Real Estate Isn't Brain Surgery, Or is It?

By Brian Talley

What Does Brain Surgery and Real Estate Have in Common? For April Henry, a 29 year old wife and mother of two based in Austin Texas, they have everything in common. On Thursday, July 24th, 2008 April went under the knife of an elite neurosurgeon in New York City for a rare condition where her brain stem was sinking into her spinal canal, causing a myriad of problems such as heart arrhythmia, difficulty walking & breathing, reduced ability to "feel" in the upper extremities, and extreme pain throughout her body. A short two weeks later with an unexpected infection causing April fever and uncomfortable swelling around her head, April would be carefully and very reluctantly escorted by her husband to a title company in northwest Austin Texas to close on the sale of their home followed by a visit to another title company the same day to close on the purchase of a new home, all before driving to the emergency room.
All of her life April has been physically active and athletic, enjoying activities such as snow skiing when on vacation and other outdoor activities prevalent with the Austin Texas lifestyle and environment. But due to April's diagnosis of Classical Type Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Chiari I Malformation in early 2008, April learned that she has a condition that just about ensures her a long list of debilitating symptoms and along with it, an uncertain fate. At best April would experience the continuation of the painful degeneration of her motor faculties and at worst; she was at risk of paralysis or sudden death. The best solution to her ails would be neurosurgery, a posterior fossa decompression and a cervical fusion to create separation between her skull and spine, which would relieve the pressure built up in her spinal canal due to her sinking brain stem.
The Henry's decided early in the summer 2008 to hire an Austin REALTOR to sell their northwest Austin home in Spicewood Estates and to relocate to a home nearby to accommodate their need for more space, a single level foundation, and a newer home requiring less ongoing maintenance and repair. Their existing house was livable, but the house was over 20 years old and required systematic improvements to be conducted to keep it in good living condition. The house also had a foundation with different levels where April had to go up and down steps to get from one room to another. The backyard was small and with their two highly energetic boys Jack (4 years old) and Luke (3 years old) getting older, everyone would benefit from more play space inside the house and in the back yard.

At the time the Henry's decided to sell their home they already knew that April needed to have surgery for her recently diagnosed condition, but they fully intended to get the sale, purchase, and move completed before the procedure, which was not scheduled yet. So on June 5th the Henry's had an Austin REALTOR place their home on the market priced at $320,000, a price consistent with the tax value of the home. While the Henry's wanted to get the highest value possible for their home, they also wanted a fast sale given the circumstances. Since they owned the home for 6 years since September 2002, the Henry's would enjoy significant appreciation on their sale even if they were forced to sell at a below market price.

Once the house was placed on the market there were dozens of buyer tours, but no contracts. Feedback from buyers and REALTORS had shown that the small backyard and the steps from one room to another in the house were turning buyers away. At the same time the Henry's were conducting an Austin home search to find a new home, which they found nearby and were able to place under contract contingent on the sale of their existing home. The Henry's quickly lowered their sale price after 21 days to $304,000 on June 25th and then to $299,000 on July 19th in order to boost the affordability of their home and increase their chances of a quick sale. Getting the price below the $300,000 threshold did the trick and on July 24th the house went under contract with a target close date of August 7th, just a short two weeks later! While the Henry's were ecstatic about getting the house sold and having the other house under contract, the timing couldn't have been worse.

By the time July had rolled around April's condition had progressively deteriorated and her pain was worse than ever. She received a much anticipated call from her neurosurgeon with a proposed date for her surgery, July 24th. April didn't know it at the time, but the date that her surgery was scheduled would be the same day her house would go under contract! Furthermore, with a short two week close date on the sale of her home, April would still be recovering from her surgery when she would have to move out of her home and into the new one.

On Friday, August 1st April returned from New York City to begin her recovery from surgery at home. A short 6 days later April would be escorted by her husband Paul to a 9am closing appointment to finalize the sale of their home and then on to a 1pm closing appointment to finalize the purchase of their new home. The problem was that on the evening before closing, April was running a fever and had swelling around her head. These symptoms indicated an infection, which could be bacterial meningitis in a worst case scenario. The problem was that April had planned to attend closing in person, and it was now too late for April to provide her husband with power of attorney to sign the closing documents on her behalf. April's husband was adamant that they delay closing in order to take April directly to the hospital, but April insisted that they attend closing before she subject herself to another long hospital stay. So on Thursday morning August 7th April and her husband Paul attended the 9am closing together and completed the sale of their home. April was still feverish and not feeling well, but she was intent on making it to the 1pm closing of their new home before driving to the hospital emergency room. April made it to the 1pm closing and as a result, was able to trigger the process by which her friends, family and hired labor helped pack up and move the Henry's from one house to the other.

April was admitted to the crash trauma unit at the local Breckenridge hospital immediately following the 1pm closing and it was confirmed that she did in fact have an infection in the area of her brain surgery. After a night in the crash trauma unit they moved her into critical care for two days followed by two more days on the neurosurgery floor. Fortunately, it did not turn out to be bacterial meningitis, which can lead to sudden death. April stayed in the hospital for a total of 5 days until the infection had subsided and she was cleared to leave. She arrived at her new home on Tuesday, August 12th, which had been unpacked and organized for the most part by her husband and friends.

While timing could not have been worse for her surgery, it couldn't have been better for her post surgery life. April and her family now have a new spacious home to enjoy, which will better accommodate her ability to get around the house with ease. It was a painful and stressful process for April to sell and buy a home; all while suffering through physical pain from her condition, the challenges of surgery, and the post surgery recovery process. April attributes her ability to endure through these challenges to her faith in God and to the support she has received from family and friends.

This article was provided by Brian Talley on behalf of Regent Property Group, Austin Texas Real Estate specialist's and top Austin Realtors helping professionals secure Austin Office Space and helping client's purchase Austin homes for sale, and helping client's sell Austin Texas real estate and homes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Talley