Sold our house today...

[SSLance]

So if you haven't heard...I'm making it official. We closed on the sale of our KC home today and this puts us one step closer on our path to Phoenix, AZ.

Put a sign out by the highway and 8 days later had a handshake agreement on a cash deal, no inspection, no contingency, close in two weeks, and best part...rent back to us for 6 months sale. Exactly what we wanted... Took just a bit longer to get closed, and even longer to get paid...but it's all done now.

Not only that...but they bought just about everything inside the house and shop as well. I'm pretty sure we can fit everything we own in one 20' Penske truck... How crazy is that?!?!

They still haven't even started on the new house (next week) so we'll move to a rental in Phoenix late Oct-early Nov and stay there until the new house is done Feb-Mar 2018.

The uncertainty of the timing has kept me from doing any upgrades on Barney the last little while because I needed to keep it mobile just in case. I'm not sure if I can get a brake upgrade done or not before the move but I'm gonna try. Otherwise it'll have to wait until the new shop is built and outfitted...then I'll be throwing all kinds of new goodies at it.

Meanwhile...looks like I'm moving West...no turning back now.

[blown32]

Congratulations! :_party: You'll love Arizona, are you packed yet!

[JKnight]

Wow! How lucky is that deal!? It looks like you guys are going to have a nice setup here in AZ as well. Let me know if you need any assistance before or after you guys get here.

[Ron in SoCal]

Congrats Lance! How cool was that deal?

Can't wait to see you out here in SoCal at some events :yes:

[rustomatic]

Somewhere, somebody's saying the following: "Wow, witness protection really does work!"

Congrats on the sale! You have a lot of reason to be excited about getting out of the tornado zone (and into the zone of all kinds of other fun and interesting problems). Now, you'll be able to enjoy West Coast traffic on the way to all of our events at the awesomest tracks. Sorry, I spent last Saturday sitting in traffic to go hiking in Marin; it was worth it, though . . .

You'll be in the same state as the winery owned by that guy who fronts Tool! There's that and that big crack . . .

[SSLance]

Congratulations! :_party: You'll love Arizona, are you packed yet!

We are starting on it a little bit, more planning and purging than anything else right now though. We still have about 4 months to get ready to really move. Prescott huh? I'm continually surprised at how MANY people that I "know" that will be close by to our new home.

Wow! How lucky is that deal!? It looks like you guys are going to have a nice setup here in AZ as well. Let me know if you need any assistance before or after you guys get here.

It was sweet! My wife and I were pinching ourselves after the handshake deal...in disbelief that we got EVERYTHING we wanted... I'll contact you regarding moving truck unloading day once I have a firm date. :D


Congrats Lance! How cool was that deal?

Can't wait to see you out here in SoCal at some events :yes:

Thanks!! And yes...prepare for the invasion of the purple Barney mobile to certain SoCal race events. :gitrdun:


Somewhere, somebody's saying the following: "Wow, witness protection really does work!"

Congrats on the sale! You have a lot of reason to be excited about getting out of the tornado zone (and into the zone of all kinds of other fun and interesting problems). Now, you'll be able to enjoy West Coast traffic on the way to all of our events at the awesomest tracks. Sorry, I spent last Saturday sitting in traffic to go hiking in Marin; it was worth it, though . . .

You'll be in the same state as the winery owned by that guy who fronts Tool! There's that and that big crack . . .

:D It's a truly unusual deal for sure... We love it here, even with the tornadoes...but it was time for a change. We are outdoor people and so often the weather around here keeps us from doing outdoor things. People all say "But it's SO hot there"...in regard to Phoenix. The thing about the Phoenix area is this...you are two hours or less away from 7500' mountains to get to to escape the heat. When its -10* here in KC, you are TWELVE driving hours away from escaping that cold...

[SSLance]

I'd like to discuss selling Real Estate and Realtors for a bit if you'll indulge me. We'll do the sale side first...

In the last 6 months I have sold two pieces of property, both for over a half million dollars each...and I didn't pay a dime in Real Estate commission. Each deal was done on a 3 page contract between the buyer and the seller closed thru a title company, and the only fees paid were some doc fees to title company and buyer's and sellers title insurance. It CAN be done...

When I stuck the For Sale sign out by the highway for the house and posted it for sale on Zillow, I was inundated with cold calls from Realtors. For the most part I was cordial with them, but in a few cases I had to tell them to just get lost. I did have a high end Realtor call me because she had a client that saw it on Zillow and wanted her to show it to them. I obliged her even though she made me fill out and sign a 6 page Seller's disclosure form beforehand. This freaking form wanted me to admit to anything and everything that had ever been done to a 19 year old house...all the way down to if there had ever been any pets living in the house and if so, how many and what kind. The State of MO only requires a seller disclose two things, has Meth ever been manufactured in the house and has there ever been any lead paint in the house. Other than that, everything else is buyer beware... The 50 some pages of legal ease the Realtors make you sign to let them sell your house are for the Realtors themselves only...period.

She showed the house to her clients for over an hour and a half...and they walked away because the bedrooms were too small. :confused59: It's a 3200 sq ft 4 bedroom house and they were empty nesters... Oh well, I wish them luck finding what they want, it doesn't exist. The Realtor was cool though, we talked for almost an hour after the showing and she had great feedback and was genuinely interested in helping sell the house if she could.

We should talk about Zillow as well... Realtors like to say Zillow is the devil, the Zestimates are always way low and sellers are leaving money on the table if they try to use Zillow to sell their home. In reality...Zillow is just one of many tools for both the buyer and seller to use when searching for or selling real estate. Are the Zestimates wrong, oh yeah... Zillow had our house zestimated at $375,000 when I listed for sale for $639,000. Check out what the sale price on the house shows now...

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2821-NE-State-Route-92-Smithville-MO-64089/66396085_zpid/

I did this on purpose... I'm the one that put the sale price in and Zillow has zero ways to correct, amend, question or change that sales price amount. In fact, because the buyer paid cash and no mortgage is involved, the warranty deed recorded for the sale with the county says "$10 and other considerations" so even the county won't find out what the actual sale price was.

Anyway, that's my story. Selling real estate on your own probably isn't for everyone and different situations require different methods...but just know that it can be done, successfully as long as you prepare yourself and your home properly first and realize exactly what you are getting into.

[SSLance]

Now for the buy side...

Realtor.com was a valuable tool for us when looking for a home 1200 miles away...for sure! We spent months scouring, saving, searching, and google earthing properties on realtor.com and Zillow. Even then, we still had to put boots on the ground in PHX to find what we were looking for.

A friend recommended a realtor from the East side of PHX and on our first trip out we did a bunch of drive bys and had her show us several properties in and around the Mesa area...but we just couldn't find what we were looking for.

Our needs were very specific so we were able to cull most properties out by the details on the sites and a quick drive by.

We then regrouped and decided to concentrate on the West Valley where there seemed to be more new construction going on. The wife wanted a newer more open floor plan with a killer kitchen and I of course wanted as large of an RV garage I could get...and all had to be within a certain budget.

We flew back out with a list of 30 homes we compiled to drive by ranging from Queens Creek South of Phoenix to Cave Creek on the North side. In a day and a half we put over 300 miles on a our rental and culled 27 of the 30 off the list...and scheduled to have our Realtor show us the other 3. The next day after viewing them...we walked away disappointed... The closest one was 80-85% of what we wanted and $50k over budget.

We were standing in line for lunch at a Chik-fil-A when our Realtor called me back and asked if we had been in the subdivision Vista Montana? I said "No" and she said... "Get back up here...I've already signed you in".

For the first time in my life, a Realtor really earned her commission and she has been instrumental in every step of the way after actually finding us the home were were looking for in the first place. She came and sat with us during the contract signing with the seller even though most of the details had already been worked out. She met with us at the Design and Decor studio 6 weeks later to check out the choices we made and to offer up ideas and opinions regarding them. She helped find a pool contractor...and she's helping us find a rental place to live in while the house is being finished.

It is refreshing these days when you find a professional that is REALLY good at their job, cares about their clients and is just a good person overall on top of the rest. Again...it can happen...and we are living proof of it.

[CornHusker4Life]

Congrats on the sale Lance. Thanks again to you are your buddy for helping me inspect my 55 before I bought it.

Jarrod

[Ketzer]

Really interesting stories. Thanks for sharing!!

[WSSix]

Congrats, Lance! Good luck with the move and the new life in Phoenix

[Vegas69]

Congrats on the sale.

Some are savvy and have the time to sell there own place, but many also leave money and liability on the table. When the deal doesn't go quite right and they butt heads, the deal falls apart. After 17 years of real estate, I can tell you that my main two jobs are to manage emotions and problem solve. That's what I get paid to do, close deals. Some see the value, some don't, and that's fine.

[JKnight]

It was sweet! My wife and I were pinching ourselves after the handshake deal...in disbelief that we got EVERYTHING we wanted... I'll contact you regarding moving truck unloading day once I have a firm date.

No problem, happy to help. Moving sucks, but it sucks less when you have help.

[SSLance]

Congrats on the sale Lance. Thanks again to you are your buddy for helping me inspect my 55 before I bought it.

Jarrod

Thanks! Hope the 55 worked out well for you....


Really interesting stories. Thanks for sharing!!

No problem...just hoping to help others out if the situation allows...

Congrats, Lance! Good luck with the move and the new life in Phoenix

Thanks!!!

Congrats on the sale.

Some are savvy and have the time to sell there own place, but many also leave money and liability on the table. When the deal doesn't go quite right and they butt heads, the deal falls apart. After 17 years of real estate, I can tell you that my main two jobs are to manage emotions and problem solve. That's what I get paid to do, close deals. Some see the value, some don't, and that's fine.


Thanks!! Our situation was unique...for sure. With the type of property we were selling, a face to face with the potential buyer was instrumental in the process which would not happen with a Realtor or two involved. A standard house in a subdivision with 15 other like kind houses all around is a completely different situation.

We spent 3 and a half hours talking back and forth with the buyers before an offer was ever mentioned. Once I figured out that they were really serious, I was completely open with them and detailed everything little about the house, outbuilding, and property to them... Things like where the utilities were buried, where the geothermal loop lines were, how the outbuilding was constructed, how the septic system functioned, what had been replaced and when, and special features like the 50 amp electrical service hidden under the bedroom deck in case they wanted to put a hot tub back there. I'm certain that this conversation was critical to making the sale...along with my assertion that I'll continue to treat this property as if it was my own once I rent it back from them. A listing or buyers agent just could not have known or been able to give this same kind of information to any potential buyer.

Our main concern about selling the place was getting an appraisal that would back up the selling price. There were zero really comparable sales within 15 miles even close to matching this property, I know because I have been watching for them for years now in preparation for this. During prior appraisals I've had done for refinance loans, I'm aware of the inability of said appraiser to value the property properly. I'm certain that a buyer trying to get a loan on this with 5 or 10% down would have failed miserably. Thankfully we found a buyer that not only realized the value of our improvements but also had the ability to pay for them without relying on financing to get it done.

[Vegas69]

That's' a prime example of where an expert in the area can influence the appraiser. I've done it more times than I can count with unique properties. They will take direction if they are unsure of themselves. Like most humans, they will take the easy way out too. If you provide the info, they will use it. Does it work every time, of course not. But I've found it works more times than not.

I saw the photos and that was a fantastic property and I'm sure the new owner appreciated all the details you provided.

I deal with Realtors every day so I can understand why some have very little respect for the profession. Like every profession, there are the best and the rest.

Good luck down in the Sun.

[waynieZ]

Congratulation slats on the new buy. You sold a beautiful home and shop. Good luck with the move .

[SSLance]

I saw the photos and that was a fantastic property and I'm sure the new owner appreciated all the details you provided.

I deal with Realtors every day so I can understand why some have very little respect for the profession. Like every profession, there are the best and the rest.

Good luck down in the Sun.

Thanks...we've poured our hearts and souls into this place for 17 years. Here's some pics of what it looked like not long after we bought it.

https://photos.smugmug.com/2821-NE-State-Rt-92/n-8vFvtp/i-s8cNk8c/0/712fc5c3/O/i-s8cNk8c.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/2821-NE-State-Rt-92/n-8vFvtp/i-pWKKFG2/0/4b5cf845/O/i-pWKKFG2.jpg



The Realtor profession is crazy...I've been involved in over 50 transactions the last 15 years or so and I've seen some of the stupidest laziest "professionals" cashing checks they have no reason to be getting. I've also seen some very smart hardworking folks kicking arse doing the same. I've taken to just flat out holding the hands of every transaction I'm involved in just to make sure the Is get dotted and the Ts crossed.

And don't even get me started on Title companies. Our buyer funded escrow last Thursday, I was emailed by the title company on Friday saying they would record and disburse that day. Monday at noon after 2 emails went unanswered I finally got the owner of the title company on the phone who said she'd get the wire out right away. I verified that she'd send the wire to the mortgage company as well. Tuesday at 1 pm I finally received verification that they finally sent the wire to the mortgage company.

On every closing I've been involved with on a Friday, the title company has ALWAYS held the funds over the weekend...it's like it's in their handbook or something. I forgot this when I scheduled the closing...must have been the euphoria of selling the home that clouded my memory. :D

[glassman]

Congratulations Lance. I may have missed it before, what is the reason for relocation?

Saw pics of the new place in the lift thread (?). Its gonna be a good next chapter, i beleive its a good move. I'd be looking at AZ (have some friends there) if i didn't have three kids close to us in nor-cal...

Wait on the brakes as Baer is there in Phoenix. I went with there 6p up front, basic 12" in back and the Baer remaster and so far so stoppy. I'm looking forward to getting it back on the track after it gets outa paint (jail) as i went non-power. Its ok on the streets, but it'll be great on the track and auto-x

Good luck with your move, cheers, mike