Jake Thomas

The first thing I always tell all of my clients when they are looking to purchase a home is to get pre-qualified. I have had it where clients have fell in love with a home and then they go to get prequalified but unfortunately they weren’t qualified enough to purchase the home and they get heart broken. So it’s always great going in knowing how much they can afford. I also have a mortgage calculator that I use so I am able to tell my clients how much their payments will be each month. This gives them peace of mind when making an offer. I also work very closely with their mortgage lender every step of the way which makes for a smooth transaction.

I offer all of my clients a free home market analysis. What this entails is that I meet with the clients at their house and bring comparables over for them. This lets them know what other houses in their area are selling for. I also go over any repairs that the home needs. There are some repairs that are needed in order for homes to sell and others that aren’t. So my selling clients like to know what is worth fixing in the home and what isn’t. I also do all of my own repairs and therefore I can give my selling clients a good representation of how much repairs will cost them. I also have a list of contractors for them to use too.

I work with all clients. I work with first time homeowners that need some extra help because it’s their first time purchasing a home to seasoned investors to even clients that are looking for their second home. I have a skill set/base that allows me to work great with a variety of clients. I am familiar with all different loan types for example: VA, FHA, Multi-families (25% down), Conventional, Land Contracts and Cash.

It would be hard to pick just one transaction because I truly care about all of my clients and put 100% effort into all of them. Recently I had some clients that were first time home buyers and they were using VA financing. We put in over 15 offers on homes but kept being beat out by cash or conventional offers. I decided to put an Ad on Craigslist and local FB sites asking if anyone was wanting to sell their house in the zip codes they wanted to live in along with a price maximum. I had someone reply to one of my Ads that had been thinking about moving out of the area. I met with the seller first to ensure they were serious about selling and to make sure that the house was worth the price they were asking. I then brought my clients through and they loved it. The seller agreed to all of our terms and 30 days later the house was theirs. They were so excited that they wrote me a thank you and baked me a cake. Sometimes it’s just about going the extra mile for your clients.

I’ve always loved real estate in the way that you are helping to change people’s lives. You get to help them pick out a home that they will raise their family in, have birthday parties in, celebrate life together and sometimes even the possibility of making great equity in. Homeownership is such a privilege and fun experience that I always knew I wanted to be a part of it. I love seeing the excitement on my client’s faces when their house sells or when their offer is accepted, it’s so full of joy and happiness it’s truly infectious. I’ve loved every minute of my real estate career.

Yes I have a Bachelor’s degree from GVSU in business management. I am extremely great with numbers and helping my clients figure out monthly payments and what their net sheets will look like. I also do full rehabs on my homes and rental homes so I am very knowledgeable about inspections and building codes. I can help clients with renovation questions per example how much adding a bathroom will cost or redoing a kitchen.