Written by Jim the Realtor

May 9, 2010

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

When it is so competitive for the good buys, how does a buyer compete when he’s out of town?

Do you jump on a plane for every new listing?

There were multiple offers on this 3,454sf house, and according to the seller/agent, they were all very similar.  Typically when a buyer hasn’t seen the house they get eliminated immediately.  But in this case, I showed this video to the sellers too, and convinced them that it was close enough to a personal visit that my buyer was very comfortable proceeding.  They agreed!

He came in for the physical inspection and had the same impressions of the house as he did from the video.  He still liked it! We did the final walk-through by video too, and it closed escrow Friday for $685,000, with the buyer having to come to town just once.

18 Comments

  1. teacher

    I wish every realtor would do this. It gives a much better idea of the layout than the MLS photos with a fisheye lens.

    BTW – where is this house?

  2. Jim the Realtor

    Northeast Vista, 92084.

    Apparently thinking outside the box is a real struggle for most realtors. When you mention a “video tour”, the most common response is “yeah, I do those, the virtual tours”.

    But there is no comparing a regular video to a group of photos sewn together.

  3. Jim the Realtor

    Thanks GameAgent.

    Love the ipayone bravado:

    The company has 20 agents so far in San Diego and expects to sign up 600 by year’s end for all of Southern California

    Does he think that buyers and sellers will read that and say “Wow, let’s call them, they might have 600 agents some day”???

  4. Will Young

    Say Jim just a SHOUT back and wishing a Happy Mother’s day for your mom…

    Thanks for being the person you are, fairly sure your parents are proud …

  5. justme

    Nice home, nice view, great price, good deal.

  6. Art Eclectic

    Agree with justme, your buyer scored.

  7. Susie

    Wow, Jim, when I was looking at the video, I thought there was a typo with the $685K price. Your buyer must be thrilled. And I agree with you, REAL videos are the best.

  8. tj & the bear

    What’s not to like? Very nicely done inside and out, great views, lots of space, and just under $200/sf — it’s the anti-CV! 🙂

  9. Sol

    Nice house. We jumped on a plane spur of the moment, made a NC purchase 12 years ago, couldn’t be happier that we did it.

  10. Tom

    I am the lucky buyer of this home.

    In case you did not already know this, Jim Is the Man! I can’t say enough good things about him.

    I don’t think you really get an idea of how good he is at his job until you get a chance to work with him. Sure you see that he is on the ball when you read his blog, but you don’t really get it until you witness all the things he does for you as an agent. He fixes problems before you know there are problems to fix. Things get done without asking.

    Clearly he knows the local market and the nuances. But I didn’t know about his support staff. His wife who works behind the scenes is diligent, professional and just as nice as Jim. Jim also has other solid support staff and a large network of resources outside his office including backup mortgage brokers. He knows who to go to and who to avoid. He and his team guided me… No directed me through the field of field of landmines out there.

    His signature video option is just the icing on the cake. Even if/when other realtors catch on to the video technology, I don’t think they will come close. Other agents will still need to deliver with expertise, honesty and tenacity for it to work. As you probably already know, these are not easy traits to come by and they are apparently intrinsic to Jim. Why would you work with any other realtor?

  11. Osidebuyer

    Under $200/sq ft. Amazing.

  12. CA renter

    That’s a very nice house, Tom, and it looks like you got a good deal.

    Congratulations on your new home! 🙂

  13. Funny Money

    Definitely a good deal. Nice place too.

  14. Jim the Realtor

    Thanks Tom – enjoy your new home!

    There is more to client satisfaction then long-winded videos – wifey does play a key role in staying on top of the avalanche of paperwork and other details, and makes this all possible. Thank you Donna!

  15. SD_Coastal

    Sewing a bunch of stills together is not a “video tour”. What JtR presented here, in 10 minutes, gave you a real honest feel for what that house is, and what it isn’t. I would much rather buy a house off that video then make a trip out here.

    The beauty of that tour is that it’s not some glossy production replete with cheesy classical “water” music in the background, it’s an honest walk through including pets and owners with their 2 cents thrown in, it’s perfection lies in it’s honesty.

    BTW Tom, nice house, nice price, congrats!

  16. Joe

    Nice house and great price! I’m sure your family will love it!

  17. François Caron

    Yep, Tom, it definitely looks like you got yourself a very good deal there. The house looks like it’s in excellent shape, it has a very decent layout, and the price seems very reasonable especially when factoring in the extras such as the built-in desk and shelving, the pool and jacuzzi, and the oceanside view.

    Congrats!

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