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My Buyer's Guarantees What Buyers Can Expect From Me – Through the Multiple Listing Service of Tulsa, I can show you any of the homes in the Tulsa metro-area regardless of which Realtor’s sign is in the yard. Since the commission for both agents comes from the seller, finding an agent to work with you is probably one of life's better bargains. Furthermore, in today’s market it is a big advantage to have an agent that knows what you are looking for, because the prime homes and opportunities usually sell in a one to two day footrace. I would welcome the opportunity to work with you to find that perfect-fit home or property. I can also help find lenders who go out of their way to provide financing. Here are my customer service guarantees:
1) Communication – With my mobile phone, one number gives everyone instant direct access to me. I always carry it with me, and you can call me 7 days a week between 7 am and 8 pm. This is the same number that is on my business card, and I can usually respond to calls to show you a home during those same time periods. Occasionally I do miss a call (usually in the shower or a continuing education class), but my phone includes voice mail that is displayed on the screen. If I do miss one of your calls, I will return your call within 2 hours. If I am going to be out of town, I will call you with the name and number of the agent in the office who will be covering my calls. I also check my email frequently.
2) Searches – I have dual membership at the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors in both the residential side, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), and the commercial side, the Commercial Investment Division (CID). This gives me access to the information for the total real estate market. I have the computer technology and skills to locate exactly the home or property you’re looking for in terms of price, features and location.
a) MLS – I will program a customized search into their database with your specific criteria for that perfect-fit home or property. I will email you a link which allows you to preview potential listings by accessing the results directly in MLS’s computer. This saves you driving time and the frustration of looking at those properties that don’t suit your needs. The great thing about these programmed searches is that after I program the initial search, I can have the option of bringing up only new listings and changed prices, thereby avoiding the same listings over and over again. I email these new listings twice weekly to those that request them.
b) CID – I can search commercial listings and business opportunities by zoning, building or site square footage, and various permitted uses or building features. Flyers of matches will be emailed to you.
3) RealTulsa.Net – My own multi-page website, which has numerous links to community websites and informative real estate news, including monthly updates on Tulsa residential market statistics. Also included on my site are helpful links and telephone numbers of necessary services, and the ability to search on your own through the public access databases.
4) Open Houses – I will notify you of any open-houses that I am aware of that meet your criteria. It is common for buyers who have their own agents to tour the open-houses of different agents, but it is accepted courtesy to inform the hosting agent that you have been working with another agent. This notice prevents any misunderstandings about whose client you are, and should have no effect upon the attention the hosting agent gives you. It is their job to interest you in the home they are holding open.
5) Broker’s Opens – Realtors tour and view properties daily, and my eyes will become your eyes. Once I have a feel for what you are looking for, I will notify you immediately if I see a home that meets your criteria.
6) Inspections – I attend all buyers’ inspections to hear the details straight from the horse’s mouth. Although I’m not a licensed expert in home inspections, experience has taught me the telltale signs of structural, roofing and other problems. This knowledge saves my buyers the expense of inspecting a home that is not sound, and benefits my buyers by asking for and getting necessary repairs up front.
7) Honesty – Real estate is a profession that requires expertise in a wide range of fields, and each home sale involves its own unique mix of circumstances. If I do not know the answer to one of your questions, I will not make something up. Although I may not know the answer right then, I do know where to find it. Furthermore, I will tell you when I see potential problems in any regard. It is more likely for me to try to talk you out of a particular home than to try to convince you to buy it.
8) My Business Philosophy, No Team Approach - Rather than risking dropping the ball which sometimes results from oversights in group efforts, I handle all clients’ transactions personally and do not hand them off to assistants. In such important transactions I take my responsibilities very seriously and, if my plate is too full to give you the attention you deserve, I will gladly refer you to a another experienced member of our office that is fully competent in the area of your needs. Because I have neither the time nor desire to chase after and harass potential clients, I guarantee the decision to work together will be yours. With my low-pressure, no-pester sales philosophy I will extend the same respect to you that I appreciate myself. However, please respect the value of my time and, if you are working with another Realtor®, allow them to do their job and provide you with the information. My website and the internet are my assistants, allowing me to save everyone considerable time and inconvenience.
Buying A Home Is Teamwork – Once the process is underway, I will depend upon your help in reaching our mutual goal in the following areas:
1) Be Prepared To Act – It’s hard to lose a home to a competing offer, especially if the loss is the result of not taking action quickly enough. Homes and their locations are unique items, and are not inventory on a shelf that can be restocked. If you lose the one that gave you the “This is it” experience, nothing will compare in your eyes for quite some time. The time and up-front expense of getting pre-approved and not just pre-qualified by a lender may be the competitive edge that gets your offer accepted by a seller over another offer equal in price.
2) Realistic Offers –After evaluating the sales data, market time, and features and condition of comparable homes in your desired home’s neighborhood, making a reasonable offer generates more positive results by leading to acceptance or reasonable counter-offers. A low-ball offer may be justified if a home has been on the market for an extended period or if the home needs work, but usually generates a higher and firmer counter-offer. A seller may be inclined to accept a slightly lower offer than they originally decided upon with a close offer (sugar) versus a low offer (vinegar).
3) Repairs: “Normal Working Order” & Clear “Termite” Certificate– Most standard contracts of sale contain repair amounts to be paid by the seller which usually total around 2% of the sale price (1% for EMP – electrical, mechanical & plumbing, and 1% for Wood Destroying Organisms – termites & wood-rot fungus). The EMP repair amount does not apply to cosmetic repair or bringing an older home up to code, but is intended to ensure all systems are working. The buyer pays the first $200 of EMP repairs, and the seller pays the remainder up to the amount specified in the contract. Termite and wood-rot repairs are the expense of the seller, and regardless of the amount required to repair and treat, no lender will loan on a home without a clear certificate from a licensed inspector.
4) Structural Inspections – Structural inspections are not required by lenders, but it may be the best $250 you ever spend. A clear, positive report will give you peace of mind as to the soundness of the home. Any construction defects uncovered will remain the seller’s problem and not become yours, but major repairs like a new roof or structural problems must be asked for up-front in your offer, or handled separately in a supplemental agreement to the contract following inspections. Structural problems give the buyer the right to cancel the contract, but if the parties agree, the cost of repairs can be included as part of the sale, paid for out of the seller’s proceeds from the sale. When a problem is discovered, the seller usually agrees to make repairs rather than lose the sale, because they would be required to disclose the problem to future buyers.
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