A proactive homeowner was connected to Auction.com after contacting her mortgage servicer, successfully navigating a short sale and the transition to senior housing with the help of SmartSale and a hard-working local real estate agent
Pensacola, Florida, real estate broker Tavia Dowden knew from their first meeting that she had to help Diane, a local homeowner facing foreclosure.
“When we met and we were sitting outside of her house she said ‘please help me,’” recalled Dowden, who was connected with Diane through the Auction.com SmartSale program after Diane proactively reached out to her mortgage servicer to let it know she could no longer keep making her mortgage payments. “When she said this, I was like I have to get this house sold for her.”
Selling any home in the sluggish 2025 Pensacola real estate market was not an easy task. Inventory of homes for sale had been rising since late 2023, reaching a peak of 3,302 in July, according to Realtor.com data. That was the highest level as far back as the Realtor.com data is available, July 2017.
Median days on market (DOM) in Pensacola increased to a nearly nine-year high of 88 days in January 2025 following 33 consecutive months of annual increases. The annual increases in DOM have continued through September of 2025. Median list prices were down on an annual basis for 26 consecutive months through August 2025, finally breaking that streak with a paltry 0.1 percent increase in September.
Sellers “in a Pickle”
“Right now the price to own a house is really expensive,” said Dowden, implicating rapidly rising property taxes and insurance costs as the primary culprit behind Pensacola’s market affordability crunch that is especially hurting buyers who bought near the recent market peak. “(2022 buyers are) really getting into a pickle.
“We are very heavy military,” Dowden added. “And you have these military people who are leaving, and their house is sitting, and they are carrying two mortgages.”
Diane was in a similar pickle. Having bought in December 2023, she owed more on her mortgage than her property was estimated to be worth. That meant the sale would likely be a short sale, adding more complexity in an already difficult sale.
Short Sale Stigma
“You say short sale and it’s almost like the (buyers’) agents talked (prospective buyers) out of it,” Dowden said, adding that some deferred maintenance on the property also dampened demand. “You have a house that needs a little bit of work. Buyers are not going to move fast unless they are going to get a hell of a deal.”
Through SmartSale, the property was listed on both the local multiple listing service (MLS) and Auction.com, giving it exposure not just to traditional retail buyers but also to Auction.com’s 7.9 million registered users, many of whom are local community developers ready, willing and able to take on a property with some deferred maintenance.
Dual-Marketplace Demand
The dual-marketplace exposure helped attract robust interest in the property. More than 2,100 unique users visited the property details page on Auction.com, with 320 of those being buyers who had previously purchased property on Auction.com.
“It wasn’t like that house was sitting stagnant. I was getting a lot of showings,” Dowden said. “It wasn’t getting to the point where we need to unload this. My goal was still for her to get as much money as possible and for (the mortgage servicer) to get as much money as possible.”
That interest in turn helped bring in multiple offers, the highest and best of which both Diane and the mortgage servicer agreed to accept. The sale closed in September 2025, freeing Diane up to move on and relocate into a new home that was a better fit for her budget and lifestyle.
Smooth Transition to a New Home
“There’s brand new … senior apartments here in the town,” she said in a phone call with Auction.com. “There’s only 38 units and I managed to snag one. I’m moving in tomorrow so I’m very excited.”
All the work done behind the scenes by Dowden, the Auction.com SmartSale team and the mortgage servicer helped provide a smooth selling experience from Diane’s perspective.
“It just happened all by itself, which is wonderful in its own way,” she said.
Although the sale represented some additional challenges for Dowden, the work she spent on it was well worth it.
“I was very happy for her,” Dowden said. “(I told myself) if I’m not going to do it for anyone else I’m going to do it for her. I’m going to see it through for her to make sure she’s taken care of.”