When the Delay Becomes the Direction: A Real Estate Case Story
The short answer
- Sell first, then buy — but negotiate yourself time. My sellers went under contract in two days at asking, agreed to a closing about 75 days out, and kept possession for roughly two more weeks after closing under a post-occupancy agreement.
- Build the backup plan before you need it. Ours was a short-term rental, so my clients never had to buy the wrong house to avoid being homeless.
- When a deal refuses to come together, stop pushing and stay ready. The rental that would not get signed is exactly what left my clients free to move on the home they actually wanted — same day, accepted by 11 p.m.
Sometimes a real estate transaction unfolds in a way that makes you wonder whether certain obstacles are actually redirecting you toward something better.
Real estate is a business of pricing, contracts, deadlines, negotiations and careful planning. But even with the strongest strategy, there are moments when timing, intuition and something we cannot quite explain seem to play a part.
This is the story of one of those moments.
A buyer in just two days
Toward the end of July, I listed my clients’ home for sale.
We studied the market carefully and priced the property correctly from the beginning. Within just two days, we secured a buyer at the asking price.
The terms were also ideal for my sellers. The buyer agreed to a closing approximately 75 days later and allowed the sellers to remain in the home for about two additional weeks after closing through a post-occupancy agreement.
That created valuable time for my clients to search for their next home. They wanted to remain in the same general area but move into a larger property that would better meet their needs.
The first part of our plan had come together beautifully. Their home was under contract, the price was right, and the timeline gave us room to find their next home.
At least, that was the plan.
The homes kept slipping away
We immediately began looking at homes to purchase.
Several properties caught my clients’ attention, but each time the timing seemed slightly off. They would hesitate because they wanted to be certain they were making the right decision. By the time they were ready to move forward, another buyer had submitted an offer and the home was no longer available.
This happened more than once.
Buying a home is a major financial and emotional decision, so a certain amount of hesitation is understandable. At the same time, a competitive market does not always give buyers unlimited time. In Cooper City, half of the homes that sold over the last three months spent three weeks or less on the market.
As the closing date on their existing home moved closer, we needed another option.
Creating a backup plan
Rather than letting my clients feel pressured into purchasing the wrong home, we developed a backup plan.
They would rent a property temporarily, complete the sale of their current home, and continue searching for the right home without being forced into a rushed decision.
We found a suitable rental, negotiated the terms and appeared to have an agreement. My clients signed the contract to lease, and we expected the formal lease to follow.
Instead, the process became unusually slow.
There were repeated delays, revisions and administrative issues. Even after the attorneys prepared the lease and we believed we had reached a final version, we were still waiting to receive a lease signed by the landlord.
I kept following up and trying to move the process forward, but something that should have been relatively straightforward continued to stall.
At the time, none of it made sense.
Then the right home appeared
Late one evening, a new home came on the market.
My clients saw it first thing the following morning and immediately called me.
There is a new home, and we want to see it right away.
I contacted the listing agent early that morning and arranged the showing as quickly as possible. Of course, no home can be considered perfect until you walk through it, experience the space and determine whether it truly works for you.
For my clients, this one did.
They loved the home and knew they wanted to move forward.
I returned home, prepared a strong offer and submitted it that same day. At approximately 11:00 that night, we received the contract back — fully signed and accepted by the sellers.
We arranged the inspection immediately and continued moving forward without delay.
After losing other opportunities and preparing themselves for a temporary rental, my clients had finally found the home they truly wanted.
The rental was no longer necessary
Because the landlord had never delivered a fully executed lease, my clients had not completed the rental arrangement. With a purchase contract now accepted, the temporary rental was no longer needed.
I notified the rental agent that, because of the continuing delays and the fact that the lease had not been finalized, my clients no longer wished to proceed.
Looking back, the delays that had caused so much frustration may have prevented my clients from making an unnecessary move.
If the rental lease had been finalized quickly, they might have committed financially to the property. They may have moved twice, paid unnecessary rental expenses, or felt less urgency to see the newly listed home immediately.
They might even have missed the home altogether.
Was it an obstacle — or a redirection?
I am a real estate broker, so my work is based on market knowledge, preparation, negotiation and contracts. But I also believe there are moments when we must pay attention to what is happening around us.
Was it timing? Intuition? Energy? Divine intervention?
I cannot say for certain.
What I can say is that sometimes, when something repeatedly refuses to come together despite our best efforts, we should pause before continuing to force it.
A delay does not always mean that everything is going wrong. Sometimes it is creating space for the right opportunity to arrive.
That does not mean we sit back and simply hope for the best. Throughout this process we kept searching, communicating, negotiating and preparing. We had a backup plan, but we also stayed flexible enough to change direction when a better opportunity appeared.
And when that opportunity arrived, we acted immediately.
Letting go does not mean giving up
There is an important difference between giving up and letting go.
Giving up means abandoning the goal. Letting go means releasing one particular outcome so you can stay open to another path.
My clients did not stop searching for a home. We did not stop planning or working. We simply accepted that the original path was not coming together as expected — and we stayed prepared for the next opportunity.
That preparation is what allowed us to recognise the right home and move quickly enough to secure it.
Why having the right agent matters
A good real estate agent does much more than open doors and prepare contracts.
The right agent helps you:
- Price your home strategically from the beginning.
- Negotiate a closing timeline that supports your next move.
- Structure post-occupancy when additional time is needed.
- Develop a backup plan before the situation becomes urgent.
- Recognise when a transaction is no longer serving your goals.
- Respond quickly when the right opportunity appears.
- Stay calm and focused when the original plan changes.
Real estate transactions rarely move in a perfectly straight line. There may be delays, disappointments and unexpected changes along the way.
That is why experience, preparation, flexibility and trust matter.
Sometimes the plan changes because something better is making its way to you.
Trust the process — but make sure you have someone beside you who knows how to navigate it.
Planning to sell and buy at the same time?
Selling your current home while searching for your next one can feel complicated. The pricing, closing dates, post-occupancy terms, financing and backup plans all have to work together.
With the right strategy, the process does not have to become overwhelming.
As a Cooper City and Broward County real estate broker, I help homeowners sell for the most money while carefully planning what comes next. Start with a free valuation from recent MLS sales, read how I approach selling and buying, or get in touch to build a strategy around your own needs and timeline.
— Kaden Sheen
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker, Cooper City and Broward County
Sheen Real Estate Solutions
Helping Broward homeowners sell for the most money — without the hassle.
Cooper City pace of sale: of the 105 residential sales that closed in the 90 days to September 22, 2026, the median time on market was 22 days, at a median sale price of $665,000 (MIAMI Association of REALTORS® MLS). Client details are omitted for privacy. Nothing here is legal advice: a signed contract to lease is not the same thing as an executed lease, and whether either one binds you depends on its own terms — ask a Florida real estate attorney about your own situation.