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I kind of agree. I am really frustrated about all of it. But how often do you make an offer (and it IS market) and they won't deal with you anymore because you made a low offer? That's what I am being warned of.
Do you have a spouse or partner? Make the lowball offer in just one person's name. If it gets turned down, you can make another offer in the other person's name.
That was our plan, but the seller was willing to negotiate and we got a good deal.
Oddly, although all the paperwork was in my name, when we added my husband, I suddenly got demoted to second place.
Well, we heard back from one of the 2nd look buyers. They said they might be interested, but they were concerned about what property looked like after all the leaves fell from the trees. We offered to show them photos, but they declined, saying they'd rather come back and see for themselves sometime after Thanksgiving. But we should let them know if we get another offer.
Not holding my breath, LOL And I'm sure hoping it's sold long before then!
We looked a second time inside a house that we really liked in some ways but had serious concerns about in other ways. In fact, we even went back unattended (with permission, to a vacant house) to look at external things a third time.
I had written a list of items to check, and the likely answers to the major concerns did not look promising. Some of these involved expensive repairs; others were things out of our control. We decided to cross that house off our list of candidates.
Later, someone told us something about the subdivision that made us very glad we had not bought there. It wasn’t the property itself...it was what many of the neighbors did, and it pointed to a situation of HOA rules that got selective enforcement. We had already seen this situation on the municipal level and absolutely hated the embedded unfairness and hive mentality.
Speaking as a seller:
There were a few viewers who came back for a second viewing. Three different potential buyers came back again, plus they did a few more walk-by lookie-looks; someone else brought relatives for a second viewing; and someone else came back at least two more times and seemed to be serious about buying.
Of these five, the first one made an offer we accepted but he could not get financing due to things he had not disclosed upfront. The second one made a verbal-only lowball offer that was “absolutely her best offer”, which we rejected. The third one made an offer we accepted and then he began a long, contorted game that we ultimately pulled the plug on (and happily so).
My conclusion is that second viewings indicate continued interest (house is still a candidate), but the interest might only be in getting “a steal” or in hooking the contract and THEN gaming the system to “get a steal”, or to hook the contract and then push the closing date out much, much farther out than normal, with a lower price than the contract price. (That was #3 above.)
Is there a neighbor house or something they're worried about seeing through when the leaves fall?
There are a couple of houses and a nearby road. I suppose any of those might be the concern.
Two sides of the house back up to a wooded area, but on the other two the houses next door do seem a little close, especially now that we've taken the curtains off the windows. Which is one of the reasons we wanted to keep sheers up, at the very least. We were told we had to remove all curtains, sheers, and even the roads (which is a shame, because we spent a pretty penny for them). I really thought they made the house look better, but every realtor we've interviewed insisted buyers see curtains and hit the exit. So, now we have buyers who are concerned about the view. What a surprise.
OTOH, if they're truly serious buyers they're going to find out there's nowhere you can buy in this area where you aren't going to see the nearby houses or roads, especially when there are no leaves on the trees. This is not a country property, this is suburb in a major metro area. We have a few bushes and tree between us and the house next door, so there's a little bit of a separation, but it's true that when the leaves fall you'll see that house.
Last edited by Piney Creek; 09-19-2018 at 09:38 AM..
I'm always intrigued by things other realtors say and do... I would probably be in agreement with you, particularly in close quarters. I'd want the privacy of window coverings on the sides that face other homes.
Most people though, can look at a window and realize it could have blinds or curtains added to give more privacy... it shouldn't be a deal breaker.
I didn't realize there's a whole other thread on this subject but it looks like it is 10+ pages so I can't bring myself to read it all. However, I will say this...if the house in question is that special to you, it makes no sense to have a strategy that has at its core a plan where someone else goes after it first. Who knows when the seller (whose price might be crazy high) will have a revelation and accept a much lower price?
I've never done this but I do have an idea for you. If you love the house but think the price is way off, negotiate a deal where you pay for an appraisal and the seller pays for an appraisal. Agree to meet in the middle but understand that your money down will need to be sufficient for the lender. I think that might be a good way to get two very differently minded parties to meet in the middle.
With all due respect, I don't disagree with the get an appraisal part but the meet in the middle part is nuts. This house is HUGELY overpriced and in the current conditions in Illinois, it would be financial suicide to overpay for a house right now. I will consider the get an appraisal part.
Most people though, can look at a window and realize it could have blinds or curtains added to give more privacy... it shouldn't be a deal breaker.
That's what we were thinking, too. Serious buyers will have some imagination. And they'll also understand the realities of buying a house in northern VA. If you don't have curtains, you're going to see the house next door.
I really don't understand the anti-curtain bias that seems to be so prevalent now. Too me, they look pretty, they give you privacy, and they muffle sounds from outside.
But what can I say, I'm apparently out of date. There's a lot of germophobia out there nowadays, and what I've heard is curtains (like carpet) create some sort of abhorrent reaction in some buyers. Like they might catch a disease just from having walked into my living room, LOL. At least, that's what I hear.
Do you have a spouse or partner? Make the lowball offer in just one person's name. If it gets turned down, you can make another offer in the other person's name.
That was our plan, but the seller was willing to negotiate and we got a good deal.
Oddly, although all the paperwork was in my name, when we added my husband, I suddenly got demoted to second place.
We have the same last name. You don't think they might notice that?
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And I'm sure hoping it's sold long before then! 
