Dawna Davies and her assistant Jodi Blanchard did an exceptional job in helping us sell our home in San Luis Obispo. Dawna’s intelligence and knowledge of the business made the whole complex process easy for us to understand and navigate. What seemed like counter-intuitive advice at the start—that we should be extremely thorough in discovering any possible problems with the forty year old house and present them in advance—turned out to streamline the final transaction by building trust in potential buyers and removing the possibility of unpleasant surprises and uncertainty for us. Her contacts with a wide range of local business people who carried out many preparatory operations quickly and economically offered another unique benefit. Her tact and amiability made our numerous interactions pleasant rather than wary. And Jodi’s work in converting the box full of documents from our files into a coherent house-maintenance-history binder meticulous and creative. From start to finish our involvement with Davies Company was personally as well as financially rewarding.
- Urgency to purchase- No buyer wants to be perceived as “being in a hurry,” However, over the years in this business we have learned that people buy property because of changes in their life. Usually, there is a realistic window of time that may be impacting a buyer’s decision to purchase. This can be a personal situation (like a pregnancy or medical needs), tax deadlines, increased or decreased income. To help you best, an agent should know what your purchase urgency is.
- Loan information- If a buyer has had any communication with a lender in advance or during the transaction, it is important to tell your agent. Especially if you are prequalified and may have already had your credit report run. This will affect whether you need to plan time to continue shopping for the right lender or of you are ready to proceed to write an offer.
- Preference for DIY or if you hire professionals- Let your agent know any skills that you have in construction, maintenance, repairs, etc. If you don’t have confidence with maintenance or don’t have the skills for repairs, this is important information to share and will save you time as you look for properties that are a good fit.
- Any third-party influences- Do you have tax/legal/financial advisors, family members, significant others, etc. that will influence your decision? This may include advice regarding tax consequences that you are concerned about or tax benefits that you are seeking with this purchase (tax shelter, exchange, etc.)
- Your previous real estate experiences- Sharing both positive and negative real estate experiences from the past can help your agent tailor the transaction specifically to you for greatest success.