A Special Memorial Day to Celebrate for Wounded American Veteran
What an honor to be referred a relative of a fellow ActiveRain member - and an even bigger honor when that agent's family member is a wounded American war veteran. I can't say thank you enough - and you know who you are - for the honor of being able to assist this wonderful family in buying their new home in the Charlotte area.
I wanted to share the story of this incredible family...
We first met by phone, had a fabulous conversation and agreed to meet after their long flight, arriving early morning on a Saturday in early April. They decided, last minute, to bag the Saturday showings - they were exhausted from traveling and would just drive around and then meet up on Sunday to tour homes Sunday and Monday.
Instead, they drove around, discovering the different areas of Charlotte that I had mapped for them - communities that would suit their needs, based on schools and their lifestyle. They very quickly realized that Fort Mill, SC was for them!
Blue skies, front porches and roaming sidewalks give way to one of the most coveted addresses in the Charlotte area - Fort Mill, SC. It's all about the lifestyle...
Late afternoon on Saturday, they discovered their perfect neighborhood in Fort Mill, communicating by phone with me during their tour. After we spoke, they decided to stop in at an Open House in that perfect neighborhood. They let the agent hosting the open house know that they already had an agent. Little did they know that they were touring a home in a RED HOT neighborhood that would go under Contract within the first day on the market...and that they were going to fall in love and need to compete for this house if they wanted it!
They phoned me from the house and said that it was packed with people and they thought they might have to go ahead and make an Offer, based on what the agent covering the open house had told them. Honestly, I was hoping they would fall for something a little less popular, knowing that they would be purchasing a home with a VA loan but, hey, I'm always up for a challenge!
The Offer
I reviewed the comparables and asked if they could meet me at my office or I could go to them at their hotel - either one. They asked if I could send them the documents to sign because the children were exhausted and needed a nap! No problem, we discussed the legal documents, the comparables and spent as much time as we could, discussing our strategy. We knew we had limited time but, would get that Offer in under the wire as we now had a deadline with multiple Offers already on the table - 'at least a dozen,' according to the listing agent.
Going in strong was our only option BUT, we still had that VA loan 'stigma' to contend with. The lender was able to get us the amended pre-approval to submit with the Offer and we got all docs signed and submitted. I phoned the agent and literally begged him to talk to me back before presenting my clients' Offer!
With my buyers' permission, I explained to the listing agent, who my client was and that I could assure him that this loan WOULD CLOSE as they were fully pre-approved and well-qualified. Thankfully, I knew the agent and knowing that he had a soft spot in his heart for veterans also, I asked him to please pass this information on to his sellers with our Offer.
The following morning, I received a call from the buyers that they had to leave Charlotte emergently but, to please keep them posted on their Offer. Of course, I would and did - they WON the bid! This fabulous Fort Mill home would soon be THEIRS!
Upon arrival back to California, they over-nighted checks and began working on their loan. Inspections took place - with a review of the very few issues via FaceTime, the repairs were all made and the Closing was scheduled. The appraisal came in on-target and no VA appraiser requests for repairs, prior to Closing, were made!
At the last minute, the buyer found that he would not be able to fly coast-to-coast to attend Closing so, the lender and the attorney agreed to do a mail-away Closing for the buyer. The problem that arose during this process was that the buyers found that Notary Publics in their area (Sacramento, CA) are not cheap - the quotes they were getting were $15/signature! And, we all know how many signatures there are on loan and attorney documents!
ActiveRain's Q&A To the Rescue!
I posed a question in the Q&A section to CA members who could recommend someone cheaper - perhaps a Title company, etc. The email responses were overwhelming and the winning Title company was one that John Meussner recommended.
Yesterday, the representative from US Certified Signers went to my buyers' home, Skyped with our local attorney, Craig Johannesmeyer and his amazing paralegal, Andrew Sawyer, and had the documents signed, sealed and over-nighted back to the attorney's Fort Mill office!
The cost?
The California Title company charged a whopping $150 for the documents - about 1/10th of the cost that the Notary Publics were going to charge!
The Closing attorney in Fort Mill (as do most) charges a hefty 'double-fee' for mail-away Closings due to the number of errors, back-and-forths and simply double-work to get the documents back to the attorney, correct and approved by the lenders. I explained the situation to the attorney - not only did they agree to virtually meet with the Title company in CA to over-see the Closing, ascertaining that all documents were accurately returned but, they waived the additional charges for mail-away. And, to seal the deal with the respect that our veterans deserve, they sent the label and paid for the overnight return costs for the package - at no cost to the buyers!
A Happy Ending
All of this was done 'from a distance' relying on technology and lots of video calls - I even did the walk-through yesterday via FaceTime! The Closing was completed and the deal was sealed with recordation today. The best part, the buyers have Closed on their home in California and are traveling to Fort Mill on Sunday via a red-eye flight, arriving very early in the morning on Monday...Memorial Day.
How fitting for this to be this wonderful veteran and his family's first night in their new home!
They will always remember Memorial Day, 2017.
THIS is why I love this business - how incredibly special to be a part of a transaction where each and every party to the transaction showed their patriotism and thankfulness to our veterans - even if it was but, a single veteran. Everyone let he and his family know just how special they are to us.
Everyone, without even thinking about it, bent over backwards to make this happen for them. We all realize that our efforts truly pale in comparison to what this wonderful man has done for our country and the physical, mental & family sacrifices he made for us - and our freedoms.
How apropos that this all will culminate with their move-in on Memorial Day!
© Debe Maxwell | The Maxwell House Group | CharlotteBroker@icloud.com | Fort Mill Home SOLD to Wounded American Veteran
(THE best Charlotte home search available - no kidding!)
Charlotte NC Real Estate Agents
Debe Maxwell, Realtor®/Broker/CRS
CharlotteBroker@icloud.com
Direct: (704) 491-3310
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