How many engineers does it take to sell your home?

How many engineersThis is a funny story.

Three engineers were driving across the country.  As they were driving down a steep mountain road, their brakes failed.  The driver desperately pumped the brakes as they were quickly gaining speed.  The passengers were white knuckled and doing their best not to panic. 

As they were hurtling toward a dangerous corner, the driver spots a runaway truck lane and turns in at the last moment.  The car slowly grinds to a halt on the long, gravel ramp.  Relieved and shaken, all three engineers get out assessing the situation.

Hmm…

The mechanical engineer says, “Looks like the brake line is leaking.  Let’s repair the split, bleed the line and we will be on our way. 

The systems engineer wonders aloud, “Maybe we should contact the nearest dealer to confirm the exact cause of the problem.”

The software engineer gets back in the driver’s seat, while motioning the others to join him and says, “Let’s just turn it off, restart it and see if it happens again.”

And so goes with most real estate transactions…

Most people think that you only have to sell a home one time during a transaction.  If you have inspection, finance and appraisal contingencies, then you will have to “sell” the home at least four times in one transaction. 

The first sale, when you accept an offer, can be the easiest one.  You still need to convince the inspector, the appraiser and the lender that this is a good deal for their client.

And if you are not prepared to solve the problems along the way, you could end up like the software engineer after he restarts and tries to go down the rest of the mountain. 

Of these four “sales” [the contract, the inspection, the appraisal and the loan], which gives you the most concern for your home?

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