Welcome to Nick Fong’s real estate tips and advice series. In today’s episode, you’ll learn a simple (but powerful) way to protect your client when selling real estate—especially when the deal involves pre-construction or a developer you don’t know well. Nick Fong is the founder and broker of Ronival Real Estate, and he has grown the brokerage into one of the most recognized firms in Baja California Sur.
If you’re also exploring Los Cabos luxury real estate and top communities, visit LuxuryLosCabos.com. Now, continue reading to learn how to protect your client and pick up a few additional agent tips that can help your career.
Protecting your client when selling real estate
If you have a client who wants to purchase a pre-construction property—but you don’t know the developer (or even the listing agent)—what should you do?
Nick’s recommendation is to write the offer first, then include a special provision that allows about 15 days for a licensed real estate attorney to review the paperwork. Once the attorney reviews the draft contract, they can recommend changes that strengthen the buyer’s position and reduce risk.
From there, you can proceed with a revised agreement—often as a bilingual contract—so your buyer has clear terms, proper protections, and fewer surprises during the build or delivery phase. This is especially important for new construction and pre-construction purchases when you’re representing the buyer.
Dealing with failure in real estate
Nick also emphasizes that success in real estate is usually built on lessons learned through failure. When you pay attention to mistakes and correct course quickly, failure becomes part of the process—not a reason to quit.
Fail fast, learn, adjust, and keep moving. If you treat failure as feedback, you can refine your approach, improve your habits, and build a career that compounds over time.
How does a homeowner sell without a title in hand?
Sometimes an owner wants to sell a property before the title has been issued—often because they purchased pre-construction and values have risen quickly. In many cases, the transaction can be handled by creating a new contract with the developer under the new sales price, allowing the original buyer to cash out their profit.
As Nick explains, this can involve tax considerations (including potential capital gains) and the way closing costs are structured. It’s not always simple, but there are typically multiple options depending on the developer, timeline, and paperwork status.
Make sure you use the right body language
As a rule, the energy you bring is the energy you’ll get back. If you’re making calls with low energy, that’s often what you’ll receive from prospects. Nick points out that your words are only a small portion of communication—your tone and body language do most of the work.
Before a call or text, get your energy right. Stand up, don’t sit, and speak with confidence and clarity.
Baja California Sur real estate
Many Americans, Canadians, and people from other countries choose Los Cabos and other magical towns in Baja California Sur, Mexico, for a home or vacation home. Discover how to purchase your dream home in Baja.
If you’re researching the process or thinking about your next move, here are a few helpful resources:
- Buying real estate in Los Cabos (process, expectations, and how to protect yourself)
- Selling real estate in Los Cabos (strategy, preparation, and how to maximize your outcome)
- Contact our team (questions about representation, timing, or next steps)
Ronival on YouTube
Thank you for reading Check out this collection of real estate tips and gain real estate wisdom. Be sure to read other posts about Cabo and Baja California Sur on the Ronival blog.