RISMEDIA, Sept. 28, 2007-From finding the right home to changing utilities, the home-buying process involves many steps, even when the move is across town. Imagine how much more daunting the process can seem when you’re moving hundreds of miles to an unfamiliar area?
Yet if you ask Patrick and Kristine Senft, who recently relocated from Baton Rouge, La., to Randolph, N.J., to sum up their home-buying experience, their instant response will be “smooth.” These veteran home buyers, who’ve purchased several homes over their long marriage, found their latest home purchase with Weichert, Realtors® to be one of their easiest and most hassle-free, thanks to the guidance of their Weichert sales associate and Weichert’s many one-stop-shopping conveniences.
So how do you get from Baton Rouge to a stately five-bedroom colonial home in the Garden State? Like so many home searches nowadays, the Senft’s hunt started on the Internet. As Kristine Senft contemplated a new executive position in New Jersey, husband Patrick, a building contractor, began browsing properties online.
Soon finding the access to so much data “overwhelming,” Senft sought “the human touch” and filled in a Realtor locator that led him to several real estate companies with N.J. offices. Among them was Weichert, Realtors. Going online on weichert.com, he decided to call Weichert’s “quick connect” number, 1-800-USA-SOLD. The friendly contact center specialist who answered asked a few pertinent questions and immediately patched him through to Jillayne “Jill” Southren, a sales associate in Weichert’s Randolph office.
Southren said, “From their Internet research, they had a couple of towns in mind and a good grasp of what they wanted. I assured them that New Jersey could provide everything they sought.”
Over the next two months, Southren regularly e-mailed the couple, advising them of new listings that met their criteria and familiarizing them with the area. Other real estate companies occasionally e-mailed information as well, they said, but, unlike Southren, none took the time to send personal e-mails. Since the Senfts’ move was still tentative, the Weichert sales associate’s personal follow-up surprised and pleased them.
“Jill set just the right tone,” they said, “no sense of pressuring us. A nice relationship developed.”
Once Kristine Senft accepted the job offer and moved in advance of her husband and two children, there was no question as to which N.J. real estate agent they would use.
The real-world phase of the Senfts’ home search began in earnest when Southren picked out a dozen or so homes for Senft to inspect. “She really got it,” Senft said, referring to Southren’s accurate reading of their needs. Husband Patrick flew up to make the final decision from the “top five” and a sales contract was signed.
As every recent home buyer knows, getting from contract signing to keys in hand can be a stressful process. Again, the Senfts’ choice of Weichert, Realtors smoothed the way.
They said, “Jill pointed out to us that Weichert Financial Services and its time-saving Weichert Gold® Services program could help us take care of all those things you have to do when moving to a new home.”
While the couple had already contacted a lender, at Southren’s suggestion they decided to talk to Weichert Financial Services. They ended up happily securing a mortgage at a more attractive interest rate. The Senfts would go on to take full advantage of the Weichert Gold Services program, conveniently obtaining their homeowners and title insurance through the program as well, thereby enjoying the program’s $5,000 performance guarantee of a timely closing, as per contract. Even that most onerous of tasks, arranging for utilities, was readily accomplished: the couple simply went online to a Weichert Web site to make those connections.
When the Senfts asked to move up their closing date by a week – a request that can throw a monkey wrench into the schedules of lenders and insurers – Weichert Gold Services’ professional teams went the extra mile to enable the couple to close on their desirable timetable.
Reflecting on their experience, the Senfts said talking to a local real estate professional like Jill “narrowed everything down real quickly.” They said, “As wonderful as the Internet is, it’s the knowledge of the Realtor in the area that means so much. And Weichert Gold Services, with its one-stop advantages, was a nice bonus.”
For more information, visit www.weichert.com. Each Weichert franchised office is independently owned and operated.
