“We saw 17 houses in two and a half days. Susan went out of her way to do FaceTime tours and saw houses for us when we couldn’t physically be there. We made an offer on the house we bought having seen it only through a FaceTime tour.” – Kristen
Susan Hill, NC REALTOR®
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 around the corner or more than 3,000 miles across the country! Jason and Kristen Spires learned all about the Savvy + Co. difference when working with agent Susan Hill. The Spires have two young daughters and decided to move from the West Coast to Charlotte to raise their family. They were also first-time homebuyers moving to a new city!
With Susan’s help, creativity, resourcefulness and accessibility, the Spires have made their first “home sweet home” in Stallworth and are thrilled to now call themselves Charlotteans.
Read more about their Savvy experience!
Time to make a move
Jason and Kristen Spires decided to move back to the Southeast from San Francisco, where they had been renters for the last six years. With two little girls born 11 months apart, they wanted to be closer to their families and find the right city to raise their girls and plant roots as a family. After visiting Charlotte, Jason and Kristen knew it was the perfect place to settle in for the long-term, and they immediately started the process to find a home.
Home buying 3,000 miles away
While currently living in San Francisco, Jason and Kristen knew looking for a home in Charlotte would be extremely challenging. They wanted to find an experienced agent who knew the market and area, but also one who understood their needs and priorities. “We needed an agent that we could trust to be our eyes and ears while we were 3,000 miles away,” says Jason. “Susan Hill came highly recommended by a connection we had in the area, and after one email and FaceTime, she immediately provided us with information that was relevant to us and connected us with resources to provide additional answers around things such as schools.”
With Jason working from home, the Spires needed somewhere with a home office option while also giving the girls room to play inside and out during the day. A yard and outdoor space where they could both entertain and let their dog Penny out were must-haves, including a guest room and an open, updated kitchen and family room area for spending time with family and friends. Despite not having much knowledge of Charlotte’s neighborhoods, they did know that they wanted to be in an area with charm and character while also having good public school options.
“We came to Charlotte for a weekend where Susan did an incredible job of showing us different neighborhoods, homes and giving us a true feel for the city and what we could find in each area with our budget. The house we found was in the school zone we wanted, and it was move-in ready but also gave us options to update and customize certain rooms (or the unfinished basement) to meet our needs going forward,” says Kristen. “We had such trust and chemistry with Susan that we had no hesitations after having only seen it through her phone lens via a FaceTime tour and hearing her describe the home and neighborhood.”
Behind the scenes
Behind the scenesJason and Kristen put a bid on the house which already had multiple offers, but Susan’s expertise and tips helped make their offer stand out.
“The seller chose another offer initially, after asking us for guarantees that neither Susan nor we were comfortable putting into any offer. They ended up coming back to us, at which time we not only got the home but also were able to ask for a few other items to be thrown in such as a home warranty and certain appliances to stay in the house. We were ecstatic and were so thankful for Susan’s guidance,” says Jason.
“This was by far one of the most unique home buying experiences I’ve ever been a part of,” says Susan. “For starters, my clients had never even seen the home in person. Not only were they making an offer, but also they were making a competitive offer in a multiple offer situation. Interestingly enough, we originally lost the home to another buyer. We were about to make an offer on a different house, but I had some hesitations I expressed to them.
In hindsight, that bought us a few more hours as not even 24 hours later that couple backed out! The agent called us to offer it to my buyers! It was a whirlwind, rollercoaster 24-hour period. But it all worked out in the end as it always does.”
One for the books
For Jason and Kristen, the whole experience was a whirlwind – trying to find a home from 3,000 miles away on a compressed timeline (as their lease was expiring in San Francisco) while trying to also figure out how to move two babies and a dog during a pandemic – but Susan made the process seamless.
“What we will always remember was how Susan did such an incredible job of filtering homes and information so our time was focused on options that were realistic and right for us. We fully trusted her and felt like she really understood our needs and us. I felt like we asked her a million questions, but she never hesitated to answer them all,” says Jason.
Why the agent/buyer relationship is critical
While the Spires went under contract before COVID hit, their experience at the closing attorney appointment was a different story. They signed the paperwork outside the office on a table that was sitting on cinder blocks. They had masks on and had to socially safe distance. “Jason and Kristen were cool, calm, and collected when most people in their situation would have been freaking out. They were able to see the big picture the entire time and trusted that it would all work out in the end,” says Susan.
“We could not have done this without Susan, and we would never have expected to find a REALTOR® who we would trust as much as we did her. Buying what we hope will be our family’s long-term home after having only seen it on a FaceTime tour and photos was not something we expected to do, but we are so glad we did.” – Kristen Spires
