We Left $12,000 on the Table… and It Was the Right Move

What if I told you we intentionally walked away from the highest offer on a home sale? Not because we made a mistake, but because it was actually the smartest decision for the seller. You are helping your parents move and sell their home, especially one that has not been fully updated, that's kind of old-fashioned looking. This is a story that you absolutely need to hear. I'm going to walk you through exactly how we positioned this like Brady Bunch style home to win in today's market. We created multiple offers in just one weekend and we chose the right buyer who did not happen to be the highest priced buyer. So I'm going to tell you about that. I want you to avoid the costly mistakes that I see other families making all the time. When they're selling these older probate estate sale homes or people are downsizing out of their family home that they've owned for 50 years. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. So Chrissy came to me to help sell her parents' home. Her mom had passed a couple of years ago. She actually found me here on the YouTube channel and like everyone, Many homes in Seattle, this home had been lovingly cared for for decades. They built it themselves for their family in the 1970s. And stylistically, it was still there. Think split entry, wood paneling, red shag carpet, all of that. It had a pink bathroom and a blue bathroom, just like the home that I grew up in. But unlike my home, it did not have green or orange shag carpet. They did red instead. I like that. But... Here's what made it interesting. So before her mom passed, she had already invested in the big ticket items to improve the home. They had a new roof. They had updated the siding. They had rebuilt the deck in the back. They had put in a heat pump in the attic that included air conditioning in the house. So structurally, the home was really solid, but cosmetically, it was not competing with the fully remodeled homes that you might expect to see in the market, kind of the Pinterest-ready homes. When we looked at comps, We made a very intentional decision. We tried to price it conservatively, not because it wasn't worth more, but because we wanted to attract the right kind of buyer, someone who could see the opportunity and have a live-in flip, as they call it. So they could move in, everything was functional, they could cook, they could use the bathroom, and then they could say, over time, I'm going to update this to the way that I want it to be. I'm going to change out the carpets, I'm going to repaint the rooms, those types of things. So then we put it on the market and the first weekend it blew up. Over 10 showings, four of the people asked for the inspection. So it wasn't converting like crazy. A lot of people were viewing it though. And we had the sense that we were in the right place. It wasn't like it was flying off the shelves, like we had underpriced it, but it was getting a lot of attention. After a few days on the market, offers started coming in and it was crazy. Funny, this is something that people don't really realize. That's where the work really begins. So we spent Sunday together on the phone, reviewing offers, strategizing, talking about what was important to her, and then calling back and negotiating with these different buyers. We didn't just sit back and pick one. I actually called everybody multiple times. I would call it a round robin. So we're calling them back and say, hey, your offer's close, but if you really want this home, Here's your opportunity to make it a little bit stronger. And we kept pushing people carefully and strategically. We didn't want to drive them away or scare them away. But we did increase the price on the home more than $40,000 over asking. However, here's the surprise. We did not take the highest offer. In fact, we left $12,000 on the table because the terms of the purchase mattered more than the money. The buyer we chose had no inspection contingency, no financing contingency, and a very large down payment. And they'd been to the property multiple times, and there was just very strong confidence on both sides that they would close. So we had already done a pre-inspection that we provided for them to reduce their risk. And so the buyer had a lot of clarity, and they felt confident moving forward. They were willing to commit to the home. And to Chrissy, that certainty It was worth more than chasing absolute top dollar. So finally, around 9 o'clock that night, we got everything signed around and Chrissy was relieved, I was relieved, the buyer was relieved, the other buyers were disappointed, but for the people involved in the transaction, everybody was thrilled. The earnest money came in the very next day, which is a great sign of commitment from the buyer, and now we were on track to close smoothly. So the lesson here, if you are in Chrissy's shoes, helping a parent sell their home, this is what I want you to take away. You do not need a fully remodeled house to win in this market. Pricing strategy is everything. And if I tell you you're overpricing your home, you shouldn't do that. The best offer is not always the highest one. If you end up pricing low or the market is stronger than you think, The market will correct that and you can actually get more than your asking price. What you really want in this situation is a buyer who will actually make it to the finish line. That means saying that they're going to close and then actually doing it with money on the line. That earnest money is their skin in the game and no contingencies means they're very committed. So if you're starting to think about selling your parents' home and you want a clear plan before you start making big decisions or remodeling or spending a lot of money, then we should definitely talk. You can look down below in the description for a link for a Zoom call with me. I'm going to walk you through what your home could sell for and the smartest way to approach it. And if this kind of behind-the-scenes insight is helpful, Make sure you subscribe to the channel and give us a like. It helps the channel grow. It helps me find more buyers and sellers. And this is where I share real stories like this every week so you can make confident, informed decisions for your family.