How Sacramento Buyer's Agents Can Make or Break a Buyer's Offer

In a perfect world, a buyer's agent submits the buyer's offer to the listing agent; the listing agent sends that offer to the seller, the seller signs and returns the offer to the listing agent who, in turn, forwards the executed contract to the buyer's agent. Yet, in the world of Sacramento real estate, what goes on in the middle really determines whether the buyer's offer gets accepted. And this is where buyer's agents sometimes mess up.

The hard, cold fact is it's often the listing agent who determines whether a buyer's offer is accepted. Sure, it's the seller's ultimate decision, but sellers look to their listing agents for advice and guidance. Often, the listing agent directs the outcome, which is why it's very important for a buyer to choose the right buyer's agent.

Some buyer's agents act like a bull in a China shop. Those types erroneously believe that being pushy will help to get the buyer's offer accepted. You get further with honey than with vinegar, my mom used to say. Buyer's agents who alienate the listing agent don't stand a chance -- I learned that lesson decades ago.

Here is a funny story to illustrate that point. I have changed the names to protect everybody's identity. Jonathan had his heart set on buying a home in East Sacramento. It's a seller's market, with little inventory and a lot of buyers vying for the same homes, which means multiple offers. Nevertheless, I found a home in East Sacramento that I felt was perfect for him. Jonathan had reservations about it.

He didn't like the siding. The home did not have central heat and air. The pest inspection showed Section 1 work. That was enough to dissuade Jonathan from even looking at it. Jonathan was looking at the glass as half empty. Ever the optimistic one, I, of course, viewed the glass as half full. Because I saw other factors in that home that compensated for the drawbacks. Overly compensated. Plus, the location was ideal.

The home was priced above Jonathan's comfort level, however. So, I called the listing agent to ask if her sellers might possibly consider an offer that was substantially less than the asking price. We chatted for a while. Very nice listing agent, personable and amusing. She told me the sellers had received a lowball offer, and they could not reach an agreement with that particular buyer. So, she encouraged me to submit.

I showed Jonathan the home on Wednesday. To say he immediately fell in love with the home would be to put it mildly. He was enchanted. It was in the 90s outside, and the window AC unit wasn't running, yet it was very cool inside the home. I suggested that Jonathan sit down in the living room, enjoy the view through the windows. We talked. I addressed potential drawbacks and essential positives. Jonathan wrote an offer.

The following day the listing agent emailed to say the first set of buyers were back on the scene. Those buyers had submitted another offer and now the 2 buyers were only a few hundred dollars apart.

Since I had established a previous rapport with the listing agent, I knew she had a good sense of humor. I emailed her. "Screw the other buyers and go with my guy," I pleaded. "My buyer is a good egg. His girlfriend just broke her shoulder bone playing tennis. Have some pity."

The listing agent immediately emailed back: "I'd rather go with your buyer because you have much more personality." My buyer got the house! True story. Gosh, I love this business.