Living a better life:
Let us be part of your new story
Jim and Susan:
Migrating to their happy place
Years before Jim and Susan thought of retiring, they found their happy place and built a “cabin” where they could escape to on weekends and holidays. It truly is a wonderful property with water access and a view to die for.
They have two sons, whom they raised in that house, but have since moved away, so there is travel in their future. They also have a grand daughter and a dog (Lola).
The Property
Jim and Susan bought their house new 30+ years before. They maintained it well, and did upgrades along the way - something we HIGHLY recommend as you should enjoy your home and any upgrades. These included a new kitchen, new primary bath, and hardwood floor refinishing. They did other things like paint, update the trim, and other smaller upgrades. They also built a large deck and an covered outdoor living space. All of these are extremely marketable and add value to the home.
What updates/upgrades add value to your home?
The Process
A number of years ago, Susan starting talking about what they were going to do when they both “retired.” We had multiple conversations over the years where they asked advice on how to prepare their home, things to do, and as importantly, things NOT to do that wouldn’t improve the value.
About a year from when Jim planned to retire, they got more serious. Kelly and Pat met with them a few times, did a walkthrough of the house (they were the original owners), and identified things, mostly minor, that would help make their home marketable, including what to stage and what to downsize (e.g., move to storage). We provided a list of vendors, helped figure out how to organize and plan for the move, and the best time to put the house on the market - in this case it was ideally February or March.
Susan and Jim dove in, organized, and worked on their home. They also have firends and family come to help them, which lowered the stress level considerably. We also recommended a “pre-inspection” to identify things that would come up if a buyer had an inspection.
As we approached their selling season, they decided the hardwood floors needed some attention.
The Pitch
The home is in a sought-after subdivision, with multiple schools within walking distance, shopping, activities (multiple pools, soccer, baseball and a cricket pitch), so we knew there would be interest.
We determined the best listing price to bring in potential buyers and staged multiple open houses the opening weekend. We also helped Susan host a short “goodbye” cocktail hour to see her friends and neighbors, and let them see the house.
The Results
Working together with Jim and Susan, we were able to sell their house the first weekend, with great terms and got them on their way!
Joe and Marie:
Setting up for Pre-tirement
Joe and Marie have a blended family. Their children are out of school and beginning their careers and families.
Their careers have changed in that they are spending more time working from home and NOT having to travel into an office.
With this in mind they approached us and we began looking for a home to host their next stage of life.
We asked lots of questions, identified areas to search, and began the process in earnest.
The Pre-Game
Knowing we’d have to move quickly once they found a home, there are a number of things that we did easrly to avoid surprises.
Spoke with a loan office about the loan
Pre-inspected their current home to identify any issues ahead of time
Packed up and stored what they didn’t need
Had outdoor pictures taken on a nice day to captilzie on the weather while we could
Walked their current home to identify whether staging was necessary, and what to remove once a new property was found
The Buy Side
One of the big requests was that they wanted to move to a less “congested” area with more outdoor activities. They also wanted to stay close (but not too close) to highways so they could see family and commute to work and the airport when they had to.
While we were looking at houses, we dialed in their wants and needs, and narrowed our search. Eventually we found a great place, made an offer, had it accepted (with a contingency on selling their current home).
The Sell Side
During our initial discussions, we detrmined that the only way a move would work for them was to find the house they wanted first, and then put their house on the market.
What they didn’t do was wait ro prepare their home for sale. They fixed small issues, had a preinspection so that there were no surprises,, had outdoor pictures taken on a nice day, and understood what needed to go into storage before the house could be put on the market. It helped that Marie has a great eye for design - we just needed to “thin out” some of the larger furniture and personal photos and keepsakes.
When they did find a house to buy they were quickly able to put the for sale sign up.
Once on the market, we worked to market the home through mailers, open houses, and listing through the MLS.
The Closing
Once their current home was sold, focused on getting the closing orchestrated and executed. With two preoprties, the coordination required that we monitored progress on all sides and worked closing with the escrow company to make certain we followed up on any open issues quickly and efficiently.
Arnold: Our Friend and His Estate
When you get the call that a friend is seriously ill, in hospice, or has passed away, your first instinct is to help in any way you can. For our friend Arnold, we honored his memory by supporting his family during a very difficult time.
Handling an estate brings unique challenges, and experience has taught us that families often need extra guidance. We do everything possible to ease the burden so loved ones can focus on what truly matters.
In Arnold’s case, there were many personal belongings that only the family could sort through — choosing what to keep, gift, or share with those Arnold would have wanted. At the same time, we coordinated the practical work needed to prepare the property for sale, including:
Donating items, including furniture.
Sorting personal paperwork, keeping only what was necessary or meaningful.
Fresh painting and small touch-ups.
Highlighting key features that would appeal to buyers.
Hosting a “pre-staging” meeting with our team to plan the presentation.
We also worked quietly in the background, communicating with the HOA to understand neighborhood competition and identify the unique qualities that would help Arnold’s home stand out.
By combining compassion with organization, we helped Arnold’s family navigate the process with less stress — a small way of honoring his life and legacy.
Make it stand out.
-
Dream it.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
-
Build it.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
-
Grow it.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
