ORLANDO, Fla. – Bill Grant and his girlfriend, Ellen Heighman, live in a 6,000-square foot home. With five bedrooms, four-and-half baths, closets galore, an elevator, and a pool, it?s a lot of house for two people. ?It?s gorgeous,? Grant says. ?A beautiful home.? Even better, the price. Grant doesn?t own the home; he rents it for $1400 a month, significantly below market value.
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?I feel like I?m on a fantasy adventure,? Heighman says.
How do they do it?
Grant is a home manager for a Central Florida company called 1st American Home Tenders. The company is co-owned by Shannon Boswell.
?We go out and we find qualified individuals and put them in the home, so they take care of the home while it?s in the for sale process,? says Boswell.
In exchange for the reduced rent, managers/tenders like Grant must maintain otherwise vacant homes and keep them show-ready for prospective buyers and their Realtors. Grant moved his own furniture into the home, but he must be ready to move out when a sale is made. Managers/tenders must have enough furniture to fill the home they?re assigned, and they must be willing to vacate within 30-days notice. They also have to wear a white glove every day. The counters must be wiped down, the floors swept or mopped, and the bathrooms cleaned every day. It?s a lot of work, Grant says, but he really enjoys the challenge, and the transiency. ?I get stagnant after a period of time, and I?m looking for a new adventure,? he says.
This is not just a story about living large and paying little, however. It?s about helping sellers get their homes off the market. The theory is a fully-furnished home will sell faster than a vacant one.
?Everything I show is all vacant, vacant, vacant,? says Trudy Hammond, a local realtor. ?And when I come in a home (that?s being managed) it makes all the difference.? Hammond represented a luxury property in Reunion which stood empty for 10 months. ?What really made it stand out was when we put the tenders in,? she says.
1st American recruited managers for the home and the property sold 21 says after those managers moved in and set up. ??I think it?s a great selling tool,? Hammond says.
Homeowner Jenn Domeck agrees. When she put her house up for sale, it sat on the market for two months. She turned to 1st American. A home manager moved in. Five weeks and three showings later, Domeck got an offer.
?Almost all of our offers come in at full price,? says Boswell.
?I?m just thrilled. I really am,? says Domeck.
The home manager service didn?t cost Domeck a dime. Sellers don?t have to pay for the service, and neither do realtors. 1st American maintains the home through the rental fees it collects from managers like Grant.
?We do the pool service. We take care of the lawn. We pay the electric bill. We pay the water bill,? Boswell explains.
That includes the lavish house that Grant has been managing. He?s been in the home for 45 days. There?s now a contract on the property, so soon Grant will be packing up and moving again. ?It?s not for everyone for sure. But I enjoy it,? he says.
For more information check out 1aht.com.