First let’s address the elephant in the room. First home owners think they can’t afford a buyer’s agent, and seasoned investors think they don’t need one. To date, I’ve been guilty of labouring under both mammoth misconceptions… that was, until I met Jen Storey.
I asked Jen to take on the “simple” task of negotiating on a little unit in Manly on my behalf. It was a discretionary purchase of a rarely available unit in the iconic Kilburn building. With distracting, eye-watering view over Manly, this deceased estate under a pending probate was to be sold by two grieving daughters in the eye of the Covid storm. This sale was laden with emotional dynamite, making it hard to read and volatile to handle.
To my request, Jen responded immediately. She met me the same day. First Jen sought to understand me, my family, our property portfolio, our motivation and our “must-have“ factor. Then, she sought to understand the property.
Over the next two weeks, Jen lived and breathed the task of acquiring this property. Jen’s purpose and persona was as if it was her purchase, for her family and with her money. She undertook the tasks of multiple visits, in-depth market research and understanding the mindset of the vendor and the agent. As part of her military campaign, Jen performed a video property inspection. As mesmerising as the blurred hands of a Rubik’s cube champion, Jen rapidly unravelled the hidden nuances of the unit.
Jen was unbelievably generous with her time, expertise, advice, patience and pounce - far beyond her defined brief and reasonable fee. What Jen is not paid to do is to bear the emotional cross that comes with any purchase. And she did.
This unit did come to auction as Jen predicted, despite earnest pre-auction negotiations. In preparation for this, Jen had a number of “psychotherapy” sessions with us to work out our “walk away and be happy for the other buyer” price.
On the day of the auction, in true ”Art of War” style, we knew the victory of purchase was ours, even before the auctioneer began winding up for his welcome. Such was the nous of Jen.
What’s the take home message? Don’t just use a buyer’s agent, use Jen Storey