Finally, Lucy and her owners have a place to call their own!

Janine Bertram and David Fulton were semi-retired and had sold their home in the country in Oregon and moved to Seattle in late October to be closer to longtime friends.

They had friends they could stay with but were anxious to find a place of their own, and their older dog Lucie was particularly antsy to settle down somewhere. I warned them that there would be fewer homes on the market as we headed into winter; on the other hand, homes come on the market for many reasons, so I told them not to get too despondent.

They were open to different styles but had to have a house with disability access and a bathroom that would accommodate a wheelchair or at least have the potential to do so. As a result, lots of stairs were out, as were steep slopes, and narrow bathrooms (of which there are many!). They were also looking for a property with rental potential to offset the higher cost of housing in Seattle.

By December they were getting discouraged by all the bidding wars going on in Seattle proper, so decided to look a little further south and even considered Port Orchard where home prices are significantly less. However, all their friends are in the Seattle area, so I felt they needed a pep talk in order to keep them from making a decision out of desperation that they would later regret.

I told them not to give up and suggested Burien as a good option as it is close to Seattle and prices are less. I provided them with a list of homes that had sold in the past six months fitting their criteria, many of which had sold for the list price and some for less, which helped them to feel more hopeful. In January, we started to see some more inventory and finally landed on a cute house that felt just right to them.

This house had come back on the market as the previous buyer had gotten cold feet, so the sellers were a bit discouraged. We acted quickly but still had to compete against an offer that was a little higher, however our terms were better and Janine and David got the house subject to inspection, which is a miracle in this market!

This gave Janine and David some time to really decide that this was the house for them. The inspection came up with a couple of issues that were of concern, the main one being electrical issues. I got a bid from an electrician, and we were able to negotiate a $5,000 credit towards their closing costs, so they could deal with the issues in their own time.

This house was in a much lower price range so they did not have to consider a tenant situation which they were very happy about, plus they had some extra money to do some desired improvements, including a hot tub in the big private back yard.

Finally, Lucy and her owners had a place to call their own!

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!”