They'd spent years pouring money into repairs and were getting ready to retire. Downsizing was the plan, but they had no idea what the inspection would uncover.
Sometimes the best real estate decisions come down to timing, and my Marysville clients are proof of that. They’d bought their home from me about 13 years ago, a one-level house just above the Cedarcrest golf course. It was the right home for them at the time, but over the last couple of years, the house began to demand more than they could comfortably give.
The repairs kept coming. They put on a new roof. They had to clear out the crawl space due to rats and water damage, and install a sump pump. Every time they started getting a little ahead in their savings, something else went wrong, and the money went right back into the house.
With retirement getting closer and their income not likely to increase much further, they knew it was time to make a change. They needed to stop taking care of all that square footage, the yard, and everything that comes with it, and get into something more manageable.
One shot to get it right. When they called me, I went through the house and gave them a small, focused list of things to take care of. My contractor came through and handled a siding repair, and when they saw the bill, their reaction was “Was that it?” They were used to every repair starting at least $1,000. That was a big relief.
They knew they had one shot to get the house ready, so they did exactly what we asked: got everything spiffed up, and we brought in our photographer to shoot video to showcase the home on YouTube. The goal was simple: make sure everyone looking for a home near the Cedar Crest golf course knew this one was available.
“They were so relieved they hadn’t waited one more year to sell and get out from under it.”
Five offers in four days. We listed the house, blanketed the area with social media and marketing, and made sure every buyer who should see it did. Within four days, we had five offers, all over the listing price. My sellers weren’t nervous about the inspection either, because they knew they’d already brought everything up to snuff.
Then the inspection found something nobody expected. There was a root ball growing in the front of the house, right underneath an old garden bed area. There wasn’t even a tree there anymore, but that root ball had grown so large that it broke the sewer pipe.
My sellers were so relieved they hadn’t waited one more year. If they had, they would have been dealing with a sewage backup into the house, all the damage that comes with it, and the cost of fixing it on top of everything else. Instead, they handled the repair quickly for their buyer so the new owner could have a stress-free, move-in-ready home. The buyer paid $20,000 over asking because they knew they were getting a solid house, and they were right.
A new chapter, on their terms. My clients are now in an apartment and loving it. They’re going to rent for a couple of years, do some traveling, and when they’re ready to settle down, they’ll give me a call, and we’ll look at condos in the area so they can stay close to Seattle for the music scene, be set up for retirement life, and live comfortably within a budget they know they can handle.
If you know someone who needs the pressure of homeownership to go away so they can get into something that actually fits their life, less pressure, less hassle, less cost, and more joy, I’d love to help them with that next step. And if you need real estate help in the greater Seattle area, give me a call or text at 425-422-7372, email me at Sandy@SandyAndCompany.com, or visit sandyandcompany.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
