Anyone can sell a house in today’s housing market.

But a Manteca couple wasn’t simply interested in selling a structure with a roof, three bedrooms, kitchen,  bathrooms, and a great room. They wanted to sell a home.

It was a home they had bought when they wanted their daughter close by after she became a single mom with two sons to raise.

It is a home that provided stability and a safe haven. The couple’s two grandsons have grown into successful young men. One is in the Navy. The other is a firefighter.

“When we found this house, we had a special feeling about it,” the couple wrote. “We wanted a home that would give them safety, stability, and a place they could develop the qualities of good young men . . . We also appreciate the help our grandsons received from teachers and mentors while in this home. We feel it is important to give back and help others.”
The couple signed an agent contract on a Tuesday. The agent had the house photographed on a Wednesday. The home was listed on a Thursday. Thirty-five potential buyers went through the house on a Saturday-Sunday and by the next Tuesday they had 13 offers.

Most of the offers were above the listing price. Some were substantially higher.

They zeroed in on the one offer that made the most financial sense to them. After it was accepted, they learned the buyer's story.

It was a single mom named Stephanie with a daughter who is approaching 2 years of age. Two months ago her husband George, who was serving in the Army, passed away. Their dream was to buy a home in Manteca to raise their family.

She had graduate from Sierra High. He was a Patterson High graduate. Both had family nearby.

He died just as the couple was getting ready to move into a two bedroom apartment.

Stephanie found her foray into the market as a first-time home buyer frustrating.

But then a couple she had never meet until after they accepted her offer helped bring stability to make her world turned upside down by her husband’s death and the piranha-like frenzy of today’s South County housing market.

The couple zeroed in on the single mom’s offer. It was in the mid-range of the above list offers. It had a sizeable down payment.. And while taking an even higher offer was an option, they determined the offer would suit their retirement goals.

“When we were preparing to sell the home we hoped to give another family the (same kind) of experience and opportunity (our daughter and grandsons had). Our family needed this home; it is a special place. We wanted it to go to a special family as well, one who needed it and the warmth it provides,. We were inspired to accept this offer from this buyer without knowing the story.”

The fact she was a single mom resonated with them.

The couple, before the new buyers moved in, left little notes throughout the home sharing various nuances and how living there had played important roles in their grandson’s growth.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email mdwyatt@mantecabulletin.com