“Hi! What a nice house. My husband recently lost his brother and we need a Realtor.” Those were her first words. She walked into an open house that my friend Carmen and I were hosting, on May 20, 2023. Her brother-in-law used to live on the property in front. I gave her my business card, and after talking for a while she said she would call me and she left.
When we finished the open house we got into our car, and something told me “Go knock on their door”. So I did, even though my mom always told me not to talk with strangers. I met her husband, he was devastated. He had a house from 1980, full of memories, and he didn’t know where to start. But, he was sure of one thing, he wanted to sell the house to someone who needed it. He didn’t have a lot of money to fix it but he did have a huge faith in God and he trusted that the right people would do what it took to get the property ready.
The next day I sent him a text message with the information about Estate Sale companies and donation websites. Every month since then I would check on them to see how they were doing and if they needed anything since they lived out of state.
In July I received a message that the probate process had started! We all know that this can take months. He then got the Estate Sales company that I got him to empty the property. Of course, he was receiving offers from investors. He could have just sold the property that needed so much work, but he stuck to his faith and he kept his commitment of doing the right thing for his brother.
Once the property was empty we had a clear vision of all the work that needed to be done. The roof was newer and the HVAC was in good condition. Since he didn’t know anyone in Tampa who could do the repairs, I shared contacts of electricians, plumbers, contractors, cleaning people, and others. Lots of upgrades were done to the house: the electricity panel was replaced and electricity was brought up to code, the floors were replaced, closet doors replaced, ceiling pop-corn removed and the whole house was painted inside. When the kitchen and bathrooms were going to be done, circumstances changed and the budget was limited. So, we met again and shifted plans. He got the appliances in the kitchen and the sinks in the bathrooms replaced.
Then, it was showtime! I could see how his faith and keeping himself busy started bringing him back to life. When I met him the first time he was devastated and low energy. We also had a different house than what we started with. Probate was done and we had the green light to list the property. I brought in the staging company and the professional photographer. The house looked amazing! We discussed the pricing strategy once more and we listed the property. We received offers from day 1 of listing it. In 5 days we were under contract and off to a smooth closing. We did receive higher offers from investors, but the seller’s words were: I don’t care how much they offer, I want to sell this house to a family or person that needs it.
We closed on April 23, 2024. A year after the first time that we met. This was the result of amazing teamwork and communication at all times. Even when things didn’t go as expected, we talked and shifted, and made the best out of it.
If you or someone you know needs help selling their property, please share my contact information. I’ll be glad to schedule a consultation and help you reach your goals. 813-403-7400 / mariel@yestampa.com