Question 1

1.  What advice would you give a buyer trying to purchase a home?

Accepted Answer

My biggest advice to buyers is to get prepared early and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Getting pre-approved before seriously shopping gives you a clear picture of your budget and puts you in a much stronger position when the right property comes along.

I also tell buyers not to focus only on cosmetic things. Paint, flooring, and fixtures can usually be changed fairly easily. Pay attention to the location, layout, major mechanical systems, overall condition, and whether the home fits your long-term needs. My job is to help you look at the entire picture, understand the process, and make an informed decision without feeling pressured.

Question 2

2.  What advice would you give a seller trying to sell their home?

Accepted Answer

Start by getting a realistic understanding of what your property is worth in the current market. Pricing correctly from the beginning is one of the most important parts of successfully selling a home.

You don’t necessarily need to completely remodel your house before listing. Sometimes simple improvements such as cleaning, decluttering, fresh paint, flooring repairs, landscaping, or taking care of obvious maintenance items can make a big difference.

I like to walk through the property with my sellers, look at its condition and updates, review comparable properties, and put together a strategy based on their goals. Every property and every seller’s situation is different, so I believe the plan should be personalized rather than using the same approach for everyone.

Question 3

3.  What types of clients have you worked with?

Accepted Answer

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients throughout North Iowa, including first-time homebuyers, repeat buyers and sellers, families relocating, investors, landlords, acreage buyers and sellers, and clients dealing with properties that need repairs or improvements.

I’ve also worked with traditional residential homes, investment properties, multi-family properties, acreages, estate or family-related situations, and transactions involving FHA, USDA, VA, conventional, and cash purchases.

Working in both real estate sales and property management has given me experience looking at properties from several different perspectives, whether someone is looking for their forever home, selling a longtime property, or evaluating something as an investment.

Question 4

4.  Describe a recent transaction you are fond of. How did it go?

Accepted Answer

One transaction that stands out involved helping a buyer purchase a home where we had several financing and property-condition items to work through before closing.

There were appraisal-related repairs, financing requirements, scheduling changes, and several moving pieces that needed to come together. Instead of letting those issues derail the transaction, we stayed in communication with the lender, seller’s side, contractors, and everyone involved and continued working through each item as it came up.

We ultimately made it to closing, and seeing my client finally get the keys after everything we had worked through made the transaction especially rewarding. Those are some of my favorite transactions because they show how important communication, patience, and problem-solving can be in real estate.

Question 5

5.  How did you get started in Real Estate?

Accepted Answer

I originally got into real estate because I enjoyed working with people and was interested in homes, property values, investing, and the business side of real estate. What started as an interest quickly became something I really enjoyed doing.

I’ve now been involved in real estate for approximately six years, and over that time my role has continued to grow. In addition to working directly with buyers and sellers as a REALTOR®, I also serve as an Office Manager with Realty ONE Group Movement and have gained experience in property management.

Being involved in different sides of the business has helped me understand that real estate is much more than simply showing homes. There are contracts, negotiations, financing, inspections, repairs, appraisals, title work, deadlines, and a lot of communication behind every successful closing

Question 6

6.  Do you have any special education or training that will benefit your clients?

Accepted Answer

A large part of my experience comes from hands-on training through years of working with real estate transactions, property management, and brokerage operations.

As both a REALTOR® and Office Manager, I regularly work with contracts, transaction files, MLS requirements, disclosures, inspections, appraisal issues, financing requirements, title and closing coordination, and the many deadlines involved in a real estate transaction.

My property management experience has also given me additional knowledge when evaluating rental properties, maintenance concerns, repairs, expenses, and investment potential.

I believe that combination of transaction experience, property knowledge, and day-to-day involvement in the real estate business gives my clients an additional resource throughout the buying or selling process.

Lucas Kirchgatter

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