Real Estate Reality
Your buyer is under contract and wants to finance a brand-new car before closing. What should they do first?
Talk to their lender before taking on new debt or allowing new credit inquiries.
Veteran buying a primary home with little money available for a down payment.
VA loan
Your buyer wants to offer $50K under asking on a brand-new listing. What do you do?
Advise them on the market/data and let the buyer decide.
What does “Eau Claire” mean in French?
Clear water
Wisconsin produces more of this food than any other U.S. state.
Cheese
Your buyer gets an exciting new job offer one week before closing. What's the best advice?
Call the lender before making the employment change.
Buyer wants a home in an eligible rural area and has limited funds for a down payment.
USDA
Additional - Conventional (3% down or DPA), FHA (3.5%), VA (0% down)
You inherit a listing with terrible photos that's been sitting for 60 days. First move?
Reassess the entire positioning—not just the photos.
Price change? New photos? Cancel/relist? Staging? New launch strategy?
What Eau Claire park sits where the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers meet?
Phoenix Park
According to the saying, what are the three most important things in real estate?
Location, location, location.
Your buyer says, "Don't worry about my debt-to-income ratio. I make another $2,000 every month from my side business." What question should come next?
Can that income actually be documented and used to qualify?
Investor wants to qualify primarily using the rental property's cash flow rather than personal income.
DSCR loan
Debt Service Coverage Ratio Loan
Inspection finds 20 issues. Your buyer suddenly wants ALL 20 fixed. What do you do?
Help them separate major concerns from minor ones and decide what actually matters to them.
What year was Eau Claire officially incorporated as a city?
1872
A home sells for $425,000. What's 1% of the sales price?
$4,250
Your buyer has great credit, good income and plenty of assets—but financing the condo is still a problem.
What else could be causing it?
The condominium project itself may not meet the financing requirements.
Self-employed buyer has strong cash flow, but tax returns don't show enough qualifying income.
Bank statement loan
Your close friend wants you to list their house but insists it's worth $75K more than your CMA. What do you do?
Have the difficult conversation.
UW–Eau Claire welcomed how many students its first year: 59, 159, 559, or 1,059?
159 Students
Whose face is on the $100 bill?
Benjamin Franklin
Can having more cash suddenly create a mortgage problem?
Yes. Funds will need an acceptable documented source.
Wealthy retiree has significant assets but limited qualifying monthly income.
Asset depletion / asset utilization financing
A past client wants to use another agent because they're offering a lower commission. Do you fight for the client or let them go?
Make your value case, then let the client decide.
Eau Claire is known as the “City of _____.”
Bridges.
From Phoenix Park alone, four bridges are visible.
What's the unofficial fuel of a Saturday full of showings?
Coffee
Accept energy drinks too!