Strategizing is an important part of real estate. Strategy, to me, is asking a lot of questions and then creating a game plan. Whether working with a seller

to prepare for market or talking with a buyer who wants to make an offer, having a well-articulated plan is a recipe for success.

One way to strategize I can share is when working with a seller on a new listing. I highly recommend getting a pre-listing inspection done. This

way you know what is going to come up in the buyer’s inspection and can then make repairs or price accordingly. I also suggest getting the sewer line

cleared (oh, the glamorous world of real estate!). Believe me when I say this is important! If there is a problem, and there often is, it can slow the buyer’s

removal of the investigation contingency.  Having a complete disclosure package, including any inspection reports, by the time we go to market is optimal. By

doing this buyers can review before making an offer ideally keeping this information in mind when deciding on an offered purchase price. This helps ensure

that they will not come back with crazy repair or credit requests in escrow because they had the information before offering. This strategy helps lead to a

successful outcome.

For buyers wanting to make an offer… my first call is going to be to the seller’s agent. I want to know gather as much information as possible so I

can discuss with my clients and decide the best approach. I want to know why they are selling, what they are looking for in an offer. What terms are

the sellers looking for? Do they need a longer escrow? Do they need a leaseback? One thing I remind my clients is that an offer is price and terms. I

make sure I verify inclusions and exclusions. I also want to know if the listing agent has a plan to present offers. Are they reviewing as offers come in or are they

waiting for a certain period of time? Once I have this information I can then go back to my buyers and discuss

what they would like to do and then execute our winning plan!

As always, I welcome your thoughts and questions!