Client Story: Time to Downsize

I've been doing this long enough now that I've had clients buy and sell with me more than once. 

This sweet couple bought from me 6 years ago when they decided that their retirement plan also included Florida. I remember we didn't look at a lot of houses because they knew what they wanted. She wanted something smaller and easy to care for. He wanted a pool. That's it, a pool. He had decided he was going to spend the rest of his retirement swimming. She'd shake her head and smile. She was convinced the allure would wear off and they'd be stuck taking care of a pool they never used. She was wrong and he was in it every possible day.

They ended up in the neighborhood I grew up in! My parents built a house in Lake Sarasota in 1983 and I spent my high school years there. We found them an adorable 3 bedroom with a caged pool and the home didn't need a lot of work. After all, they were in Florida to retire, not work on a home. 

We stayed in touch and they were enjoying their quiet life here in Sarasota. 

Last year, she passed away. They had been married since they were young and he is on his own now. He called me to sell the house, which I did. He's moved into a smaller home with a community pool, so he can still swim year round. 

This sweet seller, who was undergoing a major lifechange ended up being one of the easiet sellers I've ever worked with. We got a great offer. The buyers asked for things buyers usually don't ask for in our area. They wanted a concession for buying down points, which is quite common now. But, they also wanted the seller to pay their closing costs. I wanted to say no becuase I wanted to get him the most money I could. He asked what his net proceeds would be if he accepted the contract as it was written and I gave him the break down. He said it's more money then they thought they'd ever get when they bought the house and he was happy. The buyers agreed to his closing date, which worked with his move-in date and he was happy. My seller wasn't in this to get greedy, just to move to the next chapter of his life. 

I'm taking this as a good omen that all my future buyers and sellers will be as easy to work with as my seller. He is moving into his new place today and is looking forward to his first dip in the pool.