Straight Talk for Seattle Area Home Buyers

Before jumping into the “straight talk” I’ve got to tell you why I’m doing it.

A few years back my wife and I were the hosts of a Seattle-based TV show called “Home Lifestyles”. During one segment I talked about 3 deadly mistakes I thought most home buyers made. It generated a tremendous response from the television audience and within a week I was approached by a person from Washington Mutual who asked if I would teach the principles in a classroom setting?  At first I declined, but after a couple of months of relentless pressure I relented and agreed to speak for one hour.

They secured a community center in Bellevue and advertised that I would cover the three deadly mistakes I talked about on the TV show plus seven more.

When I arrived at the community center it was so packed that even the kitchen at the back of the auditorium had people standing in it. The podium was up to the first row of chairs and my back was literally up against a wall. It was hot and stuffy and after 30 minutes I told the audience that I needed to take a short break. The second I moved away from the podium a line of people formed behind me…all wanting to ask me questions.

As  the man at the front of the line was speaking to me I noticed that a woman… about three people back…was wiping tears from her eyes.  I immediately excused myself and took the woman by the hand and led her to the corner of the room. I asked her what was wrong. What she said changed my life, my business and the way I give real estate information.

She explained that she had purchased a home thirteen years earlier and then lost it within a year. When I asked what made her cry she said, “Had I known then…what you just taught the past 30 minutes…I would not have spent the past 12 years paying rent!” Her tears expressed both frustration and deep appreciation. She thanked me repeatedly.

The Value of a Few Well Chosen Words

I realized, probably for the first time, that the information I was giving could actually have an impact on people’s lives. That this information was of great value and that the lessons of the past…lessons I had to learn the hard way…could change people’s lives when articulated in a way that others could relate to. At the end of the class one half of the people in the room asked me to represent them.

I continued to teach and eventually went on to create a nonprofit educational organization called “Washington Housing Education” where I and others still teach today.

The “straight talk” I am about to give to you is not the same as it was back then. Our market has shifted. It’s harder to get financing.  Banks or government agencies own more than half of the homes on the market today. People are not sure if it’s safe to buy now. There are many important questions that need answering… and I answer them in about 28 minutes.  Be a fly on the wall and watch as I teach and counsel my own clients in a closed meeting. It’s going to make you think. I hope it makes you act. You can see it at www.IGotSmart.com or just go straight the recording at…

Sam DiBello’s Straight Talk for Seattle Area Home Buyers