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The personal stories of one realtor’s battles and triumphs in the highly-competitive Bay Area real estate market, seeking to illuminate and humanize the very real ups-and-downs of homeownership.
The journey of selling your home may be an uphill climb, but we are here to guide you up hill and down dale.
Buenas dias. I spent last week in Barcelona, Spain, visiting my twin sister, Jill (an official transplant), accompanied by my good friend, Sandy. The three of us had a short, but glorious week exploring the cobbled lanes of El Gotico, La Rambla, El Reval, and El Borne, etc., etc., etc. (Jill officially knows her way around), topped off by a day trip to Montserrat, where our enthusiastic, young guide led us on a nearly seven-mile journey up the mountain to the top of the “five fingers,” before descending to the monastery where we’d begun our nearly five-hour journey earlier that day. Suffice it to say, we all slept well that night.
While Sandy charged up the STEEP hills like it was just another day at the beach (she’s a beast, or in espanol: “la bestia”), Jill and I kept to a slower pace while we gingerly and methodically picked our way up the rocky mountain paths before tackling the downhill journey (perhaps even more difficult). Given that I’m limited by a torn meniscus, severe arthritis, and no cartilage in either knee, there were more than a few moments of discomfort to be sure, but it was spectacular all the same. Even so, I’ll likely never repeat this particular excursion again — for me, once was truly enough.
For many Sellers, their journey is much the same: discomfort, followed by a extended uphill slog, some second-guessing (“What was I thinking?”), only to be rewarded with incredible results, and finally, sheer relief once the journey is completed. That being said, the only way UP the mountain is one small step at a time . . . .
Having guided hundreds of Homeowners through the home-selling process — some ready and some, definitely not — Sarah and I have crested the mountain over and over again, and I wish I could tell you it gets easier with time.
It doesn’t.
That’s because each Homeowner is tackling the journey anew, and even if they’ve sold a house before, it’s never an easy task. Moreover, we’re dealing with all manner of expectations and life changes, not to mention strong wills and personalities (sometimes ours, sometime theirs) which, if I’m being perfectly honest, can make for conflict along the way. Unlike other transitions, a home is the keeper of our memories, so it’s HIGHLY PERSONAL in a way that no other sales transaction is. Consequently, letting go can be difficult, if not downright painful.
We can help.
That being said, the work of a Realtor® requires not only your participation, but your willingness, faith and trust. (We get it; it’s a lot to ask.) But while packing, purging, and physically moving is nothing short of a Herculean task, patiently waiting while the house is staged, shown, and then sold often produces more anxiety than the move itself, especially if there are extenuating circumstances (and there often are).
You’re not alone.
We have a team of professionals who will organize, pack, clean, repair, paint, refinish floors, wash windows, landscape, stage, photograph, measure, and videotape your home. We’ll create the marketing, host the Open Houses and Brokers’ Tour, and negotiate the contract. We’ll follow the process through escrow, and make sure the house is delivered in good working order. In short, we can do it all.
In return, we ask that you give us the time and space to complete the tasks at hand (there are more than you think), avoid micromanaging the process, table your judgement, and surrender to the schedule. (We really do know what we’re doing.) Like our trusted guide, Marc, We’ll not only get you to the summit, we’ll safely usher you down the mountain to the other side as well.
The journey may be tough, but the view can be pretty fantastic.
How can we help you?
Julie Gardner & Sarah Abel | Compass Realty
Not just Realtors, but consultants in all things house and home, we’re here to educate, explore, examine and refer . . . In short, you may count on us to take care of your home as if it were our own and anyone who knows us, knows we take pretty darn good care of our homes.
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