Whenever I go to someone's home, I ask them if they know anything about the history of the house. This is a story that a client told me not long ago and I thought it was worth sharing:
A married couple were looking for a home. They each had different priorities on what were important to them as is the usual case. For the wife, it was a big kitchen because she loved to cook. The husband HAD to have a garage. Usual things that a couple are likely to be looking for.
The Real Estate Agent they were working with had taken them to many homes. Although they met the qualifications, neither one of them were "drawn" to a particular house. A house came on the market and although it had no garage and a relatively small kitchen, he asked the couple if they would like to see it. The husband told me that they fell in love with the home at first sight. It was built in the 1950's and was never updated. A nightmare to some, they LOVED the look. It was owned by an elderly gentleman who was the original owner and they had an opportunity to meet him and speak with him.
He told me he could see how much this man treasured his house. He was being forced to move to go live with his children, he told them sadly. My client conveyed to this man that they loved the house and if they were lucky enough to get it, he assured him he would take good care of it.
He put a bid on the house as well as someone else; the other person's bid was higher and my client just couldn't match the price. But the seller remembered him and his wife and knew that the home would go to people that truly did love it. Despite protests from his Agent AND his children, he sold it to my client and his wife. I had never heard that before and wondered how many people would actually do that....
At closing my client said the man had tears in his eyes. He thanked him over and over for accepting his bid and again assured him that it would be well taken care of. Which the elderly man apparently knew.
I thought that was the end of the story but there's more: This man never did go to live with his children, he was sadly put into a nursing home where he died just a short time later, just before my client was about to move in. Having developed a connection to this man, my client was very saddened to hear that. On the day he was moving in, he said, he was bending down to unpack a box when he distinctly felt a hand on his back. He was shocked (and a bit scared, I believe) until he thought about it and realized it was the man, wishing him luck and love in the home he cared so much about.
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Carole,
Awesome story.
I have had success in giving the seller (especially an older seller) a personal note from the buyer about how much the buyer liked the home.
My best one was when the buyer and seller actually met. We didn't win a better offer, but we were, because of my persistance, given a chance to improve our offer and my client did get the house.
Your real Estate Guy in Madison.
I've had it happen on a couple of occasions where the seller took a lower offer from a buyer that they "liked" better. I know of a lady who met a friend of mine in LA who when it turned out that my friend couldn't qualify for the full sales price of her home, she removed the house from the market until my friend's raise was effective and dropped the price a considerable amount...well below the true value of the house, so that my friend (whom she had just met) could be the one that bought the house.
R.B. "Bob" Mitchell
ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.
Carole,
I got 'chills' reading this! What a wonderful story (like a 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' kind of story!)!
This is further proof of just how attached the homeowner becomes to their 'house'...leaving a home where you have lived and experienced 'family history' is never easy to do. The emotional attachment is firmly cemented.
Sometimes people may have to put their home on the market while not really wanting to do so..it is no wonder that these type of sellers might 'drag their feet'.
We really do need to be mindful of these type of situations - it's not ALWAYS about business, but rather the CLIENT needs to be factored in as well.
VAL
Hi Carol
I have heard about people doing this..I had friends that got a higher offer for their house but had promised it to someone who loved it and they were happy to see these people get their home..It is important to leave your life's memories with people who you know will love and treasure it as you did... How said we make so much of our lives be occupied with things that don't matter.
We all need to get out and enjoy the blessed days that God gives each and everyone of us.
Phyllis Pafumi
Carole,
It just happened to me last Monday. My client bid higher than the other prospective buyer. The owner gave his word of honor to another buyer and accepted their lower offer.
It was sad to hear my client's wife on the phone crying on Tuesday morning when I called him with the bad news...
I agree with you that sometimes your angels guide you out of someplaces..may be was the destiny of this family not to move into that house.
Best, Maria Borci