Vancouver Wa Real Estate - Elite Realty NW

I just read a post by Tina Allen out of Florida where she was talking about touring homes with a client and her 4 year old son. That got me to thinking about my very first set of clients as a real estate agent here in Vancouver, Washington, the "Buyers." (Names have been changed to protect the realtor!)

They were a very young couple at the time with a 2 year old, a four year old, and one due in about 3 months. They qualified for a USDA loan and in our neck of Clark County Washington that means a lot of driving and long distances between showings. On the positive side for me (but not so good for them.) was that there weren't very many homes in the area that would qualify for their special financing program.

We met at our office, signed a buyers' contract, looked through the mls for homes that would qualify, and we hit the road. The Buyers in their car with the kids and Janice and I were in our car. First stop, Yacolt. Only 35 miles away.

Our first showing was their dream home. How do I know? Because they found it on the internet and instantly knew that it was their dream home. The only reason we were going out there was to see it and to write an offer. Real estate is so easy! Naturally it wasn't a good fit for them and they had to dream about another house.

After 20 more minutes of driving we reached the next stop on the tour. A 1200 square foot ranch that met all of their needs and was in a nice part of town. As I opened the door the little four year old (I'll call him "Flash") darted in and went straight to a toy box that the seller had in the living room. Before you could say "contingent offer" Flash had flipped the box over and spilled toys all over the living room floor. Including a bag of marbles! I spent the rest of that visit singing Barney's Clean Up song to the kids and picking up marbles! "Clean up, Clean up, everybody cleeeeean up..." Life as a Vancouver Washington Real Estate agent isn't as easy as I thought.

Luckily the next stop was just around the corner so the time lost while picking up toys was quickly recouped in transit. With the children strongly secured by mom, I cautiously opened the door and let them through the door. It was a very well kept 50's bungalow. The hallway was covered with family photos and as Mrs. Buyer looked at them she exclaimed, "Oh my my gawd! This is Robby's house!" The next line blind sided me; "He's my cousin!" But it was the last line that really knocked me out, "He's a real estate agent too!" What the heck do I do now?

They quickly explained that they hadn't seen their cousin in a few years and that they fully planned on using us for their purchase. So I had that going for me.

I see that I am running on here so let me wrap it up like this: The kids were thirsty so we stopped a convenience store around the corner only to run into Robby the real estate agent. Turns out he was a really nice guy and said that he would want to handle both ends of a deal with family.

To top it off, on the second to last visit they recognized that the house belonged to friends of theirs. They even identified a stain on the carpet near the kitchen where "Flash" had spilled some red punch!

We wrote an offer by the end of the day and I have let them know that we will gladly help them move up to their next house when the littlest one turns ten!

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.