A list of 7 things needed to get approved for a lease when applying with an apartment community, or individually owned condo, townhouse or single family home.
The Deal That Should Have Died
If you’ve been involved in enough real estate transactions, you eventually discover something interesting.
The deals that seem easiest at the beginning often become complicated.
And the deals that look completely doomed somehow find a way to cross the finish line.
I’ve seen inspection reports that looked like horror novels.
I’ve seen financing issues appear days before closing.
I’ve seen appraisals come in short.
I’ve seen buyers panic.
I’ve seen sellers dig in their heels.
I’ve seen family members, lenders, inspectors, contractors, title companies, and REALTORS® all take turns becoming frustrated.
In other words, I’ve seen real estate.
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about buying or selling a home is that a successful transaction is one without problems.
That’s almost never true.
The reality is that nearly every transaction encounters obstacles. The difference between a deal that closes and a deal that falls apart is usually not the size of the problem.
It’s how the people involved respond to it.
Early in my career, every problem felt like an emergency.
Every unexpected phone call raised my blood pressure.
Every delay felt catastrophic.
Every difficult conversation seemed larger than life.
Experience eventually taught me something different.
Most problems are simply problems.
They’re not disasters.
They’re not signs that the deal is dead.
They’re simply the next issue that needs to be addressed.
The buyer doesn’t benefit from panic.
The seller doesn’t benefit from panic.
The lender doesn’t benefit from panic.
The inspector doesn’t benefit from panic.
And I certainly don’t benefit from panic.
So when something goes sideways, and something almost always does, I’ve learned to ask a simple question:
What’s the next step?
Not next month.
Not next week.
Not five steps from now.
Just the next step.
Call the lender.
Review the inspection report.
Gather additional information.
Request documentation.
Have the difficult conversation.
Then take the next step after that.
And then the next.
One thing I’ve also learned is that stress reveals people.
The buyer who has been calm for weeks suddenly becomes anxious because they’re making one of the largest financial decisions of their life.
The seller who seemed flexible becomes emotional because they’re parting with a home full of memories.
The father helping with the down payment develops strong opinions.
The appraiser gets blamed.
The inspector gets blamed.
The REALTOR® definitely gets blamed.
Everybody gets a turn.
That’s normal.
It’s also temporary.
The key is remembering that nobody is at their best when they’re scared.
And buying or selling a home can be scary.
That’s why professionalism matters.
Not when everything is going smoothly.
When it isn’t.
The best transactions aren’t the ones that avoid problems.
They’re the ones where the people involved keep moving forward despite them.
Every time I look back at a transaction that seemed impossible, I usually discover the same thing.
The deal survived because people stayed focused on solutions instead of emotions.
Real estate isn’t about avoiding problems.
It’s about navigating them.
And more often than not, that’s what gets everyone to the closing table.
