220 Commercial Street Boston, MA 02109 Tel: 617.725.1981 / Cell 617.596.6478

Welcome to Joanne Topkins Real Estate

joanne

While I have the ability to sell your home and act as a Listing Agent, I have focused most of my professional energy on Buyer Agent. What separates me from the “pack” is the passion I have developed for assisting people who want to buy, but do not have the experience to go from deciding on a property they wish to pursue (generally on the Internet) and getting to the closing table, where my clients are able to complete the purchase the home of their dreams. What separates me from the average Buyer’s Agent is my commitment to discipline and a checklist, either written or well-ingrained without being written down, of the following types of regimens:

1. Educating you, the customer, about the process well in advance of getting an accepted offer.  As we all know, the sales process can take a week, or a year. While you and I are working through the “finding and showing” syndrome, I will be furnishing you with important information. Buyers with their financing already lined up are more attractive than Buyers who have not started. Buyers who are working on getting their credit scores up are in better shape than Buyers who are letting bills slide or not being mindful of credit score negatives. Buyers who are getting a realistic view of what their current home would sell for, and how long the home would likely be on the market are in a better position than those who have not explored that scenario. I will quietly, but firmly, impress my Buyers of the need to be proactive in these, and other, areas which are peculiar to the Buyer’s specific circumstances. In other words, I can push a successful sale forward.

2. Making sure you are aware of the nuances of a Home Inspection This is an area in which I have developed a unique talent. I have an array of equally qualified home inspectors, who know how to describe areas of concern with precision. I can recommend the right person for your specific circumstance. I have assembled a cadre of local artisans (roofers, plumbers, electricians, structural engineers and the like) so that an estimate of cost can be developed shortly after the results of the inspection are disclosed. It is a truism that the sooner a realistic financial appraisal of your cost to rectify can be determined, the less unsure and indecisive you will be about going forward. In a word, the great problems center around the unknown, and when the unknown is quantified, the deal has a chance of moving forward.

3. After the Purchase Agreements are executed, keeping track of your open items. For me, the signing of the Purchase and Sale Agreement ignites further tasks. Keeping track of the date the mortgage application must be filed, making sure that the mortgage commitment date does not come and go, helping you arrange for insurance and moving: I will walk you through all of these tasks, and more, in an orderly and systematic fashion. I will work with the closing attorney to schedule a satisfactory time and place for the closing. I will accompany you on the “final walk-through” to make sure your new home is in suitable condition.