CecilIf you or someone you know are going to sell your house in the future, what you do right now can make a difference of tia’s Dogma for First-Time Homebuyers and Home Sellers in Broward County, FL

(Your sanity-saving survival kit in one of life’s Top 5 most stressful events)

Buying or selling a home isn’t just a transaction — it’s an emotional hurricane. Garage sales suddenly become the order of the day. Boxes pile up everywhere. Checklists, service cancellations…Many times, not everyone in the household agrees with the decision to move, nor do they cooperate. Pets are confused. Your car looks like a bomb shelter! You feel like this is a full-time job. And you are right — it is!

Sentimental treasures get tossed or donated. A beloved hobby is abandoned — not necessarily because you want to, but because your new home or mind simply has no space for it. Sometimes, you’re not moving toward something exciting… you’re moving because life forced your hand.

Not every move is a happy one. Parents donating toys — never used. Grown children moving their elderly parents into nursing homes. I once had a home seller tell me, “Cecilia, my life isn’t mine anymore.” Her children had decided to sell her house with another agent — even though I was the homeowner’s favorite.

Hobbies and dreams have to be packed away — Divorce. Health issues. Family disagreements. Excitement tangled with anxiety. Joy colliding with grief.

Moving can be life-changing and heart-wrenching, all at once.

That’s why my first, unshakable rule — my dogma — is simple and extreme:

I will say it a little bit differently.

Zero extra emotions until closing — you stay calm, I handle the storm.

Let’s face it — you already have enough emotions just deciding to move, no matter the reason. You really don’t need extra stress or additional emotions from contract to closing! (That would be part of my job description…)

• For sellers, “closed” means cash in your bank.

• For buyers, “closed” means keys and deed in hand.

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Since 2004, as a full-time realtor in Broward County, FL I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. I’ve heard other seasoned agents say that dreaded line: “This has never happened to me before! Or this is the first time this happens to me.”

Well, as much as I dislike it, history is full of unexpected things — things that NEVER happened before. So let's become wiser.

• *My perfect buyer in Hallandale, FL is ready to buy… but one of the three sellers refuses to sign..

  
  

• *A seller’s cat just died… a day before closing. She got really depressed and needed more time to close… my buyer had already hired the movers. (I can’t make this up.)

  
  

• *Another seller  in Sunrise, FL, suddenly “needs to stay in the house for two extra months, or until she finds a new place.” Wait, what? — No one told us ahead of time. Surprise!

  
  

• *One of my landlords in Hollywood, FL calls me, a little concerned: “Cecilia, do you know any good mold remediation company?” The “wonderful” tenant (that I found 2 months ago) turned off the AC for 3 weeks while away for work, and now there’s toxic mold everywhere. (I did not know they were auditioning for Mold Growers of the Year!)

• *Another owner in North Carolina is watching videos of their “quiet tenants” throwing weekend-long parties. Yes, I screened their credit score and proof of income… No, I didn’t know they owned a disco ball. I thought they were a nice, big family — not party animals. Now the neighbors are complaining!

• *A seller in Hollywood left a pile of furniture and trash in the backyard.  The contract states the property must be empty and broom-clean — ehemmm, the backyard is part of the property. Result ?  The buyer’s attorney held a large amount of money until the seller cleaned it. The seller was long gone on I-95 heading North.

• *Another seller took the new washer and dryer, saying, “They are mine!” Ayyy!

• *The Association denied the application… for no good reason.

• *The appraisal comes in “lower” — who knew!

• *Another seller in Hollywood, FL  left so many paint cans — too many to count — but I counted them anyway. There were 20 cans of unused, old paint in the shed, all of which I had to remove to close the deal. I assumed the seller understood that “empty house” meant the shed should be empty too.

  
  

I calmly removed them two cans at a time, making 10 trips from the shed to my car… in high heels, no less. My husband couldn’t believe it.I later learned these paint cans can’t just be thrown in the regular trash — they contain chemicals that contaminate soil and water and must be taken to a hazardous waste disposal site. So yes, we had to properly dispose of them … but the deal closed , this time, without any holds on the seller’s money. Lesson learned, and a story I’ll never forget!

These are just some of the many humorous (and sometimes terrifying) stories under my belt… Any experienced realtor will have dozens of bizarre situations to share

*hen there’s the one Realtor/Owner in Plantation,  I held an open house for her. When I asked her, “Why? You probably have a very good reason to sell your amazing investment property,” she went on to tell me her most recent disappointing, expensive horror story with her cherish investment house… Her last tenants were so filthy that rats chewed the wires in the attic.. — She had evicted them, cleaned up, and the entire electrical system had to be replaced. I can’t make this up. These are real situations.

I’ve even learned not to blindly trust documents or invoices I’m given.

• - A seller said that the septic tank company had pumped his tank a couple of months before closing. They gave me the receipts, so I shared them with the buyer’s agent. Lo and behold, after the buyer moved in, the septic tank backed up. The septic cleaning company was no longer in business. Chaos ensued: threats, sleepless nights, and the buyer threatening to sue for non-disclosure.

The seller told me, “Cecilia, I paid the cleaning company! and went to work — I had no problems...

Oh my!

Attorneys told me: “If the seller disclosed any issues beforehand, there’s no reason to threaten. The buyer bought AS IS and had the opportunity to inspect.” My broker said the same: “If anything was disclosed, there’s no problem.”

But the buyer and the buyer’s agents were indeed stressed after closing… a very sad situation when you want to maintain relationships.

(This leads to a brief side note: If you, as a seller, have a mortgage, your lender is holding property taxes in escrow. If you don’t contact your lender about your next mailing address, they may email your escrow check to the house you sold. In this case, it would be very uncomfortable to ask the mad buyer to forward your correspondence!)

• - One last hair-raising, high-pressure story I’ll share involves an elderly seller who gave his son power of attorney to sell her house…

  
  

  It was a cash deal, and the seller’s attorney had the son sign his side of the paperwork at her office. I was there representing the seller. The next day, the buyer — who I had secured myself by doorknocking, mind you — was scheduled to sign.  (Literally, it was a neighbor on the next block who bought my listing!)

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On the day of closing, the title company calls me: Oh, oh,.... Here we go....

“Cecilia, this 19-page power of attorney is missing specific wording and a signature. The insurance underwriter will not accept it.”

Plop!

Wait , What?

We are closing a CASH contract , today ! — for the love of Pete! What could go wrong with a cash buyer, couldnt this issue be found a little earlier ?

My blood pressure dropped; I almost fainted when I heard The only solution.

The only way we could close today is : the original owner had to sign...

Problem: The seller was in hospice! Ay Dios Mio!

Long story short, the son and a mobile notary rushed to the hospice, and thank goodness the seller was able (and happy) to sign the deed, saving the deal in a 3-hour window.

I’m telling you — you don’t need that kind of extra stress. The buyer never knew, nor suspected, what was happening during those hyper-stressful hours prior to her side of closing. Mind you, two attorneys had missed a paragraph and signature on a 19-page power of attorney!

These things happen. And when they do, stressful emotions make us weak. Calm, clear thinking makes us a powerhouse, ready to take on the storm. I know you’ve successfully navigated stressful situations before. Combine your experience with mine, and together we become an unstoppable team, handling any challenge without unnecessary stress.

You might think I’m complaining here, but I’m not — these stories aren’t about blame; they’re lessons that let me protect you and make every transaction smoother. I get to do this for a living, and I’m grateful for every lesson. Problems are my breakfast, challenges my lunch — this is my daily bread and butter. I’m cut for this — this is the nature of my business: helping people!

Remember: zero unnecessary stress, zero wasted emotions — your calm, my guidance, together we handle anything that comes our way.

So here’s my full dogma:

1.     Zero unnecessary emotions until closing. Stay cool until money changes hands or keys hit your palm.

2.     Be patient and trust the process. It’s your process — no one else’s. Welcome it, embrace it. It is unique to you.

3.     Believe it’s not over until YOU say it’s over. Deals wobble. Good agents steady them.

4.     Enjoy becoming the smartest seller or buyer on the block.  Learn. Adapt. Win.

Mindset is everything. This mindset will set you up for success.

If you or someone you know are going to sell your house in the future, what you do right now can make a difference of thousands of dollars, and there are some simple things you can do now to make sure you get 'Top-Dollar' when you do sell.

Here are 3 FREE servicesyou may want to take advantageof right now: 

   *  First, is your  FREE “Pin-Point Price” Analysis, where we can take a closer look at your house and prepare a very specific price for your home. This price will be much more precise than a general range.

   *  Second, is our FREE “Room-by-Room Review”, where I make specific recommendations about which fix-ups or improvements you should (and shouldn’t) do to prepare your home for sale. I’ll point out the lowest cost, highest return improvements you can make to help sell your house quickly and for more money.

• *Third, if you’d like, you can include your house in our “Silent Market” of homes that are not yet on the market. Many sellers prefer a discrete sale, and some buyers prefer to pay premium to not have competition…. Ask me about *Compass Private-Exclusive program- where you can test your price before going to open market.

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     These 3 services are FREE, it takes about an hour, lets coordinate whatever is most convenient for you.

     Whenever you are a ready, feel free to call me or email me at cecilarosa1@gmail.com and we’ll schedule a time to get together.

   Thank you for your time!

Looking forward to helping you with your Real Estate Goals.

ALSO

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE ways I can help you today…

(1)  "Join me for a Daily Tour of Homes in Hollywood, FL click here

(2)  Book a "Room-by-Room Review with Cecilia  click here

(3) "Get a FREE Report to Plantation Real Estate House Prices" click here

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