Hello, and thank you for visiting my website! This is the part where I get to tell you about me, my philosophy about real estate, etc. If you have any questions that aren’t answered here, shoot me an email or a phone call and we can chat.

My name is Jenn Penn, and I was born and raised in the Seattle area. I am married to my high school sweetheart (junior high sweetheart, if we’re splitting hairs) and have two cats, Max and Sammy. I lived in New York City in 2002 and 2003, then came back to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. After working with victims of domestic violence in both the Seattle area and in New York city, I made the decision to become a Realtor in 2003 and I have to say, I really enjoy it!

The thing about Real Estate Brokers is that everyone knows one, five or even ten, so it can be very tough to decide who to work with. Here’s my thought: real estate transactions can be very stressful, so it is not only important to pick someone because you think they can represent your interests well, but you also really want to like that person because you are going to be spending a lot of time with them. So you all need to like one another, as well as have similar communication styles, expectations, etc.

BUYERS.
When I am first introduced to potential buyers, two things will happen up front:

First, we will schedule a face-to-face meeting to see if we are a good match for each other, and will also go over a detailed Buyer Packet I have created. It explains in detail the buying process, manages expectations on both our parts, and gives the buyer an understanding about the current market. It will definitely get you prepared.

Next, you will need to get preapproved by a local lender (I have a great one I can recommend). This is a very important step as we will need to know exactly what you can afford (or cannot afford) prior to looking at homes in person.

Once we have decided to work together, I will set up a daily search for you that matches your criteria. When we find houses that you want to see in person, I will set up a tour and off we go. My goal is to find you a wonderful home that will work for your lifestyle, so I will be unfailingly honest in my assessment of each home – I will point out the good, the bad and the ugly!

Once we find a house you just can’t live without, then the negotiating on my part starts. I’ll call the other agent to find out everything we can about the home so we can write a strong offer that will be accepted by the seller. Having an agent who is a good communicator with the other agent can be paramount in a successful transaction.

SELLERS.
Everyone has a different philosophy on selling, but my philosophy is this: you’ve got one chance to make a great first impression, so I urge my sellers to do everything they can to make that impression as good as they possibly can.

I will come over to your house and come up with a comprehensive list of things to do to get your home ready for sale, whether it is something you must do, something that would be ideal, or things that I’d like you to do, but may not make or break a sale. Everyone has a different budget to work with, so that will obviously affect what gets done. I’m not going to lie: getting your home ready for sale is a very big job for the majority of people, but I believe that when selling your home you should do your best at the things you can control (condition of home overall, how it shows, etc.) since there are so many things you can’t control/change (location, market, etc.). Real estate is a huge investment, so why wouldn’t you do your best to get it ready for sale?

Once you think your home is mostly ready, we will have your home staged so it shows it very best. That may entail just bringing in accessories, or may entail bringing in furniture. Professional photography is the next step and I cannot stress the importance of this enough. The majority of buyers are seeing your home online, so beautiful, professional photos are a sure way to catch their eye. With the photos, I can create an attractive online presence, as well as professional flyers.

I will do my best to get you ready for the next step – showings! I’ve got a list of things for you to think about when your home is on the market to make it as pleasing an experience as possible for all potential buyers.

There is so much more that I do that can’t be explained here, of course! I don’t want to bore you with an entire book (because I could totally write a book on this!). Just know that I take the job of helping you very seriously; I want you to walk away from your buying or selling experience more than satisfied.

Thanks,

Jenn Penn