Laurence and Erin were ready to embrace a new lifestyle.
Here’s their story…
Why did you decide to sell and how did you know it was the right time?
“Downsizing” is a common enough phrase but only happens once or maybe twice in your lifetime. In our case, after buying a Farm Credit repossession in 1999 and turning it into an amazing private equestrian set-up, including an 80′ x 160′ riding arena, we had come to a point where we wanted to move into a new chapter. We were aging out of the property, we wanted a lock and leave situation to travel and we wanted to monitze the significant investment we had made in the property.
What were you looking for in a real estate agent and how many did you interview?
We had made a first attempt 3 years ago but the timing was wrong. The agent had recently sold a similar property but really did not have a good understanding of horse people and what they were looking for. When we decided to try again we reached out initially to someone who specialized in equestrian properties. We just did not connect and after a number of weeks without making any progress to listing we decided we needed to work with someone else.
Why did you ultimately choose Travis to be your real estate agent?
We looked around at who had sold rural properties in our area. Travis’ name came up and we reached out. We were able to quickly meet and move forward and got the property listed within a reasonable period of time. What helped was that Travis was much more on “receive than send”. This was really important given the uniqueness of the property and showed up quickly in discussions around pricing the property and the marketing plan.
What were you most nervous or concerned about in the process?
The big issue was the uniqueness of the property, big indoor riding arena, modest house, 40 acres. We anticipated that it could take time to sell and Travis seemed to have a good approach to avoid the property getting stale.
How did you feel about the way your home was marketed and what stood out to you?
In terms of marketing, it wasn’t a big splash and then wait. There seemed to be a measured roll out through different channels. It seemed to attract and continue to attract interest through the sale process.
What surprised/stood out to you about the process?
What was interesting was that when we received the first conditional offer, Travis continued to market the property. This translated into a second offer and we were pleased that the property was not considered sold until it was.
What was the best part of your selling and buying experience?
We certainly felt engaged in the process and most importantly we achieved our objectives both on the selling and buying of our condo.
Were there stressful moments and how were they handled?
The biggest stress was the tight closing date on the sale of our property. Not only was it stressful in getting out, but when we found a place the window to close that deal was tight. Fortunately, we have a good banking relationship and our lawyer was good as well. Ultimately getting the sale and purchase documents done and on time was critical. Travis was very good at managing the relationship with the buying and selling agents and Sara did a good job moving the documents through.
How did Travis guide you through the selling/buying process, including when you received/made an offer/s?
There is a lot that goes into receiving and making an offer. Travis gave a lot of very useful guidance on the technical element of the process and the documents. He also helped out on framing the strategy to the negotiation as well.
Would you do anything differently?
We did not quite appreciate the time and energy that the move took. Looking back we might have helped ourselves a bit by perhaps negotiating a later closing date by two weeks.
What advice do you have for someone who is thinking of selling or buying a home?
Don’t underestimate the magnitude of the task. Moving is not something that can be done casually.
Would you hire Travis again?
Definitely would hire Travis again. He listens well and has both energy and experience to get job done.
