Denver's Newest Homeowners: Jake & Leeann!

I was connected to Jake and Leeann through my very first client (Thank you for the referral, Hannah)!

In our first phone call I discovered that Jake and Leeann had already found the home they wanted to submit an offer on and were pre-approved by a lender! I checked out the home online and scheduled a showing to tour it in person the next day.

It was a beautifully updated townhome with an attached garage, in a quiet neighborhood, that backed up to open space. It was truly a perfect fit for their needs and there was no competition.

That evening I drafted up a reasonable offer and, without countering, the seller signed it within twenty minutes. We couldn't believe our luck! So far, this had been the easiest deal of my career. We scheduled our inspection for a few days later and reconvened at the property to discuss the report.

Overall, the home was in pretty good condition, but there was a kicker... My badass inspector friend, Farrah Crosbie, with House 2 Home Inspection had discovered signs of structural damage in the crawl space and more indicators of structural issues in the door frames of the bedrooms. The sewer line was also broken and in need of repair. We passed along the inspection findings to the listing agent and seller, both of whom agreed to address the issues, but the signs of structural damage in a newer build raised a serious red flag for us all. As heartbreaking as it was, my clients made the smart decision to walk away from the home and continue the house hunt.

I was optimistic that we would still be able to find them a great home, but the market had undeniably made a sharp u-turn back into a seller's market. I coached my clients to prepare themselves for more competition as we started touring new homes, but even I was taken aback by how hard the shift hit us. We toured many different townhomes and condos, made adjustments to their search criteria, and wrote up competitive offers on two other properties, neither of which we won.

Jake and Leeann's lease renewal was coming up and we were running out of homes to tour. We began to pivot to looking off market when I received a call from an agent at a property we offered on a few weeks prior. We'd initially lost the deal by a few thousand dollars, but the first buyer fell out of contract and we had an opportunity to resubmit our offer.

Just like that, we were under contract again! This beautifully updated condo truly checked ALL of the boxes for Jake and Leeann with 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, a huge walk-in closet, brand new appliances, a wood burning fireplace, a large patio, AND a 2-car garage complete with extra storage.

But the fun doesn't stop there. This home had a doozy of an inspection. We sat down with Pillar to Post inspector, Mike, to review his findings and we were stunned with a long list of items that would need to be repaired or replaced, including a break in the sewer line, mold spots, pests in the crawl space, and an outdated electrical system, to name a few. It was very important to Leeann, Jake, and myself that these items be addressed by the seller and the HOA prior to move in and we had to fight HARD to have our needs met. The seller did not want to accommodate my clients biggest concern, mitigating the mold, and kept giving us the run around. With just a few hours to finalize our inspection resolution, my clients were prepared to walk away from this property. I called the agent to let her know we would be terminating and she asked for one more chance to talk some sense into the seller.

The negotiations were brutal, but they paid off. I am so proud of my first time buyers for standing strong in their decision to ask for all of the major health and safety items on the inspection. We walked away from inspections with all of our requests met, PLUS they threw in the washer and dryer for free. Yeehaw!

In the end, my clients secured this home at a great price, with a full home warranty, updated electrical panel, mold and pest mitigation, a furnace repair, a garauntee from the HOA to repair the roof and sewer line, and extra seller concessions (AKA free money) to put towards repairs and maintenance in the future.

It's not always easy being a homeowner, but getting your foot through the door of Denver's booming housing arena can pay off in big ways. I am beaming with pride at Leeann and Jake's tenacity to secure a home in one of the hottest real estate markets in the nation.

To Jake and Leeann - congratulations on purchasing your first property! I know you two will make this house a beautiful home and I can't wait to see what you've done with the place soon.

Finally, a big thank you is owed to Cameron Cook of CSI Mortgage Design for providing a seamless experience on the financial side of this transaction. It takes a lot for a lender to gain my trust, which is why I so often connect buyers with my own lending referral partners. I was VERY impressed with Cameron's professionalism, work ethic, and communication throughout this process.

I look forward to working another deal with him in the future!