Staying Positive in Challenging Times

One of my favorite stories about staying positive in challenging times is from a few years ago when I sold my house.

For over a decade I owned a multi-family house and lived on the first floor.  It was great at first, but after a few bad tenants I decided that I didn’t want to be a landlord anymore and put my house up for sale.

This was a tricky situation because my second- floor tenant at the time was very manipulative and I knew that she would give a hard time with showings.

So, I decided to be proactive and offer her $50 off of her rent for the month if she would just clean her apartment before the showing.  She agreed to the deal.

That’s a win-win for both of us, right?  You would think.

Fifteen minutes before the showing, the realtor went upstairs to verify that she had cleaned her apartment.  She hadn’t. It was a wreck.  

But several people were already on their way over to the showing so it was too late to do anything about it.  

I left the house so the showing could happen, hoping for the best.

But the result was a nightmare.

After I left the house, the realtor showed the first and third floor, but when he got to the second floor, she didn’t answer the door.

He called to tell me, but I didn’t hear my phone ring.   By the time I called back the showing was over and everyone had already left.

I was so mad I wanted to scream!

There was some kinda-good news, though. 

Three offers were made on the house- conditional to seeing the second floor.

The realtor scheduled another showing for a few days later so they could come back and see it.  

But I was worried that this tenant would pull another fast one and try to sabotage the sale of my house.

Then I remembered that I had power over the situation and I wasn’t going to let her run the show.

I know worry is a prayer for chaos.  So that was the first thing I had to change.

I chose instead to focus on my favorite mantra which is “Only good can come out of this.”

So, for those next few days, I decided to stand in my power and believe that only good would come from this situation.

Every time a doubt tried to creep in, I didn’t let it.  I instead reverted back to my mantra which eventually became automatic.

I also created a fool proof plan.  

I made it clear to my tenant that whether she opened the door or not, the apartment would be be entered and shown.

And instead of leaving my house for the showing this time, I went next door to my neighbor’s house, so I’d be available immediately if she tried to pull anymore stunts.

And sure enough, by the end of it- my mantra rang true!!!

During that second showing of my house, a new viewer who hadn’t attended the first showing joined the group.

And he loved my house so much, he offered me more than my asking price!!!

We had a total of 5 offers on the table, including this new one which was the best one!

We accepted that offer and the buyer was super cooperative through the whole process because he loved the house and couldn’t wait to move in.

Not only did good come out of it, the result was much better than I even imagined.

And to this day- I am thankful that she didn’t let them in that day, because her resistance resulted in a 5 figure profit for me!!!

So, whenever I have a moment of challenge, I always remember this story! 

It’s a powerful mantra, that’s why it’s a favorite of mine.  I encourage you to use it!

#onlygoodcancomeoutofthis