Arlington, VA
Overwhelmed with options in a competitive market, a new trend in real estate is emerging as home sellers are eschewing customary methods of selecting the winning bid. While many traditional facets of an offer – price, closing date, and contingencies – are still in play, some sellers have begun entertaining a more unconventional way of selecting their buyer: trial by combat.
“I received seven offers on my home after the first open house,” says Shirley W. of Arlington’s popular Fairlington neighborhood. “And one of them had this nice letter from the buyer. He mentioned that he was a martial arts instructor and it was like boom! This light bulb just went off in my brain.”
While it is not clear where the trend started, it has gained a noticeable amount of traction. Drive down Wilson Boulevard on a Sunday and among the standard “Open House” signs you may notice more than a few have been modified to read “Open Colosseum”. Once quaint and leisurely affairs, Sunday tours have become a big attraction for homebuyers and neighbors alike.
We caught up with local home seller, Jason Nguyen. Struggling to make himself heard over the roar of the crowd, he had this to say “I listed my home right in the middle of re-watching Game of Thrones. I knew there weren’t a lot of homes on the market and I also knew that I yearned for simpler times. Everything just flowed from there.” When asked if he worried about safety concerns, Mr. Nguyen apparently misheard the question because he replied “No, just seasons one through seven. The last one just wasn’t the same.”
To get another perspective, we spoke with a local lender who requested anonymity and will be referred to as “John”. “Honestly, I’ve seen this coming for a long time and I couldn’t be happier,” remarked John. “It’s been great for me because my clients know that I’ll volunteer to stand in as their champion. That gets me a lot of business. Sure, maybe other lenders have lower rates, but I’m a southpaw with a 70-inch reach.”
More surprising is that the shift may not just be a local phenomenon. Though entering the information is optional, users creating new accounts on Zillow are prompted to input their fighting style. An email to Zillow for comment has yet to receive a response.
While this new real estate trend may come across as a shock to most, the ones who remembered today is April 1st may not find it nearly as shocking. We hope you enjoyed our April Fools’ Day joke! Did we fool you?
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