04/22/2026
๐๐ก๐จ: I met my buyer friend way back in the day when we were still teenagers and kept in touch over Facebook. We originally worked together in 2018 when he made an offer on a property but got cold feet. He felt like he was settling for a home that didn't fit his family's size and needs. Fast forward eight years later, he was more confident and financially stable ready to pursue homeownership again.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ: My client needed a home spacious enough to accommodate a multi-generational family, including his son, his mother and possibly a future wife. He also has several young nieces who visit often, so he wanted to ensure he had a guest bedroom for them too. This was a deliberate decision, made with foresight and thoughtful planning.
Everybody's lifestyle needs were considered in this decision. His mother loves to garden and grows a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables so he wanted to find a home with a flat backyard space for her to plant a garden. He loves to host family and friends gatherings and needed an outdoor space large enough to hold guests for playing cards, drinking, and singing karaoke. Lastly, his son is very talented at drifting cars and needed a garage and storage space for his tools and equipment to service his car. This home had a designated space and purpose for everyone to grow into.
๐๐ก๐๐ง: March 2026
๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐: Salisbury, NC
๐๐จ๐ฐ:This process wasn't smooth because we encountered obstacles with the listing agent. Opendoor owned and represented the property. Opendoor is a corporate entity of investor buyers who possess a portfolio of a million dollars plus. They make cash offers on properties at below-market prices, perform cosmetic updates, and then resells them on the market. They own hundreds of properties nationwide and quickly move to turnkey them so they can generate revenue and continue buying more properties. With that business model, it's very easy for them to disregard buyer safety and satisfaction because the bottom line is their only motive.
Our experience working with them was very stoic and sterile. The home inspection report revealed many repairs that warranted immediate attention that Opendoor was unwilling to address. I brought in multiple licensed contractors from different trades to evaluate their respective mechanical systems; they observed deliberate attempts to hide the issue or temporary fixes made by Opendoor. It became a tug of war deciding whether to purchase a house with liabilities if Opendoor was unwilling to address these repair issues, or to withdraw his offer altogether.
That's when working with the right realtor matters. While my client was overseas, I assumed multiple responsibilities managing the entire project management and transaction coordination to keep the deal alive. I contacted the local municipality speaking to several individuals to find out how to protect my client, and researched the NC Residential Building Code to negotiate the minimum standards mandated by code regulations. I brought in several tradespeople for their professional opinions and quotes to negotiate an increased seller credit from Opendoor. And I did all of this while staying up late regularly to update him over the phone due to the 11-hour time difference.
My persistence paid off and the result was I successfully increased the seller's paid concession, obtained a home warranty, and built a friendly rapport with the contractor to negotiate a lower post-closing price for my buyer. These efforts takes skill, competence and experience.
Buyers want a realtor to help them identify the right home, point out unnoticed features/faults with the property, provide a list of service providers, negotiate better sales contract terms and repairs, and connect them with a lender that offers competitive mortgage rates to save money. I'm immensely proud of my friend for building generational wealth and being his trusted real estate source. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to serving you next!
