Selling Would Cost Them. Staying Would Cost Them More.

When Timing Is Everything

They were First Time Sellers referred to me by their aunt who’s also a REALTOR®. They had bought their immaculate 2-story condo just a few years ago at a market high. They moved in during the tail-end of a low-interest era and missed the 3%–5% rate window many Buyers had locked in. Selling now meant taking a hit. Not just a small one. A real, stomach-turning financial loss.

And yet, this sale was almost non-negotiable. 

Why? Because they had a dream opportunity in full alignment and full urgency. They had seen a new construction home on a rare corner lot with unobstructed views, builder incentives, and their close friends just around the corner. The floor plan? It fit their future like a glove.

The House They'd Lose If They Waited

This wasn’t just new construction. This was the dream house. Backing to views for miles, Builder incentives on the table…and a tight timeline. If they didn’t have their condo under contract before drywall was up on this house, they would lose the lot, the layout, the lifestyle and the chance to raise their family without hauling babies, groceries, and laundry up a steep staircase.

That was the kicker. 

Every week, we got on the phone walking through performance data, showing activity, competitive updates, and the ticking clock.  

I didn’t wait for the market to tell us what to do. I watched the listings. Talked to the other Agents. Anticipated the move before the comp dropped. And, advised.

We weren’t just talking. This was about adjusting, preparing, anticipating.

What If They Waited Too Long? 

The condo wasn’t in a high-demand part of Austin, though it backed up to a gorgeous preserve. We needed to position it to stand out from the crowd as “the one”. At one point, FIVE similar units were listed in the complex. One was priced well below where I’d recommended from Day One.

Still, the Sellers weren’t ready to list at my recommended price. And I get it. Like so many First Time Sellers, they were watching the market with hope. The competition had grown and those days on market were climbing. That every passing week invited more listings, mortgage rate increases, and fewer motivated Buyers.

We reduced the price in stages. Each drop felt like surrender. In some ways, those adjustments felt like letting go of hard-earned money. But this wasn’t about giving up. It was about playing the smartest game with the hand we had.

Every Strategic Move, Deployed 

I wasn’t guessing. I had been speaking with other Agents before we listed the condo for sale, studying what worked and what didn’t. I pulled every lever I had: multiple open houses organized with the other units at the same time (with barely any foot traffic), professional photography, a YouTube video, weekly video marketing on socials, and open communication with Agents in the area. We worked the data. We kept showing up. Still, no offer.

How Close Is Too Close? Would They Lose It All?

The lot with the view for miles was cleared. Then the foundation poured.

Still no contract. Framing. Windows. We were now just weeks away from drywall the point of no return. 

Then, another condo in the complex listed. Priced exactly where I’d been advising from the start. Ooof!

Within five minutes of that listing going live, I texted my Clients. It wasn’t theory anymore. It was real. Condo Buyers had five choices now. And, they still only had one shot at getting their dream house built.

How would their unit be the best value? It had the best finishes. Best view. Best price? It had to be. We had to make sure it was.

A Last-Minute Offer. A Flight to Europe. A Contract Signed in Transit. 

Two nights before they were scheduled to leave for a two-week trip abroad, I got the call. An Agent I’d been in touch with for weeks was going to submit an all-cash offer well below the new listed price.

This is where experience comes in. I negotiated. I pushed. I protected their line. I got the Buyer up in price to a number my Sellers would at least consider.

Would they accept? I strategized with them before the counter-offer.

The contract was signed in the back seat of their Uber on the way to the airport.

What It Takes to Let Go And Why It Was Worth It 

That 2-story condo with its steep stairs, upstairs bedrooms, and split layout wasn’t built for pregnancy, newborns, groceries, or growing into a family. The new house? It was so on purpose. It was their future.

And when the moment came, they made the hard call to let go of the past.

They weren’t just letting go of condo life. They were stepping into a new identity: future parents, future hosts, future home owners where their new chapter would begin.They trusted the strategy. They held onto the vision.

The Real Cost of Waiting 

Financially, yes they were taking a hit. But they were doing it to gain it all back (and more!) in their yet unwritten future. If they’d waited just a few more weeks and were not under contract? The Builder would have released the house. The incentives would disappear. Interest rates - already bouncing - might have jumped off a cliff. And that perfect timing? Would have been gone.

Windows don’t stay open forever. And they rarely reopen wider.

This was never about a short-term financial loss. Not even a little bit. This was about a dream. A vivid, deeply personal vision of family, space, and possibility. That two-story condo? It held their past; layered, stacked, split in two. The new build? It was open, aligned, and held a level of knowingness. A blueprint for the life ahead.

If You’re Standing at That Crossroads…

There’s no such thing as certainty. There is a time when the window is open.

Buying and selling a house is never about four walls. It’s always personal. In the end, they didn’t trade up. They chose a life with more air, more flow, a future love story still unwritten. And, I couldn’t be happier for them!

What are you dreaming about?

Jennifer S. Goodman
REALTOR® | GRI
📱512-548-4568
jennifer@livinginaustintexas.com
@jennifersgoodmangroup | @realbrokerage