Achieving Buyer Success in Gainesville’s Heritage Hunt, Again
There are some well traveled Gainesville neighborhoods in my real estate business. One that comes up again and again is the active adult community of Heritage Hunt. By its sheer size, it is no surprise Heritage Hunt gets a lot of activity. Heritage Hunt is so big it is its own voting precinct!
Earlier this year, I helped buyers who had narrowed down their search to Heritage Hunt after over a year of house hunting. I also helped not one, but two Heritage Hunt condo owners sell their units in 2021. What I was not expecting on the morning of October 3rd was a phone call from a colleague with a Heritage Hunt single family home for sale, that had encountered interested buyers that wanted to make an offer on her listing. The only thing they needed was an agent to represent them. What an honor to be a go-to resource for a colleague who needed to place unrepresented buyers with a an agent. I was on it.
It wasn’t hard to jump into action on this one. As it turns out, when the call came in I was en route to Heritage Hunt to show property to another buyer-client. What was unusual was that of the interested buyer couple, one had seen the property courtesy of my colleague (the listing agent,) the previous day. After discussing it with his wife, the decision to make an offer was made.
The listing agent let me know that there was a very attractive offer on the table. Without having specifics, I knew my newly acquired buyer-clients would need to put their best foot forward. In explaining what that meant in an offer, they were all in. Turns out that my new buyer-clients won the property. The biggest challenge was simply going to be managing inspections and contractor quotes with buyers who were out of state. Again, not a problem.
Home inspectors were provided. Mr. and Mrs. Buyer chose one and I met their relatives and the inspector at the property. With only very minor issues, moving forward was easy. Now came the challenge to help these buyer-clients get their home prepped for their move. That meant hooking them up with paint and flooring contractors, as well as movers. Color and product consultations were handled via video call, choices made and work scheduled.
On Wednesday, November 17th, Mrs. Buyer was able to see the home for the very first time. She was very pleased and very excited. She is likely to be even more excited after the new flooring is completed before the first weekend of closing. Painting is happening the following week while their moving truck is making its way from Colorado. I’m as excited to see their choices in action as they are.
Buying a home may be a process that takes some buyers longer than others. It doesn’t matter. No matter how long the process, I am here to help make it as smooth as possible. If you have been considering a move to Heritage Hunt, or any other location in the Gainesville area, get in touch with me. Helping my buyer-clients find and settle into home is one of my greatest delights.
What a view! Taken from the Heritage Hunt Clubhouse looking to the outdoor pool.
Buyer Success in Heritage Hunt
In September 2019, I was connected with a couple looking to purchase in the Active Adult community of Heritage Hunt in Gainesville, VA. This amenity filled community has tons to offer, including a variety of housing. From condos to attached villas and varying sizes of detached single family homes, there is something for every fifty-five plus buyer. Like so many buyers I have helped before, this couple was looking to relocate from out of state to be closer to their daughter and new grandchild. Heritage Hunt seemed the perfect place to land.
Upon our first conversation, it sounded as though the buyers wanted to be even closer to their daughter, who lived inside the beltway. So a conversation of what you could get in Alexandria vs. Gainesville started a house hunt that involved myself and another agent that was better versed at the Alexandria options. Not surprisingly, Alexandria and all of Fairfax County ended up priced out of the running over the course of the next twelve months. There was a definite lack of outdoor space in anything with a main level owner’s suite. The choices ended up being all condos in Fairfax County and my buyers wanted an attached single family home. Heritage Hunt became the focus in the Fall of 2020.
The problem with the Heritage Hunt market at the end of 2020 was that many moves that would have freed up inventory for buyers were on hold. The next step for a lot of Heritage Hunt owners is assisted living, and with the pandemic, moves into those facilities were on hold. If a single family home or attached villa came on the market, it was gobbled up immediately, or faced sky high bidding. You really had to have a lead on something before it hit the market to have a shot.
For months I worked my network of agents and uncovered one that was to come up. Because of stringent MLS rules, we didn’t know the address until right before it hit the market, but were told of the floor plan. On paper, it worked. So my buyers drove to town for an opportunity to be the first showing on a listing that none of us had any other information about. My buyers leapt, having decided that villas were for them.
They conducted an inspection during their showing, with the permission of the seller, and made an offer within an hour of their showing. Nonetheless, another offer came in, sight unseen, because the listing had been active for a couple hours during our inspection. That’s how crazy demand is in Heritage Hunt! My buyers improved their offer with a signing bonus to the seller if they would take the offer by a particular time. Sure enough, it worked. The seller chose their offer. Woo-hoo!
Today, my buyers were delighted to sign for their new Heritage Hunt attached home with a two car garage. It needs a lot of cosmetic updating, but they are more than prepared to take on that project. They know they have the perfect size place to call home and were able to get it done quickly and at a price they feel good about. A true win made possible by the power of this well connnected Gainesville Real Estate Agent.
In a seller’s market, who you hire to represent you matters in who they know and how they network. If you hire someone relying solely on what pops out of the MLS, you are in for a long haul. Knowing the players in the market is vitally important. Just as important as having a buyer’s agent that listing agents WANT to work with. In the market in Bristow or Gainesville? I am happy to put my network and reputation to work for you. Get in touch with me and let’s get started.
