Know the competition

Interior designer Doyle McCullar was looking for a detached, single-family, tear-down home in San Francisco. Doyle's goal: to build a new, custom home on a great lot within the 94114 zip code area. So Doyle asked Brendon, with whom he had appeared on HGTV's Curb Appeal, to find a property that met his requirements.

Within a week, Brendon found an outstanding opportunity for Doyle. The house, a one-bedroom cottage, was under-priced at $650K given the size of the lot, the location and potential for views. There was sure to be a lot of competition.

When the offer period closed, there were 22 offers. Although Doyle's offer was near the top, he was competing with three all-cash offers. The listing agent, concerned about an appraisal and financing, did not include Doyle's offer in the counter-offer phase. Quickly realizing the deal was going south, Brendon had the mortgage broker and an appraiser on-site within a few hours to re-confirm that there would not be a financing issue. The listing agent got the information directly from the broker and appraiser, face to face. The issue was resolved.

Brendon quickly resubmitted a new offer that was $6K higher and shortened the escrow period to 10 days. Doyle finally got the property for $845,000. He plans to invest approximately $1 million in tearing down the old structure and building a new one, an investment expected to be worth $2.5 million.