Agent Lady team member Brittany Loeffler writes about the reality of buying a home in Philadelphia through a series of short stories.
A Condo to Call Home
Edward Daniels boarded his flight back to Philadelphia just as the sun was starting to set in Rome. After spending an extended 4-month vacation in one of the world’s most ancient cities, he decided it was time to come home and see his family. He was coming home just in time to attend settlement of his very first home.
It was an interesting experience, buying his first home while living overseas. It wasn’t until his sister recommended the real estate agent she had worked with when she moved to Philadelphia that Edward had even thought about buying a home. He called the realtor who called herself the Agent Lady and had a nice chat with her over the phone. They spoke about his goals as a homeowner, his lifestyle, and where he was looking to live. After renting out a beautiful apartment just a 10-minute walk from the Colosseum, he knew he wanted to be in the center of everything. Agent Lady suggested he live in Center City.
She also suggested that he think about buying a condo, rather than a house, especially if he wanted to be in the center of it all. “Why would you suggest that?” Edward asked, wanting to know more.
“Well, you mentioned that you travel a lot and for long periods of time. With a condo, your building will never be completely empty and there can be 24-hour security present, which will reduce the chance of a break-in.” He liked the sound of a condo already.
“Okay, what else?”
“There is less to maintain when living in a condo. You can leave for weeks or months at a time and not worry about taking care of things around the property. It also sounds like it is just you that will be living there, so you won’t need too much space.” Edward was sold.
“Can you send me some options?”
“Absolutely.”
That was just two months ago that Edward had had his first conversation with Agent Lady. After reviewing a few condos that were on the market and conversing with his sister as to where he should live, Edward put an offer in on a beautiful two-bedroom condo at 20th and Market Street. It was extremely helpful that the listing agent had taken a step further and created a Virtual Reality tour of the property, so Edward was able to rent a set of VR Goggles in Rome and take a virtual tour through the condo. Edward put his full trust in Agent Lady to make sure everything ran smoothly while he was out of the country. He promised to be there for settlement.
Fulfilling his promise, he stepped off the plane eight hours later and admired the Philadelphia skyline. He stayed the night at his sister’s house in South Philly and got ready for settlement the next day. He took an Uber to Agent Lady’s office in Center City, just a few blocks from where he would be moving. It was nice to finally meet his real estate agent in person rather than chatting over the phone. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! Thank you so much for your help,” Edward expressed his gratitude.
“It was a pleasure to work with you. I must say, this was definitely a different experience working with a first time home buyer from overseas,” Agent Lady responded.
In just an hour and a half, Edward received the keys to his brand new home. “So, what is the first thing you’ll do?” Agent Lady asked.
“I’m going to take my stuff out of storage, move it in, then head off to Thailand in two weeks.”
“You really do travel often. Can I ask why you wanted to buy a home instead of just paying for storage?”
“I was tired to not having a place to come home to and call mine. It may sound frivolous, but I believe I’ll be happier and maybe want to stay in America more if I have my own place.” Agent Lady chuckled and patted Edward on the back.
“Well, have a safe trip.”
About Brittany: Brittany is the super organized (and awesome) office and marketing assistant that helps home buying and selling clients have the best experience possible. She also shares her creative side by writing compelling short stories about the home buying process that are loosely based on actual client situations. Expect to receive emails and phone calls from Brittany if you decide to work with the Agent Lady team to buy or sell a home!
