Katie got into real estate in 2013, starting on the title and escrow side, where she learned how deals actually come together, the fine print, the timelines, and the small things that can make or break a transaction.

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Four days before closing, I got word that the deal was falling apart. The buyers had fired their lender, there were problems with the appraisal, and they were ready to walk away. At that point, a lot of agents would say the deal is dead and put the house back on the market. That’s not what happened, and the reason why is the entire point of this story.

How it actually went down. We were four days from the closing table, everything supposedly wrapped up, and suddenly the whole thing was about to terminate. The buyers had fired their lender, they weren’t happy, there were appraisal issues, and it was ready to collapse.

Here’s the moment that mattered: I could have simply accepted it, said that’s unfortunate, and relisted the house. Instead, my first question was why. I wanted to know the real problem rather than take “it’s falling apart” as an answer. Once I understood what was genuinely wrong, I realized it was fixable. Within 24 hours, the buyers were connected to a brand-new lender. We found different rates. I used my local connections to get the appraisal issue unstuck, then the deal closed.

I learned this the hard way. Early in my career, I did what a lot of us are taught to do. Focus on my side of the transaction, take care of my client, and trust that the other side will handle their end. I lost some deals that way. I’d find out too late that something had gone sideways on the other side, an appraisal that never got ordered, a deadline nobody was watching, a lender who wasn’t communicating.

“A deal doesn't care whose side the problem was on. If it falls apart, my client is the one who loses.”

By the time it surfaced, it was too late to fix. That was a hard lesson, and it completely changed how I work, because a deal doesn’t care whose side the problem was on. If it falls apart, it falls apart, and my client is the one who loses.

Now I watch the whole board. I track the deadlines on the other side of the transaction, not just my own. I make sure the appraisal is actually ordered rather than assuming it is. I check in on financing, watch the dates, and stay on top of what’s happening across the whole deal instead of only in my lane. A lot of agents see their job as ending at their side of the transaction, and I understand why, that’s the traditional approach.

I don’t work that way anymore, because I’ve seen what happens when nobody is watching the whole board. It’s more work. It’s also the work that keeps deals alive.

Why the deal survived. When the buyer’s lender fell through four days out, that story usually ends in a termination and a house going back on the market. It hurts everyone involved. The seller is back at square one, the home now carries a failed sale, and the buyers lose the house they wanted.

Because I was paying attention to the entire transaction, I knew what the real problem was and who could solve it. A new lender in 24 hours. Different rates. Local connections to move the appraisal along. None of that is magic. It comes down to refusing to accept that a deal is dead and having the relationships to do something about it.

What this means for you. When you’re choosing an agent, everyone will tell you they communicate well, and they’ll take care of you. What you actually need to know is what happens when something goes wrong, because something usually does. A lender wobbles, an appraisal comes in strangely, a deadline gets missed. That’s the moment that decides whether your sale closes or collapses. The question isn’t whether your agent is pleasant to work with. It’s whether they’ll dig in, find out what’s really happening, and go solve it, even when the problem technically isn’t theirs.

Ask me the hard question. If you’re thinking about buying or selling here in Eugene, that’s the question I’d want you asking any agent you talk to, including me. Not “are you going to list my house,” but “what will you do when something goes sideways four days before closing?” That’s when it counts.

If you want an agent who’s watching the whole transaction and won’t take “it’s falling apart” as an answer, let’s talk. Call or text me at 503-621-6832, email me at katie@movewithdewitt.com, or visit movewithdewitt.com. Whatever your situation looks like, I’ll walk you through exactly how I’d handle your sale from start to finish, and what I’d be watching for the whole way through.