http://www.makewyominghome.com/, https://stan.store/AlishaCollins

Alisha Collins Real Estate - Exp Realty LLC, 1944 CY Avenue, Casper, WY (2026)

08/28/2026

We finally closed on this house today…

After being under contract for almost three months.

Most people think if a transaction takes that long, something must have gone terribly wrong.

Actually…

It was because everyone was committed to getting it done the right way.

This home was listed in the low $700,000s, and the inspection uncovered a lot more than anyone expected.

It started with what looked like a simple water leak behind the refrigerator.

The hardwood floor had swollen around the cabinets, and at first we thought it was coming from the dishwasher.

Then we ordered a mold inspection.

That’s when everything changed.

There was mold behind the cabinets…

In the flooring…

And in areas that couldn’t be seen until things were opened up.

The hardwood flooring had to be removed in sections.

Cabinets had to come out and be rebuilt.

Drywall had to be removed.

The mold had to be professionally remediated.

Then everything had to be put back together.

The hardwood floors throughout the kitchen, dining room, living room, and hallway had to be refinished so everything matched.

On top of that…

The roof needed to be replaced.

The deck needed about $30,000 worth of work, so we negotiated that into the purchase price.

There were additional repairs downstairs where mold had been found, including replacing some carpet.

This wasn’t a quick transaction.

It was a transaction that required patience.

And teamwork.

The listing agent spent countless hours coordinating contractors, scheduling repairs, and dealing with people who canceled at the last minute.

If you’re watching this…

You know who you are.

Thank you for doing an incredible job getting this to the closing table.

Sometimes the right house isn’t the easiest house to buy.

But if both sides stay committed to solving problems instead of walking away, you can get to the finish line.

That’s exactly what happened here.

Have you ever had a home purchase delayed because of inspections or repairs? Did you stick with it, or decide it wasn’t worth the wait?

08/28/2026

Someone commented that we screwed over the cash buyer.

I don’t see it that way.

Here’s what actually happened.

The sellers had only owned the house for about a year.

They were relocating for a job, and because of the market, they were already going to have to bring money to closing just to pay off their mortgage.

Naturally, they wanted to bring as little money as possible.

They received two strong offers.

One was full price with conventional financing.

The other was a cash offer that was $5,000 less.

The sellers decided they wanted to try for the higher price first.

That was their decision.

Not mine.

As their agent, my job is to explain the pros and cons of each offer—not choose one for them.

The next morning, the conventional buyers changed their minds and terminated the contract.

So the sellers asked me to call the cash buyer back.

Fortunately, they were still interested.

They accepted the cash offer, closed successfully, and the sellers brought about $6,800 to closing.

Was it the outcome they hoped for?

No.

But it was the outcome they were comfortable with.

Here’s the reality when you’re comparing multiple offers…

Someone isn’t going to get the house.

That doesn’t mean anyone was treated unfairly.

The sellers made the decision they believed was best with the information they had at the time.

Sometimes it works out exactly as planned.

Sometimes it doesn’t.

That’s real estate.

Every offer comes with risk.

The important thing is that the seller understands those risks before making a decision.

That’s what your real estate agent should be helping you do.

If you were selling your home, would you take the higher financed offer or the slightly lower cash offer? What factors would matter most to you?

08/28/2026

🏡 Open Houses This Weekend!

The weekend is almost here, and we have several great homes open for you to tour! If you’ve been watching the market, thinking about making a move, or just want to see what’s out there, come take a look.
Stop by one or tour them all—we’d love to see you and help you find the right home! 🏠

📍 Check out all the open house details below!

08/27/2026

One of the biggest decisions a seller will make happens the minute the first offer comes in.

Do you accept it…

Or do you wait and see if more offers come in over the weekend?

Here’s my opinion.

The seller should make that decision—not the agent.

My job isn’t to tell a seller what to do.

My job is to explain the pros and cons of every option before they ever have to make that decision.

That’s why I have this conversation before we even list the house.

If I think a home is going to get a lot of attention, I might suggest we consider asking buyers for a 48- or 72-hour response time.

Why?

Because it sets the expectation from the very beginning.

Buyers know the seller is reviewing offers over a certain period of time, and it gives the seller an opportunity to see if additional offers come in.

But here’s the other side of that conversation…

What if another agent gives their buyer a deadline that’s much sooner?

Now the seller has another decision to make.

Do they risk losing the offer they already have while waiting for one they hope will come?

Or do they accept the offer that’s right in front of them?

That’s why I always tell sellers…

You have to work with the information you have today, not the information you hope you’ll have tomorrow.

Sometimes waiting results in multiple offers.

Sometimes waiting means the only buyer walks away.

Neither choice is automatically right or wrong.

It depends on the market, the property, the strength of the offer, and the seller’s goals.

The important thing is that you’ve already talked through those possibilities before the first offer ever arrives.

That way you’re making a thoughtful decision instead of an emotional one.

If you were selling your house and received a strong full-price offer on the first day, would you accept it or wait through the weekend to see if more buyers showed up? Why?

08/27/2026

One of the biggest mistakes buyers make…

Is deciding the seller’s answer before they’ve even asked the question.

I hear it all the time.

“My agent said they’ll never pay closing costs.”

“The neighbors said they’ll never take a lower offer.”

“Everyone says there’s no point in trying.”

Here’s my response…

You don’t know until you ask.

One thing I’ve learned after more than 22 years in real estate is that a seller’s motivation can change overnight.

Maybe the house has been sitting on the market longer than they expected.

Maybe they’re getting ready to do a price reduction.

Maybe they’ve already bought another house.

Maybe they just want to move on.

You don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes.

That’s why I don’t like it when buyers, sellers, or even agents assume what the other side is going to do.

Write the offer.

Ask for the closing costs.

Make the counteroffer.

The worst thing they can say is no.

And here’s something else I’ve noticed.

COVID changed the way people negotiate.

For a while, it felt like everything was “take it or leave it.”

But that’s not what I’m seeing today.

Lately, my team has been writing counteroffer after counteroffer.

I’ve had transactions with five or six rounds of negotiations before everyone reached an agreement.

That’s why it’s called a negotiation.

The goal isn’t to guess the other side’s answer.

The goal is to keep the conversation going until both sides find common ground.

Don’t talk yourself out of an opportunity before the other party has even had a chance to respond.

Have you ever almost not made an offer because you assumed the seller would say no…and then found out they were actually willing to negotiate?

08/27/2026

Every buyer has deal breakers.

But here’s what I’ve noticed after more than 20 years in real estate…

Deal breakers often change.

Not because buyers lower their standards.

Because they become more educated.

When you first start looking, it’s easy to make a long list of must-haves.

Central air.

A three-car garage.

A half bath.

Updated appliances.

RV parking.

Then you start walking through houses.

You realize that, in your price range, maybe almost none of the homes have central air.

Or the homes with three-car garages don’t have the neighborhood you want.

Or the house with the perfect RV parking was never marked correctly in the MLS.

I’ve had buyers swear they would never buy a house without a certain feature…

Then fall in love with a home because everything else was exactly what they wanted.

Maybe they planned to add central air later.

Maybe they realized they could build a larger garage someday.

Maybe the kitchen was so perfect that they forgot all about the missing half bath.

That’s why I spend so much time talking to buyers before we ever start looking.

I want to know what’s truly non-negotiable…

And what’s simply a preference.

I also don’t rely only on MLS filters.

For example, if I filter for RV parking, I might accidentally eliminate a great house because another agent forgot to check the box—even though there’s plenty of room to park an RV.

That’s why your conversation with your Realtor matters just as much as the online search.

The more I understand your goals, the better I can find homes you might have overlooked.

Sometimes the perfect house isn’t the one that checks every box.

It’s the one that makes you forget about the boxes that didn’t really matter.

When you bought your home, what was one “must-have” that became much less important after you looked at a few houses?

08/26/2026

I want to know if you agree with this…

People get too emotional about real estate.

Honestly…

I do.

One comment said something that really stuck with me:

A low offer isn’t an insult.

It’s simply what that buyer believes the house is worth to them.

Buyers spend weeks—sometimes months—looking at homes.

They’re comparing your house to every other house they’ve seen.

So when they make an offer, they’re making it based on the value they see.

That doesn’t mean they’re right.

It doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

It just means that’s their starting point.

The same thing goes for sellers.

If a seller counters your offer…

Don’t take it personally.

Stay calm.

Negotiations are supposed to go back and forth.

That’s why they’re called negotiations.

One thing I wish happened less in real estate is agents telling their clients,

“They’re offended.”

“They thought your offer was ridiculous.”

“They’re insulted.”

How does that help anyone?

It doesn’t.

All it does is make emotions even bigger.

My job is to help my clients make good decisions, not pour gasoline on the fire.

And someone else commented that buyers and sellers should just negotiate directly with each other.

I couldn’t disagree more.

That’s exactly why you hire representation.

When emotions are running high, you need someone who can separate feelings from facts, keep everyone focused on the goal, and help move the deal forward.

The best negotiations happen when everyone remembers one thing…

It’s business.

Not personal.

Have you ever made a low offer—or received one—that ended up turning into a successful sale? Or did emotions get in the way?

08/26/2026

People always say…

“Cash is king.”

I’m not sure I agree anymore.

I think it used to be.

Today, most sellers are looking at the entire offer—not just whether it’s cash or financed.

If a financed offer is $10,000 or $20,000 higher, a lot of sellers are willing to take that chance.

They’ll deal with the lender, the appraisal, and the extra steps because the additional money is worth it to them.

But the equation changes when the offers are close.

I recently had a seller choosing between a conventional offer and a cash offer.

The conventional offer was $5,000 higher.

The sellers had only owned the home for about a year, so that extra money meant they would bring less cash to closing.

They chose the conventional offer.

The next morning…

The buyer changed their mind.

Just like that, the deal was over.

We went back to the cash buyer.

Thankfully, they were still interested.

Yes, their offer was $5,000 lower.

But there was no lender involved.

No appraisal.

Fewer moving parts.

The inspection only resulted in a small electrical repair—about $180—and everyone moved forward.

That transaction reminded me of something important…

A cash offer isn’t automatically the best offer.

A financed offer isn’t automatically the best offer either.

Every seller has to decide how much risk they’re willing to take for more money.

Sometimes the extra $10,000 is absolutely worth it.

Sometimes the certainty of cash is worth even more.

There’s no universal right answer.

It depends on your goals, your timeline, and how comfortable you are with uncertainty.

If you were selling your house, how much more would a financed offer have to be before you’d choose it over a cash offer?

08/26/2026

This is such an important lesson for both buyers and sellers.

A seller recently accepted a cash offer that was a little lower than a financed offer.

Why?

Because the financed buyer wouldn’t sign an appraisal gap waiver.

Let’s talk about the seller’s side first.

If your agent believes your home is priced appropriately and should appraise, it may be worth considering the higher financed offer.

But if that buyer signs an appraisal gap waiver, there’s one more thing you need to verify…

Do they actually have the money to cover the gap?

Just because someone signs an appraisal gap waiver doesn’t mean the lender is going to loan them more money.

If the appraisal comes in low, the buyer has to bring that additional cash to closing themselves.

That’s why proof of funds matters.

Now let’s talk to buyers.

I see people signing appraisal gap waivers because they think it makes their offer stronger.

And it does.

But don’t sign one unless you truly have the money to back it up.

If the home appraises for less than your contract price, you’ve agreed to cover that difference with your own funds.

You still have to make your down payment.

You still have to pay your closing costs.

And now you’re adding another expense on top of that.

I would never encourage one of my buyers to sign an appraisal gap waiver unless we knew they had the financial ability to honor it.

A stronger offer is great.

Putting yourself in financial trouble isn’t.

The best offer isn’t always the highest one.

It’s the offer that’s actually going to make it to the closing table.

Have you ever had an appraisal come in lower than the purchase price? What happened—did the buyer bring more cash, renegotiate the price, or did the deal fall apart?

08/25/2026

📢𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 !!!📢
𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍-𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍!!!
Details Below: 👇
🛌:3 Bᴇᴅʀᴏᴏᴍs 🛁2 Bᴀᴛʜs
🤩: Open Floor Plan
🚿: Primary Bath
🪴: Deck
🪓: Storage Shed

Location: 📍𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝐍 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 #𝟔𝟖 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐘 𝟖𝟐𝟔𝟎𝟗
👉𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑷𝒊𝒄'𝒔, 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑨𝒕: https://bit.ly/3U5kgFh

Alisha Collins Real Estate Team
Alisha Collins Lindsey Svejkovsky-Hardin Chris Nighswonger Sarah Ly Blake Hansen Rosie Tholl Chelsea Wilde Kaitlin Davidson Cole Wirtz Teresa Schumacker Ava Garner Wynter Wheeler Carissa Grenz Richard Costello Jordan Buggy Hailey Crow Francine Bush Stevie McNamee Kealey Green Blake Crosley Kiffany McClun

Reach out to us for more info:
💻 [email protected]
🌐 www.alishacansellit.com
📱 (307) 247-1806
Alisha Collins Real Estate Team
eXp Realty
1944 CY Avenue
307-247-1806
Search today at MakeWyomingHome.com

Alisha Collins Real Estate - Exp Realty LLC

08/28/2026

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