First Time Seller…How I got through selling and buying at the same time as a Realtor…
When we bought our first home, my husband and I were just about to be married. We needed a place to settle down. Our main focus was affordability. We bought what we could afford and knew it would only need to last us about 5 to 7 years. Our amazing farmhouse had been recently renovated from top to bottom, and suited us well. We got married there, brought our first baby home there, and made many adjustments to make it our own. It did not have a few key items we really wanted in our forever home- a garage, a full second bathroom, decent schools… and as our family grew, we realized it was going to be time to sell sooner rather than later.
Upon learning that we were pregnant with our second child, my Realtor brain KNEW it was time. My husband needed a little nudge to get on board, but once I painted him the picture of leaving the house for showings with 3 dogs and 2 children under the age of 2, he quickly got on board.
Even though I had helped many families move over the years, this was going to be my first time experiencing selling first hand. Here are a few things I did that helped us make the task less daunting…
We made a plan- We wrote out all the things we needed to do before taking our listing photos. It was a lot of small tasks like painting, and hiding all the baby stuff we were done using but would need in the very near future for baby number 2. We made a detailed plan and set a timeline to have the tasks done. A list without a timeline is just a dream…putting a “to be completed by” date on our tasks helped us stay on track.
We got to work- We took an objective look at our home and fixed the things we had been putting off. We rolled up our sleeves and made time to pack things away. We got rid of large bulky furniture that made the rooms look small. We even switched out our bed in the primary bedroom from a King size to a queen temporarily to give the illusion of morse space in our tiny master bedroom. We utilized a PODS unit that we kept at our home for a few weeks and packed it up slowly…once we finished packing it up- we sent it away to be delivered upon closing of our new home.
We allowed as many showings as we could- More showings equals more potential offers. Depending on price and market condition at the time of sale, you could see offers very quickly , or it could take up to 30 days to get under contract. Was it inconvenient to leave the house for showings as a pregnant lady with a toddler and 3 dogs- YES! but I knew the inconvenience would be short lived. As soon as we accepted an offer, the showings stopped and we were able to live somewhat normally until closing.
We were reasonable in our contract negotiations- There is going to be some give and take in any transaction. We were flexible with our buyers and they were flexible with us. We mutually understood that we were all trying to get to the closing table. Going in with a mindset of transparency.
We secured an accepted offer on our dream home in the neighborhood we desired- But the house needed to be updated from top to bottom. It was straight out of 1999 with orange tones and original appliances- but that did not scare us off as we knew this would be our home for the long haul. We were unfortunately not able to line up the closing dates to be on the same day due to our seller needing more time to move their things out- so we did a short 2 night stay in a hotel while we were in between homes.
Our story is not uncommon, selling and buying at the same time is a complex transaction- but remaining focused and flexible will keep your dream of a new house alive. While it might be inconvenient and uncomfortable remember this phrase- “this is a short term inconvenience for a long term lifestyle change”
If you need help planning a dual move, reach out today so we can make a plan of action.