Buying Your Beach and Bay Dream Home
Here’s how we can make your Coastal Living dream a reality:
I chose Marketing as the focus for my Bachelor’s Degree because, ever since I was 15, working my first job at Flower City (the Home Goods of its day), I’ve been fascinated by what makes people buy what they buy. Why does a shopper come into the shoe department, insisting on buying black suede flats & trying on every pair in the store, then end up leaving with one pair of yellow patent leather stilettos? Why does a buyer with a very specific list of equipment he wants in his brand-new Ford truck leave the car lot in a used Lime Green Pinto?
There is a sort of calculator in every buyer’s head, adding and subtracting must-haves with would-be-nice-ifs and oh-hell-nos. It’s a delicate dance of trade-offs. Knowing this helps me go beyond your stated list of features and intuit the things you don’t realize you need.
What you need is usually a feeling. To feel a certain way when you walk in. To see yourself putting towels in the linen closet, turning on the living room lamp at dusk, or waving to the neighbors. Even the most logical, pragmatic buyer is looking for something that can’t be found in a price per square foot.
For example, I was working with a buyer, a professional pilot living in Germany, retiring & returning to the states. He wanted a Gulf-facing 3 bedroom (it HAD to have 3 bedrooms) condo. When he came to town, I showed him every 3 bedroom condo on the beach & even one that was off-beach. The next morning, we were to take a second look at his favorites & make an offer. But first I took him to see a condo that he hadn’t asked to see. He reacted just as I thought he would: This was THE ONE. This was his condo. And it was a 2-bedroom!! He still lives there today. If I had been guided strictly by his list & not read between the lines & understood the feeling he wanted, he’d have settled for a condo that wasn’t THE ONE.
Thinking of selling your home and wondering what it will fetch in today’s market? Use our free INSTANT Home Valuation Tool to discover your home’s value. Simply enter your property’s address and press the “Get Report” button:
Once I understand what you’re looking for, I present properties that fit, then refine my searches based on your reaction. I am in daily contact – notifying you of new listings or price changes and educating you about things you will encounter in the home buying process (e.g., as-is contract, inspection, appraisal).
When we find your perfect home, I walk with you through the negotiation process, contract paperwork, home inspection, financing, final walk-thru & closing. I’m available via text, email, fax, or phone call so that I can take action on any issues or questions along the way.
Most Realtors come to real estate after another career. This isn’t a second career for me – I’ve always done Sales & Marketing and I began selling real estate in 2007. My husband and I own our own brokerage, Blackburn Coastal Realty, and we are focused on the real estate business full-time. It’s important to work with a full-time agent when you’re buying real estate because properties that are well-maintained and reasonably priced go under contract quickly. Part-time agents have limited availability to help you react quickly when bargain properties hit the market.
I knew I’d like showing houses & connecting buyers with their dreams. I thought I’d hate the negotiation part of the job but it turns out I love it. And I’m good at it. What I do not enjoy is the minutiae. For instance, I cannot calculate the documentary stamp tax off the top of my head. But I have an app that can. For all the other pre- and post-contract details, I pay my Transaction Coordinator who loves the minutiae! And she’s the best at it.
By the way, out-of-area buyers love working with us because we know the area so well and because we use videos to keep them in the loop during every stage of the home-buying process.
Don’t take my word for it. Listen to what our clients have to say:
“Looking for a great Realtor? Jennie Blackburn of Blackburn Coastal Realty helped us find a place fast in a very tight market. She was very impressive on all counts: knowledge of neighborhoods, walking us through each step, helping us make offers, driving places and using her camera to show us the homes’ good points and areas of concern, was extremely responsive by text, and a master at negotiation with the seller and representing realtor. She really “wowed” me with her professionalism and respect of others in the trade, (other realtors, repairpersons, Inspection staff etc), while still respectfully getting my needs presented. She treated us like we were important customers, even though we were buying at the low end of the market. We were buying from out of state and relied on her to be our eyes and ears. I sincerely believe she enjoys the details, as she often remarked with delight about a home’s plants, or tile, or color. She loves what she does. And on top of everything, she has a great sense of humor! We enjoyed every interaction! Will seriously miss her now that our house deal is closed! Try Jennie! She is all about YES, and never told us “no you can’t”.