How I Added $100k+ to My Sellers’ Bottom Line with This Single Strategy

by Jana Jeffery

When smart strategy meets seller trust → we create more value, not just a faster sale.

This seller came to us ready with a strategy to sell his triplex to an investor, tenant-occupied. The leases were expiring and he needed to decide whether to renew them or not, and selling the building as one package seemed like the easiest route.

But once I dug into the NOI and cap rates, I saw a BIG opening.

Instead of pitching it as a buy/hold rental to investors, I suggested a different strategy: wait out the 2 upcoming leases (a short couple of months), do some light cosmetic updates, and sell each unit individually to owner-occupants. That one move had the potential to bump his profit by 6 figures once all 3 units sold.

He agreed with the plan, loved the analysis, strategy and gave me the big thumbs up.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing though.

Tenants overstayed (months). Timelines had to be shifted. The market started changing a little (seasonality, mostly).

And both units ended up vacating at the same time in late July. (Of course.)

But thanks to my reliable contractor, we knocked out fresh paint, new carpet in one unit, repairs, pest control, and some other post-tenant repairs all in just a few weeks while controlling costs and staying under budget.

We launched both units together... not the original plan, but we rolled with it and used it to our advantage.

One was priced just under the comp value to help drive offers and set up a solid comp for the next unit and the third in a few more months.

It worked.

Four offers in one weekend, including one with an escalation clause $17k over list price.

Then, three days before closing... changing buyers out, switched loan programs + seller concessions. Hmm, wha?! We negotiated the what-if's up front and I walked my seller through all the risks, including appraisal and timeline.

We were ready to push back, punch holes in the appraisal, and dig deep if we had to.

But we didn’t. Appraisal came in right on target.

I'm grateful for this client’s trust and the chance to flex my skills in strategy, interior design, pricing, negotiation, and timing. He was patient, asked great questions, bought into the strategy and we got the job done, together!

And it paid off.

Now, we're on to the next unit!