Thinking of Buying a Home? | John Mentis

THINKING OF BUYING A HOME? I can help you. Here’s a brief overview of how.

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JOHN MENTIS, Realtor®

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WELCOME Thank you for contacting me for more information about homes for sale in the greater D.C. area. As you know, I’m John Mentis, a full-time realtor with Long & Foster Real Estate. I’d love to set up a time to talk to you more about your home buying journey.

Buying a home is part of the American Dream, considered a milestone by many of us, our families, and our society. Take pride in making the decision to buy a home! But it’s not easy. First-time buyers find themselves in uncharted territory. Repeat buyers find themselves in a market different than when they last bought. Your life is getting ready to change, and I’m here to help you get through it with my knowledge, trustworthiness, ability to discover and resolve issues large and small, and humor to help make the whole process better.

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MAKING REAL ESTATE LESS TRANSACTIONAL, MORE PERSONAL.

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

LET’S GET TO WORK! TOGETHER WE WILL OVERCOME THREE MAIN CHALLENGES:

1) Finding your home. Whether new construction or re-sale and whether detached, townhouse, or condo, I’ll help you -

Get clarity on what you need and its level of importance.

Find the home through searching the market and then going to see properties together.

Compare and contrast homes that look like they might work to ensure they really do.

Come up with a reasonable purchase offer, including price and other terms.

PRO TIP: Home buying is an organic process. Don’t box yourself in; give yourself permission to change your mind. So many of my clients bought something very different than what they originally thought they wanted.

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

LET’S GET TO WORK! TOGETHER WE WILL OVERCOME THREE MAIN CHALLENGES:

2) Paying for your home. Together with finding the home, I’ll help you figure out the best way to pay for it by -

Discussing payment options, including financing and all-cash offers.

Finding a lender that meets your needs and sensibilities.

Understanding and comparing what different lenders offer you.

Getting you pre-approved.

Using your financial situation to your advantage when making the purchase offer on a home.

PRO TIP: Getting a break on financing has more to do with your income and profession rather than you being a first-time home buyer. Your lender should be able to explain things to you, which is why it’s important to have an experienced loan officer.

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

LET’S GET TO WORK! TOGETHER WE WILL OVERCOME THREE MAIN CHALLENGES:

3) Closing on your home. Once you’re under contract, I’ll get you from ratification to closing. I will -

Do my best to get you ratified, even in a competitive situation.

Successfully work through all your contingencies.

Help keep you approved and on-track for your loan.

Attend your final walkthrough and work through last minute issues, utility transfers, etc., so you close on time with all items taken care of.

Attend closing with you as well as help you transition to owning the home, including buying you a one-year home warranty.

PRO TIP: There is almost always something that comes out of left field at the last minute before closing that we’ll have to resolve. Don’t panic! With clear heads and creative minds, we will resolve it.

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

THE BIG PICTURE SAID SIMPLY: By my making real estate more personal and less transactional, you’ll feel more heard, more taken care of, and therefore more in-control of your purchase by making a more informed decision. I’ll stay in touch after your purchase to share tips on making homeownership easier and the quality of your life better, even if it’s only to smile a little more.

I will work hard during your purchase so you’ll want to use my services again when it’s time for you to move -- whether across town or across the country -- and so you’ll want to refer your family and friends to me because you want a realtor who is looking out for them, not just collecting a commission. This is what I offer you. This is The John Mentis Experience.

• My mission is to prove the stereotype wrong: all real estate agents are not slick salesmen who care only about their commission.

• Over 80% of my business annually is from repeat clients and referrals, more than twice the national average of what other real estate agents are able to achieve.

• I have lived and worked in the area since 1986, resident in D.C. for 10 years and in Arlington for 20 years.

• I have been a top producer annually for all my 17 years in real estate; see a partial sales history here.

• I strongly appreciate people’s individuality, being a second generation American myself and having two degrees in international affairs.

• A full-time realtor, I am always focused on your success. I want your repeat business and your future referrals.

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

THE BIG PICTURE PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY, I AM GUIDED BY THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES:

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2.

3.

4.

HONESTY

ETHICS

RESPECT

WORK

Honesty is the best policy.

Do the right thing, especially when no one else is watching.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

5.

6.

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8.

PERSEVERANCE

PATIENCE

HUMILITY

COMPASSION

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

People only change when they want to change.

You’re never as good or as bad as you think you are.

You never know what someone else is going through.

9.

10.

CUSTOMIZATION

FAITH

Be flexible and creative; one size does not fit all.

Things almost always work out for the best.

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

DON’T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT

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Although I’ve closed approx. 475 transactions over my seventeen year career, I know I may not be the perfect fit for everyone.

Yet, I’ve been the best fit for many since 80%+ of my business comes from repeat clients and referrals -- which is more than twice the national average. Here are testimonials from some of my happy clients:

We were fortunate enough to be referred to John by another friend and we were so happy with our experience working with him. John is not only super professional, but also proactive and very responsive. He listened closely to our needs, wants, and wishes for our new house and was clear and patient in explaining various aspects of the home buying process without being patronizing or condescending. Because of the automatic searches he set up with our specific needs, we were able to find a house that we loved fairly quickly and negotiate a deal that worked well for everyone. We can’t recommend him enough!

- Scotney Total professional, extremely responsive, and great attention to detail. John acts as if you are his only client, even though I know he is far busier than that!

- Dan

As a first time homebuyer, working with John was fantastic. He was both clear and thorough while explaining the home buying process, and as a result I always felt like I understood what was happening and could make informed decisions. He was also fun to work with, injecting levity and perspective into what can otherwise be a stressful situation. I would recommend John to anyone in the market to buy or sell their home.

- Jason

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

READY? HOW READY ARE YOU TO START THIS JOURNEY? SEE IF YOU CAN ANSWER THESE 10 QUESTIONS:

1 - Who is buying? Who will be on the contract? Who will be on title?

2 - Why are you buying?

3 - What do you expect to buy? How many bedroom and bathrooms? Where?

4 - Are you pre-approved for a mortgage? How far along are you? Did you

5 - Have you bought before? What did you learn from that experience?

6 - What are the two most important things you expect from your agent?

7 - When do you want to be in the new place?

8 - Is this going to be your primary residence, secondary residence, or an

9 - Do you need to sell another property or your current home to qualify

shop around?

investment property?

for a mortgage to buy?

10 - How did you find me? Why do think we might work well together?

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®

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READY? Like what you’ve read? Think I might be the type of agent you were hoping to find?

Contact me about next steps and how we get started.

JOHN MENTIS, Realtor®

C: 202.549. 0081 | O: 703.522.0500 JohnMentis@LongandFoster.com | JohnMentis.com @John Mentis Mentis.homes John Mentis Licensed in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®