Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Since 2008, I have been looking at houses but not bought any. In my defense, this has been a terrible time to buy, but was advertised to me (by my agent among others) as a good time to buy.
My poor realtor has spent days working with me, (among other things, she's gone to inspections for houses that upon inspection, turned out to have massive problems. In other cases, people didn't accept my bid. In MOST other cases, the houses I dragged her to see were inside in terrible shape, I never should have dragged her out.) (One house we went to see priced at 215,000 eventualy sold at 84,000, just to give you a picture--man was it a mess inside. I offered 130,000 at the time.)
In my defense, the reasonable houses were just massively over-priced. I say that with assurance now, because some of those same houses are still on the market with MUCH lower price tags (like roughly half) --and therefore, I feel ready to buy!
I am now eager to begin anew with much energy--but feel guilt every time I email my realtor. I feel I can't ask for a showing unless I am completely certain! I can't offer a lower price, even, but must offer list, because it just isn't fair to my realtor, already.
Plus--I am looking at lower priced houses in a high-priced part of the world.
I have asked her repeatedly if it wouldn't be better for me to find a new realtor and give her a break. She says no, but I suspect this is only out of some strong ethical sense on her part.
I think she thinks she has to help all people, to her professional determent.
This woman was the only person who would show me low-priced condos in 2004 (all the other realtors shrugged me off.) For her good deed (and a small commission of probably a thousand dollars) now she is stuck with me.
What should I do? I want to look at every house available in my price range just like anyone else, but feel too guilty. I would like to maybe start with a new realtor,and give her a break (and stop feeling my guilt) but feel too guilty.
I do feel like now I might just buy--but I have been optimistic before.
What were you doing all these years? Scouring the area for rock bottom deals?
My husband and I have been (causually) looking for about 6-7 months and I felt guilty for going out about 4 or 5 times with our realtor.
I think that if anyone wants to see every single house on the market just to get a deal, it might be a good idea to research the houses a little without the realtor first. You could first take your list of potentials and drive past each one. Take a good look outside, check out the neighborhood, the exterior appearance, parking, etc.
We've been able to rule out over 3/4 of the houses around here just based on a quick drive by.
If you drive by, look around and like the area and the home, ask your realtor for the MLS listing, so you can look over the particulars.
After weeding anything else out that may not work based on the MLS (maybe the secondary bedrooms are all tiny or you really needed more finishable space in the walk up attic or something), you might then have a very short list of properties you'd like to see.
You could talk those over with your realtor and take a look at any that you both feel might work.
Unless you're in Florida or something, I cannot imagine that there would be dozens of properties on the market that you'd really want to see if you have ANY criteria re: location.
Since 2008, I have been looking at houses but not bought any. In my defense, this has been a terrible time to buy, but was advertised to me (by my agent among others) as a good time to buy.
My poor realtor has spent days working with me, (among other things, she's gone to inspections for houses that upon inspection, turned out to have massive problems. In other cases, people didn't accept my bid. In MOST other cases, the houses I dragged her to see were inside in terrible shape, I never should have dragged her out.) (One house we went to see priced at 215,000 eventualy sold at 84,000, just to give you a picture--man was it a mess inside. I offered 130,000 at the time.)
In my defense, the reasonable houses were just massively over-priced. I say that with assurance now, because some of those same houses are still on the market with MUCH lower price tags (like roughly half) --and therefore, I feel ready to buy!
I am now eager to begin anew with much energy--but feel guilt every time I email my realtor. I feel I can't ask for a showing unless I am completely certain! I can't offer a lower price, even, but must offer list, because it just isn't fair to my realtor, already.
Plus--I am looking at lower priced houses in a high-priced part of the world.
I have asked her repeatedly if it wouldn't be better for me to find a new realtor and give her a break. She says no, but I suspect this is only out of some strong ethical sense on her part.
I think she thinks she has to help all people, to her professional determent.
This woman was the only person who would show me low-priced condos in 2004 (all the other realtors shrugged me off.) For her good deed (and a small commission of probably a thousand dollars) now she is stuck with me.
What should I do? I want to look at every house available in my price range just like anyone else, but feel too guilty. I would like to maybe start with a new realtor,and give her a break (and stop feeling my guilt) but feel too guilty.
I do feel like now I might just buy--but I have been optimistic before.
It would be best to be loyal to your Realtor, she has a lot of time invested in you. This time around though, sit down with her and make up a list starting with a reasonable price range, and homes in maybe 2 or 3 areas that you want to live in. Your criteria should have been listed a long time ago by your Realtor; I have to say she is partially to blame for letting you go off willy nilly looking at anything and everything .... for what seems years. In this market you should have the perfect buying opportunity and be able to make a commitment when you find a home that suits your criteria. She needs to give you advice on how to narrow your choices, she needs to lead you to the house for you. First, think hard about why you were practicing "buyers resistance" in the past.
I can't offer a lower price, even, but must offer list, because it just isn't fair to my realtor, already.
I have asked her repeatedly if it wouldn't be better for me to find a new realtor and give her a break. She says no, but I suspect this is only out of some strong ethical sense on her part.
I think she thinks she has to help all people, to her professional determent.
Two comments on the above.
1. That is the ramblings of an insane person.
2. Your logic is seriouslly flawed on the second point. You think with all the time your realtor has invested with you the "nice" thing to do would be to NOT pay her a commission by using another realtor? With friends like that.....
Isn't it a Realtor's job to help with the home-buying process? I understand what you're saying because I worked with one for two years before I bought a place, although over the period of two years, he probably showed me 10 houses or so. I felt guilty, too, but he assured me that it's just part of the job. And, like you, I warned him up front that I wanted to be slow and picky.
If you are sure that you are ready to purchase, then engage in their services, otherwise, stop wasting both yours and their time. As another poster states, make a realistic list of what your expectations: want/need, stop lollygagging, lol ... you asked.
BTDT..... since I am an investor, I view many properties and use the same realtor when I don't buy a FSBO. Must tell you she is an awful realtor. She is terrible about providing comps and is only interested in getting her commission. But she gets me in the door and for the past 10 years she has been the agent for about a dozen "buy" transactions for me. I don't use her to sell, I use MLS flat rate brokers. Still, I share your feelings about the number of properties I view before I finally buy something. And as a bottom-feeder, I make offers that are not accepted. I now pay her $100 for every offer contract she submits on my behalf. I do this just because I want to...she doesn't ask for it.
I think you should follow meh_whatever's advice .....tho you probably ARE previewing as much as possible now. I also think you should stop apologizing to her but get a clear understanding of all you do on your own before you ask to view a property. Go look at the tax appraisal on the tax website, look at the crime map, use a real estate website that gives you a bird's eye view of the property so you can see busy streets and train tracks and anything else near the property that might rule it out for you. Do a careful driveby during different time of day. If its vacant, try and get a closer look. Get the MLS sheet from the realtor, etc. Try and also get the realtor to show you several of the properties you are interested in at the same time to be more efficient. Go to open houses on your own and make sure the listing agent knows you have a realtor.
I think you should follow meh_whatever's advice .....tho you probably ARE previewing as much as possible now. I also think you should stop apologizing to her but get a clear understanding of all you do on your own before you ask to view a property. Go look at the tax appraisal on the tax website, look at the crime map, use a real estate website that gives you a bird's eye view of the property so you can see busy streets and train tracks and anything else near the property that might rule it out for you. Do a careful drive by during different time of day. If its vacant, try and get a closer look. Get the MLS sheet from the realtor, etc. Try and also get the realtor to show you several of the properties you are interested in at the same time to be more efficient. Go to open houses on your own and make sure the listing agent knows you have a realtor.
I actually have always done all these things, and still do them. I try to really explore the neighborhood, talk to the nieghbors, and also go look at all the houses at one time.
If you are sure that you are ready to purchase, then engage in their services, otherwise, stop wasting both yours and their time. As another poster states, make a realistic list of what your expectations: want/need, stop lollygagging, lol ... you asked.
Make a realistic list of what you seriously want and what you would like in your prospective house.
Just go see the places you have - if you like them - a serious intention to buy.
The way I see it, it is part of a realtor's job to take a buyer to see as many places as he/she wants, but it is part of being a serious buyer to be objective and not take a tour around town with no intention to buy.
Comparables can only go so far... of course one wants to make the best bang for the buck, but the people who go about endlessly nitpicking for comparables usually end up either buying nothing or not the best they could have bought simply bc the best places are sold quickly and will not wait for any extra picky, self entitled buyer "oh, it is a buyer's market now..." forever. Exactly bc one might be in need to sell he/she will certainly take the first serious offer available, and there are more people willing to buy, so the whole buyer's market philosophy might not be as rosy as it seems for buyers. (I am not saying this is your case, I am just speaking in general).
If you don't mind posting it, where are you looking for houses?
What were you doing all these years? Scouring the area for rock bottom deals?
... yes, probably, indeed.
....
Unless you're in Florida or something, I cannot imagine that there would be dozens of properties on the market that you'd really want to see if you have ANY criteria re: location.
Well, it works like this. For three years I've gone out about this time of the year, (spring), and aggressively looked at everything on the market(not always taking my realtor) and then given up for another year. Because it was all losers. But every year, it gets better. The prices are less insane So I am hopeful about this year, but I can be sure it won't be the same thing. The houses look great on the MLS, but when we see the inside, or do the inspection, what a mess.
I would like to say, if I'd bought the first year I went out to look at the prices sellers wanted me to spend, I would have been seriously underwater now, so I am not completely insane. People do understand that we are in a seriously declining market, right? But that is in hindsight--I didn't know that in 2008, 2009, 2010, etc
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miaiam
Make a realistic list of what you seriously want and what you would like in your prospective house.
Just go see the places you have - if you like them - a serious intention to buy.
The way I see it, it is part of a realtor's job to take a buyer to see as many places as he/she wants, but it is part of being a serious buyer to be objective and not take a tour around town with no intention to buy.
... I really do have a serious intention to buy. If it makes people see me more seriously, I have spent probably 1000 on inspections.
Comparables can only go so far... of course one wants to make the best bang for the buck, but the people who go about endlessly nitpicking for comparables usually end up either buying nothing or not the best they could have bought simply bc the best places are sold quickly and will not wait for any extra picky, self entitled buyer "oh, it is a buyer's market now..." forever.
To give an example, I house I offered 179,00 and was turned down flat in 2008 (they wouldn't go lower than 211,000) The house was on the market during the winter of 2011 for 134,000 ( I missed it because I wasn't paying attention during that time; I don't know what it sold for.)
My offer of 179,000 was pretty generous in retrospect and if I had given 220,000, it would have been devastating for me. But I didn't know any of this. I'd been told the bubble had popped and we were at the bottom (in 2008) Through all this, my realtor has stuck by me.
If you don't mind posting it, where are you looking for houses?
Central New Jersey
Quote:
Originally Posted by manderly6
Two comments on the above.
1. That is the ramblings of an insane person.
It made sense to me, which may prove your point
2. Your logic is seriouslly flawed on the second point. You think with all the time your realtor has invested with you the "nice" thing to do would be to NOT pay her a commission by using another realtor? With friends like that.....
If I am truly a bad client, (which I may be) then yes, and she might be too ethical or too nice to let me go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirl
I now pay her $100 for every offer contract she submits on my behalf. I do this just because I want to...she doesn't ask for it.
I have offered to do this!!! and she refuses! If she would only accept my offer to pay her, I would feel so much better. If I could just give 1000, or 500, and say--that is for the past three years, now let's just go forward. But she won't take it.
Last edited by Marka; 04-05-2011 at 10:33 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
