Selling a Home and Running Marathons

Selling a Home and Crossing the Finish Line

Sitting in my home office, I was thinking about real estate and the upcoming Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. I started to ponder on the similarities between the selling a home and running marathons.

First comparison is the preparation it takes to run a marathon and the preparation it takes to list and sell a home. You do not run a marathon without ample training. It takes weeks of daily runs before the big day comes and just like a marathon, you must do your prep work before listing and selling a home. You will need to meet with the seller and preview the listing, look at the condition of the home, and discuss what needs to be done prior to putting the house on the market. Then there are the discussions of needed repairs, decluttering, staging, and selecting a time frame to have all of these items completed. This may take several meetings with the owner prior to putting their home on the market. Just like training for a marathon, there are many things to do prior to listing a home.

Once you have listed the home, you work your way through several hurdles. In a marathon, there are many stops along the way. You may stop for water or need to go to the bathroom. Ouch, you have a cramp in your leg, you stop again. What about when your shoe gets untied? You guessed it…you stop again. Just like a marathon, there are several stops along the way when you have a home for sale. You receive an offer on your listing and now it’s time to face the first hurdle: negotiating the contract. You might go back and forth with the buyers’ agent before reaching agreed upon terms. Satisfaction comes when you have successfully negotiated the contract and have it signed and executed. Next stop? The option period. During this time, you negotiate repairs with the buyers’ agent. Again, you might go back and forth and face more hurdles. Once all the parties agree, you move forward to the next stop: the appraisal and financing period.

You’ve done all of your training, made several stops along the way, and now you’re focused on the finish line. Just like a marathon, you have successfully listed the house, negotiated a contract, and successfully passed through the option period, appraisal, and financing. Now you can focus on selling the home. You set the time for your seller to close with the title company, make sure they are moved out of their house, and ensure all necessary paperwork is at the title company before the closing date. You can picture it, a great big banner with the words “Finish Line” is hung right above the title company’s door. You and the seller are there and are about to cross that finish line. Just like feeling you get when the person cuts your chip from your tennis shoe, satisfaction comes when the seller signs and you hear the words “It’s closed and funded!”

The way I see it, marathon running and selling home are very similar. You must be in it for the long haul, jump several hoops along the way, and focus on the finish line. Both can be very rewarding and I look forward to selling your home and running more marathons!

image courtesy of steelbyte