11/22/2021
Sometimes when flipping these homes it’s NOT all about the money.
Sometimes it’s about finding the right buyer for the home we designed.
Even though you get a higher cash offer, sometimes it’s about the right fit and helping someone see a dream through. This house was just that.
But first I have to tell you this was an open market property we found and we were the successful bidder. We fixed up this oceanfront home and put it back on the market as we normally would.
BUT this time things would turn out a bit differently. You see, at the open house we met a family that had bid against us when the house was originally on the market as a fixer upper. They had wanted this home as their retirement home.
I felt a bit bad, but they said they likely wouldn’t have done as much to the home and knew it needed a lot of work. They left, thinking the house was beautiful and a bit disappointed at the new asking price.
The home is well received by the public, local agents and would be home buyers.
Shortly thereafter, we get a call from this families son. He would like to see if he could make an offer on the home. He asks if we already had offers. At that point we had a couple of verbal offers but nothing in writing.
He submits the offer, full asking price and he tells us he’d like to purchase the home for his parents to retire at. A Home that could be in his family for generations to come.
Shortly there after, 2 separate cash buyers. At or over asking.
We make the decision we are going to try and help this family get the home they’d dreamed of. A beautiful, humble family from LA. To help their son realize his dream of thanking them in the most special way. To buy them the oceanfront home of their dreams.
We open escrow, and while the story could have ended there… it didn’t.
There’s problems with the financing for him. The lender can’t figure out how to appraise this purchase because it was actually two separate lots and APN’s he’s purchasing. A potential development property and the bank pushes back a bit.
Of course the thought crosses our minds that we should have taken the higher cash offers.
But we decide to push forward. Patiently we wait, working with the lenders trying to resolve their internal issues.
The buyer, a young 30 somethings guy, is stressed. Worried that his surprise purchase may not happen. Escrow gets delayed and what should have been a 30-45 day escrow takes much longer.
During this time, his wife’s car breaks down. She needs a new car. You know that thing every agent/seller worries about… 😂 Well…
Almost 90 days in escrow and it finally closes..
Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.
He decides to coordinate a surprise. He tells his parents and tells them he’s actually going to surprise his wife with a new car and best of all he got the “agent” to hide the car in the house they had wanted to purchase but that unfortunately he couldn’t qualify for the purchase.
That the home fell out of escrow and he was going to use that as an excuse to get her to the garage where he had hidden her new car.
The funny thing is during escrow, he told his wife he couldn’t qualify for a new car because they had too much debt because she figured out he was buying the home for his parents.
We prep the house. Welcome home sign, taco guy and of course some cocktails.
He backs in his pick up…. Surprise, his parents get their dream home. Second surprise, wife get her new car.
I’m glad I could be a part of this. A side we rarely get to share in.
Flipping homes isn’t always about making the most you can. Sometimes, it’s about helping someone who’s trying to spread kindness and joy as a showing of just how thankful he is.
Luis,
Thanks for letting me share in this very special moment.
Help us make more dreams come true. Send me your fixer upper properties.
