Little Nyssa Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I may have found THE house... it is the right size, the exact neighborhood we want, and right price (according to Zillow, which can be wrong I know), and has hardwood floors (so no need to rip out the carpet for DS's asthma). It has a porch & a yard & a view. We've driven past 1,000 times, like stalkers. :001_smile: and DH likes it too.:001_smile: I found out about it from a friend whose best friend owns the house. They are remodeling it before putting it on the market and want to move this summer, which is when we want to move, 'cause our lease is up then. It turns out that the family who owns it have a DD in my son's class. I know I have met the mom but I don't recall her face. It sounds ideal-- but how would you approach this? Help, I am a complete neophyte.:confused::tongue_smilie: Should I contact them & ask to see it? Should we only see it with our agent? He is looking into it as far as he can-- I guess realtors have access to info that we don't. Or should we wait til it goes on the market? How do I prevent them from remodeling it out of our price range?:001_smile: What kinds of things should I not say, when I see it, such as "Oh, don't bother fixing that for us!" How do you get the right of first refusal? Do you have to pay for it? Thank you for any & all advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest farmgirl62 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I would call them soon and ask if they are selling, could you see it? Certainly before they remodel too much and/or get a realtor involved. If they are amenable, I would try to do as much without realtors as the fees add much to the cost of the house. I wouldn't say too much about what to do or not. If you like the house and they are ready to sell, you could make an offer and write the contract to say you would purchase "as is". The other thing with getting to them before remodeling too much-they may do things that you wouldn't like or that would not add value to your way of living. We have sold houses that had beautiful hard wood floors that do add value to a house, and found out the people carpeted all the floors. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest farmgirl62 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Read post again-of course, any offer could be written to close in the summer or close earlier with them paying rent for a couple of months. If you have good credit, and are persistent with what you want from the bank, there are many creative ways to make something work as a win/win for both parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Your realtor should be able to contact them and say he has a client who is interested in their house. He can get a one-party showing agreement with them in order to show the house to you, if they agree to it. Or, you can contact them and ask them if they are willing to sell and work with a buyer's agent. Please don't cut out your realtor unless they say they won't work with him and you aren't willing to pay him a fee. Anyway, it is not all that unheard of to be approached like that, so they would probably be very open to talking to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Wait. You have no idea what their listing price will be, do you? :confused: And you haven't seen the inside? No harm asking them about it, but I wouldn't get your hopes up until you know what they want for it, and have seen the inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 My dad got the house he lives in now by putting a note in the mailbox saying, "If you ever want to sell, we'd be interested." It never went on the market. I would let them know you are interested. If you can figure out who the mother is, I think it would be appropriate to say, "We've always loved your house and heard you might be selling soon." Since you're apparently already contracted with a realtor, though, you may have to go through that person with the fees, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) I would call them soon and ask if they are selling, could you see it? Certainly before they remodel too much and/or get a realtor involved. If they are amenable, I would try to do as much without realtors as the fees add much to the cost of the house. I wouldn't say too much about what to do or not. If you like the house and they are ready to sell, you could make an offer and write the contract to say you would purchase "as is".The other thing with getting to them before remodeling too much-they may do things that you wouldn't like or that would not add value to your way of living. We have sold houses that had beautiful hard wood floors that do add value to a house, and found out the people carpeted all the floors. Good luck I also vote for trying to make the transaction without realtors involved. You both can get a better deal that way! Hopefully they are willing to take a fair offer. Sometimes new sellers overprice their house. I would have your friend talk to her friend and arrange a showing. This could be a win-win situation for both parties! Since you already have a realtor, if you would buy this without assistance, you can always, after it's a done deal, give your realtor a thank you note and a check or nice gift as a thank you for their time and effort. Edited February 20, 2012 by mom2abcd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Wait. You have no idea what their listing price will be, do you? :confused: And you haven't seen the inside? No harm asking them about it, but I wouldn't get your hopes up until you know what they want for it, and have seen the inside. And be sure to get a home inspection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Bumping for the daytime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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