I got an interesting email message the other day from a couple who was trying to buy their first home. They had been working with another agent who was new to the real estate business and they were coming across a lot of short sale homes. They asked their agent how much experience she had in dealing with short sales and the agent commented that she really didn’t need to have any experience because the seller’s agent does all the work anyway. Careful….what if the listing agent doesn’t have much experience either and you are now leaving them in charge of negotiating for your home!
Being first-time homebuyers, they really didn’t understand the whole short sale process, but something about their agents response didn’t sit right with them. They decided to do some investigating on their own. They emailed me that they had seen my website and saw that I am a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE). They saw that I help sellers avoid foreclosure by selling their home in a short sale transaction. They wondered if a “CDPE – Short Sale Expert” could help them buy a home….and the answer is YES! I explained to this couple that as a CDPE, I can put my talents and resources to work as their buyer’s agent.
As a CDPE I know the pitfalls of a short sale. I know what the bank is looking for when they are considering approving a short sale, or NOT. I explained to them that I work together, as an ally not an adversary, with the listing agent to get the short sale approved for my buyers. Not only do I bring with me the in-depth knowledge of how a short sale gets approved, but I also bring with me a list of decision makers whom I have dealt with in negotiating a short sale for my sellers. I have direct access to many of these “top level negotiators”, the people who can actually make a decision on a short sale. This is exactly the type of representation that this couple was looking for, and perhaps best of all, it cost them nothing extra to have this level of representation. So, if you are looking at buying a home, call me today and put a CDPE to work for you as well.