Why do some people look at homes, knowing that they contain "deal breakers"?

[themudpuppy]

Originally Posted by Corvette Ministries

When we sold our house in NC, by far the most common feedback was that the house was too small. Really?? The square footage is right up there with the number of beds/baths and the price. "If you need a larger house, you need to be looking at larger houses, people!"

It depends on how it's laid out. I wanted over 1600 square feet but I was considering all sizes over 1200. Some homes were laid out so badly that even 1600 felt too small. Some small homes were laid out in such a way that they didn't feel small or laid out in a way that they were easy to add on to in the future. The house I chose is just over 1200. It has a garage that has been converted into living space but needs some work to become an open part of the home. The first thing I plan on doing when I move in is to finish the garage conversion. When I finish the work it'll be a 1700 square foot home. I looked at some other 1200 sf homes that would not work for me, but this one does.

[katharsis]

Originally Posted by themudpuppy

The first agent I used for my current home buying was like this. I told her I was flexible on everything except 2 things. It had to be in a quiet location and no neighbors within 1,000 feet. I was looking for acreage. Otherwise, I didn't care if it was site built, a mobile home or a fixer as long as it wasn't in too bad shape. She kept taking me to homes that had neighbors as close as 100 feet. Or homes next to a noisy business like an auto repair shop. I guess she thought that I'd fall in love with the house and would compromise on my only deal-breakers.

I truly think that another thread should be started that is titled, "Why Don't So Many Realtors LISTEN?" Do they think we are children who don't know what we want?

Yes, "wants" are not necessarily "must haves", but if you state clearly that you insist on such-and-such and are NOT flexible about that, then why do they persist? And particularly in your case, where you only had two "musts"?

Personally, if a Realtor shows me a home that has something that I specifically said I definitely do not want, that is the end of our relationship. (Of course, in some cases, you truly don't know about something -- such as layout -- until you view it. However, in cases such as yours, Mudpuppy . . . honestly! ) However, having said that, if you tell your Realtor that you might be willing to compromise for the right price, then -- of course -- that is a different matter. But, again, I know that does not apply to you, Mudpuppy.

Yes, I have read that Realtors need to show their sellers that they are doing something, but imo, that is no excuse. As a seller, as I said earlier, I do not appreciate having my time wasted by having to vacate my home for someone who will definitely not be buying my home! And I doubt very much, as many people have stated on this thread, if buyers appreciate having their time wasted, either! (Okay, rant off.)

[themudpuppy]

Originally Posted by whocares811

And I doubt very much, as many people have stated on this thread, if buyers appreciate having their time wasted, either!

Yep, especially when I had to drive anywhere from 3 to 7 hours round-trip to the areas I was looking in. I was able to weed some of them out by looking on google maps to see if there were homes close by and I'd tell the realtor to cancel that appointment, but most of their maps for the very rural areas were so old that some neighbor homes didn't show up. And I could understand if this is why the realtor showed them to me too, not knowing about the neighbors, but some of them were her own listings that she had been to herself and knew they had close neighbors. She'd use excuses like "But the owner says the neighbor is quiet." Yeah, and what happens when that quiet neighbor moves out and a noisy one moves in, or they turn it into a rental, like what happened at my current house. Location is one things most buyers will not compromise on.

[jk88cal]

I will look at house even if I know there is some dealbreaker for me. Only by looking at the house in person, can I assess the market (list/ask price, neighborhood, house, and the actual sale price later). If there is dealbreaker for me, it doesn't mean that is dealbreaker for others. So each house can still be used to gauge market value for the eventual house that I will be interested in.