Why Real Estate Is Like a Relay Race
In real estate, working with the wrong person can cost you a lot of money. Behind the curtain, Joe Gonzalez says, a real estate deal is a lot like a relay race, with different people passing the baton. If one person drops it, the whole deal can go sideways.
The runners in your relay
Here’s how the baton typically gets passed:
- Mortgage broker: gets you pre-approved and tells you exactly how much you can spend.
- REALTOR®: searches for your home, negotiates, and gets everything ready for closing.
- Inspectors: home inspectors, septic inspectors, water testers and more, depending on the property.
- Bank appraiser: confirms the property’s value for your lender.
- Lawyer: reviews the documents, handles title and funds, and closes the deal.
One dropped baton can hurt you
If any one person in that chain makes a mistake, misses a deadline or doesn’t communicate, it can put buyers in serious harm’s way: delayed closings, lost deposits, financing problems or a deal that falls apart. The Right Choice team has seen it happen from every angle.
How to avoid it
Find one person, your REALTOR®, who has a team of trusted professionals around them. A well-connected agent can refer you to mortgage brokers, inspectors and lawyers they trust to run their leg of the race well, from start to finish.
When sellers go above and beyond
Not every handoff is stressful. At one recent final walk-through, the sellers left the home spotless, mopped the floors and even wrote pages of notes about the home’s little quirks for the new owners. It hardly ever happens, and it’s appreciated.
Want a team that won’t drop the baton?
Call 289-276-1716 or contact us.
