S2 E28 - Seller's Disclosure

Since our family is expanding, we've done a little bit of snooping into the market to see if we could get some more space for our growing family. When purchasing a house, it's important to look at the seller's disclosure, where the owner of a home is obligated to list current or potential problems with the property. If there are extensive fixes and needs, most buyers will back out. Only those who really love the property will purchase it "as is" and make the renovations themselves. Well...what would your seller's disclosure say for your spiritual life? I don't know about you, but I'm the definition of a fixer upper. And yet, despite all of this, Jesus loved me enough to purchase me with his blood and restore me himself. What about you?

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Transcript

Hey everybody, and welcome back to the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! I’m your host BJ Sipe – I’m a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In this podcast we take everyday, ordinary events and explore how they can teach us extraordinary, eternal truths. I’m so glad that you joined me for this episode. Now, let’s open up our minds, our hearts, and our Bible’s together. 

As you know, our family is expanding with baby #3 on the way, due sometime in late September. With that being said, Kylie and I started just kind of poking our head into the market to see if there might be a home with more space for us here in the Danville area. The market right now is absolutely insane, as I’m sure it is most places. To give you an idea, we’ve been in our home for three years, but it would sell for almost $100,000 more than we paid for it if we put it on the market today, which is crazy. That being said, you’re also going to pay an inflated price for whatever you end up buying, so it really isn’t all that great at the end of the day. We can certainly make our current house work with three kids, having two of the kids share a room and bunk bedding it, and that’s probably what we’ll end up doing after spending a few months looking around with not much luck. By not much luck I mean several things. First, many of the homes look great in pictures, but upon close inspection become apparent that there is a lot of work to do. Second, sometimes the homes we looked at had more space, but not enough of a difference to justify a big move. What we would be giving up would be more than what we were gaining, especially since we love our current house and neighborhood. It would really have to be a home run to cause us to put an offer in. But then third, the houses that we really did love were either beyond our budget or snatched up before we could even put in an offer. I remember one house we loved had an offer accepted only 8 hours after it hit the market. So, we’re just gonna stay put for the time being and put a pause on the upsize search. But let me tell you about a fourth reason why some homes didn’t work out, and that is when I received a seller’s disclosure. For those of you who might not be aware of what a seller’s disclosure is, in the United States a homeowner is required by law to disclose current problems or potential issues with the property to prospective buyers. This is different from an inspection, as sometimes things are brought out in an inspection that the homeowner was completely unaware of. The disclosure is just that – the opportunity for the homeowner to be brutally honest about the condition of their property to their knowledge. Things that sometimes come up in a seller’s disclosure are very important, because they often will cause a buyer to back out altogether. For example:  one home that we looked at it was disclosed that the roof was 17 years old and the heating/cooling units were 12 years old. They also disclosed that there had been water damage before that had been “patched up”. Well, upon a closer look, the kind of roof this house had should have been replaced at 15 years, and the heating/cooling units at 10 years. In other words, the house needed anywhere from $15,000-$40,000 worth of work in addition to their asking price, making its value nowhere near what they wanted to get for it. I mean seriously, unless they dramatically dropped the price by around 50 grand, who wants to buy a house like that? Another house we looked at was so poorly cared for that part of the seller’s disclosure said they would put $5,000 of their own money toward replacing all of the floors in the home because their dogs & children had destroyed them beyond repair.  For most people, they want a home that’s move in ready – not one that needs a lot of renovation. For us, we certainly were in the market for move in ready with two young children and one on the way. While many are like us, there are the instances where someone loves a home so much that they’re willing to look over those big issues at the start. They’ll take the house as is, and in time make the changes that need to be made to make it their own. But I’ve got to say, I’ve not found a property that I loved that much yet – it would need to be something pretty special. 

As we looked at houses over the past few months, I remember leaving one with Dane and thinking, “Who would ever buy something with this many problems?” That’s when it hit me like a 2x4 square in the head: Jesus would, and I’m the one with all the problems. Lets take a moment to ask this question: if you made a “seller’s disclosure” on yourself, what would be things you would be obligated to include that would probably tank the way that others value & see you? If we’re being honest, all of us have some pretty extensive renovations that need done, don’t we? Consider Romans 1:28-32, and I want you to see if you can find yourself somewhere in this list. “And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. Although they know God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.” Upon self-reflection, which of these things would have shown up on a disclosure of your personal failures? I know for me, I would need more than one hand to count them. Understanding our sinfulness and our depravity, it can often leave us asking the question, “Who would ever want me? Who could ever love me?” The answer to that question is powerful. The one who would want you is the only one with the tools & ability to renovate & change you. The one who loves you was willing to pay any price to attain you just as you are, and then make the changes needed himself. That one is Jesus. In Romans 5:6-10 we read, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” You were purchased with the very blood of Jesus Christ, that’s how much he wanted you. And he did not want you because you were perfect, in fact, far from it. When he died for us, we were enemies of Jesus, full of pride and following the flesh. In every respect, we are the definition of a “fixer upper”. And yet, despite all of this, Jesus spilled his blood. Knowing this, I want us to understand two things. First, there is no one to dilapidated for Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what your current spiritual condition is, he still wants you and desires for no one to be lost. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” Second, Jesus purchased you “as is” – but it is not his will to leave you “as is”. Discipleship is a journey of constant, daily renovation – as we put off the old self and put on the new. Colossians 3:10 reads, “Put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.” I don’t know about you, but Jesus has a lot more work to do on me still. May we have hearts that are ready and willing to submit to his call to holiness, righteousness, and restoration in our lives. 

Thank you for tuning in to today’s episode, and I would invite you back Tuesdays-Fridays for a brand-new episode each day. If you haven’t already, be sure to find us on Facebook for occasional announcements and special video sessions. If you have benefited from this podcast, please if you’re able be sure to share it with someone else that you think could benefit from it as well. Until next time, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each & every day set our minds above.