingencies in their offer, AND submitted a price $100K over asking of the home. To say we needed to take a mental break, and relax for a week was an understatement.

BUT this was the journey we needed to take.

When we drove up to the property, I remember soaking in the curb appeal of the Tudor-style row home elevation, complete with elevated lot and tree-lined street. No other home we saw offered a front-facing fireplace, and there was a second fireplace in the finished walkout basement! Walking into this home made us forget about everything else we saw. Of course, we stood in the backyard for a solid thirty minutes reviewing what would need to be done in order to secure this home (maxing out at our top budget), and yes, it was a hard pill to swallow when the appraisal was slightly lower than our offer price, but with the advice of my preferred local lender, I was able to prepare my clients for this exact scenario and in the end, I was able to watch them sign the deed the week before Memorial Day.

I am not only honored that my clients trusted me to help them achieve such an important feature to the foundation of their new marriage and family, I am also more than certain that my newfound Catalyst Team and Compass brokerage provide me with all of the tools necessary for me to provide white-glove customer service to my clients, allowing me to thrive in a career and city that I love.

– Henderson

Neighborhood: Petworth

Who We Represented: Buyer.

henderson hunter-1-01.jpg — Work with Henderson

If You Can’t Rent It, We’ll Sell It! - Client Story

When the rental market is soft, selling might be your best answer. This client had successfully purchased multiple rental properties with Craig, but when it came time to find a new tenant, there were no good applicants. After analyzing the sales market’s strength in comparison to rental options, the seller decided to test the market. Within 5 days, Craig had staged the property, completed professional photography, videography, and floorplan renderings. A quick turn-around was crucial to selling success. The property was listed on the market for $815,000, which was a bit aspirational for the neighborhood at the time, but renting was still an option if a good tenant came forward. Within 24 hours of being on the market, the property had received 8 showings and received an all cash offer $40,000 over the ask price. The seller said sell, so the property went under contract in 2 days. While the offer was all cash, it did have a home inspection. During this process, the buyer asked for a large credit, but Craig was able to negotiate it down to a reasonable amount and the seller still netted almost $30,000 over the list price.

The following weekend 4 similar properties came to the market and had to compete against each to win buyers, none of which sold for nearly as high as this property. The morale here is that being adaptable and quick to act secured this seller tens of thousands of dollars more than she would normally has expected. We keep in-house staging for this exact reason. We can install it quickly, when needed, and avoid unnecessary delays in marketing.

Neighborhood: Petworth

Who We Represented: Seller