When you know, you just know. How Jenny made this “love at first” story come true.

We’re always hearing stories of battle-weary Toronto home buyers facing bidding war after bidding war. We see 5 offers, 10 offers – the stories are wild and often end in tears. 

BREL agent Jenny had a consultation with a first-time Buyer. She wasn’t ready to purchase yet, but was interested in seeing what was out there. A few weeks later ,they went to an open house together, and while there, the client realized she was ready to buy – maybe even the condo she had just seen. Jenny knew her client was nervous about letting this place go but was also not 100% sure this was the one – after all, it was the only one she’d seen.

Here’s Jenny’s story:

My client was at the very beginning of her search. She was all set to offer on this condo, but was a little hesitant in knowing if she was making the right decision after only seeing one space. To help her gain confidence with her choice (either way), I booked a couple of other showings so she could have a better sense of if this was where she wanted to put down roots.

My momma told me you’d better shop around

Clients can feel a lot of pressure once they decide it’s time to make an offer to purchase. The condo she liked wouldn’t stay on the market for long. So I needed to act fast to ensure that my client felt 100% certain that she was making the right choice. One of the showings I booked was at East Liberty. 

No time like the present

When I booked this showing, I knew they were talking offers 4 hours from when we had an appointment to visit. My client still had that first condo on her mind, but I could tell from the listing that this one was a solid contender. If she saw this unit and still wanted the first one, I knew my client would feel comfortable moving forward. Neither of us expected what happened next. 

The feeling of coming home

Every buyer I work with has the list of things they tell you they are looking for, and then the list of things they are watching out for that aren’t really worth putting on paper. When my client walked into this space, she found everything on her “out loud” list and everything on “the back of her mind” list too. It was perfect for her. It had a proper kitchen, great storage, a real bedroom door, it was spacious for the price point, and it had the intangibles too – the things that made it feel ‘right.’ The other plus was that it was very close to where she was already living, so she felt safe and secure about the neighbourhood. 

Of course, it was also taking offers in less than 4 hours. Time was ticking. 

When you find “the one,” you don’t let it slip away

You know in the movies when one character is hailing a cab and desperately trying to get to the airport to stop another from getting on the plane…it was kind of like that. Many agents wouldn’t have even booked a showing knowing there would be offers just a few hours later. Thankfully for my client, I’m more of a “hold the plane” kind of person. I sprung into action.

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match

I think my hectic PR days were a good precursor for days like this! I was able to have the lawyers urgently review the status certificate. I pulled comparable sales, ran a CMA, and connected with the listing agent to get a handful of questions answered. I also kept my client’s parents, who were very involved, informed every step of the way. I prepared the offer and included a cover letter with a bit of information about my client so the buyers would know who was interested in buying their home. I explained what she had loved about the apartment and that a safe neighbourhood was extremely important. 

Sometimes it’s meant to be

After we did all the things, jumped through all the hoops, dotted the i’s, crossed the t’s and crossed our fingers too, things were out of our hands. But they were in our favour. It turned out that we were the only ones who made an offer, and we were able to negotiate a deal! If you had told me that morning that things would play out in this way, I might not have believed you. My client had a big day – she bought her first place! That is a huge accomplishment, especially for a woman on her own, and for someone of my generation. But I had a memorable day too. Now I tell new clients who are worried about ANOTHER bidding war, or other factors that might be standing between them and the home they absolutely adore “You NEVER know what might happen. So if you like it, let’s take a chance and go for it.”