These licensees have literally been trained to set up tripods
with blown-up neighborhood maps, color coding the sales in the
area, in order to gain new buyer and seller clients. Yet, they
convince the seller that all this extra work is for them, the seller!
Setting up multiple trip hazards in your seller's home and
then deceiving them about its purpose, is flat-out immoral.
Outrageous, when you think about it; they were hired to
protect their sellers, not bamboozle 'em!
Produced by Pat Kapowich, ABR, CRS, GRI & SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist)
Pat Kapowich for the San Jose Mercury News
Q: Twice we have waited weeks for Lenders to approve our Short-Sale purchase offers only to learn through our inspectors that the homes were not in the good condition they were purported to be. Each time we had to cancel our transaction since the distressed sellers and their banks made it clear no repairs were forthcoming. We literally lost a total of over three months waiting, plus the cost of inspections. All that our agent has to say is “third time’s a charm.” Since most of the listings in our price range are Short-Sales, what can we as Buyers do to improve our chances and reduce the time and money wasted on this protracted process?
A: As a Buyer, you shouldn’t wait for formal lender approval of your Short-Sale purchase offer to inspect the property. The following is yet another example of how inspections pay for themselves in more ways than one: Once the Buyers and the Sellers have ratified a contract, the property is listed as a Pending Sale on the MLS and the offer is forwarded to the bank(s) for lender approval. There can also be prolonged negotiations behind the scenes. That’s the time you, as a buyer, should hire an accredited Home Inspector and accompany them while he or she inspects the property. Investing hundreds of dollars and a few hours with an inspection this early in the Short Sale process could save you valuable time over weeks and months. More importantly, you can submit the inspection(s) upfront in the negotiations with the Seller’s lender(s) via the agents involved in your sale. This is the optimum time to ask for and receive any concessions for deferred maintenance. This gambit should issued while the negotiations are in the forming stages. Waiting until the protracted Short Sale negotiations have concluded to ask for repair concessions, as a last course of action, is usually a dead-end road.
10-1-01
Email your questions to SiliconValleyBroker@gmail.com
KAPOWICH REAL ESTATE is a leading real estate brokerage for buyers and sellers in Silicon Valley, providing an unparalleled level of research, education and service.
Ryan Kapowich
Technology Expert
KAPOWICH REAL ESTATE is a leading real estate brokerage for buyers and sellers in Silicon Valley, providing an unparalleled level of research, education and service. The father/son team has extensive experience in single-family and townhouse/condo buying and selling. One of their specialties is “move-up” and “down-size” transactions for clients who wish to sell a home and buy a replacement simultaneously.
Buyers: Routinely, Pat’s negotiating skills usually prove successful in multiple-offer situations. Unlike most buyers, experts agree that shopping for the right property is only the “tip of the iceberg.” Negotiating through the maze of paperwork, personalities, inspections and surprises is critical to protecting the buyer’s interest.
Sellers: We’ll invest more time and resources in the sale of your property before the FOR SALE sign goes up, than most agents will provide from start to finish. This critical preparation is to ensure that our listings will result in a sale in fewer days on the market, 30-day escrows and the best price, terms and conditions.
Referring Agents: We understand all to well the heavy responsibility of referring friends, family and clients to another REALTOR®. As lifelong residents of Silicon Valley, who regularly study the market, we can shorten the learning curve for the relocating principal by employing first-class techniques to effectuate a smooth transition.
Repeat Clients and their Referrals: Working for repeat clients and their friends, families and co-workers has been the backbone of our business for over twenty years.
Pat and his son Ryan were the best Realtors I have ever dealt with. They did both the sale of our old house (in 4 days in a Down Market with a lot of elbow grease from my wife and myself to prep based on their team’s staging recommendations) and the purchase of our new “used” home shortly thereafter. A few of the best features of Pat’s service is the expertise in contracts and hard work he puts into all the little details that can cause issues. He was able to do a Contingency Sale (a purchase based on the sale and close of our home) for us which is not common these days as well as manage through some issues we had with the house we had purchased which would have been a major headache trying to juggle them along with work. Mike K
I have just completed my third transaction with real estate broker Pat Kapowich. He is my first and only Realtor. Back in 1994 I was a very nervous first-time home buyer. Being a medical professional and lifelong renter, my real estate knowledge and experience was nil. I was referred to Pat by a relative in property management. He immediately made me feel at ease. He took the time to educate me on the entire home buying process. He found a great condo in the neighborhood I wanted, for a price I could afford. Pat then arranged and negotiated excellent terms on the sale, for no down, with seller paying closing costs.
Ten years later when the time came for me to find a larger home, Pat was the obvious choice. Everyone thought I was asking for the impossible in a multiple-offer market, buying a larger home contingent upon the sale of my condo as well as the inspections. With Pat’s expertise I knew he could do it. He supervised the inspections and preparation of my condo for the marketplace while showing me property that fit my wants and needs. Pat launched a massive marketing campaign and listed my condo on April 21, 2004. Within one week the condo was sold, above the asking price and subject to my finding a replacement home. Then on May 4th, only 14 days from listing my condo, he negotiated the purchase of the larger home I wanted contingent upon the sale and close of my current home. I am a loyal client for life.
Christine
To Whom It May Concern:
Mr. Patrick Kapowich recently represented my wife and I as our agent in the purchase of our Saratoga residence. This was a difficult transaction involving mechanic liens and pending litigation, but from our first conversation with Patrick we knew that we were dealing with an extraordinary real estate professional. When we noticed subcontractors doing work in backyards of our homes of interest, we were concerned but could not get a straight answer from any agent, until Patrick explained exactly what was happening. At that point, we felt that we had found someone aware and who we could trust. My wife is a real estate broker and has been in the real estate business for twelve years. We were planning on representing ourselves in the purchase of our new home, feeling we had not met a realtor who could provide us with significantly more service than we could provide for ourselves. For three years, we had been looking for a luxury home along the San Francisco Peninsula, coming in contact with countless real estate agents. But when we met Pat Kapowich and discussed our real estate needs with him, we knew that he had the exceptional qualities to be our realtor . . . PROFESSIONAL: Pat always presented himself in a professional manner. There were two occasions when reviewing our counteroffers, one was a company "dress down" Friday, the other a company luncheon. Even in these circumstances, it was clear that our real estate transaction was his priority. THOROUGH: At our first meeting to write up a purchase offer, Pat spent over three hours late into the night to make sure that the contract we
were to enter into was made perfectly clear to us. KNOWLEDGEABLE: Pat is well informed in all aspects of real estate, being well schooled in the technical side (real estate law, negotiation, contract writing, and zoning), and of great benefit, his knowledge of the South Bay. PROMPT and DEPENDABLE: During our two month transaction, Pat always kept us informed, addressing issues before they became problems, and maintaining a great business relationship through good communication. He provides his clients with a calendar of transaction deadlines that involve the buyer and seller. Before those deadlines, Pat made sure that everyone (title company, lender, seller, listing agent, etc.) was meeting their responsibilities. Patrick is an outstanding agent!
Sincerely, Zel and Cindy
“You stepped me through what I thought was an impossible process at this time in my life and you did it with clarity, patience and professionalism” Mildred R.
He’s Patient in educating both seller and buyer” Marvin T.
“I really feel like I have made a lasting friend. In my line of business, I have worked with several real estate agents who do not measure up to the caliber of Pat Kapowich. Pat is an impressive agent. I would not hesitate to refer friends, family and business associates to Pat Kapowich for assistance and advice with reference to the purchase of real estate” Sheral K.
“I found him to be honest and diligent. It was refreshing to work with someone with no nonsense involved. More importantly, he is knowledgeable in the field of Real Estate” Aaron G.
“He did not waste our time by showing us every house on the market. He always made a thorough pick of the listings and gave us locations to drive by, therefore narrowing the pick to a few houses for us to actually see” Kazuho & Marian K.
“We strongly feel that it was your expertise in the Real Estate market, Real Estate law and experience that enabled us to move into the home of our dreams” Satyen & Bindu S.
“His reliability, persistence and expertise enabled us to acquire property in the Silicon Valley which was previously only a dream” Peter & Ruth L.
“Without question, we found your service, knowledge of the market, contract negotiation and promptness to be head-and-shoulders above the rest” Peter M.
“When my wife and I had pregnancy problems in the middle of escrow he bent over backwards to accommodate our unique needs. He brought the title company representative to our home and worked with my grandmother to help us move at a very stressful time” Devin & Felicidad M.
“He’s knowledgeable about real estate and stays cool” Gary Z.
“Later as I saw Pat’s credential and expertise in evidence as he was quoted in newspaper articles and interviewed on television real estate programs, I realized how lucky we were in having him as our realtor. Few business people have the drive, motivation, business and personal skills that Pat displays daily” David K.
“I talked with and interviewed several agents before deciding that Pat Kapowich was the most qualified professional whom I felt would do the best job for me as both a buyer and a seller” Jeannette L.
“He explained things very well to me and he’s extremely detail-oriented” George H.
“When a suitable house was found, he presented our offer and guided us patiently through a blizzard of paperwork, explained the meaning and purpose of each document and kept us informed at each stage of negotiation. Patiently and persistently he dealt with each problem that arose until the keys of the door were in our hands. Without having his support, we would probably have become confused and discouraged” Margery H.
“We are still amazed that we found the perfect house, since we could never agree on any of the dozens we looked at earlier on our own” John & Lisa V.
“As first time buyers, we felt very fortunate to get to know you and work with you. You walked through every step of the process with us, guided us and educated us but you never pushed us one way or the other. You made us feel like we were a priority when we know for certain you are a very busy man” Senzi L.
“He knew this was a learning process and he took the time to help me learn” Richard H.
“At our first meeting to write up a purchase offer, Pat spent over three hours late into the night to make sure that the contract we were to enter into was made perfectly clear to us” Cindy S.
“He diligently worked beyond the normal call of duty, ensuring I found a home that I would be happy with and that was within my price range” Bonnie E.
“Pat used a lot of his valuable time to help me coordinate the purchase and upgrade of my home. He was always on time for meetings and never failed to return my phone calls in a timely manner. Pat even contacted the utility and water companies to prepare for the contractors that would be working on my home” Randall A
“At all times during the process, from preparing our offer until the day the house close, I felt fully informed and knew that everything was under control” Robert N.
“Pat gave me the VIP treatment. He was always there when I needed him. He gave me valuable advice and his extensive knowledge was very impressive to me” Judy Y.
“Because we were doing a long distance transaction, we knew that we needed a true professional to market and sell our property” John & Mary C.
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