We were invited to a friend's house for brunch with our homade goodies and my mother in tow, we went out to a western Waukesha county suburb and feasted on the collection of everything from salads to desserts with the traditional Easter Ham tucked in the middle as the entree. It was enjoyable...but that was not the best part of our day.
On the way home, we would meet one of our short sale buyers (we also represented the sellers on this transaction) with the whole family to introduce their two children to the new home they would close on this Friday and move into on Saturday. The sellers had already left the home to start a new life in another state and had thoughtfully left a bouquet of flowers on the kitchen counter for the buyers....they were soo grateful and painfully left the area to start over and begin the next chapter of their lives.
Mr. and Mrs. Buyer have two daughters....ages 6 and 11 and since time never goes fast enough for children (and toooo fast for adults) they elected to wait until Easter Sunday to tell them about the "Surprise" they would have a new home...see their new neighborhood...find their new bedrooms...enjoy the bunk beds left in the rec room for their next slumber parties. It was obvious from the moment the family got out of the car...the children had a healthy love and respect for their parents....and for us...as they shook our hands when they were introduced without being reminded.
Mr. Seller began...."I want you to thank the Hansons for helping us to buy this new home for our whole family to enjoy...they worked very hard to help us." I looked over at David...there was not a dry eye anywhere in our family or theirs...the excitement and enthusiasm flowed freely...and the unexpected alcolades and gratitude appreciated...It is always about them....the buyers who know the value of the house they will call home and the sellers who get to end a painful chapter of their lives and move on...if you have to ask "Why do you short sales ?"....this is just one more answer.
Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS
Yup, Sally, you hit the nail on the head. I'd much rather work with sellers and buyers any day than asset managers on foreclosures. There is a certain amount of inner satisfaction in closing short sales that you just don't get when you're talking to a number's guy. It's the human element to the equation.