I was born to make a difference in the lives of others and God gives me opportunities to do so via real estate. Sometimes making a difference a means helping people decide to not move to South Carolina. Sometimes I help people decide they would rather use their equity to make updates instead of sell their current home. Sometimes I help people crunch numbers so they know what it costs to buy an investment property and they decide it’s not for them. Or, maybe I run comps on the inherited family home so that siblings can make a decision on how to split the assets of their deceased loved one. These situations are just a few examples of where I invest a lot of time and energy into helping people for free. No commission made, just honest advice to help people make a huge decision. I love helping people and love every opportunity to do so. 

Here’s a situation where I become uncomfortable: "Luke, find me a deal.”

I love helping people find a property that is priced just below market value. Or has easy renovations that could be made to create instant equity. This is what makes me cringe: find me a DEAL- something way less than market value and the sellers are desperate to sell. 

If I find an off market property and there’s a situation that requires the family to sell it quickly for way less than market value… I’ll probably beg the sellers to reconsider. I’ll organize and coordinate contractors, cleaners and offer my own sweat to help them get the property market ready for pictures so we can maximize the price. I’ve done otherwise a few times in my career because I didn’t have the capacity to help at the highest level and I’ve felt icky every time. 

Do I know investors who I can call if I run into a situation where the sellers would benefit from a cash/as is offer? Yes I do. Do I call them often? No. Typically a person’s biggest asset is their house. In order to serve people at the highest level, I need to help them maximize what they can sell their house for and not figure out how I can make a quick buck. 

A lot of times people want to ignore that DEAL is someone’s grandmother. That deal is an inherited property and the sole heir is struggling to pay the utilities. That deal is a family who is out of money after having medical bills pile up after a terminal diagnosis. Are there situations where a cash/as is offer prevents significant heartache: foreclosure, family feud, bankruptcy? Absolutely. And I’ll reach to investors and people who are prepared to make a quick/painless offer. 

One thing to keep in mind: we have to figure out how I get paid. And I’m not cheap. If I connect you with a deal, I’m having a conversation about my commission and getting in writing that I’m on the listing agent if you flip the property. If those terms are not ok with you, then I’m not interested in connecting you with a great deal. God has blessed me with plenty of business and plenty of people to help. Thankfully, I work with some amazing investors who are happy to compensate me for my time and expertise. 

In closing… “finding a deal” is not easy and the circumstances surrounding that deal are most likely heart breaking. I am here to help. Please know that I am going to treat all parties with dignity. If that excludes me from doing business with you, I’ll gladly make that trade. Hopefully that means when you or someone you know is in desperate need of help, you’ll know to contact me.