It's a Puzzle!

Growing up in our modest household, our mother always had a jigsaw puzzle set up in the corner of our living room; a habit she continued until her dying day. So when she passed away a few months ago, and I began to miss our weekly visits — which always included lunch, The Dollar Store, and some time working on the latest puzzle — my sister and I came across the perfect game table at the flea market last month; clearly, a sign from heaven. (Thanks Mom.) As soon as we loaded it in the truck and got the table safely home, Jill and I wasted no time setting up, collecting, trading and purchasing puzzles, on the cheap (because $24 seems like too much for cut-up cardboard, but then again, you get what you pay for).

Here's the thing, used puzzles always run the risk of being incomplete, so if if you pick up a puzzle at the Goodwill Store (as I regrettably had), chances are you're going to discover that it's missing key pieces when the puzzle has finally been put together. And while missing pieces don't rank up there with honest-to-goodness REAL-LIFE problems, there are few things as frustrating as nearing completion only to find the picture is woefully INCOMPLETE!

Unfortunately, I've felt that way about a few transactions through the years as well. As your Realtors®, we really DO need to know the full picture. Without it, we're making assumptions we probably shouldn't, but more importantly, we can't provide the solutions you seek if we don't know where the problems lie, what kind of support you require, or what your expectations are . . . . In Real Estate, as with most journeys, strong communication is the key to a successful result. We're the people you need to be completely honest with.

For many Sellers, it's a combination of having overlooked a problem for so long, they no longer see it, OR the offending issues were corrected, so they've conveniently forgotten about them, OR they'd prefer not to disclose information about the house (or their personal finances) they think may be perceived negatively (that's a BIG no-no), OR worse of all, they view our relationship adversarially and want to keep things private. (That's the one that really gets us into trouble.)

To be perfectly frank, when a Seller emphatically states something along the lines of: "I'm not going to tell you that," or "Why do you need to know?", or "I want nothing in writing," it's a problem for us all, not to mention a BIG RED FLAG! To quote Scooby Doo —"Ruh-roh." (I know that some of you can quote Shakespeare; I feel grateful that I can spell "Shakespeare.")

Whatever the issue is — be it liens on the home, unhappy neighbors, hidden structural problems, or pie-in-the-sky requirements the market is unlikely to meet, your Realtor® is your first line of defense. At the risk of sounding like I'm recruiting for the military, "we're here to serve and protect you;" to find answers to difficult problems, and to move into solution whenever possible, but that's much tougher to do when secrets surround the property. To be clear, your Agent is not your enemy; we're your collaborators; the captains of your ship, and your resounding supporters. We WANT to deliver fantastic results, but can't do so if we're not aligned, especially if we're missing key information.

The truth is that informed Buyers make much stronger Buyers in the end, which begins with informed Agents, and the more information we have, the better for you. If Buyers choose to walk away due to a perceived deficit, that's fine; they weren't your Buyers.

Your preferred Buyers are willing to take the house on - warts and all — and LOVE it — in spite of whatever needs to be addressed. They understand that homes aren't perfect or static propositions, and they're looking forward to spending the next 10-20 years making the property the home of their dreams. That's who we're looking for; qualified and committed Buyers that will care for the property as much as you have. (Clear?)

Because let's be fair, buying a home is risky enough; it shouldn't have to be an incomplete puzzle.

​How can we help you?