So - do you Mass. vendors want to sell, or what??? (Chelmsford: mortgage, houses)

[amyalta]

Just got back from house hunt in North Shore area. Lovely, but ludicrously hard to view houses! Realtor spent hours on phone trying to get us in - we expected to be able to view same afternoon (three hours notice is surely enough!) but were told no, has to be 24 at least - one house, they would not let us view because our realtor's call at 1.30 pm was less than 24 hours from our desired viewing time of noon next day! Our realtor explained that we are buying with cash, can close in a month & were going back to UK next day - but still no!!!

Many of these houses have been on the market for 377 + days - no surprise there! We sold our own house in UK in 3 weeks - and you know why? We gave viewings with one hour's notice and did not act as if viewers were doing us a favour!

Hey, all you Massachusetts sellers out there - don't you know it's a buyer's market? Have you somehow missed the fact that you're practically in a recession? Geez!

[willdufauve]

When you get here be sure to tell us all how to do things the right way, you know, like you're used to.

A lot of us will thank you for setting us straight and want to be your friend.

[charolastra00]

I've NEVER heard of anything less than 24 hour notice. That's customary- especially when there are children and pets involved.

[scarletfire]

In the North Shore it's true, it is difficult to get showings on short notice. Often the homeowners want the listing agent to accompany your buyer's agent on the showing so he/she not only has to make sure the time is convenient for the homeowner but that the listing agent is available to meet you and let you in. I always thought that was ridiculous. They're obviously limiting the number of potential buyers who see their properties. Sometimes in those areas the easiest thing to do, if you can, is have your buyer agent take you out on a Sunday afternoon when there are likely to be open houses. But gosh, I agree, really annoying when you're a qualified buyer and not able to get in. Best of luck--Hope you stick with it. There are some terrific areas to live up there! :-)

[coffeegirl]

We are selling our house right now in Chelmsford, and we WELCOME anyone who wants to visit, although we do like at least a couple hours in advance, just so we can straighten up the house. I think most people who are serious about selling don't have that attitude-good luck!

[amyalta]

Never heard of less than 24 hours notice? Maybe that accounts for the 100+ houses in just one tiny area in just one tiny price range, on the market for 300+ days!

As for kids / pets, we have 2 of each, and this did not stop us from showing at 1 hour's notice! Why? That's what's expected here - and that's why we sold!

[amyalta]

Agreed, there are some wonderful places to live up there - you are indeed privileged, and maybe that has something to do with the difficulty of getting to view? Maybe some people don't seriously want to leave this lovely place?

At one house, on the market for 379 days so far, when I asked about closing dates, they said 'Oh, well she hasn't found a place to buy yet - so it would be subject to that.' Oh well, there goes her sale! Like many houses in Mass., I notice, it was wildly overpriced - only 2100 sq ft, no yard to speak of, and on offer at $589,950 - original price $649,000. I should remark that the assessed value for tax at 2007 was $435,450!

[capecodcathy]

My questions to you are: when did you decide to start looking for a house? Three hours before you made the call to the Realtor? Did you know say, on Wednesday, that you would want to look at homes today? Could you have given anyone some advance notice?
Sellers have children, pets, guests, tenants, birthday parties, etc. Twenty-four hours notice is a generally accepted rule of thumb. If I know a Buyer wants to view homes on Saturday, I start making appointments on Wednesday. I will make an attempt on a short notice but everyone involved needs to understand that people work all week, some work the graveyard shift and sleep during the day. They may have one day a week to spend with their families. You don't know and neither do I.
So, what you're saying is, when you as a Buyer, say "JUMP", a Seller is supposed to say "How high and when may I come down?"
Most Sellers and Realtors will accomodate short notice as much as possible, but people still need to live while selling their homes.
Short notice showings (I'm visualizing you cooling your heels while the Agent frantically tries to make appointments on 3 hours' notice or less) is a waste of your time, the Realtor's and the Sellers'.
From a Seller's perspective: "Poor planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency on mine". Buyer's market or not.
I know I'll take some grief for this

[capecodcathy]

One other thing, not all Sellers are as desperate as you may think and many are finding they'd rather wait it out.
Buyers are under the mistaken impression that every Seller has an upside down mortgage and must sell within 30 days. It's just not true. Many are Boomers who have a ton of equity, kids out of college and looking to downsize. They can wait.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by amyalta

Agreed, there are some wonderful places to live up there - you are indeed privileged, and maybe that has something to do with the difficulty of getting to view? Maybe some people don't seriously want to leave this lovely place?

At one house, on the market for 379 days so far, when I asked about closing dates, they said 'Oh, well she hasn't found a place to buy yet - so it would be subject to that.' Oh well, there goes her sale! Like many houses in Mass., I notice, it was wildly overpriced - only 2100 sq ft, no yard to speak of, and on offer at $589,950 - original price $649,000. I should remark that the assessed value for tax at 2007 was $435,450!

Don't read anything into the assessed value, some towns are grossly underassessed. I agree that anyone looking to sell their property should be prepared for viewings all weekend, but I don't blame them for wanting more notice during the week.