It’s Friday, let’s sweep! | a tale from the trenches

Welcome to Friday everyone! Summer has just about officially arrived and this past week felt as if it came early. Schools out for many kids + families [and don’t forget the awesome teachers!] and many more will jump into summer break today. Road trips planned. Calendars filled with a different pace. Grills + patio furniture cleaned awaiting spontaneous fun. Our city has been showing it’s best self this week as these long sun-filled, light late days allows even more space for us work, play, pause and repeat.

What did I do with my time this week? So glad you asked…

I started this week at Northgate’s office meeting [thank you for the awesome engaged meeting!], connected up with a mother/daughter dynamic mortgage duo, participated in our Regional Marketing board meeting [exciting stuff is happening], began prep for an NWMLS arbitration [which we are on the wrong side of], started filling 8 seats in our Summer Splash Corporate Regatta boat…ok, ok, ok – let’s get to the heart of the matter…

I jumped into the real estate market as a Buyer. My family went through an entire HGTV love it or list it episode in 7 days – minus the part where our current home gets a full makeover [yet] and tv crews capture the whole thing. We had no intentions of doing this. A single home caught our attention. We got to experience and feel it all. And I got to put my **Buyer Savvy Strategies clock hour class to the test – in this market – with my family as the case study.

We went for it, we did it all…

Reviewed everything. Asked questions.

Obsessively went to the home each day, different times of the day to experience it all.

Walked the streets, met the neighbors.

Waived it all.

*Fully approved bridge loan within no time!

# of offers grew as offer review date approached.

The environment building to a very competitive scenario.

We deployed the single most important Buyer Savvy Strategy – we asked ourselves my favorite two questions when counseling Buyers,  when coaching Brokers and this week, asked ourselves…

“If you get the home for this price + these terms, are you happy?”

“If you don’t get the home, are you happy?” [meaning is this your best foot forward]

As we delivered our offer, the answer was an astounding “yes” to both. And when we learned that we wouldn’t be moving, our summer plans are unchanged and that we would “love it vs list it” with respect to our current home = we are happy.

We had an opportunity to win the day. We were given that opportunity. Knowing how much is enough is crucial when given such opportunity. We had taken the time to understand this as a family prior to delivering our offer. The answer became easy when given the opportunity to win the day…

The end of our “love it or list it” episode ended in “love it.” We didn’t win the day in going for the new home. We fell back in love with our current home. The process was good for us. And no, we are not in the market for a new home! It was one special home that received this much attention  from us. It is a home deeply rooted in soul, as is ours. What a week! Grateful I knew the process. It allowed me to stay calm, work, play, pause, reflect and repeat each day this week enjoying these long beautiful almost summer days.

*ps, If you do not have the Windermere Bridge Loan in your toolbox, add it now. It makes sense with the equity position people have in their homes. This is a unique tool to you and benefit to your clients working with Windermere.

**pps, I’m next teaching my next Buyer Savvy Strategies class at Windermere Symposium with co-teachers Kristen Munger and Greg Lewis. Certainly I now have my own relevant stories + content to share at this next class! I felt it. I experienced it. And won – in our own special way.

Come play with me in sunny Coachella Valley – October 15th + 16th – register here!

Laura Smith, Co-owner | Windermere Real Estate Co.

Ballard + Eastlake + Madison Park + Northgate + Sand Point + Wedgwood