Shortly after baby Scarlett was born, Emily and Tino found themselves looking for a new home. Although their two bedroom, three story Seattle townhouse (with a super-cool floating staircase!) was perfect for a young couple, they were finding that the layout wasn't practical for a growing family. It was time for something bigger that would be baby... toddler... and eventually kid-friendly.

They reached out to Eva for help -- to both find and buy a new family-centric home, as well as to sell their current house. As she does with every new client, Eva began by asking questions and carefully listening to the answers. She learned that for Emily and Tino, it wasn't just about the layout of the house, it was also about the location: neighborhood safety was a top-tier priority, as well as a close proximity to nature (or, at the very least, parks). Being close to urban shops and restaurants was also high on their wish-list. Eva encouraged them to factor school-ratings into the equation as well - because even though kindergarten was 5 years down the line, it would be there before they knew it. 

The Path to the Perfect Home

The search started in Seattle proper, targeting neighborhoods like Green Lake, Ballard, Magnolia and of course their beloved Queen Anne. As a tech-exec, Tino is very data-driven, and both he and Emily appreciated Eva's pre-offer statistical analysis of each property: she would not only provide an of-the-moment comparative market analysis, but would also analyze how far over asking price other homes sold for in that micro-neighborhood. This approach both laid the foundation of their offer strategy, and enabled Tino and Emily to make informed decisions.  

Tino and Emily submitted their first offer on a Green Lake 1980s home that needed updating, but even with a competative offer, they were beat out by all cash (in this hot market, that can happen). They nearly offered on another home just north of Green Lake, but at the 11th hour Emily and Tino decided against it: they just didn't feel right about the neighborhood. Eva fully supported this decision, encouraging them to follow their intuition, because, in her words, "You can change a lot about a house, but not the location." 

At that point, Eva suggested they expand their search area to include neighborhoods where you can get more bang for your buck. And that's what brought them to West Seattle.

The Winning Offer

When they walked into their West Seattle home for the first time, Emily and Tino instantly knew it was the home for them. The house was everything they could have ever dreamed for, and more. In addition to being in an ideal location, it had a perfect open floor plan, amazing built-ins, high ceilings, even barn doors! AND it was on one of the few dead-end streets in West Seattle. 

Eva knew it was going to be a very appealing house to a lot of people, and she was right. Emily and Tino were one of 8 offers. They came in aggressively, and were practically “tied” with two other offers. Eva kept very close to the Listing Agent, hour by hour. He encouraged them to waive financing to win the bid, but neither Eva nor Emily and Tino felt comfortable with that. Instead, Eva suggested they offer a shorter closing day. That, along with the fact that Emily and Tino sent a “love letter” (not to mention that the Listing Agent had met them at the open house and was charmed by Scarlett), they won the house over 7 other offers!

Time to Sell the Townhouse!

As soon as Emily, Tino and baby Scarlett moved into their new West Seattle home, Eva jumped into action to list their Seattle townhouse. She recommended painting the interior white to neutralize some of the statement walls, refinishing the front door (since that’s the first thing a buyer sees), and getting a Seller-procured pre-inspection. (The latter is important because it shows buyers that the seller is completely willing to show EVERYTHING about the house -- from the roof, right down to the electrical and plumbing. Emily and Tino wanted to sell quickly, and removing the pre-inspection barrier helps to speed things along.) Finally, Eva had the home staged beautifully.

The home was on the market for 7 days: it was listed on a Wednesday, and they held out for an offer review deadline the following Wednesday. Emily and Tino received multiple offers, and ended up getting 11% over asking price (Eva was even able to negotiate 10K above the highest bid in the final negotiations) with waived contingencies and a short close.