In Phoenix, car trouble turned out to be a good thing for JoAnn and Guy.
The married duo was driving across town to get their car fixed when they saw a sign for a new housing development. They knew of the place because their dog walker had just bought a home there, and raved about it constantly.
They stopped, and immediately knew that the one-story ranch-style house they toured was their ‘forever home’. There was just one problem: they had to act quickly on the new home, but couldn’t close on the purchase until they sold their two-story home in nearby Queen Creek first.
The Michigan natives didn’t have high hopes they could make it happen, because just four years prior, they had moved to Phoenix and had their fair share of home shopping heartbreak.
“In 2012, we looked at every model home in the area. We would fall in love with one, and it would sell before we were able to sell our other home,” JoAnn said. “We ended up buying the fourth house we put an offer in on. That’s why we bought and stayed in a house that didn’t really work for us, long-term. We didn’t want to go through that again, the traditional way just doesn’t work for us.”
JoAnn heard about Opendoor on the local morning show and thought it could be just the thing they needed in their current situation, where speed and certainty were must-haves to get them into their dream home.
“Opendoor made the process easy. If we would have to list our old house, we would not be in our forever home now.” – JoAnn
She requested an offer, which came quickly, and for more money than they had expected. JoAnn remembers: “David called and went through the offer on our home with us. When we did it, we put the phone on speaker, and I opened up my laptop, and we went through every detail. My husband trusts nothing and no one, and we were both very comfortable with what we heard.”
Real estate veterans wanted another option
No strangers to real estate, JoAnn and Guy had sold three homes before, and knew their way around the process. “We have been down that route before. We showed our former homes so many times, it was ridiculous. I remember taking phone call after phone call from our agent asking if people could come tour our home. We always said yes, because that’s what you have to do to get your home sold.”
This time it was different for JoAnn and Guy, though. A few years older than they were the last time they sold, they weren’t up for going through the process it would take to prep their home for sale. Plus, just like the Midwest winters of their former lives, they knew the Phoenix summer was a challenge. “Getting out of the house in the extreme heat to show our home on short notice is just something we knew we weren’t up for this time around.” The heat was a factor for another, more cuddly reason: the couple also had one dog and two cats, which presented another layer of logistics they had to navigate for their sale.
JoAnn and Guy worked through the quick sale of their home with Rae at Opendoor, who JoAnn nominates for sainthood. “Rae spoke to us so many times, her patience was unbelievable. She walked us through every single step of the selling process. Every step of the way, we knew exactly what was going on, no surprises.”
JoAnn was surprised to enjoy every phase of her home sale, even closing day. “The title person came to us, and we did all our paperwork on closing day at a place that was convenient for us. Just awesome.”
Sold and settled in for the long haul
Now happily settled in their new home, JoAnn is still happily recalling her selling experience and is grateful for all the changes selling her former home has brought to her and Guy’s lives. “We’re closer to our kids and grandchildren. We were able to get into a single-story ranch home and I don’t miss the stairs in our former home. My knees feel better, and I am convinced our dog is even happier and healthier, too.”
She added: “Opendoor made the process easy. If we would had to list that house, we would not be in our forever home.”
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