1. You send the basics
The address and a way to reach you is genuinely enough to start. If you want to add condition, timeline, or what's prompting the sale, that saves us a phone call — but it's optional. Nothing you send is public, and nothing obligates you.
2. I reach out the way you asked
Call, text, or email — whichever you picked. This first conversation is mostly questions from me: What shape is the house in? Is anyone living there? Is the title straightforward, or is there a succession, a lien, or more than one heir involved? What's your timeline, and what would make this a good outcome for you?
3. I learn the property
Sometimes photos and a phone call are enough. More often I'll walk the house, which takes fifteen or twenty minutes. You don't need to clean, stage, or fix anything first — seeing it as it actually is, is the point. If the house is occupied by tenants, we work around their schedule.
4. I put together what a direct purchase would look like
An offer comes from what comparable homes in that neighborhood have actually sold for, what the house needs to get there, the carrying and closing costs involved, and the risk in the title or the condition. I'll show you how I got to the number rather than just handing you one. A direct sale usually trades some price for speed, certainty, and not having to fix, clean, or show the house — that trade is only worth it if it's worth it to you.
5. I also show you the listing side
As a licensed REALTOR®, I can tell you what the same house would likely bring on the open market, what it would take to get it there, roughly how long that takes in this market, and what the commission and seller costs would be. Sometimes that math clearly wins, and I'll say so plainly.
6. You decide — or you don't
Take the direct sale, list the house, or do nothing for now. All three are fine answers. If we move forward with a direct purchase, the closing goes through a local title company, your mortgage payoff is handled there like any other sale, and we set the closing date around your move rather than mine.
What I won't do
- Promise a number before I understand the house.
- Push a deadline on you to force a decision.
- Tell you a direct sale is best when a listing clearly would be.