The Perfect Buyer

By Shawn Lackie

Several weeks back, we discussed what the Perfect Seller would look like. So what about the Perfect Buyer? They, too, are like unicorns, but they're out there. Trust me. You just have to find them.

I have been fortunate for the last few years. The buyers I have been working with have been a dream. They have asked all the right, probing questions. They considered the answers. They acted on what they thought made sense. Hey, you can't ask for more than that. And in a few instances there were challenges but they were met head-on.

Case in point. We waited on a place that was holding back offers to see what transpired since we didn't want to get into a bidding war. Offer day came and went, so we decided to put in an offer at almost full price. The seller signed back at 60K over what we offered. I asked the listing agent what was going on and was told they wanted a certain dollar figure. I explained they would have received that in multiple offers if they had them, which they didn't. She came back with, "But that's what they want."

Some buyers would have said, "Forget this, and walked," but my guys liked the place and were willing to see what kind of compromise could be made. So we worked it. There was some back-and-forth, but eventually, they were able to agree on a price and closing date. And I will say the buyers were far more accommodating than the sellers—to a fault. But they got the home they wanted and will be moving in later in the summer.

This takes me back to last summer. I have been dealing with a family for over twenty years. I met them in 1988, and they have been nothing but golden. There is no messing around. We look at some places, and then it's "Let's do the offer and get it done." Ummmm, OK, let's do that. So we did. I won't hear from them for months, but when I do, they are locked and loaded. Ask any realtor, and they'll tell you that's nirvana.

I also had the ultimate buyer back in 2009. After asking the owner next door many times if their lot was for sale, we were rebuffed and told to go away. I called and explained I had a legitimate buyer (cash only), and I was told, 'I'm not selling right now, but if I were, I would want X amount of dollars.' So I asked if we paid that, would they sell. 'No, but if it was going to sell......' you get the drift. At any rate, this went on for a few months, and finally, I got a call from my client on a Monday to "Get down here with an offer – the place next door is listed for sale." Yikes, and OK. So I went down with said offer. We closed the deal that day. He was over the moon. But all I could think about was what if the seller had answered yes to any of my overtures. That would have saved her about 20 thousand dollars. But, then, who's counting? My guy was happy, and that was great.