A Kennewick First-Time Buyer Keeps It In the Family (and Gets a Great Deal!)

In real estate, we often talk about how our clients become like family. Helping Maggie buy her first home earlier this year felt like that, and for good reason: She’s the third member of her family that I’ve had the pleasure of helping with their real estate needs!

I’ve helped Maggie’s parents on both the buying and selling side, and a couple of years ago, I helped her brother and his wife find their first home — which was actually the home he grew up in, that I’d sold for his family years before! But that’s a story for another blog post….

So when Maggie was ready to plant roots of her own, she knew who to call. And I was thrilled that she reached out to me!

She’s a smart, driven young woman who understands the value of homeownership — and family. Maggie’s price range would have allowed her to buy a brand-new home, but that would have taken her farther away from her parents and brother. So, we focused our home search on just a few Kennewick neighborhoods.

Sure enough, we found a charming older home with great bones and a lot of potential that would keep her close to family!

Negotiating a Great Deal

The home we found had only been on the market for six days. Normally, when you’re writing an offer on a house that’s new to the market, you should expect to pay full price — or sometimes more, if it’s a great home in a hot neighborhood.

But in this case, I knew we could make an offer below the asking price.

Why? Because the neighborhood isn’t one that buyers typically flock to, and I knew the 1976-built home wasn’t going to fly off the shelf.

So we wrote Maggie’s offer at about $9,000 under the original list price. The sellers countered at $5,000 under the list price…and Maggie accepted! I was glad that my knowledge and experience as a Kennewick Realtor® led to a great win and helped save her about $4,000!

A Big Day for the Family

As a first-time buyer, Maggie had the usual questions during the rest of the homebuying process: What happens next? Am I missing anything? Should I be doing more? She was thoughtful and curious throughout the whole process, and I loved guiding her through each step.

One of my favorite moments was when she asked, “Is it too late to ask the seller to include a home warranty?” It wasn’t, and that became the one thing we requested during the inspection negotiations. No fuss, no drama.

On closing day, the timing had to be just right because she was headed straight from getting her keys to her brother’s gender reveal party (it’s a girl!). Talk about a big day for the whole family!

I love helping first-time buyers, and it’s an extra honor when I get to serve the same family over the years.

Can I Help You, Too?

If you’re thinking about buying your first (or next!) home, I’d love to help. Get in touch anytime. Use the email form or send me a text via the TEXT US option below. I’m here when you’re ready. (And I’ll be happy to help your whole family when they’re ready, too!)

Summary: This case study illustrates how Kennewick Realtor® Cari McGee helped a first-time homebuyer save $4,000 by writing and negotiating a successful offer on a newly listed home in Kennewick, WA.