A Day in the Life of a Main Line Realtor

How many times have you driven by streamers flying on a sign that says : “Brand New Construction! Models Open Today!” Of course you want to see the model homes--they are always so beautifully decorated and you can get some great ideas. Plus, it is good to know what the home values are doing in your area. Why not stop in?

One happy day your agent emails you that the perfect house has come on and she can get you in to see it that very day. You go, you love, you WANT this house! It is just renovated enough to be move-in but not too much to be out of your price range. Seems to be in good condition—the seller is a fastidious engineer. But your buyer’s agent knows that you don’t want to overpay. Homes recently listed are not likely to go for a huge discount. The sellers want to see what interest they get and will seldom accept an offer much below asking price in the first week or so. How to navigate all of that?

As a Main Line Realtor®, I am often asked not just about buying or selling a home, but about the best way to add value to a home.

I recently closed four deals involving 2 sets of clients—each couple sold their existing home and bought a new one on the same day. You would think that is the norm in my business here on the Main Line, but there are often reasons why this does not happen.

A Main Line Realtor®, at least a good one, has to wear many hats. It is truly a disparate bevy of skills that makes this job go well. For example, in the last couple of days I had to diagnose a water heater’s problem, find a good plumber, landscaper, mason and floor refinisher, counsel a couple who is unable to decide which area of the country they want to downsize in, and create a marketing giveaway for a sponsorship of an event.

Almost 100% of this Main Line Real Estate Agent’s clients admit to using Zillow. If not exclusively, then occasionally. Many sellers start there to get an idea of the price their home might fetch on a sale. And many buyers use its search feature to check for new listings. Like the best of the public websites that provide listing information, Zillow gets its data directly from public websites as well as the MLS system that agents use and pay for, but often the specific information they choose to disseminate to their viewers is not up to date or as precise. And their valuations are often way off.

This Main Line real estate agent knows that curb appeal is a topic most people feel they have a good grasp on. It is good, right? How much should a home buyer value curb appeal?

This Main Line agent is on a mission today to explain something no one seems to understand about the residential real estate business: buyer agency. Unless your agent is operating as a buyer’s agent, you are not getting basic protections. This just means you need an agreement with that agent setting forth their responsibilities to you.

This Main Line Realtor® is amazed at how often we go into an open house or show up for an appointment where the listing agent asks my buyers why they are moving or when they need to move. That happened recently. As nicely as possible, I tried to tell them nothing!!

The topic of the day is the timing on the purchase. The sellers want a very delayed closing so they can finish the renovations on their new home. My buyers are concerned about the mortgage rates going up (as well they should be). They have done a good job of contacting 2 lenders to see what their loan options are but neither one will guarantee a rate for more than 60 days