I’ve been fortunate throughout my personal and professional life to have some really great mentors. It has been invaluable to know experienced, trusted advisors who are willing to share their experience and knowledge, answer questions and suggest creative solutions. As my own career progressed, I’ve tried to give back to others in the same way.
When we started the Staples of Home project, I realized early that I needed to expand my circle of mentors and get some experts in this new field.
After all, buying and selling homes is one of the most stressful decisions you can make, with dozens of articles on how the process can actually hurt your marriage.
Shelly and I have bought and sold several houses during our married life together, and we can attest to how stressful the process can be, between the long and complicated process, the competing priorities and agendas of people involved, the paperwork, not to mention the finances. Add to that a complete renovation that we wanted to take on ourselves and we knew we would need help.
We knew this specific project would entail at least three such transactions: buying a project home, selling our current home and eventually, selling the project home someday too! We wanted to find an expert in the industry to help guide us not only through these transactions, but hopefully mentor us along our journey to ensure we come out the other side not only married friends, but with a home that is attractive to potential buyers and without losing our shirts!
We have several friends in the real estate business, but once again we felt awkward asking them for help, even though we knew they would be happy to jump in. Our good friends and neighbors moved last summer, and we really liked the way their home was listed and sold, so we reached out to them and asked for a referral. They gave us a hearty recommendation for the Sue and Chris Linnerooth, so we called them up and scheduled time to go chat with them.
I remember going to meet with them that first time. I came up with a list of questions to ask them… I had been reading books on real estate and knew that this was my chance to interview them…like I would an employee or a partner who I wanted to do business with. They completely disarmed me with their mix of quick wit and salesmanship (Sue) and strategic thinking and know-how (Chris). They are both straight shooters, unafraid to give you their professional opinion without sugar coating it, but without sounding harsh or uncaring. I’ve found this to be a pretty rare combination!
At the time, we had a different house in mind for our project, and they tirelessly worked to land us that house. I was impressed with them from that very first meeting. There have been several times throughout the process when, despite it not being in their own self-interest, they’ve given us the guidance we needed to hear, even if we didn’t like it. We really appreciate their integrity and care for our long term success over just landing a deal.
Unfortunately the first house we brought to them as a project was not meant to be, nor the others that followed. We also asked them about a home in our own neighborhood which came up for sale, but they told us that it was already under contract and unavailable. The market in Duvall is insanely hot, with only a few homes for sale at any given time and at record high levels. Several months passed by, and we gave up for a time, thinking perhaps this project just wouldn’t happen.
One day, completely out of the blue, Sue texted me to let me know that the home in our neighborhood was coming back on the market. Intrigued, I asked her for more details and she gave me the limited facts she had and then explained that she was on her way to New Orleans to surprise Chris on his birthday. All their adult kids were joining them for a once in a lifetime surprise birthday! But not to worry, she said, she would send a friend to help us figure out whether it was a good fit for our project. Within hours her friend reached out and we began our exploration.
The home in our neighborhood was a HUD home, abandoned and owned by the government so the process was a little different than your typical real estate sale. I felt guilty emailing them while they were away with family, but I had questions about the transaction and really hoped to get a few minutes of their time via email as I knew they would give it to me straight.
I was shocked when she suggested we chat that evening on the phone, and sure enough they both dialed in that evening from New Orleans to consult with us. We spent almost an hour discussing the transaction and before hanging up she explained that they would be going on a cruise ship the next morning and wouldn’t have easy access to the phone or internet, but would check in when possible if we had further questions.
I was astonished. If you know the Linnerooths, you know they aren’t hurting for business as they sell a lot of homes in this area. You also know from meeting with them that they are on top of their game, they hold a high standard for every one of their listings in order to achieve the best results for their clients. Being busy, demanding excellence and taking a well deserved vacation are not typically factors compatible with going out of your way to spend valuable family time to help a naive couple buy a project house, but that is what they did for us. It spoke volumes about their care for us as people, not just as clients.
We worked the remainder of the deal with her friend and submitted the bid. A few days later, the news came back: we had lost the bid. :(
We were pretty bummed, and figured it was just not meant to be. Once again, we considered finding something else to do with our time.
The following weekend I got another text from Sue: the house had fallen through a third time and was coming back on the market!
Once again, the Linnerooth’s follow through and dedication paid off! We put in another bid and crossed our fingers… days passed. And then the news: we had won the bid! Thank heavens for their persistence, without their attention to detail and responsiveness we would definitely have missed out on this deal!
If you’re ever looking for an honest realtor who will help you buy or sell a home in this area, we know several who we would recommend. Based on our experience working this project with them, however, we wholeheartedly recommend Sue and Chris for their high degree of professionalism, excellent communication and customer care. You can find their contact info here: http://linneroothteam.withwre.com/profile/the-linnerooth-team