I met Shirley and Janette while viewing a 3-bedroom apartment in the heart of Maroubra.
A couple weeks later, I bumped into those two seniors again, at another 3-bedroom apartment.
On the way out, Shirley stopped me and asked: "Are you a buyers' agent?"
And this is how it all started. Right there in the street, we were discussing about their requirements, their needs, what ticked their boxes, what they were keen on compromising. We decided to take the discussion to a quiet location.
The truth is: Shirley and Janette were not inexperienced. They had a property portfolio together.
They reached out for help because the sisters were looking to buy a 3-bedroom unit, accessible for the days they might have a reduced mobility, and they needed that unit to be in a big complex to share strata fees and levies. It needed to be a building without problems or major defects.
The reality? whilst they had a comfortable budget, there are not many 3-beddroom units that tick most of their boxes in the location they narrowed down.
I told them the honest truth: this is going to be a very hard brief. But I do love a challenge and was keen to help them.
We found one. It was going for auction, no way to prevent it from happening as it was a deceased estate.
I recommended them not to be in the auction room so they wouldn't feel the stress, and they wouldn't be a "victim" of salesy tactics to influence buyers to bid more. Seniors can be easy targets.
Unfortunately, I got outbid by 205K at that auction. It wasn't a strategy issue, simply someone with deeper pockets willing to bid way more. The gentleman who won the auction was also a senior looking for his forever home in a convenient location.
I've presented them several off-market and pre-market opportunities. There was always either a massive levy, or the layout wouldn't work, or too many uncertainties with the building.
They went to travel in China were they were completely out of reach. The day they arrived, we found one. We went to inspect it. We pulled the strata report. No major issues. The contract was pulled , reviewed, and amended. We went to have a second look 2 days later, on the Friday before the auction.
Following that inspection, we debriefed. It was the one. It was mobility friendly, ground floor, had enough space for them to cook, have guests, enjoy some fresh air in the garden. Location-wise, it was perfect: close to all the amenities and you could even roll a wheelchair to the shops, the doctors, the hospitals, the bus stops etc.
I asked: "Do you want it?"
The answers from the two sisters: "Yes, it ticks all our boxes".
At that point, it was 6pm on a Friday night. I called home and said to my partner I couldn't go to the beach with the kids as planned.
We went back to their place. I started the negotiation. It ended at 8pm. I stayed to help them with the docusign, the deposit transfer and ensuring everything was in order.
And voila! They had it. It was all theirs. Unconditional exchange on a Friday night, prior auction.
When people are ready, and know exactly what they want, the magic can operate. Decisiveness, as well as expertise of the process on how to bring it home, make a huge difference in securing a property.
While many agents out there told me to cut them loose, I didn't want to do that. Everybody deserves to have someone in their corner. It wasn't being nitpicking. They knew exactly what they wanted and were willing to wait for the right one.
Accompanying Shirley and Janette is one of my favorite success story. It's a story about advocacy, about perseverance, about finding a home that truly matched my clients' lifestyle, needs and goals.