My realtor and I sat down and went over all the details, what to expect, pricing, offers, everything I needed to know before the house went on the market. We agreed on a date: July 25 the listing would be posted on the MLS. Since she was leaving on vacation the first week in August, we wouldn't have an open house until later, maybe September. While the listing would specify that we wanted 24 hours notice, I was prepared to have my house ready for showings at a moment's notice. My realtor explained that quite often people will expect to be able to see a house much sooner, especially when the market is hot. I had no problem with that and I trusted my realtor to guide me.
At noon on July 25 the listing went live. I had spent the morning in the yard cutting the grass, trimming edges, cleaning up...for 2 1/2 hours. I was tired y'all! That night all the Sunday school teachers had a meeting at church with the children's ministry director. At around 4:00 I received a call from my realtor. A couple wanted to come see the house. I asked when, and she said, "Tonight. The buyer is a firefighter and has a tight schedule." I had cleaned up the house inside and out, so I figured it would be fine. I wouldn't be there because of the meeting at church, but I told my realtor I'd leave her the keys and she was welcome to show the house.
As my son E and I were leaving, a car drove up which I assumed were the buyers. My realtor was ready and waiting. I saw a woman get out of the car accompanied by what seemed like a couple of young kids. Upon closer inspection, I realized the "young kids" were the potential buyers and the woman was their agent. I chuckled as we drove off. I knew perfectly well that my house was not going to appeal to them. My house was decorated in my style which is not contemporary, not modern farmhouse, not boho or any of the other popular styles we see so prominently on magazines and YouTube. I went off to my meeting.
Another couple came by to see the house as well. This couple was older and very picky. They asked a lot of questions, things that normally are asked at inspection, so I assume they'd had some unpleasant experiences in the past. That didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was the call I received from my realtor at 10:00 that night - I would be receiving an offer in the morning!
No, it wasn't the older couple; it was the young couple who had first come by the house. They'd been saving for a house for four years, and while they'd made offers on other homes they'd been outbid on several occasions. Now they were ready to act and get what he called "the perfect house". I was caught totally off guard when I received a strong offer. We negotiated a couple of times and before the end of the day on July 26 I had accepted an offer and we'd signed the contracts. My house had gone on the market and sold in 24 hours! I laughed when they came to put in the For Sale sign after the fact!
I'm not gonna lie, I was in shock that first day. It seemed like I was dreaming. The next day I went into full panic mode. My heart was racing as I wondered what I was going to do next. I was prepared to wait at least a couple of months for the house to sell, in which time I would decide whether I wanted to move near my daughter (about a 45 minute drive away) or near my oldest son in Central Florida. Now I realized there wasn't a whole lot of time to think things through. I finally sat myself down and began to pray. God, in His infinite kindness, brought peace to my heart. I wouldn't have to figure out where to move; I had 45 days to find a place or else my belongings were gonna have to go into storage, something I didn't want to do. That meant Central Florida was out of the picture. I would begin looking in the city my daughter now called home while I packed up my belongings and awaited house inspections and everything else that went along with selling my home.
I knew I was blessed to have my house sell so quickly; I didn't yet know how much of a blessing it really was. What I did know and still know, is that God is faithful. Just as He'd gotten me buyers for the house, He would lead me where I needed to be next.
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