The story
The goal
A couple had lived in their four-bedroom, multi-level Mound home for 29 years. They wanted fewer stairs, less yard work, and enough space for visiting family, but they did not want to leave friends, medical providers, Surfside Park, or the Dakota Rail Regional Trail. Their existing home was expected to sell in the mid-$700,000s, and they wanted to spend no more than $575,000 on a one-level home and avoid a temporary rental.
The challenge
One-level inventory in Mound was limited. The couple found a two-bedroom plus den detached townhome listed at $549,000, but the seller wanted a clean offer and a closing within six weeks. The couple could not comfortably buy it without knowing how and when their current home would sell. Their longtime home also needed sorting, minor repairs, and staging before it could go on the market, and a normal same-day sale and purchase would have forced them to pack quickly.
The approach
CJ prepared the longtime home for market before the couple submitted the purchase offer.
A pricing and showing plan positioned the current home to attract buyers who could offer flexible possession.
The couple purchased the new home for $542,000 using short-term financing secured by their existing equity.
Their longtime home was listed at $749,000 and accepted an offer at $765,000 after the first weekend.
CJ negotiated a 45-day seller rent-back at the old home after closing, with a written daily rate, security deposit, utility responsibility, insurance requirements, and a firm move-out date.
He connected the couple with Good Move Downsizing to help sort belongings, plan furniture placement, coordinate donations, and manage move day.
The result
The couple closed on the one-level home first, closed on their longtime home three weeks later, and used the rent-back period to complete one organized move. They did not need a temporary apartment or storage move, and they stayed in Mound near the people and places already part of their routine.
“The solution was not simply finding a smaller house. It was creating enough control around financing, preparation, possession, and moving assistance that the couple could make the transition without an unnecessary second move.”Downsizing real estate in Mound on Norman-Homes.com