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Why do people get angry when you make a low offer on a house?


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I think in our situation, people were looking at the fact they could buy a new, never lived in same model, and customize the colors for 15K more. Yes, but what they weren't factoring in is that doesn't come with a walkway, mailbox, driveway, gutters, any landscaping, often the patio door has bars because there is nothing to walk out onto, central air, even silly things like fans in the bathrooms were extras, it adds up quickly to do those things.

 

That is so true!

 

Many home buyers, especially first-timers, have no idea how much all of the "extras" cost when they're buying a new home from a builder. They think they can spend a few hundred bucks on some new plants at Lowe's and, voila, a fully landscaped yard will magically appear.... and then, $50,000.00 later, they realize that they may have underestimated that figure by a little bit... The same thing goes for all of the other items you mentioned.

 

Cat

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starrbuck12, I am with YOU.

 

The only way we will buy again is with 20% down, 6 months in an emergency fund, and the total payments (principle, interest, taxes, insurance) will have to be 25% of our income with a 15-year mortgage.

 

In other words, we will only own again if we win Powerball!:lol:

 

 

Amen! :hurray: The only words of encouragement I have is older relatives in my family saying that they've "seen all this before" and "the market will stabilize" and it won't be such a feeding frenzy. Oh, and the world's not ending in 2012. :svengo: They're probably right.

 

Follow the Baby Steps, starrbuck...follow the baby steps...:chillpill:

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When we were looking to buy last year, we put in an offer on our first choice house that was 60% of the asking price. Our offer was what the house was worth, but the sellers obviously didn't have the same thoughts. We walked away, and the house is still for sale. It's been on the market for 3 years and will never be sold for their asking price. They may "need" to make that much on the house, but their need is irrelevant.

 

We paid their asking price on a different property that was valued appropriately.

 

I don't know if the sellers were insulted, but they shouldn't have been. They should have spend their energy determining why we were offering a very low price.

 

Great post.

 

It's a business deal and a lot of homeowners forget that, hence the emotion and indignation. We've had friends turn down low-ball offers as insults only to hold on to the property for another year or more before accepting another (often not too far off the first person's offer). So they've heated, cooled, mowed, etc. for another year because of emotion.

 

A lot of sellers ignore area comparables, appraisals and other realistic assessments of their own properties. Like you said, 2sq., they should be looking at that low offer for information or potential.

 

After all, of the people who looked at the house/property, at least this buyer was interested enough to put in an offer. These days, with all the paper work involved, that's saying something.

 

There's so much emotion (often) in setting a sale price. We've always talked with several realtors before listing and they usually give a range. So it's our decision based on the research to set the price .... do we want to get maximum $, do we "feel" like the house is worth X dollars because we've lived there a long time/love the house, do we want to deal with the inconvenience of selling as short as possible, do we want to cover expenses and upgrades and make a bit?

 

Those all affect the asking price. If you price to sell, you'll make a bit less ... if you want a certain amount, you may wait longer.

 

Just my thoughts based on experience and observation.

 

:001_smile:

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I hear what you are saying. However, the bolded phrase is irrelevant to the buyers. In this market, what one needs to sell it for and the market value can be miles apart. When my sister was a RE agent, she said that this was one of the biggest challenges she faced when advising sellers. I am not saying that this is the case with you, but it is a common pitfall.

 

Totally, completely agree.

 

If we were to try and sell our house today (which we bought five years ago), we would NEED to sell it for 183% of what it's appraised value is just to pay off our mortgage. That means, we'd walk away with no money at all.

 

No one is gonna pay that. No one.

 

Buyers don't care what you 'need' to sell it for. They only care what it's worth. And what your house is worth depends on what comparable homes (size, condition, location, etc) in your area are selling for.

 

If we listed our home for what we needed to sell it for, I'd be surprised if we ever got a single offer. If we did, it would be seriously low ball. Very likely it would be 50% or less of our asking price. And we would have no room to be insulted. In fact, I think asking twice what a house is worth is insulting to buyers.

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I am not talking about buying a pristine house and just living there and expecting to make money. I am talking about renovating.

 

Plus, the houses we bought were the crummiest run down houses in the best neighborhood we could afford. They NEEDED work and we were willing to put the work in ourselves and looked at the profit as payment for the work rendered.

 

Had we hired out for that same work, we probably wouldn't have made a profit.

 

Maybe I should have clarified but assumptions that we are milking the system somehow is frustrating.

 

Dawn

 

ETA: I did re-read my OP and I think I was clear......we buy older, more run down homes and put every weekend for 4 years into them......I wouldn't call that profiteering.

 

 

And this is what is wrong with the entire housing market, IMO: houses were designed to be a durable good (think: washer, dryer, refrigerator) - not something from which anyone other than the original creator made a "profit".

 

The "profiteering" of the housing market is what built this house of cards and what led to its fall.

 

 

a

Edited by DawnM
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When DH and I sold our house last year, we got one very low offer, which we thought was bordering on ridiculous. But we countered with a number slightly lower than our listing, just to let the potential buyers know that we weren't interested in going anywhere near as low as they wanted. We figured if they were willing to move up to our price after testing the waters, they would have a chance. But when their counter was only $500 above their initial offer, we decided that it was a waste of time to respond. ...

 

This. For the last house we sold, we got a really low offer. The realtor told us we should reject it instead of counter-offering, because with the terms of the offer (in addition to the low price, they were asking for other special terms) he didn't think they would ever come to a reasonable price.

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I am not talking about buying a pristine house and just living there and expecting to make money. I am talking about renovating.

 

Plus, the houses we bought were the crummiest run down houses in the best neighborhood we could afford. They NEEDED work and we were willing to put the work in ourselves and looked at the profit as payment for the work rendered.

 

Had we hired out for that same work, we probably wouldn't have made a profit.

 

Maybe I should have clarified but assumptions that we are milking the system somehow is frustrating.

 

Dawn

 

ETA: I did re-read my OP and I think I was clear......we buy older, more run down homes and put every weekend for 4 years into them......I wouldn't call that profiteering.

 

Just a guess re: the use of the word "profiteering" that Asta was referring to the whole market -- what's gone on with the Fannie Mae/Freddy Mac mortgages and the Congressional intervention setting up the subprime market based on weak eligibility in the first place, the mortgage bundling, and rebundling, house prices climbing to ridiculous heights in a single decade.....

 

Fwiw in your case, Dawn, it's just where the market is at present. Not that you are, but any number of house-flippers who got caught up in that craze have been really stung by the current market, after a lot of work.

 

A house in our old neighborhood sold twice since 1999. First sale made about $50K after owners had lived there about 15 years. Second sale in 2007 doubled the house price! It was amusing and disgusting to see the owners (friends in the neighborhood) nickel and dime about little things at the time of closing -- they groused about $35 here, $50 there. These folks were walking away with nearly a couple hundred thousand dollars! The money (and their entitlement to it!) had gone to their heads.

 

:001_huh:

 

People have forgotten the housing lull through the 90s, they're only remembering the unrealistically high boom of the past decade.

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Just a guess re: the use of the word "profiteering" that Asta was referring to the whole market -- what's gone on with the Fannie Mae/Freddy Mac mortgages and the Congressional intervention setting up the subprime market based on weak eligibility in the first place, the mortgage bundling, and rebundling, house prices climbing to ridiculous heights in a single decade.....

 

Fwiw in your case, Dawn, it's just where the market is at present. Not that you are, but any number of house-flippers who got caught up in that craze have been really stung by the current market, after a lot of work.

 

A house in our old neighborhood sold twice since 1999. First sale made about $50K after owners had lived there about 15 years. Second sale in 2007 doubled the house price! It was amusing and disgusting to see the owners (friends in the neighborhood) nickel and dime about little things at the time of closing -- they groused about $35 here, $50 there. These folks were walking away with nearly a couple hundred thousand dollars! The money (and their entitlement to it!) had gone to their heads.

 

:001_huh:

 

People have forgotten the housing lull through the 90s, they're only remembering the unrealistically high boom of the past decade.

 

Correct.

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I see.

 

Well, thankfully we are in a position where we can just stay if we absolutely have to. I would like to downsize, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't.

 

We have a 15 year loan at 4.37%, but it is more than 25% of our take home, and now that we are more focused on debt free living, we just feel it is too high, but we aren't really hurting either.

 

I guess that is why I don't feel a need to accept low ball offers or deal with trying to wheel and deal. If it sells for a reasonable price, we will sell, if not, we can hang on to it.

 

Dawn

 

Just a guess re: the use of the word "profiteering" that Asta was referring to the whole market -- what's gone on with the Fannie Mae/Freddy Mac mortgages and the Congressional intervention setting up the subprime market based on weak eligibility in the first place, the mortgage bundling, and rebundling, house prices climbing to ridiculous heights in a single decade.....

 

Fwiw in your case, Dawn, it's just where the market is at present. Not that you are, but any number of house-flippers who got caught up in that craze have been really stung by the current market, after a lot of work.

 

A house in our old neighborhood sold twice since 1999. First sale made about $50K after owners had lived there about 15 years. Second sale in 2007 doubled the house price! It was amusing and disgusting to see the owners (friends in the neighborhood) nickel and dime about little things at the time of closing -- they groused about $35 here, $50 there. These folks were walking away with nearly a couple hundred thousand dollars! The money (and their entitlement to it!) had gone to their heads.

 

:001_huh:

 

People have forgotten the housing lull through the 90s, they're only remembering the unrealistically high boom of the past decade.

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I thought that was how negotiations began! I hear these stories about people who got angry and would not negotiate at all after hearing an offer. Am I missing something here?

 

 

Sometimes it's a tactic. Some people pretend they are insulted so that you'll be intimidated enough to offer too much. If that is likely to work, just walk away.

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I guess that is why I don't feel a need to accept low ball offers or deal with trying to wheel and deal. If it sells for a reasonable price, we will sell, if not, we can hang on to it.

 

Dawn

 

That's great, Dawn -- you will be entering the market in a position of strength, and with any luck, by the time you decide to sell, the market will have started to turn around a little in your area, so you'll be able to get a better price.

 

Cat

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Realtors have an interest in keeping house prices high -- they do work on commission. So a realtor might tell a buyer their offer would be "insulting" so as not to let the negotiations end in a much lower price.

 

I suspect there are honest realtors out there who wouldn't do this, but the realtor we worked with certainly tried a number of tactics like this to keep us from bargaining. She also refused to show us houses that she didn't think would make her enough money, and when we did finally get her to show them, spent the whole time we were there making disparaging comments about the house.

 

Oh, and she lied that the rail line next to one house we looked at had been closed down and was never used. (If it wasn't a lie, she'd have to be completely clueless, as she lives right near that rail line.)

 

We didn't have time to switch realtors, so we had to make the best of her questionable tactics -- ie, we had to ignore her advice. We made a lower offer on one house that she assured us would "insult" the seller. The seller countered 500 dollars higher. We bought the house.

 

This realtor's behavior didn't get her any referrals from us.

 

It sounds like you had a dozzie of a realtor. I would like to state, though, that the realtor makes nothing if the house does not sell. So, the idea that the name of the game is to keep the price high is not really accurate. A house that sells at a lower price yields the realtor more money that the house that is overpriced and sits on the market unsold.

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Let me say as a buyer, it is almost impossible to know what the seller wants. Really. And it varies so much from seller to seller, that even seasoned real estate agents are struggling.

 

We have been preapproved for a loan. We have been seriously looking for a house since Christmas. We are almost desperate to buy so we can get out of our neighborhood. We have made offers on 8 houses since then. One seller was so offended by our offer $5000 below asking price that he actually removed the house from the market. We made an offer on a house Friday and after extending a counter offer, the sellers then removed it and took the house off the market. And how about the one where the seller decided that rather than take a loss he would just let the house go into foreclosure? On that one we actually offered his asking price! Then the other problem we are having is those who are buying houses to flip or rent. Here those investors are offering really low, but they are offering to pay in cash. 2 houses we offered on we actually were the higher offer, but the homeowner eventually acceoted the cash offer even though it was less (one offer was $10K less than ours but I guess cash always trumps a mortgage).

 

As buyers we are in a bind as well. Our lender won't alllow us a mortgage for a house that is more than assessed values. Right now in our county, the regular assessors are assessing for about 10% less than the tax assessments we are finding on line. I completely understand that sellers need to sell and have a price they want or must have. Sadly though I can't offer much more than assessed values. I don't have the cash to make up the difference. If the house has dropped in value in this economy, then I am so sorry that you may owe more than it is worth. My offer may come across as a low ball offer, but it isn't meant to be as an insulting offer. I can't tell you how many houses we have seen in the $150-$160K range that are only assessing at the $120- $130K range, or even less. My mortgage is to be not more than the assessed value. Yeah, I can buy your house at $160K, but I can't mortgage it at that price and I since I don't have an extra $30-$40K laying around my choice is to offer closer to the assessed values or not make an offer.

 

So, if a buyer is making an offer that seems low in this market - look into why they are doing it. Yes, there are a lot of investors out there right now looking for cheap properties they can flip or rent. But there are also a lot of informed, serious buyers who are offering the best they can within the parameters they have.

 

I think that you might be confusing assessed value and appraised value. Assessed value is what the house is taxed on. That number is rarely anywhere near the market value of a house and frequently has little to do with what a house is worth. It is the number used by the local taxing authority to calculate property taxes. Appraised value is determined by a licensed appraiser and is based on sales of comparable homes in the area (ie market value). Banks will not lend more money than appraised value. If it were assessed value, no one would be able to get a mortgage because tax assessment is almost always lower than appraised value (market value).

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I think that you might be confusing assessed value and appraised value. Assessed value is what the house is taxed on. That number is rarely anywhere near the market value of a house and frequently has little to do with what a house is worth. It is the number used by the local taxing authority to calculate property taxes. Appraised value is determined by a licensed appraiser and is based on sales of comparable homes in the area (ie market value). Banks will not lend more money than appraised value. If it were assessed value, no one would be able to get a mortgage because tax assessment is almost always lower than appraised value (market value).

 

Brigitte, where I am in NJ, we're assessed 100% of the current market value (aka appraisal rates). Guess when "current" is? Yeah. A couple years back. :tongue_smilie:

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My mom has her house for sale. She received a low ball offer. The people had come to an open house and loved the house. Then came back with a realtor and starting talking about everything that was wrong with the house, some of which seemed made up. Then made the low offer. It was also contingent on their selling their house, which they hadn't even put on the market yet. She figured that they were hoping to lock in a good deal on a house from someone desperate to sell.

 

My mom is in a position where she is not desperate to sell. She could wait for years to sell if she wanted to. So she just turned down the offer and didn't counter offer. If they at least had their house on the market, she probably would have countered.

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I think that you might be confusing assessed value and appraised value. Assessed value is what the house is taxed on. That number is rarely anywhere near the market value of a house and frequently has little to do with what a house is worth. It is the number used by the local taxing authority to calculate property taxes. Appraised value is determined by a licensed appraiser and is based on sales of comparable homes in the area (ie market value). Banks will not lend more money than appraised value. If it were assessed value, no one would be able to get a mortgage because tax assessment is almost always lower than appraised value (market value).
I have used the terms incorrectly but I was trying to day is still true. In our county right now the appraised values are running about 10% below the tax assessments. Crazy but true. The current housing market is not predictable in any way. When I look up the tax assessment for a house we are considering and it is thousands below the asking price, I know I am going to have problems getting my mortgage on that house because most likely the appraisal is going to be even lower. Tonight a person was telling me how they were trying to buy a house and the bank sent out 3 different appraisers trying to get the appraisal amount high enough for them to approve the loan. They couldn't. This house was being taxed at a rate higher than the appraisal. Sadly the house appraised $40,000 more in 2006 than it does now and the seller can't come down in price.

 

I was mostly telling this as a reason why some folks are giving offers that can be perceived as low-ball. Not every one making low offers are trying to get something super cheap or take advantage of the seller.

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I think it's hard to know what a low ball offer is in this market.

 

We bought a house 2 years ago...after the bubble burst. The house was originally listed at $260,000 and had been reduced to 205,000. We offered 168.000 they counted at 180,000 which we accepted. I guess many would be insulted, but they weren't and they had the entire house painted (inside) and recarpeted.

 

At the closing we found out it was owned by a relocating company and was "technically" a foreclosure, but we had no way of knowing that when we made the offer.

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I think someone leaked our situation, not knowing our trump card and trying to take advantage of us.

 

But Michele, no one was trying to take advantage of you. You didn't have anyone else interested in your house at any price higher than that offer. You had the option to accept or not. For another seller in a similar position, this might have been a wonderful opportunity.

 

A few posters have mentioned that the seller "needs" a certain amount of money. I don't get that. It's the risk the seller took when they originally bought the house. It's not the responsibility of the buyer to make up the seller's loss.

 

We just bought a house in a wonderful neighborhood we never thought we'd be able to afford. The sellers bought it at the height of the market, then put ~$70K in renovations. While they never lived in the house, their interest was over $1K each month, plus they maintained utilities and landscaping, and paid property taxes for four years.

 

It was up for sale for over a year. We offered, refused their counteroffer, and we offered slightly less than their counter a month later. We paid just $13K more than they originally paid four years ago, and then they had to pay realtor fees on top of it. It was a horrible investment on their part; it was their choice to sell it, and to accept our offer. we certainly didn't take advantage of them, although I'm glad for them that they could afford this loss easier than most other people.

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I am one that said I have a price point. But by that I mean that if we can't sell for that price, we just won't sell. Now, if I HAVE to sell for some reason, I won't be nearly so picky.

 

Does that make sense? So, while I am sit on platitudes and say I won't take anything below X amount, that is only true for my current situation.

 

If I had a house sitting empty......I would do everything I could to get out from under it.

 

For many though, they really cannot bring money to the table to get out from their house. It is a hard situation.

 

Dawn

 

 

A few posters have mentioned that the seller "needs" a certain amount of money. I don't get that. It's the risk the seller took when they originally bought the house. It's not the responsibility of the buyer to make up the seller's loss.

 

 

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I have used the terms incorrectly but I was trying to day is still true. In our county right now the appraised values are running about 10% below the tax assessments. Crazy but true. The current housing market is not predictable in any way. When I look up the tax assessment for a house we are considering and it is thousands below the asking price, I know I am going to have problems getting my mortgage on that house because most likely the appraisal is going to be even lower. Tonight a person was telling me how they were trying to buy a house and the bank sent out 3 different appraisers trying to get the appraisal amount high enough for them to approve the loan. They couldn't. This house was being taxed at a rate higher than the appraisal. Sadly the house appraised $40,000 more in 2006 than it does now and the seller can't come down in price.

 

I was mostly telling this as a reason why some folks are giving offers that can be perceived as low-ball. Not every one making low offers are trying to get something super cheap or take advantage of the seller.

 

Yes! While my house was on the market they did reassessments and the tax assessment on my house was $152K (sold for $116K.) My father had the same problem - his was assessed at $355K and he sold for $285K. It was so bad that the mayor of our nearest larger town (pop. 8000) put a sign in his yard that said, "For Sale for Tax Value" and then listed his assessment.

 

It was so ridiculous!

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A few posters have mentioned that the seller "needs" a certain amount of money. I don't get that. It's the risk the seller took when they originally bought the house. It's not the responsibility of the buyer to make up the seller's loss.

 

 

While this is sort of true, the "need" does indeed make a difference. If one has a mortgage on the place, then they "need" to get that amount out to pay it off. If they don't, then they have to bring their checkbook to closing to make up the difference. Many sellers who have to sell simply don't have that extra in their checkbook. Would you have had an extra 5K - or 50K - or 200K to make up the difference if you had to sell now in a similar situation? We priced places in Hawaii 4 years ago (thankfully didn't buy!). Some of those places - exact same areas - have dropped over 400K (were priced at 850K, now listed for 425K). Could you make up 400K if you had taken on such a huge mortgage?

 

Yes, it was a gamble as an investment, but for these sellers, there is a set need. If it goes below that, then they have to hope their mortgage holder will do a short sale. Sometimes even in those situations they are still responsible for the difference. It depends on the agreement. In those situations, a foreclosure is sometimes the only option if the price isn't met.

 

We were fortunate that we put more equity into our investments than they have fallen so we're not underwater. That said, we had a "set price" too. However, for us, that meant there was a price below which we felt it was better to rent the places out than to sell. Since so few people can qualify for mortgages right now, it only took us a week to rent each place out - at a higher monthly rent than what we had before we tried to sell them. Each of our tenants would love to buy - and would be paying less for a mortgage - but they can't get the financing right now.

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It's not going to sell and *I* am the one put out with wasted time, not her.

 

Mommaduck, If you are only renting, why are you responsible to have the place spotless for walkthroughs? Is there something in the lease that says you must do this? There is no way I would go through all that effort for a house that I didn't own. I would just try to have the place reasonably picked up and that is about it. The plus side is that the kids learn some good habits, but I would definitely not inconvenience the family so that someone else can make a profit.
This.

 

There is no way I would do that. She is taking advantage of you, mommaduck. I know that when we were buying and looked at homes that people were renting, NONE of the renters made the house spotless for us. They didn't even leave while we viewed, saying they wouldn't be inconvenienced. We didn't mind at all.

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This.

 

There is no way I would do that. She is taking advantage of you, mommaduck. I know that when we were buying and looked at homes that people were renting, NONE of the renters made the house spotless for us. They didn't even leave while we viewed, saying they wouldn't be inconvenienced. We didn't mind at all.

Not only that - but every house we have looked at with a renter in place had had to be seen by appointment and that appointment is made at least 24 hours in advance. I know when we were renting we always had that added to the lease if it went for sale.

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While this is sort of true, the "need" does indeed make a difference. If one has a mortgage on the place, then they "need" to get that amount out to pay it off.

 

 

I'm sorry, I didn't mean that I didn't understand it, I meant that it's irrelevant to a buyer making an offer that a seller might "need" to get a certain amount out.

 

It would be an incredibly difficult situation to be in. Do you take the loss? What if your mortgage holder doesn't deal? Walk away and let the house foreclose? Consider bankruptcy? (All rhetorical.) I know we have many families here who are struggling with these questions. I don't discount the seriousness of someone in that position. And never having been there, I can't imagine how awful it would truly be.

 

If my renters were that interested in buying, we'd seriously consider offering them a lease to own option. :)

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This.

 

There is no way I would do that. She is taking advantage of you, mommaduck. I know that when we were buying and looked at homes that people were renting, NONE of the renters made the house spotless for us. They didn't even leave while we viewed, saying they wouldn't be inconvenienced. We didn't mind at all.

 

Well, we've been through this before, fortunately that realtor was a cousin and gave me three days warning ;) I refuse to leave while they are showing because I have a life and a schedule that has to keep going. But DH would have to wake up so they could see the master bedroom. The cleaning is also for me. These are potential landlords and there are already prejudices against large families out there. So I need to make the impression as well. I've been looking online and, if we can get qualified, there are some houses here that we could afford...so pray, cross your fingers, send vibes to the universe, whatever you do :lol: we could really use it. I would like to have a place of our own that we when we fix something, it's fixed properly, that we can feel good about, and that we can have our privacy to just live and want to invite people over.

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Not only that - but every house we have looked at with a renter in place had had to be seen by appointment and that appointment is made at least 24 hours in advance. I know when we were renting we always had that added to the lease if it went for sale.

I've already made the 24hr notice demand and the realtor naturally agreed. It's a reasonable expectation (I prefer 48hrs, but I know that can be pushing things when people want to see the house "now").

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I'm sorry, I didn't mean that I didn't understand it, I meant that it's irrelevant to a buyer making an offer that a seller might "need" to get a certain amount out.

 

It would be an incredibly difficult situation to be in. Do you take the loss? What if your mortgage holder doesn't deal? Walk away and let the house foreclose? Consider bankruptcy? (All rhetorical.) I know we have many families here who are struggling with these questions. I don't discount the seriousness of someone in that position. And never having been there, I can't imagine how awful it would truly be.

 

If my renters were that interested in buying, we'd seriously consider offering them a lease to own option. :)

 

I agree fully that any "need" is totally irrelevant to the buyer, but it does explain why there is a "need" at times. I feel really, really fortunate that we are not in the position many are in and I fully understand those that choose foreclosure over massive amounts of loss - esp if they don't have it.

 

For our situation? Yes, each of our tenants know the houses they are in can be for sale (to them only) at any time should they qualify to buy. They are also able to do almost any updates they want knowing they might want to take ownership in the future, but taking the risk with their $$ if they decide not to. :) We opted not to do a lease to own as there are few benefits to a seller with that. Who knows how prices might fluctuate? We don't want to lock ourselves in at a low price - nor them in at a high one.

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It sounds like you had a dozzie of a realtor. I would like to state, though, that the realtor makes nothing if the house does not sell. So, the idea that the name of the game is to keep the price high is not really accurate. A house that sells at a lower price yields the realtor more money that the house that is overpriced and sits on the market unsold.

 

 

But this realtor makes a ton of money. She always puts her houses on the market way higher than anyone else is selling, and still manages to sell them. So her approach isn't costing her, apparently.

 

She is also a flipper, when the spirit moves her. (After moving into this neighborhood 15 years ago, it's been interesting to watch her career.)

 

She's just so darn charming, she gets away with it. I'm only mentioning it as something to look out for if one is involved in buying or selling.

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