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Lucie and Chester had a cool mid-century with a brand-new roof, just in time for Christmas!
Having heard war stories from their friends and colleagues, plus all the news about Seattle’s crazy competitive housing market, Lucie and Chester were preparing themselves for many months of house searching and possibly losing some money with pre-inspections and sewer scopes on houses they would not get!
But as luck would have it, their worries were for naught. Sometimes good houses just fall through the cracks, and it takes some sleuthing to find a good deal!
Just as Lucie and Chester were about to settle for another house and write an offer, I discovered the perfect house for them; one that fit their needs much better. This property had been on the market for 20 days (a long time in the Seattle market!) and had been pending inspection when the buyer had got cold feet (so said the listing agent, of course one always wonders if there is something wrong with the house when that happens!). Plus, the list price had been reduced by $12,000. We were leery.
But after previewing it for my buyers, I reconsidered. It was a great house, with a lot of updates, including a remodeled kitchen and bathroom and a brand-new gas furnace.
It seemed a little too good to be true for a spacious house under $400,000 on a quiet cul-de-sac. I told them they should see it immediately, and my instinct was right. They wanted it, and their offer was accepted at the new lower list price with an inspection contingency, so they could have some breathing room.
Whew, it felt like a miracle!
Then, sure enough, the inspection uncovered a major expense.
The roof hadn’t been installed properly, and the sheathing underneath was wet, despite the roof appearing to be in good shape.
After getting some roof bids, we asked for a new roof to be paid for by the seller. The seller was very unhappy of course, having dropped the price already. She even considered taking the house off the market until the spring, when I am certain she would have been able to get a lot more money. Fortunately, I was able to persuade the listing agent to get the seller to do the work.
Luckily, we were able to negotiate a new roof paid for by the seller prior to closing, and Lucie and Chester had a cool mid-century with a brand-new roof, just in time for Christmas!
“We can’t say enough wonderful things about Serena,” said Lucy. “She is extremely knowledgeable, honest, hardworking and truly cares about her clients. She held our hand when we needed it, nudged us when it was necessary and walked us through, step-by-step, to make sure we had a positive first time home buying experience. We were blessed to have her on our team!”
