Buyers - Phil Sharp

Buyers Tool Box

During my 25 years in the Army, my family and I made numerous PCS moves, both accompanied and unaccompanied. My experiences PCS’ing, and working with various realtors around the country, taught me a lot about how to be a good realtor…and how the not so good ones operate. I have used these lessons learned in building my business plan and my business. I hope to share the good with you.

Upon receipt of orders, the first thing I always did, after informing my wife of our upcoming move, was to look into housing. Sometimes I had a pro-active sponsor, realtor, friend at the new installation, often times not.

What I do, and How I do it…..

If you have completed one of our online forms, then you already know a little bit about what I do…if not, I will spell it out here.

Upon making initial contact with you, I will immediately send you a login and password that gives you access to my “Client” website (www.PhilSharpOnline.com). This website is not designed to generate new business, but rather to provide you with resources that are especially useful if you are not familiar to the area. Beyond that, the real utility for me in using this site is that you can save listings in a folder that I can view, giving me real insight into what your needs are and what appeals to you.

Within 24 hours of receiving your login and password, my relocation sponsor Gina will contact you. Gina is not a realtor, she is not a sales person….her job is to give you eyes on the ground in the Fort Lewis-McChord area. She has lots of knowledge of the local area, schools, commuting times, activities and programs available on and off post. Gina is a great resource, and her services fill the void if you don’t have a local sponsor, or friend in the area.

Once Gina has contacted you to determine your needs, she will pass that information along to myself and to my listing coordinator, Stephanie. As a member of the local multiple listing service, I am able to show/sell any and every home on the market in the Lewis-McChord area, and Stephanie helps keep them straight and insures that we don’t miss any.

As your arrival approaches, either for house hunting or your actual report date, Stephanie and I will go to work looking for listings that meet your needs and requirements. Steph spends 3-4 hours per day in the MLS, is intimately familiar with the market, and will start selecting and sending you listings for review several months prior to your arrival. She will base what she sends you on the criteria that you have provided, and she will use your saved favorites to find homes comparable to what you have been saving.

I will begin to communicate with you more and more frequently as your move gets closer. I like to make certain that we are on the same sheet of music regarding your wants and needs; I like to review with you/confirm that your financing is in order, and generally set expectations for your house hunting trip and subsequent move.

When you have firm house hunting dates, please inform me ASAP. A big lesson learned over the years is that most realtors just don’t get it when it comes to relocation house hunting. A realtor who typically works with “locals” may think that it is perfectly acceptable to spend 2-3 hours per day house hunting….not really understanding that you want to accomplish as much as possible in as short a time as possible. The reason that I want your dates asap is that I will block off 3-5 full days for your house hunting trip on my calendar.

Upon your arrival in Washington, I like to meet (either in my office or your hotel lobby) to discuss our schedule, and the listings that I have prepared for viewing the first day. Our meeting will take about 15 minutes, and we will get on the road.

Our first day house hunting activities will include a tour of all of the areas around post (other than areas that we eliminated because of schools, commutes etc.) and we will look at homes along the way. By doing this, you get a good understanding of the various neighborhoods, and I get the opportunity to see your reaction to the homes that we view (I will typically show 12-15 homes a day while house hunting). At the end of the day, I will take what I have learned, and put together showings for the next day based on your reactions to our first day of looking. This process continues until we find a home, or revise criteria.

Once you have found your new home, we will work together to prepare an offer, and negotiate with the seller (I have written an informative article, “About Your Offer, What’s Next?) explaining the process in detail.

Once we have placed a home under contract, I will take the ball from there. We will want to have a home inspection asap (If you can be there great, if not I attend them myself). I will also coordinate with your lender, the title company, and any others that have a part in the transaction (contractors, additional inspections etc.).

Closing….Closing the transaction seems to worry folks a great deal, maybe because they had a bad experience with another realtor? I monitor the transaction closely, and will ensure that the closing is accomplished in a timely and efficient manner. Often, it makes sense to close prior to your arrival, so that you can move directly in to the home, by-passing the lodge. About 1/3 of my clients choose to do this once they realize that it is really not difficult. I will arrange with the title company to have your closing documents sent to you, or to a title company at your current location (maybe your leave address?). This way, you will be in ownership of your home and can move in at your convenience. I will of course plan to meet you at the home upon your arrival, but I also put a keybox with a combo on the home in this situation in case you come into town early, in the middle of the night etc.

After closing and moving, you can plan on seeing me several more times. I will come by to check on things as you are moving in…to make sure that there are no issues, and again once you are settled. I will also be following up with you regarding the warranty that I put on the home, and if it is new construction to follow up on any builder/contractor issues. In providing this follow up service, it is my hope that you will both use me to list your home when the time comes to sell, and also refer others to me and my services that may be moving to the area.

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