Natalie Lynch - Profile

I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about myself. I was born in Dublin, Ireland & moved to Toronto in the 80's with my Mom. A big change from Dublin let me tell you, even for a child.

It's funny, I was just talking with my Mom the other day about our first visit to the CN Tower...I remember looking out from the observation deck on to the 'city of lights' & I was so overwhelmed by everything...it was so big, so busy, so lively, a lot to take in!

I stood at the window gazing out at all the lights & I so vividly remember the feeling I had...

I remember saying out loud (to myself),"This was waiting for me". Pretty ambitious for a ten year old I know, but I think it was more-so coming from a feeling of comfort...I was meant to be here.

Little did I know that years later I'd be such a part of that busy, lively atmosphere that I almost take that moment for granted...almost.

From the time I was a child the phrase "Never forget where you come from." has been engraved into my mind. You know, sometimes it is so easy to get engrossed in the craziness that can be our lives...I think it's so important to have people in your life to keep you firmly grounded (and in my case, 3 dogs ~ yes 3 of them).

This is why I have always gravitated to jobs that have put me in a position of working with people, not machines (although I can't quite escape the computer).

I have had the opportunity to work in many different industries such as retail sales, as a store manager in the telecommunications field and in car leasing for GE Capital in the last 9+ years, and have been privileged to work with some really great people from all walks of life.

Real estate has been my career choice mainly because I get the opportunity to meet new people all of the time. On top of that, I get to help my buyer clients take one of the biggest steps we come to in our lives… buying a home. It's a fast paced environment for sure, but for someone like myself who has a lot of energy to burn, I love it.

More than that, I have the opportunity to assist people in finding a new home where they will be comfortable, happy, and where they'll make memories that will stay with them forever. That alone is what makes my job worthwhile. "Home is where the heart is", as they say, and I have the privilege in helping to put a smile on someone else's face...something that was always lacking from my regular 9-5's.

I have joined the Thomas & Sally Cook Team because I believe that the service that we provide to each and every client is definitely 'World Class'. I want to work on a team that has a 'By Referral Only' philosophy, because I want to create relationships for life with my clients.

I also value the fact that every Team member attends ongoing training sessions and each of us must achieve our Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) designation. The ABR training is a full three days and is almost essential for any agent to learn the knowledge necessary to properly represent a home buyer with any degree of skill.

I look forward to having the opportunity to meet some of you in the future...in the meantime, try not to get too caught up in the craziness!! :)

EXPERIENCES

“Success, of a different kind…”

I take this opportunity to share with you a recent 'Evidence of Success' story. They are usually about clients who have found their 'dream home' & are getting ready to move…obviously the ultimate success. However, this experience was quite different, yet absolutely a success story…

I met with Monica for a consultation shortly after she attended one of our workshops. Being Monica's first time buying, so she was very excited, & of course, a little nervous.. With a fair idea of what we were in search of, she was flexible & open to some suggestions. At the end of the day, a nice, cozy home, on a nice street, in walking distance to TTC & shops, etc. is what Monica wanted for herself & the kids… okay, the dogs (a.k.a. furry kids), Poppy & Fabby. After all… the dogs were one of the main reasons why we're looking for a house, not a condo (to which I can personally relate).

After seeing a few homes in the east & west ends, we found one in the east end that had a really nice 'feel' to it, when you walked in the front door. It was charming & great character. To top it off, the décor was neutral & appealing, so really no work required (bonus!). When checking the history of the property I noticed that it had sold before, but the 'deal fell through'. In talking with the listing agent, he was honest in saying that it was the home inspection & mentioned the items that came up. Both Monica & I agreed that they were minor issues & it was obvious that the previous Buyer just wanted out.

We prepared an offer that evening & started the negotiations. The property was listed at $219,900. I knew that the previous offer that was accepted was very close to the asking price however we were aiming for something closer to $215k, even though my research showed it was priced quite well. Unfortunately, the first night of negotiations didn't go so well. There were three parties involved on the selling side & one of them was being extremely difficult to deal with & didn't even bother showing up! There had been some 'action' in the house that evening, which I don't think helped the situation… the third seller was anticipating more offers, so wasn't too keen to co-operate with us. I fought tooth & nail with them that night, but Monica & I decided to pull out & leave it alone till the next day.

We decided to up our offer the next morning & while preparing, I received a call… there was another offer. Later in the day, one more appears. Monica & I had a long discussion & crunched all the numbers down. We were coming in with a great (realistic) offer at $220,080. We had removed the financing condition (had her full pre-approval), but left in the inspection condition, considering what had happened before. We were feeling confident & knew that if it didn't work out, it simply wasn't meant to be.

After presenting, the listing agent disclosed that it was between us & one other offer. In his opinion, ours was more "sincere & realistic", however it wasn't up to him. Once again, we had the dictator (third seller) running the show over the phone. After some discussion, they accepted the other offer. I was told that it 'blew us out of the water', meaning the price & terms were way better. I explained this to Monica, who was obviously somewhat disappointed, but it was plain to see that we were in competition with a crazy person. Believe me, there is just NO competing with them!

We found out a few days later that it sold for a whopping $236,000!! I couldn't believe it! Someone very obviously over-paid for this property (our offer was in the upper end of market value) & was possibly not counseled correctly & honestly by their Buyer Agent (I can only speculate on that). Monica & I had a good laugh about it & I know that although the house was appealing, she is thankful that the guidance she received from me & the details that I showed her were honest & realistic… she didn't over-pay, nor will she, when we do find her home.

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“Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover...”

Dear Friends,

I thought it was necessary to share with you the story of Ann’s journey down the path to home ownership…a story that will validate the saying above that we’ve heard oh so many times!

Ann had attended one of our Home Buyer Workshops many months ago & met with me for her consultation back in June. From the moment I met Ann it was evident that she was very articulate & knew exactly what she wanted in her new home. Ann was very open & honest with me from the very beginning & I instantly knew that we had ‘clicked’. Ann’s expectations of me were very clear & she seemed to like the way I did business too.

Over the course of a few months we went out & looked at a few homes…Ann was always one step ahead & liked to check out the area before calling me to view the home. One Saturday morning we met & looked at a few places…one stood out from the rest, was a good size & had a warm welcoming feel to it…Ann decided to put in an offer.

One thing I must tell you about Ann is that she is one of the friendliest, warmest people you could ever meet. This was not just something that I noticed about her. Every time we went out to look, Ann had arrived before me. I would pull up to find her sitting down chatting with the owner, their kids, their grandchildren, neighbors…her charismatic personality attracted everyone. The great part about this was that she was always able to find out why the people were moving, when they had to move, if they had already bought something, etc. She never even had to ask! This is the type of information that I have to pry out of the listing agent & there’s Ann, being given the information voluntarily! I couldn’t believe it!

Unfortunately, although we were ready to present our offer that Saturday morning, the seller wasn’t available until the next evening. Considering it was a weekend, I had a feeling that by the time presentation time came around, we wouldn’t be the only people at the table. I was right. Ann was calm & collected (as usual) & considering we had discussed the chance of competing with another offer, she was ready to go! After presenting our offer & going back once (the seller had requested some changes to the closing date, etc.), we were told that the other offer was higher in price. Although I could tell Ann was a little disappointed, she was not devastated by any means. We had given our best offer & based on the CMA results, we had given a great offer, right in line with the fair market value of the property.

Ann didn’t waste any time. We went back out the following Monday to continue the hunt. It wasn’t long before we came across the ‘perfect’ house. We had both seen the listing for the house before, but didn’t give it a second glance because the picture of the exterior didn’t do it any justice. Unfortunately (well, fortunately for us) there were no interior pictures posted on the MLS site. As soon as we open the door we both looked at each other in amazement. We entered into a beautiful living room/dining room area with soaring 9’ ceilings & gleaming (new) hardwood flooring. It had a large eat in kitchen (with potential for a great open concept layout of the main floor). Upstairs we found a newly renovated bathroom & again, gleaming hardwood flooring throughout the bedrooms. Finding a large partially finished basement with an oversized window was just the icing on the cake. On top of all that…there was parking!

We saw the house at 6:30pm. By 9pm, we were back at the house, offer in hand! My CMA results determined that the house was actually worth $10-15k more than it was listed at! Unbelievable & unheard of in our current market! The sellers had reduced the price by $15,000 a few days before which indicated to me that they needed to sell!. We had a chuckle together in the car before I presented our offer, knowing that even if we had to pay what they were asking, we would be coming out on top. Did we ever. We were able to negotiate a price that the seller could justify and Ann feel great about! Upon doing our home inspection, we found that the roof needed to be replaced immediately. I was able to negotiate a credit on closing to cover 50% of the repair costs. Not only did Ann walk away with the keys to a magnificent home, at a price that was fantastic, but she also got a new roof!

Needless to say, losing the first offer was a blessing in disguise. Sometimes it takes a challenge or a loss to make way for a golden opportunity.

Sincerely,
Natalie Lynch