Two days earlier, she and her husband Carey made an offer to buy a four-bedroom colonial in Barrington. It is perfect! But they had already made three offers on three different ‘perfect’ houses. All three were rejected or outbid. Will this one be accepted? Will the condo sell quickly? How will they make time to pack up and move? Anxiously, she checks her phone for a call from Jan, her real estate agent, again.

Meg takes a deep breath and reminds herself that they desperately need the space. She and Carey bought their two-bedroom townhouse when it was just them and the dog. It felt huge! But now, they have two kids and Carey works at home full-time. The townhouse feels cramped and chaotic no matter how hard they try to keep it organized.

The Barrington house is close to some of their friends. If this offer goes through, all of their kids will go to the same school! She’ll take the Metra downtown! They'd have so much space! She checks her phone again.

The workday moves at a glacial pace. Her last meeting goes long. Stressed, she leaves the office in the height of rush hour to pick up the kids from daycare and grab something for dinner.

She and the kids are at the grocery store when Jan texts, “I've got great news! There is just one little thing though. Call me back with Carey as soon as you can.” One thing? Meg’s heart practically stops...after three rejections, she braces herself for one more.

After dinner, Meg and Carey finally call Jan back, she tells them that the seller is willing to accept all terms but one: he won’t accept an offer that is contingent on the sale of their townhouse. He has another offer, but theirs is better—except for that one thing: They’d have to commit to buying the house before they even listed the townhouse.

Meg’s head is reeling. Suddenly, buying the house feels risky. What if no one buys the townhouse? Would they lose their earnest money? What if the sale falls through? Would they be homeless? How would they find time to navigate all of this?

While talking it over, Jan gives them some practical advice, “Start by talking to my real estate lawyer. He can talk you through all these scenarios and more. He’s not the cheapest, but you want someone who really knows their stuff and can help you coordinate the timing, the closings, and all the details. It really makes a difference.”