Last week, I talked about how referrals are the lifeblood of my business.
99% of my clients are personal referrals from friends or past clients.
This week, I want to share what the winning combo looks like when I work with a referral. What happens when someone refers me someone they trust and I take care of them.
The Client’s Goals
I really want to talk about a specific client that went from renter to buyer. They literally rented for a year just to get comfortable with Colorado and to make sure they were aware of where they wanted to live.
When I met with them, we talked about two possibilities:
- House in the suburbs – where they’re currently living. And would be the stepping stone to their dream property.
- A horse property – the dream house.
When I left that conversation I just really felt the client had her heart set on having a horse property. It really meant a lot to her to own something like that.
I actually wrote her a thank you card for taking the time to meet with me. And I literally put a stamp with horses on that card because I felt that that’s what she truly wanted and connect to.
Financing Program
When we started the process, she had mentioned something around doing doctor financing.
I was wondering what kind of doctor programs were out there. So, I literally called all the lenders in my referral network trying to figure out who had a program like this.
I ran into one at Compass Bank where if you’re a medical doctor or a physician, you can do 0% down with no MI up to $650,000. This was an amazing find because it allowed them to actually affirm that looking for a horse property was a possibility. They don’t need to make the house in the ‘burbs be the step because the program fit what the borrowers want.
Finding “The One”
This journey actually started off really great in May. We found a property that was a really great fit after the client has checked out some open houses. Then the market knocked us around a bit…
Multiple Failures
We got priced out with multiple offers. So we started out in the foothills and just
We even got bid out on a property in Sedalia. And we went through some forced outcomes where the buyers are really starting to feel like, “Ah man, I’m tired of renting. We just need to find something.”
It Was Destiny
I remember standing outside of a house in Parker of the Hess road. It fit everything that they wanted – had land perfect in all ways. But it was right on Hess Road where you could literally hear the cars wheezing by.
And we just talked about how we didn’t need to force it. I’m remember giving both of the clients a hug and just saying, “This will work out if we stay committed to what it is that you want.”
And through this process, we even considered doing Plan A – going back to the house in the ‘burbs. So was really powerful to just share that moment with them where we weren’t forcing that outcome and really getting clear on what the vision was when we started.
And within 2 weeks, “The One” showed up in Sedalia. It was pretty magical because we had that moment in early August. And then this property literally popped up.
Offered Below List and Won the Deal
If you remember last year the market started off really hot
This was “The One” because when we walked into it was nicely updated, had horse property potential with acreage, and a unique lot with all scrub oak and rolling hills. It was just a really cool property that fit the vision that the clients were looking for. And when we left that property the buyer literally couldn’t stop thinking about how awesome this was and how it fit everything that they were looking for.
It was listed for $675,000 but we actually offered $650,000 and we won the deal. This is because that house had been previously under contract and the sellers were just ready to move on.
The Power of a Winning Combo
They just worked out so perfectly because it fit within the program. It fit within the original budget that we set in the beginning of the process. But most importantly it fit this vision that really was just a dream in the beginning. And we were able to make that a reality.
I shared this because this is a winning combo of where a referral – someone that showed up for me from another agent in another state referred me this client. I got to keep in touch with them for more or less a year and then they become a buyer after that. And then we created this experience together.
And that’s the power of having a triangle of trust. Creating a winning combo where everyone’s committed, right?
I’m committed to this client because I want them to find the perfect house. It means a lot to me that they realize their dream as much as possible.
And it’s perfect for the person that referred me as well. Since he’s another agent, he’s got to celebrate this experience along side us.
Next Week…
Stay tuned because I’m going to share my referral sources. These are trusted resources I can refer to you. They will help you win in some of the most important parts of a real estate transaction.