REAL ESTATE STORY
From Temecula
to Norwalk
Selling the house was only half the plan.
After two expired listings over nearly two years, a seller still had the same goal: sell her Temecula home and move closer to family. This time, the house sold quickly. But selling was only half the plan. Here’s how the next chapter came together in under 90 days.
01 Selling the Temecula Home
Her home had been listed twice before over nearly two years without selling. This time, we took a fresh approach, and about a week after hitting the market, she accepted an offer $10,000 above asking.
The buyers requested money back through a seller concession. We negotiated that to $8,000, leaving the sale $2,000 above asking. We also negotiated two weeks of possession after closing at no cost, giving her time to transition before moving into her next home.
The buyers requested money back through a seller concession. We negotiated that to $8,000, leaving the sale $2,000 above asking. We also negotiated two weeks of possession after closing at no cost, giving her time to transition before moving into her next home.
02 Finding the Next Home
With the Temecula sale underway, we shifted our attention to finding her next home closer to family. She was using FHA financing, so we were balancing what she wanted in the next house with what made sense financially and what would work for the loan.
We found a home in Norwalk that looked like a strong possibility. It checked a lot of the boxes, and we decided to pursue it. But once the negotiation started, the numbers and terms began telling a different story.
We found a home in Norwalk that looked like a strong possibility. It checked a lot of the boxes, and we decided to pursue it. But once the negotiation started, the numbers and terms began telling a different story.
03 The Deal We Walked Away From
The first Norwalk home looked like a strong fit, but I believed it was priced high. We made an offer below asking, and the seller countered close to their asking price while also reducing the compensation offered to the buyer’s agent.
The seller pointed to features like the automatic gate as part of the justification for the price. I kept my compensation out of my client’s decision and focused on the bigger question: did the house still make sense for her at these terms?
Eventually, my recommendation was to walk away. Continuing to negotiate wasn’t making the deal better, and while those conversations were happening, I was already looking for alternatives.
The seller pointed to features like the automatic gate as part of the justification for the price. I kept my compensation out of my client’s decision and focused on the bigger question: did the house still make sense for her at these terms?
Eventually, my recommendation was to walk away. Continuing to negotiate wasn’t making the deal better, and while those conversations were happening, I was already looking for alternatives.
Sometimes the right negotiation is the one you leave.
04 The Better Alternative
While we were negotiating on the first home, I had already found another possibility. It was about $20,000 more, but the difference in what she was getting was significant.
The second home offered a larger house, a bigger yard, a cleaner street and an ADU. Instead of continuing to push a negotiation that was no longer making sense, we walked away from the first property and pursued the second.
The second home offered a larger house, a bigger yard, a cleaner street and an ADU. Instead of continuing to push a negotiation that was no longer making sense, we walked away from the first property and pursued the second.
05 A Better House Didn't Mean an Easier Transaction
Getting the right house under contract didn't mean the work was over. Inspections uncovered termite concerns, a damaged electrical outlet, a loose toilet and missing stove knobs.
Rather than treating those items as one general repair request, we focused on specific issues that mattered. The seller agreed to repairs, including having the electrical outlet addressed by a licensed contractor, along with a $2,500 credit to my client.
The house was the better fit, but it still needed the same careful review and negotiation before moving forward.
Rather than treating those items as one general repair request, we focused on specific issues that mattered. The seller agreed to repairs, including having the electrical outlet addressed by a licensed contractor, along with a $2,500 credit to my client.
The house was the better fit, but it still needed the same careful review and negotiation before moving forward.
06 Where We Landed
In under 90 days, she sold the Temecula home that had previously gone through two expired listings and purchased her next home closer to family in Norwalk.
Along the way, we negotiated the sale above asking, secured two weeks of possession after closing at no cost, walked away from a purchase when the numbers stopped making sense, found a better fit, and negotiated repairs and a $2,500 credit on the home she ultimately purchased.
The goal was never just to get two transactions closed. It was to get her from where she was to where she wanted to be without forcing a deal that didn't make sense along the way.
Along the way, we negotiated the sale above asking, secured two weeks of possession after closing at no cost, walked away from a purchase when the numbers stopped making sense, found a better fit, and negotiated repairs and a $2,500 credit on the home she ultimately purchased.
The goal was never just to get two transactions closed. It was to get her from where she was to where she wanted to be without forcing a deal that didn't make sense along the way.
Under 90 days. One sale, one purchase, and a move closer to family.
ABOUT THESE STORIES
This is a true client transaction. Names and certain identifying details have been changed, omitted, rounded or simplified to protect client privacy. The circumstances and outcomes described are based on the actual transaction.
