Just returned from a "whirlwind" weekend up in the Pensacola area. My daughter and her husband decided to put their house in Gulf Breeze, FL on the market when they learned they needed a larger home now that she is "expecting" her 3rd child. In addition to needing a larger home, it would also be smart to move in closer to his office in Pensacola, thus cutting approx. 15 hours a week off of the drive time, not to mention the savings in gas.
My kids are no different than a lot of the population, in that they also have taken a beating in the value of their home as well as needing to sell their home in order to purchase another. Fortunately, they did not have to go "short sale" since they owned their home. Naturally they wanted daddy to be their Realtor®. Awkward situation....kind of like a doctor operating on their own kids. Pensacola is about 500 miles from my home base, different market, different valuations, different environment, etc. I thought it over long and hard since they would be taking about a $60K loss, why add to the pain?
I sought the council of my fellow Realtors® in the Women's Council of Realtors® and one of them suggested I contact a member in the Pensacola area. I was put in contact with Janice Henke, President Elect of the Pensacola chapter. Even though she was busy with her sick grandson, she found the time to do some research and gave me a good idea of what a fair listing price for my kid's home would be. We were blessed; their house went under contract in 29 days! We had already identified the house they wanted to put a contract on and once again, my fellow Realtors® came to my aid.
In addition to Janice, I had also met another great person in that market, Grey Burge of Real Estate House, Inc. To say I was "humbled" by their generous assistance would be an understatement. They both took the time to look up comps as well as giving their un-biased opinion of what a realistic price to offer would be. Their generosity was greatly appreciated and I hope they will call on me should they need help in my market.
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