Ten days to a new home: real estate tips on Bainbridge Island~

I learned this week what is possible in real estate when you have a good team, collaboration and great communication. Motivation helps, too.

Conventional wisdom is that it takes between 30 to 45 days in escrow to successfully close on a house. This month I had a client who had sold their home, and for personal reasons needed to shorten the time to buy their next house--and we needed to simultaneously close on both houses the same day.

We did it! We went from "mutual acceptance" on the offer to closing in just 10 days. Here's how that was possible. The listing agent had already drawn preliminary title, and it was new construction, so the Seller didn't have to move out or find a new place to live. My buyer and I had done our homework looking at potential homes-they had narrowed their choices to 2 or 3--and were already familiar with the market. They didn't need a loan, and they used an excellent local mover (Hill Moving--giant shout out to them!). We had a great escrow company in Pacific Northwest Title, with Julie Hohenstein coordinating both closings with great efficiency and communication. We were able to get an inspection completed within days of mutual acceptance. (In busier days, it can take almost 10 days to get an appointment.) Things could have gone even faster if the Seller had had the home pre-inspected prior to listing, which I advise my clients to do.

The point is that in today's market, it's not always prudent to try to buy a house until you have yours sold. It takes courrage to sell your house without a clear idea where you're going to end up. But, if you've done your homework, as soon as you have an agreement to sell it's possible to write a "Pending Sale" offer on your new home and proceed quickly to closing. Know the marketplace, have a good team lead by an experienced agent, and preapprove any financing with full documentation for a smooth and even fun transition. It might be head-spinning and exciting, but it's very possible.