Dave Arneson
Jul 10, 2017 · 4 min read

Moving From Chicago to Walnut Creek And Then To San Diego All Within 10 Months: How This Father Regained His Role As A Dad

In June 2016 an agent called us from Chicago and said she had an amazing family that she would like to refer to us. After having gone through 20–30 other agent’s websites, she chose us because she thought we were the ones to serve her clients best. We were very grateful to be selected to take care of her clients, the Lewis Family.

The Lewis’ were selling their 2500 sqft home in Chicago due to a work relocation and moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. They were targeting the East Bay because they felt like it was the best match for their family’s needs with regard to school quality and space. Selling a $400K home and jumping up to a home of the same size for just over $1M would be nerve-wracking for anybody. We did extensive preparation to support each of their trips and make sure that they received a great sample of what the different geographical areas had to offer. This stretched from Pleasanton to Walnut Creek and in each of the 3 trips they made, we saw over 15 homes in 36 hours. With great diligence and care, we were able to find a fantastic home in Walnut Creek that had sat on the market due to access restrictions as a result of California tenant notice laws. We were able to get this home into contract for 2% under the asking price, which ended up being a critical win for them later on. After working through some logistical hiccups, we got them into their home by August and got their dog Troy out of our house (whom we had been sheltering during their transition).

Mr. Lewis has both a MBA and JD credentials with a legal background and had worked in corporate leadership for a variety of media companies. He had moved 8 times for work-related transitions during his career and was accustomed to juggling these transitions. The Lewis’ are a great family; they are open, down to earth and real about what they wanted to accomplish and an absolute blessing to serve.

We stayed in touch throughout the holidays and in March Mr. Lewis contacted us and said that he had taken a CEO position in San Diego and needed to know what his options were with regard to selling the home he had purchased just 7 months prior. For those who are unfamiliar with the selling process, the Seller pays all the agent’s commissions on both the Buy and Sell side. Thus selling a home without taking a loss is challenging when there hasn’t been much time for the home to appreciate. We looked at the numbers and what could be done to increase the marketability and attractiveness of the home. The family had done some cosmetic renovations already. We also went through the property together and did some strategic positioning as well as additional improvements to make the home attractive to a wider audience. With all of the spectrums that encompass family life, this was a big undertaking and Mr. Lewis was asking a lot of his family to support him to be a in a position where he could thrive more. He had been subject to a big bait-and-switch when he moved out to California and had spent most of the prior 7 months on the road, which meant he couldn’t be the father he wanted to be. Moving is disruptive and they knew that this move meant switching schools for his children again, getting Mrs. Lewis re-acclimated to a new area and they all felt that it was worth it for the family get Mr. Lewis back as their Husband and Father.

We put the house on the market and got it in contract within 11 days to an institutional cash buyer who offered $20K over the asking price because the property met their strategic initiatives. Meanwhile, we referred them to the real estate team for the current CEO of Keller Williams down in San Diego to help them secure their new home in that area. They were ecstatic! We put the plan in motion and over-delivered for our clients. They were able to rent the property back to finish out the school year, secure the new home and complete the relocation. In a 10 month timeframe, this family had moved twice, bought and sold 2 homes and relocated across the country, all while maintaining their equity, which is a huge feat of accomplishment.

As business owners and real estate agents here in the East Bay, it is with immense gratitude that we get to serve our clients with these strategic initiatives to help them restructure and re-stack their resources to help their families thrive. We strive to provide all our clients with exceptional levels of customer service. Is there anyone you know who we can serve? If so, call 925–448–4416 or reach us at www.arnesonhomes.com.

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