I’m excited for my sellers at 950 S Muirfield who received nine offers and have their house in escrow for way over asking. The most desirable popular style house in our area is authentic Spanish. There is most demand for move-in ready Spanish houses with authentic character and curb appeal, a floor plan that hasn’t been altered from the original, located in a quiet location, with zen outdoor space. This house nailed it in every category and demand for it was through the roof. I love happy endings and this house made it easy.
I’m also excited for our new listing at 1025 S Sierra Bonita. Like so many of our listings this year, we sold this house the last time it was for sale. The decor is fresh, contemporary, clean and easy. There’s so much space and it feels hip and cool to be in this house. Most interesting about this property is the privacy it provides during Corona; there are two staircases to the upstairs and 2 bedrooms are separate from the third. The garage is converted to a big private unattached living space that could be super quiet too. I can’t wait to show this house!
We opened a new escrow this week and the buyer is putting down only ten percent of the purchase price and borrowing the other ninety percent. The lender is Navy Federal Credit Union. They offer low down payments and in some cases no downpayment for any citizen who is related to a veteran. They have a database of veterans that goes back to the early 1900’s and any relative qualifies – grandparents, parents, siblings, kids. The rep i spoke to said he’s even qualified a borrower with a roommate who is a veteran. The buyer is getting a 30 year fixed conventional loan at a really low interest rate with only ten percent down. The escrow period is supposed to be thirty days. I’ve never seen that before – what a sweet deal.
I’m very inspired this week by clients who bought a new house and are selling their old house. They decided they wanted to move and they were determined to make it happen. With a whole houseful of kids at home and in Zoom school, they found a house they absolutely love and they started renovations the day they closed on their purchase. They energetically purged their old house of everything they didn’t absolutely need, they moved out a lot of their furniture and they followed direction to rearrange their stuff, they removed wallpaper and painted to make spaces more neutral for sale, and then they worked with the numbers and the market at both ends to get where they wanted to go. I sat with them at their new house poolside yesterday to fill out disclosures for their sale. There were swaying palm trees right near us, workers hammered and banged to make the house picture perfect before official move-in, and I marveled at their relaxed peaceful satisfaction at getting exactly where they wanted to go. It’s such an honor to collaborate with people who are smart, honest, hardworking, detail oriented, and just so good at life.
I’m seeing consistently that it’s the determined attitude of chasing big picture dreams that wins during these times. Right now we all have working constraints and limits because of the never ending pandemic. Fighting it or trying to rewrite the story gets people stuck. Assessing and accepting the truth, paying attention and working the best possible way with the circumstances, has people getting where they want to go successfully and with serenity.
And I love stories of reciprocal kindness, now more than ever. I’m so proud of my young son in law, Danny, for introducing a couple who got engaged this week! My son-in-law’s elderly grandparents lived in Pittsburgh for many years, far away from family. A generous neighbor went above and beyond to check in on Grandma, calling each and every day with offers to do errands, to pick up groceries and to share a kind word. In the course of daily conversations, the neighbor often shared with Grandma that her daughter was wishing to meet someone special. Grandma networked with her grandkids to help the cause because she so fervently wanted to do something back for her extraordinarily generous neighbor. Danny, my son-in-law who loves his Grandma, thought of a long time childhood friend and classmate, and he made the introduction. The coolest part of the story is how excited Danny is to appropriately repay the neighbor’s overwhelming kindness to Grandma! And of course how excited Grandma is to have a reason to get back to Pittsburgh to attend the wedding and to see her neighbor who Grandma misses since Grandma left Pittsburgh to go live near her daughters in another city.
I believe the best way through these times is to focus on intentionally sparking joy – both in ourselves and in others. I see more joy than ever in today’s times when people take the keys to their new homes. I see more joy than ever in sellers who choose to move to another city and immerse themselves in their new life there. I see more joy than ever both in people who extend and who receive kindness from others. Even while we still have masks on our faces, if we keep cultivating an abundance of kindness in our hearts both inwards towards ourselves and outwards towards others, we will so obviously see rays of sunshine not just at the end of this storm but also as we make our way through it!
Have an awesome weekend!
Xoxoxoxo,
Sheri
