RamseyTrusted®️ Customer Story: Cross-Country Conundrum

Got a customer who’s thinking of making a cross-country move? Maybe they’ve felt stuck for a long time now. They hate their job. They never have time for family. They’re up to their eyeballs in debt. They could make a fresh start if they moved. But it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the obstacles in the way.

That’s exactly how Darren and Kenya R. felt. After struggling through years of money problems, a high-stress job, and the hectic schedules of a household of six, it was time to make a change. They decided to leave Illinois to start a new life near all their parents in Florida. However, moving would require a tight timeline and difficult home sale. But that’s not problem for a RamseyTrusted pro.

Find out how Darren and Kenya got connected to their pro, sold their home in one week, paid off debt, moved closer to family, and saved enough money to have a fresh, clean start. And learn how you can become a pro and help people in similar situations near you!

Four Kids Lead to Hectic Schedules and Hidden Debts

For more than 15 years, Darren and Kenya lived just outside of Chicago and were trying hard to keep ahead of the increasingly active lives of their four kids.

“We have a competitive swimmer, a competitive figure skater, a competitive hockey player and a rugby player,” Kenya said. Over the years, running to and from sports events put a heavy strain on both Darren and Kenya—not to mention their car.

“Part of the problem with our busy schedule was adding up the bills of always eating out,” Darren said. On top of that, all of the driving around Chicago led to a bunch of expensive car repairs. Somehow, they felt like they never had enough money.

Darren and Kenya were familiar with Dave Ramsey’s teachings on personal finance, having led Financial Peace University at a couple of different churches in the past, but they got off track along the way.

“I just sort of stopped trying . . . [and] let everything get away from me,” Darren said. “Instead of going and making sure I was budgeting, making sure I was communicating with my wife, [and] making sure I was doing all the things Dave Ramsey recommends to do, I was just ignoring it and . . . making stupid mistakes and stupid decisions. That’s when everything spiraled out of control.”

“I just sort of stopped trying . . . (and) let everything get away from me. Instead of going and making sure I was budgeting, making sure I was communicating with my wife, (and) making sure I was doing all the things Dave Ramsey recommends to do, I was just ignoring it and . . . making stupid mistakes and stupid decisions. That’s when everything spiraled out of control.” —Darren R.

Mom Goes Back to Work at a High-Stress Job and Can’t Visit Sick Parents

“I didn’t have access to our financials . . . there was a lot of hiding of how in debt we really were,” Kenya said.

But when the debt got out of control , Kenya had to trade in her life as a full-time mom and go back to work.

“I was working at a high-stress job—long hours and on call 24/7,” she said.

It was around that time that both Kenya’s and Darren’s fathers in Florida became seriously ill. “I couldn’t get away from work to go see my dad,” Kenya said, "And because I couldn’t get away from work, [Darren] really couldn’t leave either to go see his dad because somebody had to be there to take care of the kids.”

Kenya continued, “There were times for me when I would just come home and . . . wish I could just die and they could have my insurance money and just start over because I was so tired of being at a job that was eating away the very essence of who I am. It just did not work for our family. That was the scariest point for me—that I would rather just be gone than be with my family anymore because they would be better off financially without me.”

The Breaking Point: Something Had to Change

Finally, Kenya decided to confront Darren about their struggles.

“When you get to the point where you’re so far in debt and so far behind and you don’t see a way out, those confrontations aren’t necessarily just anger—it’s fear,” she said.

Kenya looked at Darren and said, “I don’t see a way for us to work through this together. And I don’t see a way out . . . Something has to change because I’m quitting my job in August. I can’t continue living this way.”

Darren understood Kenya’s pain, and they both wanted to be closer to family in Florida. She said they asked, “What was important? Was it driving around the greater Chicago area for competitions? Or was it actually having time as a family? We just decided it was time for us to make a change.”

The Plan: Sell the House, Pay Off Debt, and Move Closer to Parents

Darren and Kenya knew they could pay off their debts and afford the move to Florida if they sold their house, which was valued at more than $176,000. Despite money problems, they never stopped making their house payment, and only had $31,000 left on their mortgage. In other words, they had more than $145,000 in equity at their disposal!

They got excited thinking about this bold idea.

“We have that equity in the home,” Kenya said. “We can get ahead. We can do this. We can be debt-free. And we can have a fresh start for our family and for our marriage.”

Selling a Beat-Up Home on a Tight Timeline

But there was a big problem—the house needed a lot of work.

“We had bought it as a fixer-upper,” Kenya said. “It needed a new roof, the kitchen needed to be updated, we needed new carpet, we needed to redo the deck, and the water softener was broken and leaking. We had a leak in the upstairs bathroom that dripped down into the downstairs bathroom . . . it was literally falling apart.”

To complicate things, Darren had found a job in Jacksonville with a mid-July start date, and it was already mid-June. They only had one month to sell the house and move a family of six!

On top of all that, this would be their first time selling a home. With their nerves on edge, they knew they needed a real estate professional who could really take care of them.

Finding a Real Estate Agent Who Actually Cares

First, they met with a friend’s real estate agent. After looking at all the work that needed to be done, the agent suggested putting $20,000–25,000 into the house just to make it ready to sell. But spending that kind of money in their messy financial situation would’ve been ridiculous.

“The last thing we could afford was a real estate agent who’s just concerned about their own paycheck,” Darren said. They needed an agent who understood they were in no position to fix the house. They needed an agent who cared about helping them get back on track with what Dave Ramsey teaches about personal finance. And that’s when Darren had an idea. “I instantly thought of RamseyTrusted,” he said.

RamseyTrusted is a network of high-octane real estate agents who follow Dave’s financial advice and put the customer’s goals first. We serve them leads to take under their wing and guide to financial security amid life’s biggest decisions. RamseyTrusted pros know the importance of service, have the heart of a teacher, and understand that trust goes a long way toward their long-term business success. With the RamseyTrusted endorsement, customers know their dreams are in good hands.

See if you have what it takes to be a RamseyTrusted pro.

So, Darren and Kenya gave the program a try, and that’s how they met a real estate agent named Rose P. She connected with them to talk about their goals, and she understood their financial pain and stressful schedule. Rose told them to price the house low and sell it as-is.

“She didn’t give us any false expectations,” Darren said. “She gave us hope without getting our hopes up too high, and she gave us confidence to know that we could do it. I know Rose had a lot of other customers with houses more valuable, but . . . it felt like we were her only customers.”

 “I think that was the most wonderful thing about her,” Kenya added. “She understood our situation.”

Rose only asked them to clean out their garage and do what they needed to get their family ready to move. In fact, she even got them tickets to see Toy Story 4 during the home showings.

 “My comment to [Rose] at one point was, ‘You’re sort of a [real estate agent] and a therapist, aren’t you?’” Kenya said.

 “She was looking out not just for our house and not just after our pocketbook,” Darren added. “She was looking out after us spiritually and emotionally. I’m sure she was probably even praying for us.”

Pull Quote: “She didn’t give us any false expectations,” Darren said. “She gave us hope without getting our hopes up too high, and she gave us confidence to know that we could do it. I know Rose had a lot of other customers with houses more valuable, but . . . it felt like we were her only customers.” —Darren R.

Home Sold in One Week

Rose put the house on the market the Friday before Father’s Day. After a whirlwind of home showings, they received three offers by the following Tuesday and were under contract by that Friday. Rose had told Darren and Kenya it might take two to three weeks to sell, but it only took one!

Darren and Kenya were able to use the profits of the sale to pay off the mortgage debt, closing costs, and agent commissions. They even sold some furniture and memorabilia to avoid blowing the proceeds on moving expenses.

“Everything that we gained from the house has been put aside into savings,” Kenya said. “We will definitely be able to have 20% down on a house and be able to pay cash for a new car.”

Help More Customers With RamseyTrusted

Darren and Kenya were able to free themselves from a tricky situation and get a fresh start thanks to the help of Rose and the RamseyTrusted program. But they’re not the only ones who need help. Right now, there are families in your community in similar situations, or worse.

When you become a RamseyTrusted pro, you step up for the people around you and serve as their guide during life’s biggest decisions. And when you put your expertise to work for the leads we send, you chop away at your business goals, too. Do you have what it takes to help more customers like Darren and Kenya?

Become a RamseyTrusted pro today!