When I visited with my friends after listing their home last August, I advised them that their sale might be a long and difficult one because of the age of their single wide mobile home. It was built in 1977. Looking around, I could see that many loving touches had been added over the 30 years they had been there together. They had even hired a contractor to put a 20' by 30' addition on their home. (*Street name changed for Privacy).
Their lot was park-like and beautiful–their emerald encompassed one and a half acres of lovely, country property. It gently sloped in an attractive manner. The green carpet stretched towards the boundaries, wistfully calling you back to those cool-grass-on-the-bare-feet moments of childhood.
Our correspondence at times was like the blizzard on the north forty, then other times like a hunter waiting all day in the blind... As the months of summer gave way to autumn, and those months morphed into winter and spring, there were times of discouragement for my seller friends.
Through it, though, was their strong faith that God would bring the right buyer in the right time. The listing period gracefully expired and that day found me leaving their home, with another extension to the listing. They had purchased an appraisal at my recommendation in July of last year before our August listing date. As the months rolled along, we made those necessary price adjustments, finally lowering it to match the appraised price from that July appraisal.
Then came the day for which we had long worked, prayed and waited. My seller called me, this time, stating that he had shown the property several times to this buyer and her extended family AND that she wanted to make an offer. He said that she had found the property online through the ad I had placed on Craig’s list–the amazing thing was that she lived on the main road not three miles away from Pine Ridge, but had never seen my sign!
We arranged to meet at my office to write the offer. It was like a family reunion, because the buyers actually knew my uncle (who lives locally) when he was in highschool those many years ago. My seller friends came to my office for the meeting, because they had already negotiated most of the terms and we were just formalizing it on paper.
Inspections created an interesting situation, but we were able to negotiate a settlement suitable to both parties. The buyer’s first loan would have been 10.44% through a credit union who did not require much paperwork. While we were visiting, the buyer said that she almost forgot...she had a rich friend who might be willing to loan her the money.
He was willing...so willing, fact, that he sent her a cashier’s check for the total amount that she requested. The title company drew up the papers for us and we closed on June 10, 2008–three hundred and ten days after listing the property. We saw the hand of God through the process, including when the seller himself found a provision of Texas State law which nullifies old Deeds of Trusts which have been paid off for more than four years (even those a Release was not recorded).
There was much rejoicing during those final moments of the closing process. I reminded my seller friend what he had told me years ago... “You know, you promised me your listing while standing on my front porch at home some years ago.” He said, “Yes, I did. I kept my word.”
Today, June 18, 2008, is a special day in the lives of my friends. They closed on their new home in East Texas at 10:30 this morning. It is only a half mile from her sister’s house in the same subdivision. They are now living their dream of being in the Piney Woods of Texas.
I am grateful that God did the impossible and brought a “cash” buyer for an otherwise “unsaleable” listing. Yes, it took much time and effort and prayer, but it was worth all that energy to be able to write “SOLD” across that file. My brother a Realtor here at Classic Realty, gave me much assistance as the co-listing agent. Similar to the Miracle at Dunkirk (on a much smaller scale), this was the...
....Miracle on Pine Ridge!
~Nathan
Classic Realty/GMAC Real Estate
3600 HWY 6 South, STE 100
College Station, TX 77845
info@nathan-cook.com
979-324-8844 cell
Comments(5)