When Rachel Eichen wanted to sell her home in the Tampa burg of Pinellas Park, she had no idea how much work lay ahead of her.
Once her childhood home, the property had developed a host of problems that needed addressing. Wallpaper from the 1980s with a race car motif, along with a roof and carpeting that needed replacing, were only some of the issues at hand. Not only would it take time and financial resources to get the home ready to sell, having to sort through her father’s personal belongings would add to an already stressful situation.
Friends advised her to maintain ownership and use the home as an income property, but Rachel felt differently. “I inherited the home from my father when he passed away. I loved the house, but it was a burden. It was too much work for me to take on. I had to sort through all my dad’s things and figure out what to do with them. I couldn’t imagine having to go through the stress of repairs and cleaning on top of all that. I wasn’t totally sure I wanted to sell it, but ultimately, I knew I would have to,” she says.
Within days of her father’s passing, Rachel received a barrage of low-ball offers from solicitors looking to cash in. “When your parent dies, you immediately get all kinds of crazy cash offers. It’s like they can smell opportunity a mile away and I felt as if these people were preying on me.”
She started the process of selling the traditional way, but didn’t really like how it was going. “It seemed like a lot of hassle. The real estate agents I met with told me it would cost at least ten thousand dollars in repairs just to get it ready to sell. Plus, I’d have to go through the work of having to show the house.”
When she learned about OfferPad while searching for an alternative online, she knew she had to give it a try. “A lot of real estate agents told me not to go with OfferPad. They told me it wasn’t legit, that there was catch and that everything would fall through. From the beginning, the entire experience was unbelievable, the customer service was fantastic—and they made me a great offer.”
The onset of Hurricane Irma posed major threat to homeowners in Tampa and surrounding areas, nearly derailing her plan to sell altogether. “I’d signed my purchase contract with OfferPad right before Irma hit. At one point, I didn’t even know if there was going to be a house left. We were fortunate. We lost a number five off the address and a shutter off the front of the house. That was it.”
A long-time fan of the numerous attractions and moderate cost of living Las Vegas has to offer, Rachel had often thought about relocating.
“My husband and I had gotten married in Las Vegas and I’d had my heart set on moving there for several years. I got laid off from my job and that’s when I seriously started to consider making it happen. My husband works remotely as a software installer, so he can be based anywhere. We decided if I landed a job in Vegas, then we’d move, which is exactly what happened!”
Having started a new chapter in her life, she says, “If you want to have control over selling, OfferPad is the way to go. I didn’t have to show my house, I didn’t have to put a dime into it. I was faced with having to clear my dad’s belongings out of the house, which was difficult enough. OfferPad handled everything else—all the cleaning, all the repairs, even the hauling-away of the stuff I didn’t want. It was wonderful.”
Photo credit: Bently & Wilson Photography