“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Now the dust has settled and the closings have been successfully completed, I believe it’s time I (briefly) share the story of how we sold a house in less than a day, and how we found our new home in about the same time.

Rebekah and I knew we needed to begin the “sell the house” process as soon as the Wake Forest PNC (pastor nominating committee) popped the question. But we also knew we couldn’t do anything publicly until Rebekah first jumped through a series of New Hope Presbytery hoops, then had her call confirmed by a vote at the new church, and – finally –  after she had informed First Presbyterian Brandon of her decision.

REAL ESTATE MAGIC! That’s when we consulted with local realtor Brenda Wade. Here’s what we told her:

1. We know the housing market is bad in Tampa, and

   

2. we understand prices are depressed.
3. But, we don’t want anyone to know we’re selling our house;
4. we don’t want any advertising on the Internet;
5. we don’t want the house listed;
6. we don’t want our house in any “homes for sale” magazines;
7. we don’t want any other real estate agents to know about it;
8. we don’t want a sign outside…
9. BUT, we do want you to sell our house.
10. So what do you think?

“PIECE OF CAKE!” To which Brenda replied: “Not a problem. I love this house. We’ll print a brochure that you can keep here, and I’ll bring some of my team by for a confidential walk-through. I’ll sell this house quickly, and I’ll sell it for more than you think.”

So Brenda Wade breezed through the house with her team. It was like a drive-by; 15-minutes, tops. One of them said, “I think I have a buyer who will like this.”

Brenda’s team member gave the client a tour around noon that same day. By the end of the evening we had a contract.

WAKE FOREST: Meanwhile, that very same day, a young family in the Tyler Run area of Wake Forest in North Carolina put their home on the market.

The dad was returning to university to earn his doctoral degree. We’d been looking at a bunch of homes on-line but we were getting nowhere in a hurry. Nothing seemed to match what we were looking for, and we were set on the idea of living inside the community of Wake Forest.

But the Tyler Run house (a tired but solid-boned custom build from the 1980’s, near downtown Wake Forest) fit every “non-cookie-cutter” requirement we had.

• We wanted to be within walking distance of the center of the town
• we wanted “character”
• we wanted mature trees
• we wanted something we could apply our imagination to
• we wanted to downsize
• we wanted to be no more than a couple of miles from the church

Five days later, Rebekah traveled to North Carolina for one of her “jump through the hoops” interviews with New Hope Presbytery. She had a few hours free one afternoon and took a look at several homes, including the Tyler Run property. She fell in love with the house. Later the next day we had a contract.

THE POINT: The point of this post is to say three distinct things:

1. First: We are still somewhat dazed and amazed that our house in Valrico sold immediately, and we’re deeply grateful.
2. Second: I want to acknowledge the phenomenal talent, enthusiasm, effectiveness, and professional integrity of the Brenda Wade Team.
3. Finally: I’m not a proponent of the “God’s going to make everything easy and convenient if you believe right and get in his favor” school of theology. Instead, this is what gives me strength, and adds power to my experience of following The Way of Jesus: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Thanks, Brenda Wade and your team – especially Sondra Hill – for making this happen – DEREK