Scarlett Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 If the man doesn't want to have a realtor to sell his house, he doesn't have to have one. If you really want a realtor to buy the house (for your benefit), it would make sense for YOU to pay the realtor, not him. I don't think the issue was paying the realtor. With the offer the OP made the seller was going to come out fine even with the contract showing that the seller was paying the fees. I think the issue was mostly that the realtor irritated the cr*p out of the seller. I am willing to bet if the OP and her dh go back to the seller ALONE they can work out one heck of a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarlaB Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) I don't think the issue was paying the realtor. With the offer the OP made the seller was going to come out fine even with the contract showing that the seller was paying the fees. I think the issue was mostly that the realtor irritated the cr*p out of the seller. I am willing to bet if the OP and her dh go back to the seller ALONE they can work out one heck of a deal. I'd be willing to back ya on that bet :D Edited April 13, 2011 by LarlaB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 this sounds like a good plan. Many people have been burned by realtors and have a negative view of them. I don't blame the guy for not wanting one forced on him in what he offered as a fsbo situation. Plus you didn't witness the interaction yourself, so who knows who was rude to whom? If the realtor was a professional and she really wanted to help you buy *this* house, she would make it happen and help you write an acceptable offer, not offend the guy and then complain to you that he was difficult. Thanks for the replies. I've read quite a few to my husband. :001_smile: After mulling it over this AM, I agree that we introduced the conflict into this situation w/ bringing our realtor along. We felt that (1)she would be an asset to the situation because we are not doing a local move and (2)we felt it was the honorable thing to do given the history. Yet neither our realtor OR the seller have acted gracefully- they each have loudly voiced heir bias & issues towards the other and muddied our situation. Our offer was very strong, and their price was fair based on comps. UPDATE: Our realtor called to 'check in' (i.e. see if we've had contact w/ seller). She overplayed her hand by offering to keep an eye on that neighborhood and even call other residents to see if anything is coming on the market- intimating, we move on. So now she has overstepped bounds. We have already communicated that THIS is the house and we are not finished negotiating. I honestly think we would have a deal if it wasn't for her involvement (i.e. commission). We are going to ask her to step out at this point- likely send her something because we trully are appreciative, but having been in sales I know the harsh reality of missing a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I'd write the house off. Anyone who doesn't even respond to a written offer is going to be a problem. I don't care how abrasive the realtor was, a buyer should at least decline. Ignoring the bid until it expires, sorry it just spells trouble. BTW, even if you fire your realtor, there is no guarantee that you will get the house. You could call him and find out why he declined. Maybe he wants more money; maybe he wants closing costs. Sellers play lots of games, and this is a nutty real estate market now. Christine W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanna from CAP Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 To the OP, good luck! It sounds like you know what you are doing, and the house is worth the effort! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Good luck. I don't really have any advice for you. When we were looking for our house, I was completely turned off of every home that was FSBO. When we are in the market again, I honestly refuse to even look at any. I hope you have better luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Good luck. I don't really have any advice for you. When we were looking for our house, I was completely turned off of every home that was FSBO. When we are in the market again, I honestly refuse to even look at any. I hope you have better luck. Really? That so....perplexes me. Just curious what the issues were that made you run away. FSBOs attract me! :D I am not even in the market for a new house and find myself interested. I have to force myself not to call and get the price...not fair to take up their time to satisfy my idle curiosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Have you told him that is is YOU who needs the help of a realtor since you are out of town, etc.? Perhaps he would be more amenable if he realizes that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarlaB Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 UPDATE: DH just called realtor and asked her to step out so we can see what is going on. Then called seller and asked what we could do to make this happen. Seller's answer? "Get rid of the girl"....DH replied "done". :tongue_smilie: Seller said he was really hoping we could work it out, and was friendly & decent. They haggled over closing cost assistance...so seller is going to split costs with us (which is what we wanted in the first place). So now we're waiting on revised contract (I believe that seller is going to use realtors contract and initial changes, so that is REALLY good for us because of several clauses) and we'll start the home inspection, appraisal process. Granted, lets not miss the huge elephant issue that our house needs to sell. Sigh. THANKS for the input & advice- soooo helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Re-read this and am curious how your realtor submitted an offer on your behalf without you signing any paperwork making her your realtor? If she willing backs out without going after you for her commission, she is a saint especially since you are using the original contract with initials for the amendments. Please check with a lawyer before signing anything. This could put you in a world of hurt and tank the deal after you've spent money on the title company and inspections. I know that you really want the house, but this seems wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 (edited) nm Edited April 14, 2011 by Susan C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I would come up with a dollar figure that you'd like to pay your realtor for the help she's given you in house hunting. Then I'd call her and say that you're willing to give her that amount, after closing on the house, but that you'd like to deal directly with the buyer as he's opposed to working with realtors. If she's got any sense, she'll gladly thank you for your kind offer and you'll be free to buy the house. The only unknown is if her realtor's office gets involved and wants "their" cut. I'd be sure to phrase it with the realtor in such a way that it's understood to be a thank you gift and not a commission. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Larla, I was just wondering what happened with this, did you buy the house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarlaB Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 Yes, we did work things out. :) I meant to come back and update, but forgot to do so because our house sold only a few DAYS after those posts so its gotten hectic. We close on our 'sold' house in 8 days, and then close on the new house on June 23. After our agent backed out, the seller was prickly yet reasonable. For him, it was an issue of 'why pay someone to do something that you can do yourself?'...which, I understand. :) He is gruff and set in his ways, but has proved to be reasonable, (even friendly at times) just very terse in communication. We are using original contract w/ many addendums (is plural 'addenda'?)- anyway- earnest money has been collected, home inspection was fine (all small things)- although radon came back at a higher levels. After a re-test (at sellers request & expense) he agreed to split the cost with us. Appraisal is next week- the only thing we are still a little nervous about. Our finance person & title company have copies of contract etc, and have said everything looks to be in order. Once we close there, we intend to give former Realtor a pre-paid Visa card and basket of wine- or something like that. She has texted a few times to see how things are... ;) Thanks for asking :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 OP here. Yes, we offered $1K over asking price w/ $6K for closing costs. Also, the contract was written w/ 2.8% realtor fee involved (roughly $9K). Its all semantics (i.e. money & the bottom line). We did not expect him to accept the offer, yet neither did we expect him to completely be rude to our agent (and therefore us). The greater issue is how to proceed with someone who is acting in this manner- no matter his motivation. We didn't sign a contract w/ our agent, so there is no legal obligation to work with or pay her. The twist to this is that the sellers are not officially for sale. They simply put a sign on their back deck so that the ONLY people who can see this sign, are those who are with a Realtor and viewing the house for sale behind it. The neighboring house recently went up for sale, and they saw all the foot traffic and thought "lets put it up early and see what happens". Kind of crafty & tricky all at once. They do not have a signage in the front yard and are not officially for sale yet (they were aiming for May Fsbo listing). So his expectation that people are going to circumvent their realtor simply because he's a FSBO listing, is not realistic. The only way all those people saw his listing was BECAUSE of their agent. I totally 'get' where he is coming from- I do. As I said, we've done FSBO before to save the $$. We're getting the clear picture that he literally & financially does not want a realtor involved and I wanted to see how others would proceed. Just to be clear, you're offering 1k over asking, but asking for 15k in fees? I think if you want the realtor involved (and I would), then I think it's your job to swallow the fee. The other part of this situation is that it sounds like you are evaluating the exchange based on only your realtors account of it. There are 2 sides to everything. You might want to have a conversation directly with the guy to find out what is really going on. If it were me, "the house" is worth temporarily dealing with a few difficult personalities. The big thing would be legally protecting yourself (realtor, inspections, ect). If you are doing that, then I say massage the personalities to get your house. Go catch those flies with honey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Yes, we did work things out. :) I meant to come back and update, but forgot to do so because our house sold only a few DAYS after those posts so its gotten hectic. We close on our 'sold' house in 8 days, and then close on the new house on June 23. After our agent backed out, the seller was prickly yet reasonable. For him, it was an issue of 'why pay someone to do something that you can do yourself?'...which, I understand. :) He is gruff and set in his ways, but has proved to be reasonable, (even friendly at times) just very terse in communication. We are using original contract w/ many addendums (is plural 'addenda'?)- anyway- earnest money has been collected, home inspection was fine (all small things)- although radon came back at a higher levels. After a re-test (at sellers request & expense) he agreed to split the cost with us. Appraisal is next week- the only thing we are still a little nervous about. Our finance person & title company have copies of contract etc, and have said everything looks to be in order. Once we close there, we intend to give former Realtor a pre-paid Visa card and basket of wine- or something like that. She has texted a few times to see how things are... ;) Thanks for asking :) Jeez, I am on a roll today. I keep responding without looking at the date! I'm glad it all seems to be working out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 It may be a money issue if the seller doesn't want to pay a commission to your realtor. :iagree: No one would want to pay the 3% or whatever of the purchase price to a realtor... ;( (Of course, home inspection and a real estate attorney would be a given for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Thanks for the update, I am glad you were able to work things out and get the house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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