Contra Costa, California Real Estate

This is a fun story about my wonderful buyer clients who I will call Mark and Joan (not their real names).

Mark and Joan are first time home buyers who have saved for years in order to have a 20% down payment.  I met them at an Open House and quickly discovered that they are the exact buyer clients I love to work with.  In addition to being interesting people, they:

• spent time educating themselves about their target area
  
• are preapproved for a mortgage
• have realistic expectations for their price point
• are technologically savvy and use internet tools to research and preview (via Google Maps) the neighborhood surrounding the homes they want to view
• met with me for an initial consultation during which we reviewed their requirements, the home buying process and the legal documents
• requested references and actually checked them

We started working together a couple of months ago at the exact point that the inventory of homes for sale in Walnut Creek in their price range started dropping every month (it is now at the lowest point since May, 2007).

We have made three very strong offers.  We were out-bid in multiple-offer situations on two of them and had a seller with an unrealistic belief in their home's value on the third. 

As we sat down and reviewed the homes we toured last Saturday, Mark and Joan apologized profusely for taking so much of my time and not yet buying a home.  Mark said, "If we were paying you $100 per hour in this tough market, we would probably feel bitter.  Instead, we just feel bad.  I think we would prefer to feel bitter." 

When I got over my shock, I assured them that they should not feel bad, I truly enjoy the time we spend together, they are respectful of my time and I will get paid for my work and time when we find the right home for them.   I want to clone them!