We’ve been BUSY!! We’re incredibly grateful for the trust our clients place in us and for the referrals that continue to come our way. This has been a challenging market for some agents, but we’ve been fortunate to work with exceptional clients who value strategy, communication, and results. That connection is what drives us to fight hard for the best possible outcome every time. We have a great success story below that’s a perfect example of that.
We also have some great property picks this week. Working throughout San Diego and along the coast, we’re lucky to see and sell some truly special homes, many with incredible stories and history. This week we toured the new listing at 7301 Encelia Drive, offered at $9,950,000. This home once belonged to none other than Dr. Seuss. Many of the books we all grew up with were written here. The property was gifted to UCSD and is being sold through a sealed bid process, where offers are submitted and selected by the UCSD Regents. A very unique opportunity and a fascinating piece of San Diego history.
Story time: Fast negotiations, multiple offers & escalation clauses.
We just closed an incredible oceanfront condo at 441 S. Sierra in Solana Beach for a great client. This was the perfect property for them, and exactly the kind of client you go to bat for.
The home hit the market and immediately attracted multiple offers. It was bid up quickly and went through several rounds of counteroffers.
Before the offer process even began, I spent time speaking with the listing agent and asking very intentional questions: Why the seller was moving, what mattered most beyond price, timing, comfort level, and how well the agent knew his clients.
I built a professional, respectful rapport, reviewed the agent’s sales history, and did my homework so I knew exactly who we were negotiating with. All of that informed our strategy at every step.
When it came down to our offer and one other, we learned we were competing against an escalation clause. Same terms, but the other buyer was willing to beat the next highest offer by a set amount. We’ve negotiated these many times and understand the technical nuances. If you put a high number in writing, it can be used against you to trigger the escalation clause. We didn’t do that.
We submitted a strong written offer and communicated a higher number verbally, with a clear commitment that if our terms were accepted, we would immediately put it in writing and make it binding.
The seller got the number they wanted without using our offer as leverage to push the escalation higher. We also highlighted our track record, closing history, and reliability compared to the competing agent, and gave real context on who our buyer was and why we were the safest, cleanest path to closing.
We won the negotiation. Another buyer may have been willing to pay more, but the seller felt confident, protected, and comfortable with the outcome.
Everyone walked away happy. This is the simplified version of a very technical deal, but it’s a perfect example of why experience and strategy matter.
