"And This Was Our Starter Home!"
Yesterday, after some lender delay drama, my listing at 10646 Maple Street in Fairfax City closed. It sold above list price after it had been through four offers.
The seller signed a week in advance, and when the signing was done and title rep had gone to make copies, she and I were alone in the conference room. She laughed, "This was our starter home. We were in it for over fifty years!" If you ask me, that's a great start.
While the average amount of time a home owner stays in one home in the Northern Virginia area has been estimated at anywhere from five to seven years, there is no shame in staying in a home that made you happy for over fifty years. Sure, there may have been an intent to get something bigger or better and make this a shorter term home, but instead of moving, the home owners added a room to the home. They improved the back yard. They made it a place worth staying in. They were happy there during their entire fifty plus year stay. They raised their kids in the home. They made great friendships with their neighbors. They welcomed their grandkids there and their great-grandkids.
Finding the right home for buyers, and deciding to sell for sellers, always comes down to what they value. In the case of these sellers, the values were clear--stability, friendships, local jobs and saving money for retirement. That made their starter home their near forever home.
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