Common Real Estate Problems (and What to Drink When You Encounter Them)

There are two types of calls I field at Aragon Lending most often. The most common (and my favorite) are the follow-ups after we score a client a great mortgage and get them into their dream home. Those make you feel fantastic and really make my day. The second most common is the panicked ones where there’s a hiccup in the homebuying process, and they need a friendly voice in the real estate business to help them problem solve and come up with a solution. Those can be equally rewarding because when you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you’ve basically seen it all and can even recommend a drink to pair with your mini-panic.

So sit back, relax, and bust out the cocktail shaker, because I’m going to walk you through common real estate problems and what you should drink with them.

Problem 1: Your First Offer Wasn’t Accepted

Drink: Topo Chico

Image Source: Missvain, via Wikimedia Commons

Take a deep breath because this “problem” isn’t really a problem at all; it’s just part of the dance you have to do. Look, I get it; you find your dream home, but your first offer wasn’t accepted, so now you’re worried you won’t get it after all. Take a second to regroup and take a sip of fizzy water to calm your nerves before developing a game plan on your counteroffer with your real estate agent. You got this.

Problem 2: The Inspection Came Back with Some Issues

Drink: Agua fresca

Image Source: ProtoplasmaKid, via Wikimedia Commons

Ok, this calls for a bit of flavor to get your mind off the issue at hand, but again—we’re not playing with the hard stuff yet. Look, if you got a house with a clean inspection, unless it was a new build, I’d have some concerns if the inspector didn’t get into the details. It’s very common to find things here or there that need your attention, and all that really means is that you have some leverage in the homebuying process to get concessions from the seller. The key here is to have a drink, and again, game plan with your real estate agent. They’ll have a pretty good feel on what you can reasonably ask for here.

Problem 3: You’re in a Bidding War

Drink: Sauvignon blanc or any crisp white wine

I need to be very clear here—you are not to make real estate decisions while you’re buzzed. You are, however, allowed to have some wine to calm your nerves after finding out you’re in a bidding war on your dream home. It sucks—and it’s clearly not what you wanted. So embrace that 5 o’clock somewhere mentality for a minute because wine might help. Just make sure that before you do, you call your real estate agent (sense a trend, here?) and get your game plan going on whether you’re going to bid or walk away—as Winston Churchill said about his favorite type of wine, champagne, “in victory I deserve it, in defeat I need it.” The same mentality applies here, too. Just imbibe responsibly! 

Problem 4: Appraisal Came in Too Low

Drink: Aperol Spritz

Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

There is nothing more refreshing after a hard day of work than an Aperol spritz—and that’s what you’ll have to look forward to after spending all day working hard dealing with your appraisal coming in too low. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s not a great feeling, either. Realistically, you will avoid this problem because you’re going to work with Aragon Lending, and we use local appraisal management companies that understand the market at a hyper-local level, so there are no surprises, right? (hint, hint) …but if this happens (and I hope it doesn’t), you call us, and we’ll see what your options are.

Problem 5: Your Perfect Home is Too Perfect, and House Guests Won’t Leave

Drink 5: Mezcal Negroni for you; beer, the cheaper the better, for them

Image Source: Will Shenton, via Wikimedia Commons

I mean, this is everyone’s worst nightmare, right? 😉You move into the perfect property, with awesome outdoor space, and now your friends are coming over all the time. This one is pretty easy to solve. First, make yourself my favorite cocktail, a mezcal negroni, because treat yo’ self, you just bought a house. Now, just put out your cheapest beer possible for all the people who keep stopping by without an invite. They’ll get the hint. Worst case scenario, change out your tunes to something that kills the party mood–don’t bust out Rihanna, Beyonce, or ‘90s hip hop, here. We’re talking Kidz Bop, remember that? In no time, you’ll have peace and quiet (and a great drink) to chill out in your new home. 

All joking aside, if you encounter any problems in the process, your real estate agent is a great resource, but we’re here to help, too. Give us a call, and at the very least, I can point you to my favorite spot to grab a drink while you figure out next steps.