How an expired Old Town Meridian listing became a coordinated two-home sale and a same-day Boise purchase
When this couple first contacted me, they were not simply trying to relist one house. They had a three-part plan that had to unfold in the right order: sell his small home in Old Town Meridian, move temporarily into her Nampa property, sell that home, and use the proceeds to buy a home together in Boise.
The first property was a true original—a 100-plus-year-old home of roughly 800 square feet, with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a small lot near downtown Meridian. Its previous listing had expired after being priced too high and marketed with little more than the standard MLS treatment. There had been no meaningful launch strategy and no open-house effort.
My expired-listing campaign reached the owners, and we met at a coffee shop so I could walk them through my full listing presentation. Although the home was in a lower price range and the commission opportunity was modest, I believed it deserved the same level of planning and professional marketing as any other property. That commitment earned their trust—and then they explained the larger goal.
They were building a life together and wanted to be closer to her family and work in Boise. The Meridian home was too small for the family they hoped to start, while the Nampa property put them farther from the people and places that mattered. For their next home, they wanted character rather than new construction: an established neighborhood, mature landscaping, no homeowners association, and a price near $450,000.
The first task was relaunching the Meridian property. Because its age, size, and location made it unusual, the pricing had to reflect both its limitations and its strongest advantage: an attainable price within walking distance of downtown Meridian’s restaurants and amenities. I revisited the comparable sales, established a defensible value, and created a complete visual presentation with professional photography, video, fly-through content, and Zillow Showcase exposure.
That strategy connected the home with first-time buyers who had struggled to find anything in Meridian in the $300,000 range. They purchased it for $300,000 using cash gifted by a family member, which helped create a straightforward closing. The inspection identified several issues expected in a century-old home, including crawl-space and electrical concerns. We worked through the health, safety, and code-related items and kept the transaction moving.
Once that sale closed, he moved into her Nampa home while we prepared the second property. This home was newer, built in the early 2000s, and offered a very different value proposition: a clean, well-maintained residence with tasteful updates, a large lot, and a cul-de-sac setting. I repeated the full pricing and marketing process, including professional media and Zillow Showcase presentation, and positioned the home for buyers who would appreciate both the property and its location.
The right buyers came along and purchased the Nampa home for $320,000. But accepting that offer was only half the assignment. We now had to secure the couple’s Boise replacement home and align both transactions closely enough that they would not have to move twice.
Our search covered Boise and South Meridian. The couple remained open-minded about condition and style but held firm on the features that mattered: an older home with personality, an established neighborhood, and no HOA. We found a single-story, three-bedroom, two-bathroom Boise home that felt like a time capsule—in the best way for this eclectic couple—and fit their $450,000 budget.
I analyzed the comparables and structured an offer approximately $10,000 below the seller’s asking price. In exchange, we kept the inspection primarily informational, reserving the right to address anything involving health, safety, or code. No such issues were uncovered, so the purchase moved ahead without repair demands or unnecessary friction.
The most important work happened behind the scenes. Every deadline, inspection, negotiation, sale contingency, and closing detail had to support the same final outcome. We coordinated the Nampa sale and Boise purchase to close on the same day, allowing the couple to move directly into their new home over a summer holiday weekend.
In a short period, one expired listing became two successful sales and one carefully structured purchase:
The century-old Meridian home sold for $300,000.
The Nampa home sold for $320,000.
The Boise home was purchased for $450,000, approximately $10,000 below the asking price.
The couple moved once, reduced their commute, got closer to family, and began their next chapter in the mature, no-HOA Boise neighborhood they wanted.
Here’s what I’d want any seller or buyer to take from this story: when several transactions depend on one another, each property cannot be treated as a separate event. Pricing, marketing, negotiations, inspections, financing, and moving logistics all need to operate as one coordinated plan. That is how you turn a complicated chain of closings into a single successful move.
Trying to sell one home—or two—while purchasing the next? Let’s build the entire strategy before the first property goes live, so every closing supports where you actually want to go.
