Buying With Liz Lavette Shorb

Understanding Your Priorities

Every buyer search begins with a conversation about priorities, including total budget, monthly cost tolerance, timeline, the use of the home, and the trade-offs the buyer is willing to make. We listen first and then translate priorities into search criteria that match how inventory actually moves in our markets. The result is a focused search rather than a long list of mismatched showings.

We also discuss what is non-negotiable and what is flexible. The first meeting produces a working brief, and we revise it as the search teaches us more about what the buyer responds to in person.

Evaluating Neighborhoods and Property Types

Neighborhood evaluation in the DC region requires care because micro-markets within a single ZIP code can behave very differently. We help buyers compare areas across DC, Maryland, and Virginia on the factors they actually care about, including commute, walkability, property type, and total cost. The comparison is factual and avoids language that could imply steering on protected characteristics.

Property type also matters. A single-family home, a townhome, a row house, and a condo each carry different cost structures, maintenance profiles, and resale patterns.

Offer Strategy

Offer strategy starts before the property the buyer wants comes on the market. We prepare buyers for likely competitive scenarios so the response can be quick and considered when the property appears. That preparation includes pre-approval, an escalation framework, contingency choices, and a discussion of appraisal risk.

When an offer is written, we explain each term and why it is included. We help buyers construct an offer they can actually live with, and we walk away from situations where competing aggressively does not serve the buyer's interests.

Private and Coming-Soon Opportunities

Private and coming-soon opportunities are not a shortcut to a better price, and we do not present them that way. We bring relevant listings to the buyer's attention and let them decide whether to act.

Inspections and Due Diligence

Inspection is the buyer's last clear opportunity to verify what they are buying. The point is to separate cosmetic items from items that affect cost, safety, or future resale, and to focus the negotiation on the latter.

Due diligence also includes review of condo or HOA documents where applicable, title search, and any property-specific items that come up during the contract period. The buyer ends due diligence with a clear understanding of what they are about to own.

Negotiation and Contract Terms

Negotiation continues after ratification through inspection response, appraisal, and any lender conditions. We prepare buyers for the kinds of items inspectors flag in our markets and we discuss response strategy before the report is shared with the seller. The aim is to address legitimate findings without putting the contract at unnecessary risk.

Contract terms beyond price often determine how cleanly the transaction closes. Settlement date, financing contingency, appraisal contingency, post-settlement occupancy, and any agreed repairs all become real once the offer is accepted.

Closing Support

Closing involves the lender, title company, the seller's side, and the buyer. Coordinating those parties on a single date is detail work, and we handle it. Buyers receive a pre-closing checklist that covers what to bring to settlement, how the wire is sent, what the final walkthrough is for, and how to handle any items that need resolution before or at the table.

The transaction ends when the buyer has the keys, the deed records, and the home is functioning the way it should.

Buyer Consultation

A buyer consultation is the cleanest way to start. We cover priorities, financing, timeline, and the markets being considered. The first meeting produces a working brief and a short list of properties to begin with.

Consultations can be scheduled by phone at (301) 785-6300 or by email at lizlavette.shorb@wfp.com. The office is at 3201 New Mexico Avenue NW, Suite 220, Washington DC 20016. There is no obligation attached to the first conversation.

Market Education

For buyers who are six to twelve months out, the first meeting can focus on market education rather than active showings. We walk through how the markets the buyer is considering have been behaving, what the typical run-up to a sale looks like, and what preparation will help when the search becomes active.

Market education works best as a conversation, not a slide deck. We bring current data and concrete examples so the buyer leaves with a clearer picture of what the next year is likely to look like in their target markets. When the search becomes active, the buyer is already oriented and the process moves more smoothly.