I have a seller that is a retired builder. Last fall when visiting with Bob and his wife Betty, they reminded me of the multiple rentals they own. With them wanting to travel more, they decided it was time to sell most of them. The first one to put on the market was a nice four-bedroom house with a basement in the city. It was already vacant and needed minimal repair. A week before we were to put their rental property on the market, Bob called me and said that one of his renters who was renting one of their smaller homes in the city needed a larger home because they have four kids and quickly was outgrowing the smaller home. Bob and Betty wanted this family to have the larger home because over the years they had built a friendship, and they were excellent renters.

So, I scheduled an appointment with the buyers—Stanley and Amber. After meeting with them, I began the process of getting them pre-approved. To my surprise, when I spoke to my lender, Stanley did not have a credit score nor did Amber. They had always paid cash or money orders for everything, including their rent. How could anyone not have a credit score? I did not understand how they could buy this home without one.

After speaking with my lender, he told me how we could create a credit score, but this would take 30 days or more. So, Stanley and Amber did everything the lender told them to do. Bob and Betty wanted to see Stanley and his family move into this larger home. To help pass the time, Bob employed Stanley and Amber to do some small repairs and spruce up the home. They had done some painting, replaced deck boards, shampooed the carpet, and cleaned up the yard. Now, Stanley and Amber had four children and did not want to tell them that they were hopefully getting a new home. They wanted to surprise them with the home being their Christmas present. Amber had already picked out the bedrooms for the kids, and they were going to turn the third floor into their master bedroom.

We started this process on November 1st, and we were told that we could not check for a credit score until after 30 days. I believe it was around the third or fourth of December when my lender checked, and they had a credit score. Now the work began processing the loan, appraisal, and sending it to underwriting. We all wanted this to close before Christmas, but my lender said it might be the 27th or later.

The lender, sellers, buyers, and I were doing everything possible to make this a reality. On December 14th, the lender was able to let my buyers know that they would be closing on December 20th. The day the lender told my buyers they were going to close before Christmas was a special day. It was Amber’s birthday. I told Stanley, “You are a very special husband and father. You bought your wife a home for her birthday and a very special Christmas present for your kids.”

Stanley and Amber were able to move into their new home by Christmas and surprise their kids and family with a new home. I know this is unusual, but you can purchase a home. There are many options, grants, and special financing. Are you looking to purchase a home but don’t know where to start? Call me to discuss all the options out there. 

I want to thank Leader 1, Miller Title, and my sellers for making this family very happy for Christmas 2023.

Until next month,
Jeannie