How Do You Find the Perfect Manassas Park House When Nothing on the Market Fits?

How Do You Find the Perfect Manassas Park House When Nothing on the Market Fits?

Less than one month ago, a newly engaged couple that I am representing to purchase a home had their hopes and dreams smashed. They'd been under contract to purchase a regular sale that turned out to be a Short Sale. The Seller didn't have the money required to make it settlement since there was a shortfall between the balance owed on his mortgages and the amount of the sale, but hadn't even attempted to get bank approval. The Buyers and I got a notice from the Seller voiding the contract one week before our scheduled settlement. Talk about a punch in the gut.

The weeks following that sucker punch have not been fun. The Seller seemed unsure as to whether he wanted to try a Short Sale. We gathered this by his inability to sign the Short Sale purchase offer in the two weeks he'd had it. My Buyers loved the home and more importantly, the neighborhood. While their initial search had been a larger area, now they saw themselves living in Belmont Station. Yet it was hard for the Buyers to let that first home go.

We continued to search in their wider area, with nothing fitting their needs or wants. In the meantime, I pulled the tax records for townhouses in Belmont Station that were equal or bigger to the one that they'd been lined up to purchase. I sent out six letters to home owners in the neighborhood, asking if they wanted to sell because I had Buyers. This, after I posted an article to Belmont Station home owners with the same message. My plan was to exhaust the list of home owners, three letters a day, and keep looking at the newly listed homes elsewhere.

On Wednesday, Mr. Buyer called me about a "coming soon" sign he'd seen in Belmont Station. We called and made an appointment to see it before it was even in the MLS. As we pulled into the neighborhood to view that soon-to-be-listed townhouse in Belmont Station, my cell phone rang. It was one of the six Belmont Station home owners who had received my letter. He needed to sell. I was stunned and said I'd call him back. Unaware of his address at that moment, I was literally walking by his house when he called.

After viewing the first property, I phoned back to see if we could stop by and see the caller's home since we were in the neighborhood. Already, we had a winner in the one that would be listed the next day. My fear was a bidding war. It was a stunning home. Only issue, it smelled of dog and had a really odd carpet. So we made it to our caller's address. An end unit with a fabulous deck that we had commented on during our numerous trips to the community. We went inside and found an even better fit for my Buyers. We asked him what he wanted to sell for and if he would pay for closing costs and a home warranty. Last night, I was there at the Seller's home presenting an offer from my Buyers. He even served homemade chocolate chip cookies. There is no indicator of looming success like chocolate.

We are officially under contract today with what ended up being an unplanned For Sale By Owner. It was meant to be. The Seller is saving on a listing commission since I won't do dual agency and my Buyers are getting the TRUE home of their dreams. All for the price of a forty-four cent stamp.

Now I know why I had the song, "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me," playing in my head as we embarked out on our home tour on Wednesday. We didn't know it starting out that night, but things were about to line up exactly as they were meant to be.