The Queen of PLAN B!

We all LOVE it when things go as planned!

The buyer doesn’t elope with another agent.

The inspector doesn’t discover rabid bats living in the attic.

The seller doesn’t quibble a bit when the buyer wants to include Great Aunt Matilda’s portrait in the deal.

The appraisal comes in a whole five dollars over the offer.

The mortgage is rolling smoothly along until . . . bumpity, bump, bumpity, CRASH!

What do you mean my pre-approved buyer can no longer get the loan?!

With all the new rules and regulations in the mortgage industry, it is sometimes not easy to keep a deal together till closing. It is especially difficult when the buyer is on the edge . . . a little short on the down payment, a little shaky on the credit score, a little too close to a past bankruptcy, a little too tight on the debt/income ratio. Sometimes even the tiniest change in the buyer's life or the lending rules can wreak havoc! When the deal is a week away from closing and the wheels fall off the wagon, what do you do?

Go to Plan B, of course!

If you want to buy a house in the Spokane area, I know a mortgage lender who is the QUEEN of PLAN B!

Robyn Garlich-Baird is our in-house, home loan officer and this lady is one tough cookie when it comes to getting the deal to the closing table. She perseveres through the most difficult transactions. In a recent sale, my pre-approved buyer was suddenly too high a risk for a certain bank just one week before closing! She hunted down a whole new loan to make it work. Happy ending for all, except maybe the three trees she killed with that stack of paperwork! :)

A few weeks ago, I went into a local gift shop and saw this mug . . . had to buy it for Robyn as she instantly came to mind. As I was opening my front door, the bag with the mug in it fell to the ground and the handle shattered. Darn! I threw it in the trash! A few minutes later I went back and dug it out . . .after all, isn't Plan B really a test of character? So, I filed the sharp spot where the handle had broken off and gave it to Robyn anyway . . . filled with a few little bottles of "give me strength" juice . . . just in case she ever needs to go to Plan C!