Outside the Box

Most of the time, the things you want don’t just fall into your lap. Reaching your goals often requires thinking outside the box. And that’s just what this homeowner did.

“It never hurts to ask.” It’s amazing how far you can go with such a simple phrase. The home of your dreams may be outside of your budget, or may not even be on the market, but what if you just asked. The answer is always no if you don’t ask.

When this homeowner moved back to Gloucester, she knew what she was looking for. As a buyer, she knew the housing market wasn’t in her favor. After scoping out the area she wanted to be in, she set herself to walking around the neighborhood. Doing research and recon on the area’s properties.

She found her spot. An old camp with 3 cottages and small house, all in need of major work. A place that was on the market but a bit out of her price range, and more than she was looking for. She thought, if she buy a piece of the property, that would be her perfect home.  A bit of research on the assessors site told her who owned it and that he had in fact owned it for a while. So she wrote a letter and sent it off to the property owner to find out if this was her new home. She wrote about her vision for the property and asked if he would accept an offer for a parcel of the land. When she didn’t hear anything back, she carried on her search and forgot about it. But this story doesn’t end there. 

The previous owner had passed away, leaving the property and her letter in the care of his sister. The letter surfaced while sorting out the estate and his sister reached out. The homeowner-to-be went over and they sat down for tea and talked. The previous owner’s estate was going to be sold off and she was going to buy it. Even though the price was lower, it was still out of her price range, especially considering the amount of work the property required. But the previous owner had a vision, and she shared that vision. There wasn’t going to be a more perfect opportunity. So she had to find a way to make it work, and that’s exactly what she did. She was able to parcel off the land to some friends and come up with a solution that allowed her to purchase the property.

The housing market is tough these days, and most people are all looking at the same properties. Homes are often getting sold, over the asking price, before they are even listed. Getting creative and thinking outside the box can help you see opportunities that others might not. Thinking differently about your challenges can help come at a problem from a different angle. When everyone else is trying the same things, be different, be bold. It never hurts to ask.