What’s Worthy Is Worth Paying For

Hello, dear one!

When you were at a job interview, negotiating a purchase, or pressured to say YES, did you quickly reassess your self-worth before moving forward?

How can a self-worth assessment contribute to a favorable outcome?

After my last renter moved out of my condo, I began a four-month extensive remodeling project. Upon completion, I decided to sell my condo because of its exquisite upgrades.

It was at the worse market time, entering a new year from Christmas, company layoffs everywhere, insidious cold and rainy days, and worst of all, the climbing mortgage interest rates that significantly weakened buying power.

Being a natural dreamer, I insisted that somewhere out there, there would be a buyer who would fall in love with my condo.

There were no buyers, not even one showing to lead one buyer into the condo!

Finally, after two weeks and one show, I received an offer. This was when I had to assess my self-worth inside through my condo outside.

The buyers had the audacity to offer me an embarrassingly low purchase offer.

Starring at the numbers, my vision got blurry, and I felt like crushing from a heavenly hill to the bottom of a valley. 

What NOW?

I had three choices: Walk away, negotiate with multiple counter offers, or set my boundary with the condo’s market value once and for all. 

I submitted one and a final counteroffer to the buyers with a list of conditions to be met, and I attached a letter to introduce my condo in a different light.

I didn’t mention how I paid four times more for the one-piece kitchen countertop to be purchased, and it took six men to install it. I didn’t nag about the countless research and shopping time involved in the process and with each improvement detail. 

Instead, I focused on the blessings this condo had brought me.

I fell in love with the condo when I first saw it; it was bright, uplifting, and peaceful. The previous seller had a huge job promotion and relocated to another state, so I inhered the good energy as the next lucky owner.

A few years later, I borrowed the equity from the condo and purchased a single-family home. I rented it out.

My first renter was a lovely young couple who owned a bagel shop within walking distance. Their business thrived as they lived in the condo, and a baby was conceived. They purchased a dream home in another area.

The next couple was industrious. The husband was a youth minister in a church. He surprised me with a few tasteful upgrades. Because of the commuting exhaustion, they eventually moved closer to the church.

Blessings engender blessings. My next tenant was a single lady in her 60s, but miracles could happen at any age. While living in the condo, she met her soul mate, the love of her life. They married and happily lived there until they bought a home and relocated to another state.

The last couple wanted the condo immediately; the single-story living and the attached garage were what they were looking for. They thoroughly enjoyed the swimming pool and tennis court in the community before they relocated to another state last year. 

This was not any property. This had been a cherished and rich home, full of heart-warming memories. I ended my letter by blessing the buyers with the most beautiful and unfolding journey in this home if it was the right place for them.

As soon as the buyers read the letter, they couldn’t wait for their real estate broker to respond and called my broker directly, “We want the condo. We’ve agreed to all your conditions.”

When I wrote my letter, I fell in love with my condo, my tenants, and myself all over again. I also remembered a quote I had read while living in it:

“What comes at you comes from you.”

The buyers couldn’t have seen the value in the condo unless, as a seller, I saw it first and conveyed it to the buyers. 

I had poured love and invested countless hours in improving this home. I could have cut corners to save money, but I was worth the quality materials. If I was worthy enough for my condo, my condo was worthy enough for the right buyers. 

It’s natural to want deals and free stuff, but what’s free often comes with its hidden dangers. That’s how we become suckers or victims to an altruistic appearance in disguise. 

What’s worthy is worth paying for. 

In the end, my condo was sold at the current market value because I stood by its worth and communicated its worth to the buyers.

The next time when you’re at a job interview, negotiating a purchase, or pressured to say YES to please someone, ask yourself: Am I worthy enough to pay and to be paid for?