A Hemingway character was asked how he went bankrupt. \u201cTwo ways,\u201d he replied: \u201cGradually, then suddenly.\u201d That\u2019s a fine description of how I sold a house in a buyer\u2019s market this summer.<\/p>\n
How it happened gradually: I inherited the house in October 2021, fixed it up bit by bit, and finally listed it for sale in June 2025. How it happened suddenly: The house sold in 18 days. So how did I manage that? First, some context: The house is in a desirable location on the west side of Fort Worth. Mom bought it when I was a high school sophomore, and she lived alone for decades after I left for college.<\/p>\n
Now I live in South Florida. For years, I considered selling my Florida house and moving into the Fort Worth house. I made upgrades and repairs, but ultimately my wife and I decided not to move to Cowtown. I reluctantly said adios to El Tacorriendo (my favorite food truck) and Billy Bob\u2019s (the legendary honky tonk), and listed the house for sale. I didn\u2019t expect to sell it in less than three weeks. Metroplex homes usually linger longer \u2014 a typical July sale took 53 days. The analysts at Realtor.com call it a balanced market, but it feels like a buyer\u2019s market to me.<\/p>\n
And yes, luck was a big factor in selling so quickly. That said, let me tell you what I did right and what I would do differently.<\/p>\n
I interviewed three agents. I wanted to hire a real estate agent who had represented sellers and buyers in the neighborhood \u2014 someone I\u2019d feel comfortable with, who also had years of experience. I interviewed three, asking, among other things, what improvements I should make to the house. I wanted an agent who would answer forthrightly instead of telling me what I wanted to hear. I hired the agent who had the strongest background. She specialized in my neighborhood and had the brisk demeanor of a C-suite corporate executive who wants to sell efficiently.<\/p>\n
What I did right: I chose an experienced, perceptive agent. She knew to be blunt with me and tactful with my wife, which was a sign that she would adopt the proper tone when talking with buyers and their agents. And she priced the house right.<\/p>\n
My $350,000 asking price was low for the neighborhood. There\u2019s a good reason: Mom had Alzheimer\u2019s, so the house suffered from some deferred maintenance. It took a full five minutes to get hot water from the kitchen tap, and the walls reeked of cigarette smoke. On the outside, the hail-damaged roof needed replacement, the 75-year-old casement windows were caulked shut, and the siding consisted of unsightly, brown-painted cedar shingles.<\/p>\n
But my time and money were limited. I could spend them making the exterior look great, or I could prioritize making the interior function well. So I fixed up the interior \u2014 because what\u2019s the use of having a house that\u2019s pretty on the outside, if you have to wait forever to get hot water at the kitchen sink? Overall, I paid more than $60,000 to upgrade the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, replace the roof, and repaint the interior (to eliminate the cigarette smell). By leaving the exterior mostly as-is, I let the buyer choose their own siding and windows.<\/p>\n
What I did right: I focused on updating major systems and completed only must-do interior work. The buyer wanted to spend their money refining the aesthetics, not replacing the A\/C.<\/p>\n
To reassure potential buyers, I made a spreadsheet of renovations, how much they cost, and when they were done. However, there was sometimes a gap between the date of a contractor\u2019s initial estimate and the date work was completed \u2014 and the buyer used this information to strong-arm me. \u201cIt is clear to see that these repairs dates are incongruent to your marketing materials and seller\u2019s disclosure making them obsolete,\u201d the buyer\u2019s agent emailed after the inspection. \u201cFurthermore, this would be considered Deceptive Marketing Practices.\u201d They reduced their offer by $33,000. I felt furious one second, and panicked the next. Would this sale go through?<\/p>\n
What I did wrong: Being specific about dates and dollar amounts of renovations opened up another round of negotiation that I didn\u2019t want. I would have been better off providing general information about the upgrades. And I didn\u2019t recognize the accusatory email and lower offer as a hardball negotiation tactic. That was the judgment of my attorney, which brings me to the last thing I did right.<\/p>\n
Candidly, that agent\u2019s email wigged me out. I forwarded it to the lawyer who had represented me three years earlier in Mom\u2019s estate. He laughed off the email and calmed me down. Lawyers close real estate transactions in some states, but Texas isn\u2019t one of them. So even though I didn\u2019t technically need an attorney, I hired him because the buyer\u2019s agent had intimidated me.<\/p>\n
What I did right: My attorney\u2019s services were well worth the cost. He helped me through the negotiation, and he prevented a potential delay by spotting an error in the closing paperwork. Instead of listing Mom\u2019s estate as the seller, the document listed Mom herself as the seller \u2014 as if she would materialize from her urn, like a genie from a bottle, to sign the papers. My attorney fixed that, and we closed at the scheduled time.<\/p>\n
Eventually, I want to get away from the hurricanes, rising seas and high home insurance costs of South Florida. When I sell this house and move to the mountains of western North Carolina, I\u2019ll do a lot of things the same and a few things differently: I will employ a real estate attorney from the outset, starting with reviewing the contract with the agent. I will keep mum about specific costs and dates of work done on the house. Anything I say can and will be used against me. I\u2019ll choose, hire and pay a photographer, and have final say over the photos. (My agent chose the photographer, and I wish the pictures had been better.) And I\u2019ll rejoice that I\u2019m not selling a house with brown shingle siding.<\/p>\n
Selling a house in a buyer\u2019s market can be challenging, but with the right strategy and mindset, it is possible to succeed. By choosing an experienced agent, focusing on major systems, keeping calm during negotiations, and hiring an attorney, I was able to sell my house in just 18 days. While there were some lessons learned along the way, the experience has provided valuable insights for future real estate transactions.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the most important factor in selling a house in a buyer\u2019s market?
\nA: Pricing the house correctly and having an experienced agent are crucial in selling a house in a buyer\u2019s market.
\nQ: Should I provide detailed information about renovations and repairs to potential buyers?
\nA: It is generally recommended to provide general information about upgrades and renovations, rather than specific dates and dollar amounts, to avoid opening up unnecessary negotiations.
\nQ: Is it necessary to hire an attorney when selling a house in Texas?
\nA: While not technically necessary, hiring an attorney can be beneficial in navigating negotiations and ensuring a smooth closing process.
\nQ: What can I do to improve my chances of selling my house quickly in a buyer\u2019s market?
\nA: Focus on updating major systems, prioritize must-do interior work, and consider hiring a real estate attorney to help with negotiations and closing paperwork.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Selling a House in a Buyer’s Market A Hemingway character was asked how he went bankrupt. \u201cTwo ways,\u201d he replied: \u201cGradually, then suddenly.\u201d That\u2019s a fine description of how I sold a house in a buyer\u2019s market this summer. The Gradual and Sudden Process of Selling How it happened gradually: I inherited the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-real-estate"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1244276871.jpg?w=1024&h=682&w=1024&resize=1024,682&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20085"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20088,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20085\/revisions\/20088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}