On the first day Rachel Warren and her husband, Nick went house-hunting, they found a home they loved. It had just gone on the market that same day. That evening they put in an offer. The only problem was that by the next morning, seven other people had also made an offer. To say the Denver market is on fire right now is an understatement and stories like Rachel and Nick’s are common. For a couple to win the first bid they put on a house is unheard of – it takes awhile for couples to learn how the real estate game is played in a seller’s market. But NFM Branch Manager, Jessica Uphoff and the Warren’s realtor, Stacey Bushaw, had already prepared them ahead of time with what to expect. Jessica immediately went to work on the seller’s agent, confirming the bid was the most solid offer on the table. And in a miraculous turn of events, the Warrens got their dream home. Hear their incredible journey in this month’s episode of Home Run: Great Client Experiences.

Full Transcript is Below:

– [Greg Sher] Welcome into another edition of Home Run. Great client experiences, a podcast by NFM TV. I’m your host, Greg Sher. Joining us right now, we have a trifecta of happy people. We’ll start with client Rachel Warren from the Denver, Colorado area who recently moved into a new home that she settled on with NFM lending’s help at the end of July. Rachel, thanks for being with us here on NFM.

– [Rachel Warren] Thanks for having me.

– [Greg Sher] Really happy to have you. Also joining us is Jessica Uphoff, one of the finest originators in the universe, a top 1% producer in the country and she is also in the Denver area. Jessica good to be with you again.

– [Jessica Uphoff] Hi Greg.

– [Greg Sher] Really nice to speak to you and Stacey Bushaw, who is a superstar agent out of the RE/MAX Alliance office there in the Denver area. Thank you all for being with us. Let’s just start with the most important person on this podcast. It’s Rachel the customer. So Rachel, tell us about the experience of buying your first home with your husband Nick.

– [Rachel Warren] It was great, it was a long time coming in Denver housing is expensive and so our rent kept increasing. So my stepmom put us in touch with Stacey and we got the process going with her and Stacey introduced us to Jessica and her team. And we were told that because of a lot of different things because of Denver being a very competitive market, in and off itself, just normally, and then adding the Coronavirus Pandemic and the shutdowns on top of that, we were told that if we liked something, we had to move quickly. And so that’s what we did. And we went out with Stacey and we were aiming to see six or seven homes and by the time the afternoon came, we were off to work and that was Stacey to start seeing some of those homes, only four were still on the market. So it was quite quick. The house that we bought, actually was the last house of the day and we were like, great, can we make an offer out? And Stacey was like, yes, you call Jessica, and I’ll call this person and everything was worked out in the car ride on the way home to our townhouse. We put in our offer that night and turns out we were not the only offer, Stacey he told me at the end of all of it, it was one of seven different offers that the seller received. But Jessica and Stacey like really went to bat for us and the seller picked the offer. And now I have a beautiful house.

– [Greg Sher] Wow. What a story we’ll get into your house and how you’re breaking it in here in a moment. But I wanna transition to you, Stacey, what kind of adjustments have you had to make as a realtor? I mean, normally the dialogue as I’ve understood it, having bought a few homes is, Hey, take your time. It’s a completely different mindset right now. So how do you coach people on that? And what kind of changes have you to make as a result?

– [Stacey Bushaw] You know, our changes are that we have to be available at an instance. As soon as something pops on the market, we have to be the first one in the door and have to have a strategy going in. I’m working with Jessica and this was really helpful because she coached the clients beforehand.

– [Greg Sher] And Jessica for you as a super lender, what kind of preparation do you need to have your ducks in order, so you can move fast.?

– [Jessica Uphoff] It’s a game right now when you’re competing with six or seven other buyers to purchase a home, you’re learning how to play the game and you got to learn fast or you’re going to miss an opportunity if you love a house, I have a lot of clients that they missed out on a house or two before they learn how to play the game, but then they’re comparing every house thereafter to the one they lost. So I kind of take it on as a responsibility to teach them about that in our first appointment. So they don’t lose something that they love and partnering with someone like Stacey, they understand this business at a really high level, to be able to provide that high level service to our clients, to let them know what they’re up against. Cause it’s a very interesting thing to be a first time home buyer, not understand how it all works and really love a house and wanna buy it, but you’ve gotta learn the game really fast. So the more preparation we can do before they write an offer the better so that when we’re talking appraisal gaps and escalation clauses and really fast closings and all the things that are required to play the game, the client isn’t learning all of those things in the 10 minutes that she’s in her car, on her way from the showing to her townhome, she learned about those things in our initial preapproval appointment and in Stacey’s buyer appointment. So it’s like a team effort to make the client have a great experience under these conditions.

– [Greg Sher] And Jessica, I know that being such an exceptional producer, you leave no stones unturned. And one of those stones that you turn over is making the most compelling argument that your offer is the strongest offer that listing agent is going to see. What are some of the things you do to hammer that home?

– [Jessica Uphoff] So one, I make myself available 24/7 to write a custom lender letter on every offer which not very many lenders, at least that I’m aware of do. And that way I’m involved, the minute the offer goes out. So I can call the listing agent and I personally sell to the listing agent that this is why you should select our offer. I’ve asked the questions about COVID, the client’s jobs are not at risk. The things that the listing agent want to hear but don’t necessarily have time to call every lender and ask, I’m trying to make sure that I can that information. So I like to be really involved with the agent at the time of offer because I wanna do my part. I hold the client’s hand and I think my biggest value I add to my client and to my business partner is being available in that really critical moment that the seller is trying to identify which offer they’re accepting.

– [Greg Sher] Stacey I would imagine as an agent on the buy side, that when you have a partnership with someone like Jessica, who goes to that length, that it gives you an unbelievable feeling of confidence that if the deal can get done, you’ve got the right lender that you’re partnering with.

– [Stacey Bushaw] Absolutely and it helps that Jessica is very well known in our industry, she gets deals done, she’s aggressive. I know that Jessica is gonna make those calls to the realtor as soon as I submit my offer, I know she’s gonna answer all of the questions that those listing agents wanna relay back to their clients. Like she’s talked about job security and their ability to get this deal close. Ultimately those sellers want their money in their back pocket.

– [Greg Sher] Wow. That really puts it into perspective. Let’s get back to Rachel now. So you’ve been in the house now, roughly 30 days you moved in at the end of July. Are you unpacked? What do you have left to do there?

– [Rachel Warren] So we are like 90% unpacked. I’m sitting in my little home office, our third bedroom, and I’ve got a couple of boxes of books behind me just to fill up the bookcases and we have to unpack some of the heavy winter coats for the coat closet, but seeing as it’s summer, and it’s a very hot summer, we are prioritizing other things than unpacking the coat closet and we’re gonna be hanging up some pictures really make the house feel like home this weekend. We’re getting into the groove of the differences between home ownership and just renting.

– [Greg Sher] Well, Rachel, we really appreciate you spending some time with us and talking to us about this success story. Congratulations on getting over that psychological hurdle that’s involved with not only becoming a homeowner for the first time, but having to move at warp speed. And this team here of you and Jessica and Stacey, what a powerhouse threesome you are throughout this process. We’re so happy that you did business with NFM lending. Stacey and Jessica, I’m gonna give out your contact information right now. If you need the best lender around, it’s very simple. Jessica Uphoff is the name 720 225 2720. It’s the uphoffteam@nfmlending.com, again, 7202252720 and if you’re looking to buy, sell, have a conversation about moving up, moving down, moving anywhere, you need to call Stacey Bushaw, at 303 319 6542, she’s with RE/MAX Alliance, again, Stacey Bushaw 303 319 6542. Thank you all for being with us here on Home Run. Great client experiences, a podcast by NFM TV. I’m Greg Sher. We’ll see you again next time.

– [Narrator] Home run. Great client experiences is a production of NFM TV and NFM Inc. NFM Inc does business as NFM lending, NMLS number 2893. Jessica Uphoff NMLS number is 174999. This podcast is for informational purposes only. NFM lending is not affiliated with any real estate companies. You are entitled to shop around for the best lender and or real estate company for you. The real estate agent is not a mortgage lender. Contact NFM Lending directly to learn more about their mortgage programs and your eligibility for such programs. The experiences of clients appearing on this podcast are individual experiences of those who have used our services. NFML does not provide incentives for testimonials or reviews. NFM lending is not a credit repair company. You should consult with a credit repair company to determine what may be best for your individual needs. This is not a credit decision or commitment to lend. Eligibility is subject to completion of an application and verification of home ownership, occupancy, title, income, employment, credit, home value, collateral and underwriting requirements. NFML is not affiliated with, or an agent or division of governmental agency or depository institution. Copyright 2020.