You never forget your First Time... Sharon
I was referred to Sharon by a friend and when we met I was struck by her funny, down to earth, hardworking, every-woman presence. She was renting at the time and thanks to a Down Payment assist program I had told her friend about, she was going to be able to buy her own first home. (Yep, you heard that right... could that be you? We should talk.)
My very first deal was on the way, woohoo (9 years ago now)! So off we went after qualifying to determine our price range. We didn't look at many before Sharon set her sights on an older home with character, which was exactly what she was looking for. It was probably the talk of the block in its day but it was (at the time) very cluttered, dark and unkept. The owners were going their separate ways and the home's maintenance and appearance showed the sad story (which also affects value FYI).
We negotiated an acceptable offer to all parties (with some effort let me tell you...), conditions were met and we talked off and on waiting for Closing Day. I did warn her that there was a big possibility that there would be some belongings left behind so she was prepared for a little extra clean up. Since we lined the dates up with some leftover time at the rental she wasn't overly concerned. Plus, wine.
A week before the scheduled closing (yep..) I got a call from her lawyer letting me know there were some problems when they did the typical searches for title (They check to make sure that the new owner doesn't inherit any messes like liens, work orders, etc.).
Three mortgages. And a lien. Um, what?? To top it off, the listing Realtor® had no idea. Be honest with us folks, it's the only way we can help.
We were fortunately working with a very good lawyer who was able to negotiate with the mortgage holders and the company with the lien, asking them to all take less than what was owed in order for the deal to close. Sharon was upset understandably but we worked through it and closed about a week late. And yes, there was a lot of cleaning up to do but remember wine?
A couple of years later Sharon gave me a call because she had decided to make some changes in her life and she was ready to sell. She wanted to travel some and she had done what she could with the house in terms of renovations and improvements - I couldn't wait to see it! I was excited to see the beautiful wide trim and french doors had remained classically (and woodenly if that's a word?) unpainted. The floors were gleaming and the kitchen was cheery and bright, a very welcoming and warm main floor. Upstairs she had painted the bedrooms, cleaned up the old hardwood floors and given the bathroom a facelift, though the clawfoot tub remained (thank goodness).
We sold Sharon's first house (without any issues I might add) and she was back to renting and travelling.