Housing sales? ?

[loves2read]

Education is why a good realtor is so valuable---
they educate you about local variables that make all the difference when you are buying a home...
when people are unfamiliar with a specific area even if they are residents of that state buying a home still can be a problem...
in my local area of TX there are many towns in close proximity but RE values and community issues like local schools are not the same from one town to next...
a 350K home in one does not equate to a 350K home in another for so many reasons...

the same is true for FL--not always for the same reasons since Sarasota county has unified school district vs independent ones like TX does--but for other factors...
some of them that can't really even be spelled out---that is why someone familiar with the local area helps people avoid expensive mistakes...
good agents are worth every time of their commission and bad agents cost you money lot of times...
so choose wisely

[InDC]

"In Ohio, and I would think most places, you find a home you want, you know the price, you pay the price, or not."

Regardless of whether home is straight sale, short sale, foreclosure, etc., there is almost always negotiation on the list price. Anywhere.

I have bought and sold real estate for over twenty years in numerous states and have rarely heard of a buyer coming in out of the blue and offering the seller the asking price. (This actually did happen to me one time only, but that was a special circumstance where the buyer had had their eyes on the property for some time and wanted to buy it no matter what -- but that was a unique property in a unique location.) Especially in today's real estate market.

Of course, many factors come into play, such as local market conditions, time on market (very important), condition of the property, other closing conditions, etc., but generally, negotiation is the name of the game.

[dalehorn]

Very informative posts! That is what I needed.

As I read over my original post, I see that I am not knowlegeable about the sales process, It just "seems, that sales are simpler in Ohio.

I did not mean you just pay what is asked, you do negotiate a price. In Fl, it seems,to me, a person is "encouraged" to offer more than the listed price. In Ohio, you offer less! :-)

I, now, understand more about the process, and the "reasons" behind the methods of purchasing a home in Fl.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND!!!