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Old 12-07-2009, 01:01 PM
 
78 posts, read 253,723 times
Reputation: 34

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We have been looking for a house since 2005 and getting frustrated. We haven't signed with a realtor and go back and forth between trying to buy a house at an auction or go with a realtor. Thoughts??
And does anyone have a realtor recommendation in the Mission Viejo / Tustin area? Someone with lots of experience in the area, nice, and very knowledgeable?
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Old 12-11-2009, 11:02 PM
 
Location: Frisco, Tx
159 posts, read 277,844 times
Reputation: 98
I have dealt with the best realtor, her name is Cherie Phan. She's extremely knowledgeable and once you give her specifics on what you want, she will make sure that she filters your search to just those needs. I absolutely love her and I am sad that I am moving away otherwise i'd buy more homes with her. I will DM you her information.
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Old 12-12-2009, 05:20 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,329 posts, read 93,786,816 times
Reputation: 17831
Quote:
Originally Posted by CheckingThingsOut View Post
We have been looking for a house since 2005 and getting frustrated. We haven't signed with a realtor and go back and forth between trying to buy a house at an auction or go with a realtor. Thoughts??
And does anyone have a realtor recommendation in the Mission Viejo / Tustin area? Someone with lots of experience in the area, nice, and very knowledgeable?

It's hard to believe that the biggest challenge you are facing is finding a realtor. I would think realtors are a hungry bunch right now, willing to bend, competing for your business with only the strong surviving the past couple years.

Also, do you have a clear understanding about making the biggest purchasing decision of your life by way of an auction? Are you an expert? Do you have experience?

Here are some tools I put together to help you out:

Useful Househunting tools
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Old 12-12-2009, 02:58 PM
 
8,742 posts, read 12,971,937 times
Reputation: 10526
Quote:
Originally Posted by CheckingThingsOut View Post
We have been looking for a house since 2005 and getting frustrated.
Why haven't you find a house in this buyer's market? Have you been pre-qualified financially? Know what price range you're looking for? Realistic in what type of house you can afford?

Quote:
We haven't signed with a realtor and go back and forth between trying to buy a house at an auction or go with a realtor. Thoughts??
And does anyone have a realtor recommendation in the Mission Viejo / Tustin area? Someone with lots of experience in the area, nice, and very knowledgeable?
You don't need to sign with a realtor. Every realtor with his/her salt will be more than happy to show you available houses based on your price range, preference, and show you the "comp" in the neighborhood.

Based on your definition of a "good" realtor above, I think there must be HUNDREDS of realtors that you can find in the South OC area.

Again, why haven't you been working with one? Are you picky?
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Old 12-22-2009, 11:02 AM
 
78 posts, read 253,723 times
Reputation: 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles View Post
It's hard to believe that the biggest challenge you are facing is finding a realtor. I would think realtors are a hungry bunch right now, willing to bend, competing for your business with only the strong surviving the past couple years.

Also, do you have a clear understanding about making the biggest purchasing decision of your life by way of an auction? Are you an expert? Do you have experience?

Here are some tools I put together to help you out:

Useful Househunting tools
Thanks for the list, what a great resource.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HB2HSV View Post
Why haven't you find a house in this buyer's market? Have you been pre-qualified financially? Know what price range you're looking for? Realistic in what type of house you can afford?



You don't need to sign with a realtor. Every realtor with his/her salt will be more than happy to show you available houses based on your price range, preference, and show you the "comp" in the neighborhood.

Based on your definition of a "good" realtor above, I think there must be HUNDREDS of realtors that you can find in the South OC area.

Again, why haven't you been working with one? Are you picky?
We haven't really searched for a realtor yet in that we were trying to do it ourselves. We are cash buyers(borrowing from family) and thought we could save the other 3% by not using an agent to represent us. I look everyday on Redfin and Ziprealty but with no luck. I have attempted realtytrac but it gets very frustrating. Honestly I don't have much experience in buying auctions. So that's why we are where we are. We have been trying to do it ourselves. We would love to save the most money we can, and that's what lures us into buying from an auction.
Our area is widespread. We look in Temecula, Murrieta, Tustin area, South Orange County up to Huntington Beach. But we need something with RV parking and space around the house. Our price range varies from 900,00 within 15 min of HB and up to 600,000 within 1 hour of HB (family trying to keep us close).
Hope this helps explain things better. And thanks again for all the help.
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Old 03-30-2010, 12:11 AM
 
3 posts, read 4,761 times
Reputation: 10
Getting a Realtor was actually the hardest part when I decided to start looking for house last December.
I searched all over and couldn't find a Realtor that can give me some commission rebate.
I finally found one after all the trouble, and luckily, he is pretty good at providing accurate information.
I just paid my down-payment today, and is ready to get the key of my new house.
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Old 03-30-2010, 09:59 AM
 
3,322 posts, read 7,975,362 times
Reputation: 2852
I dont know what to say about your problem. If you can afford 600k, that is a nice paycheck for the real estate agent. You borrowing money can cause some issues and will involve alot more paperwork. That maybe why you are having issues. I was lucky, my mom is a real estate agent so I knew I wasn't getting screwed over. I can refer you to her if you want. Buying now compared to 2005 are two entirely different things. I know you say its been 5 years but you have to act like you switched locations because the market is that much different now.
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Old 03-30-2010, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,329 posts, read 93,786,816 times
Reputation: 17831
Quote:
Originally Posted by yorkhung View Post
Getting a Realtor was actually the hardest part when I decided to start looking for house last December.
I searched all over and couldn't find a Realtor that can give me some commission rebate.
I finally found one after all the trouble, and luckily, he is pretty good at providing accurate information.
I just paid my down-payment today, and is ready to get the key of my new house.

Did you consider going the Redfin route? May be the way of the future. If I was buying on my own, I would certainly consider it.

Why Redfin Is Way Better | Redfin
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Old 03-31-2010, 02:05 PM
 
624 posts, read 1,247,875 times
Reputation: 624
looking for a house since 2005?...WOW that has been 5 years
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Old 03-31-2010, 03:45 PM
 
823 posts, read 1,786,404 times
Reputation: 453
Wait, you've been doing it yourself to save the 3% commission? Doesn't the seller pay the commission for both agents--listing agent and buyer's agent, so you won't be paying anyone's commission.
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