“Homes in the Charlotte-area go under contract very quickly, you have to be ready to move fast if you see a house you want to see. Since we lived in Maine, we missed out on several houses because they were under contract before we could visit them. When we found a home online that we were interested in our daughter with our Realtor, Shannon Lynch would go look at it for us in person and use FaceTime to “show” us the house.” ~ Claudia Sait

What does providing exceptional customer service really mean? To a Savvy + Co. Real Estate agent, it means making the process of buying or selling a home easy, enjoyable, and positive. It means providing new homebuyer education courses, working with the most caring and knowledgeable agents in the industry, and continuing to go above and beyond for each and every client no matter the market conditions.

It means forming meaningful and trusting relationships when working with clients who are moving to a new city and state with specific criteria! Claudia & David Sait wanted to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren, so they turned to Savvy + Co. agent Shannon Lynch to help them find the perfect home. From Maine to Matthews, the Saits are ready to call the Queen City home.

Read more about their Savvy experience!

Time to make a move

David and Claudia are retired and lived in Maine all of their lives. They have been in their current home for over 30 years. They knew they wanted to move closer to their daughter and her family in Charlotte, as well as be able to enjoy a milder winter. Once they decided to move south, the Saits already knew the perfect realtor to call.

“Shannon Lynch helped both our daughter and her in-laws buy homes in the Charlotte area, and they both highly recommended her,” says Claudia.

The Saits had specific criteria for their new home. For starters, the house needed to be within a 20-minute drive of their daughter’s home in South Charlotte. Next, they were looking for acreage! Their home in Maine sits on 14 acres, so downsizing was going to be an adjustment! They wanted at least one acre. Finally, they wanted to be near things. Top of the list was to be close to a library, and have the option to walk to nearby restaurants, shops, etc.

Trust and technology

With the Saits still living in Maine, and with limited travel due to COVID-19, the Saits missed out on a few homes because they couldn’t be there in person for showings.

Eventually, the Saits would have to trust Shannon, their daughter, and technology to find their dream southern home. ”

“If they found a home they were interested in, I would set up a showing appointment and their daughter, Leslie, and I would check it out for them, ” says Shannon. “We would FaceTime them and show them the positive features, as well as any issues that would potentially come up during inspection. They had a good feel for what they wanted so we didn’t waste time looking at places that didn’t meet their criteria. We probably looked between 10-12 homes.”

In addition to staying in regular communication with Shannon, the Saits also stayed in contact with their Charlotte lender, attorney, inspector, and subcontractors to get estimates on necessary repairs. They reviewed all the documents and went over them with Shannon over ZOOM calls.

Love at first sight

After searching online for seven months and looking at three homes, the Saits found ‘the one’!

“The house was the type of house that I wanted with the land my husband wanted,” says Claudia. “And it was located in our favorite town in the area, Matthews.”

The house met all of their criteria. It was close to their daughter, a short drive to the library and close to shops and restaurants. And here is the kicker – the house sits on four acres on a private road in the back of a subdivision.

The Saits seeing their new home for the first time!

Why the agent/buyer relationship is critical

While searching home listings online, Claudia finally found their dream home.

“You know when you really like something and your heart does a little flip? That’s how it was when we saw the house,” says Claudia. “I immediately texted my daughter and Shannon about the house, but it already had a tentative contract on it.”

Just when the Saits were about to throw in the towel on their search, their daughter called them to let them know that the original contract fell through! The seller’s agent remembered Shannon and the interest she expressed on behalf of her clients and called her to let her know that the house was still available. Shannon and Leslie went to view the home and everyone, including the Saits on FaceTime, agreed it was perfect.

“After viewing the home, I called the Listing Agent to ask what was important to the sellers so we would have a better chance of getting our offer accepted,” says Shannon. “I was told that the sellers wanted extra time to close since this would be their first move in decades and had to clean everything out. Since the Saits were in a similar situation in Maine, we said no problem.”

Shannon and the Saits submitted a full price offer later that evening.

“It was Shannon and this personal touch that makes all the difference,” says Claudia. “It was a whirlwind romance and seven hours later we had a signed contract.”