You ever have one of those deals that feels like a sure thing, only to watch it slip?

[Jeremy Beland]

Let me tell you about the time we almost closed a major deal in Haverhill, Massachusetts, back in 2018. It was one of those situations where someone really needed a lifeline—the seller was facing foreclosure and had just 30 days before his house went to auction. We knew this was our chance to step in and help him out of a tough spot. The property was an old, run-down farmhouse in need of serious repairs, but we saw potential. We quickly got to work, understanding that every day counted.

There was a hiccup when we discovered the seller's ex-wife still had a claim on the property and wasn’t willing to cooperate at first. But we didn’t give up. We tracked her down, negotiated, and made sure she felt heard and respected, even offering her cash at closing to make sure everyone walked away with something.

We worked day and night to make it happen.

Everything was finally coming together. We found a buyer, got the contract signed, and were just days away from closing. We were looking at an $18,000 payday, which was huge for us at the time.

Then, out of nowhere, the seller went dark. Completely ghosted us. I showed up at his door, determined to get this deal across the finish line. When he finally answered, he hit me with, “Yeah, I’m not selling. I’m gonna let it go to foreclosure and just ride it out.”

My jaw nearly hit the floor. After all the work we put in, he decided to let the ship sink instead of cashing out and walking away with some money in his pocket.

That deal? It never happened. We lost $18,000 and weeks of hard work.

But you know what? It taught me a lesson I’ll never forget: in this business, a deal isn’t real until it’s closed. No matter how good it looks, anything can happen at the last minute.

That’s why you’ve always got to keep hustling, keep your pipeline full, and never count on just one deal to carry you through. There are so many things that can go wrong that have nothing to do with you. The mistakes you make will also affect deals.

That’s why a good percentage of deals fall through. Most newbies in the local home buyer business see about a 50% cancellation rate. So, for every 10 contracts, only five of them close. Some who work the virtual national model can see as many as 7 to 8 deals not close out of 10. But as you get better and gain experience, you typically see a 30% to 40% cancellation rate.

#RealEstateHustle #LessonsFromTheField #NeverGiveUp