Sometimes in real estate everything just seems to fall into place… and sometimes it takes a little more time, effort and cooperation on the part of all parties to see a transaction through to completion.

For example, my clients Melissa and Eric were perusing the market on and off for homes they might be interested in. They spoke about staying in Ridgewood, for the most part, and one day they called me to look at a home that had piqued their interest. Of course, they fell in love. This particular home is outstanding. It sits on a large piece of property, it affords privacy and space and room to grow. It has charm and character. It immediately won their hearts.

However, they quickly encountered their first hurdle. They were headed out of town on a family vacation. I spoke with the agents. I told them that I knew this was the home for my clients. I asked them to please be patient with us as my clients were headed out of town and to please keep me informed of any incoming offers. They complied. My clients returned from vacation and we submitted our offer.

Next hurdle – we had a home sale contingency, meaning my clients had to sell their home before they could purchase the new home. These agents listened, they weighed the pros and cons, they discussed with their sellers and they were patient. We kept the lines of communication open through the entire process. Once my clients were under contract, the sellers accepted our offer.

As luck would have it, it was not long before we were faced with our next hurdle – a failed septic system. The sellers were charged with the monstrous task of switching from septic to municipal sewer. It sounds costly, both in terms of time and money… but that wasn’t the worst of it. Not only did they need to connect to the municipal sewer, the sewer connection needed to be created along a county road which meant county approval, county permits and county police to direct traffic. All of this in addition to municipal permits and approvals. The process was not quick and it was not seamless. However, with open communication and patience, the connection was completed.

This might sound like almost too much to bear, but throughout the entire transaction we worked together, we all shared the same goal, which was a successful transaction. Guess what… we pulled it off! Congratulations to all parties, to both brokerages and to my colleagues and now friends, Diana and Susan!