This story remains to this day the most synchronistic of them all. There is no way anyone could possibly have orchestrated the events you are about to read.
In December 2014 I was in escrow selling my house and moving to Newport Beach. That’s all I knew at the time. The months leading up to this had been agonizing. I had left my job under duress, used up all my savings, unemployment benefits, and maxed out my credit cards to stay afloat. I had been attending a Spiritual Center for the past six months and kept thinking that I could sell my house and move to Newport Beach until one day it felt right to do just that. I wanted to list it for $375,000 but my broker said he preferred $374,900 so we went with that number. I received a couple of offers lower than that and had some counteroffers out but they didn’t feel right. One day at a class someone asked me if I had sold my house yet and I said not yet then, without thinking, the words popped out of my mouth, “I’m getting a full-price offer, not just $374,900, I’m getting $375,000.” Two days later an offer came in for $375,000 and into escrow I went.
Now that I was in escrow, I started packing and giving things away. I had no idea where I would be moving, only that I was moving to Newport Beach. I was down to around $800 in my bank account, so the possibilities seemed pretty slim. I remember looking at houses, apartments and even rooms to rent. Once my house closed escrow I would have about $40,000 but until then, this was it. I was in a very positive and trusting place in my heart. I felt strongly that something would come so I continued being open to any and all possibilities until the answer showed up. And…show up it did!
On Sunday, December 21st, I found an apartment for rent in Irvine that was advertising to take over the lease for five months. I was intrigued so I called on it and made an appointment with the guy to go take a look. My daughter who was visiting me on winter break from college, went with me. I explained my situation and that I would not be able to do anything until my house closed Escrow on January 9th. I wanted to make sure that it would be a legal transaction so we went to the leasing office to find out how we could make this work. What I learned is that I did not qualify because I had no income other than the sale of my house and they would not allow me to pay the five months in advance because of their strict policies. Clearly, that was not the answer, so we made our way back home.
The next day was Monday, December 22nd. I had scheduled a coaching consultation with a real estate broker whom I had met at a catering gig I did a few weeks back. He had asked me to give him a coaching session. I met him at his office. He was dressed very casually, almost sloppy. His office was shabby and unkempt. He told me he was getting on a plane that afternoon to travel back east to a funeral. We sat at the conference table, and I began asking questions about his business, what he hoped to accomplish from our session, what did he want his business to be like, and what did he feel was holding him back. Almost an hour went by, and I was beginning to feel like we weren’t getting anywhere…and then, it happened. We made a breakthrough. I don’t remember the exact question I asked but I do remember that it had something to do with the way he showed up that day. I told him that my observation was that he and his office were not reflecting the image of the successful businessman he said he wanted to be. That was it. He began crying, weeping. That was the kingpin. He said he hadn’t realized it but that I was right. He had gained weight and his nice suits no longer fit him and he had been letting things go. He vowed that when he returned from his trip, he would start living the image of what he wanted. He told me that this one session with me was better than all the coaching he had ever had, and he had paid a lot of money for coaching over the years. I left on cloud nine.
I got in my car and started the drive back. I remember feeling euphoric. It was like my car was flying six inches off the ground. I remember saying to myself, “Suzi, you either believe this stuff or you don’t. What do you want?”. I blurted out, “I want to move this weekend.” The rest of the ride home is a blur. I just remember feeling better than I ever had.
When I got home, my daughter asked how it went and I told her it was above and beyond anything I could have hoped for. It was getting to be around lunchtime, so she went up to take a shower to get ready for us to get something to eat. I got out my journal and wrote the time 12:51 pm. I proceed to write…I’m starting to feel a little anxious, I know that is not good. In a perfect world, I would move this weekend. I suppose that is possible if I put my stuff in storage. My phone rang, it was 12:54 pm. It was my Title Rep friend Nate. He was calling to ask me about some map project for the real estate team I was joining in Newport Beach. After the map discussion, he asked me how I was doing. I told him I was beginning to feel anxious because I didn’t know where I was going to move to when my house closed. He said, “Well lil Suz, here’s the deal, I’m moving in with my girlfriend and moving out of a two-bedroom apartment in Costa Mesa just on the border of Newport Beach. It is going to cost me $4,000 to break the lease so if you’d like you can move in here.” I asked him if it had a garage and he said, “Check”. I asked if it had indoor laundry, and he said, “Check”. I asked if it had gas cooking, and he said, “Check”. He asked when I would like to move and I said, “in a perfect world I would move this weekend”. He said, “done”. I told him I wouldn’t have the money until my house closed on January 9th and he said that was fine. I asked if by chance it was an Irvine Company Apartment, like the one I had visited the day before and he said yes. I said, “Okay, so here’s the deal. I don’t qualify so you will need to put me on the lease with you. I will pay the rent, but you have to remain on the lease”. He said that was no problem. Three days later, on Christmas day, Thursday, December 25th, Nate sent me a text message with a video of the apartment cleared out and keys on the counter. He said he had met with the leasing office, and they had the paperwork ready for me to go in on Friday to sign. Needless to say, I moved that weekend!