Case Study: Share Allen

Share Allen is no stranger to entrepreneurial life. Starting in the beauty industry, Share moved to interior design and then decided to pursue her lifelong passion in real estate, which was first ignited by her mother over 35 years ago.  

Because of the business knowledge she acquired while working in beauty and design combined with her background in real estate investment properties, Share was able to use those same principles and experiences to build a career in real estate. Because of her success, Share hopes to share her knowledge and teach other agents her “thinking outside the box” approach to the real estate business when she eventually opens her own brokerage in the Atlanta area.

The hot Atlanta market

After living in Indiana and Los Angeles, Share settled in the Atlanta area, which she’s proudly called her home for 20 years. Compared to L.A., Share loves the quality of life Atlanta offers. “The quality of life is great. That’s what I love about it. The quality of life, the people are friendly, we have lots of hiking trails and biking trails, and the housing — you can’t beat the housing,” she explains.

Due to falling mortgage rates and the pandemic’s impact on housing supply and demand, the Atlanta market was red-hot in 2020. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in November 2020, the median sales price of a home in the Atlanta area was up 15% from a year earlier — a pace twice as fast as home prices were rising in the same month of 2019.

However, Atlanta remains in the top 5 of the fastest growing large cities and housing affordability still makes it an ideal location to buy a home, especially for single women who are buying more homes in Atlanta than anywhere else. “It’s busy because I think everyone can afford to buy. There’s something here for everyone,” says Share.

What makes Share stand out

Share’s biggest challenge over the past year has been getting her clients qualified and prepared, especially those who are self-employed, in a lightning-fast seller’s market. “The client was self-employed and it made it a little difficult for her to have all of her documents and everything that she needed. She was close, but not quite ready,” she explains. For her clients that needed a little extra help in this market, Share had to use a different approach.

Cash is king in real estate. All-cash deals now make up 36% of the market, according to data from realtor.com. Sellers prefer cash offers because they can close faster and eliminate the risk of a mortgage loan getting denied at the last minute. A cash offer may be more attractive than a higher bid and can even give the potential buyer more negotiating power, possibly saving thousands of dollars.

Using all-cash offers is how Share is helping her clients in Atlanta. “It's great that there's an option for people to be able to buy and it gives them a little bit of time to get all their ducks in a row,” she says.

A quick and easy close with RibbonCash Offers

In November 2020, more than a quarter of homes in the U.S. sold for over asking price — up from 13% the year before. Instead of duking it out with other buyers in a bidding war, RibbonCash Offers has given Share the chance to help her buyers in this tough market.

“There may be 20 offers on a home but if you have someone that's offering cash and can close in two or three weeks, it helps,” she says “And then it gives the client a chance to get everything they need in order so they can purchase on their own. Ribbon is perfect for that.”

Because of RibbonCash Offers, Share was able to help her client beat out all the other offers without a home sale contingency and close quickly. “It was a full price offer without any major negotiating and Ribbon checked the comps, did the appraisal, and then closed. It was smooth and easy,” states Share. The current market is tough but RibbonCash Offers has given Share’s clients the edge they need to stand out in Atlanta and the extra time to get organized.