The Closing that Almost Wasn't with SelectAnn
My story begins with a referral from a fellow Realtor in my office. She gave me the name of the attorney handling a probate transaction. These were a couple of unimproved lots in a subdivision in unincorporated Franklin County, MO. I told her thank you! And proceeded to search for the properties.
I was successful at finding the lots. And the good news was there are many newer homes on the street. I called the attorney and discussed the lots. He gave me the clients phone number and I contacted them as well. Long story short, I listed the lots and tried to dig up as much information about the them as I could. When I contacted the trustee for the subdivision, I was told these were un-joined lots-in the subdivision but no access to amenities but no assessments. This was good news for my clients. The lots had been sitting for a long time.
Fast forward to having a contract, the buyer's agent said his client could close in a week with cash. I swiftly commented that would not be possible due to the situation and all of the documents needed. He was still thinking his title company would be able to navigate this situation quickly. As it turns out, they ended up being the biggest full stop in the whole transaction. From documents needing signed to the eventual use of a mobile notary for all 15 heirs, this was turning into the closing that just would not happen! Two of the heirs were on holiday in Europe without a car. This was quite the issue.
I often say to clients, if I had control of everything, we would complete items quickly. So I called all of the heirs- leaving messages for most. Every one of them called me back promptly-something the mobile notaries were unsuccessful at doing. I was pleased that every heir was onboard with signing what needed to be signed. All asked smart questions and were cautious as I would have been.
My main contact was a very sweet lady. She was quite helpful and understanding. Every heir lived in a different state creating more issues and costs with the notaries. Needless to say, she was elated when I finally was able to call her and give the news that we had officially closed and funded!
The heart of this transaction was the tenacity of everyone involved to stick with the process to move us to closing. I will never forget this one. It was over 2 months to get to the closing table with so many bumps in the process, but we prevailed!
I am so happy for this family to finally have closure on something that was 20 years in the making.
AR Challenge Post August 2025 Carol Williams and Ralph Gorgoglione
This is my entry in August 2025 AR Challenge: The Transaction That Touched Your Heart hosted by Carol Williams and Ralph Gorgoglione.
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