This is about a little miracle — in the midst of a bad economy.
My wife and I bought another house (a foreclosure) in our neightborhood a few years ago. After rehabbing it we rented it out. The tenants — who were decent sorts — recently moved, but after fixing all the problems they left behind, we decided that maybe we’re not cut out to be landlords. So, we decided to sell the house.
“What are you thinking?!” you might ask. This is, after all a very down market. And yes, there are houses in our neighborhood that have been on the market for over a year. Still, we decided to try. This house, with a large fenced yard, is a perfect starter home for a family with one or two kids and a dog — and we are certain that a family like that is out there somewhere. We decide to attract such a family.
Monday: we place a For Sale By Owner sign in the front yard, and list the house on Craigslist and Zillow (free is good!).
Tuesday: we post our maximum allotment of four pictures to the online ads
Wednesday: we are contacted by a broker who specializes in houses in our city. Reluctantly, we agree to chat. He impresses us. He tours the house, affirms that we’ve got a nice, clean little property. He makes a good case for himself, and we agree to give him a shot on a flat fee basis. What the heck — it costs us nothing to let somebody else do some work for us, eh?!
Thursday, 1pm: Matt the Matchmaker (as I’m now calling him) says he’s showing the house at 3PM. Cheryl and I head out to run some errands on the other side of town.
Thursday, 4:30pm: Matt calls Cheryl on her mobile, and a cryptic conversation ensues. Cheryl hangs up, shakes her head, and says: “He sold the house!”
Unbelievably, we are signing papers tomorrow. Family, with one kids and two small dogs. They are pre-approved with a bank. They are first-time homebuyers, and their current lease expires in six days, so they want to start moving in… in three days!
We will have sold the house and turned it over, in less than a week. The power of attraction works!
And we are VERY happy! 🙂
I believe in miracles.
