Sold Stories | 5826 Oakdale Ave

5826 Oakdale Ave

People are extra busy this time of year so we’ll keep this blog post short.

The Buyers we represented were chosen as the back-up offer for a Woodland Hills fixer with pool and tennis court. 

The Agent/Buyers whose offer WAS accepted completed inspections and fought for a credit for items that required repair (mold, plumbing, roof, electric, HVAC). According to the listing agent the manner in which they made their requests “turned off the Sellers.” I wasn’t privy to all the details but it sounded like the first Buyers were “overly aggressive” and may not have made as clear a case as possible for the credit. They originally asked for $150K, then $75K, and finally $25K; all of which were rejected by the Sellers and led to a cancellation.

After our offer was accepted our investigations itemized $110,000 worth of reasonable repairs. We provided evidence, presented respectfully and the Sellers agreed to $55K. After a series of calls and emails, a $70K Seller credit was eventually negotiated. It definitely didn’t cover everything our clients wanted but it was enough to move forward with the transaction.

Tennis court and pool area in the backyard

This quarter we helped three buyers close on homes in which they were originally the back-up offer.  

Learnings: This was an interesting deal in that the Listing Agent shared the emails I wrote to him with the Seller. In this case it worked because oftentimes the agent on the other side of a deal may fail to deliver accurate and/or appropriate messages/sentiments/feelings from our side. 

Before: the kitchen before the remodel

On a separate note, in order to save the Buyers time and money we introduced them to a few contractors during the escrow process so they could start construction immediately after the close. They gutted several parts of the house (including the kitchen), completed a full re-roofing, added a new HVAC, remediated a substantial amount of mold and were able to move in exactly 50 days after the close of escrow.  

After: a look at the kitchen post remodel